Bake a pie for the needy
Serve The City volunteers and AIC members (American International Club of Geneva) are organizing Thanksgiving in a selfless way this year. Instead of a get together, please bake a pie for the less-fortunate. Please give back to our neighbors that are suffering during these difficult COVID times. Signup on STC website to help anticipate the pie count. Any type of pie is welcome.
Please drop-off your pies on Wednesday 25 November 2020, between 8h30-10h25, at the Jardin de Montbrillant, 3 rue de Montbrillant, 1201 Genève (behind Cornavin train station).
Takeaway meals for the needy
Serve The City Geneva is now looking for more volunteers to help prepare meals for the city’s homeless. Their aim is to create 300 nutritious takeaway meals per day, which will be dispatched to different homeless shelters across the city. Overseeing the project will be Walter El Nager, a renown international chef who will work alongside our volunteers in leading this project. This project will be running the whole of November and December.
Michal in his home town, Torunń, Poland - at the top of the historic clock tower in the old quarter.
Our recently published article at this link on Les Pierogi Polish Restaurant sparked this article about the Photographer/Digital Nomad who took the delicious photos for the restaurant (see below). Michal Grupa recently moved to Geneva, "I started working with Les Pierogi in the last couple months. Monika and Marek are fantastic people, the food they prepare is delicious and the atmosphere they've created is truly unique! To my surprise, it was very difficult to find any information about their restaurant online. There was no website. I couldn't find any reviews. They didn't even appear on Google maps, or any maps! I had no choice, but to offer my services and help showcase what they're doing with the help of online marketing and the power of social media. It's a great feeling to check in on how their day is going and to hear they're selling out of everything! We've come far in a short time."
Michal explains, "I was born in Poland and moved to New York with my parents when I was 10. I've since fell in love with the travel lifestyle and focused on nurturing a set of skills which allows me to be location independent in my work. I've explored 35+ countries with more adventures on the horizon! When I first arrived here, Geneva gave me a bit of a cold shoulder. The first few days of walking around, I kept wondering why everyone looks so mad! I soon realized underneath all the 'business' there are great people here, doing beautiful things. I find my inspiration in its surroundings, the snowcapped mountains in the distance, the crisp air and crystal clear waters of the lake. It's great to have access to all the perks of city living while remaining close to nature. No wonder I don't run into many Swiss when I'm abroad, they've got it pretty good here!"
He began transitioning from regular old-fashioned work to the digital nomad lifestyle quickly. Travel photography and simple videos were used as a simple way of keeping family and friends up to date. "As I got better, I begun offering my services professionally. Soon clients started to multiply, I'm excited to see where this path leads. My content is starting to get popular and it's opening interesting doors for me. I'm working with several brands, creating and optimizing their online presence, building websites, offering translation services and consulting. My last video on Lisbon (see below) got picked up by several Portuguese travel-related accounts and got over 75k views! We only have one shot at life and I don't want to be asleep at the wheel for mine. I constantly look for new experiences and ways to grow. I've gotten good at wearing many hats and I love helping people succeed in their endeavors."
When you hear about a group of experts that have pooled their resources, and realize that many of them have already been recommended by our readers to Know-it-all passport®, then you stand up and pay attention!
One of the founding members of Swiss Mobility Circle, Finn Toennessen, is head of corporate development and partnerships at My Project, an insurance advisory, private pension, health, insurance, tax planning, and mortage financing. Of Norwegian origin, and fluent in many languages, he integrated in the region with no problem in 2004. In 2016, Finn met Jimmy Bruzzese, co-founder of the Swiss Moving Company that includes business removals, fine-art transport, pets transport, and services linked to moving. They shared a multitude of ideas, both on personal and professional levels. It didn't take long for them to come up with the concept of Swiss Mobility Circle.
Realizing that networking is great, having a great network is better, and being able to offer a reliable network under the same roof is amazing. How many other organizations can boast about that? They might all specialize in one thing or another, but having a real expert in each field, working from their own offices, but willing to group efforts to embrace the client is the best of both worlds.
Proving their network was solid, Jimmy and Finn managed to unite 19 key providers in Western Switzerland creating a leading network of experts linked to mobility in just a few months!
by Natasha Scott, ESCA volunteer
My father-in-law’s two-year battle with cancer left him indigent. He was a successful lawyer with his own firm, a source of wisdom for his kids, a multi-marathon runner, and a volunteer for a community support group. For fun, he dabbled in the stock market and collected antique pens. Perhaps he smoked too much, or drank too much or perhaps genetics worked against him, but when cancer appeared and treatments began, he went from being independent and energetic to an emaciated version of his best self—too sick to work, to drive, unable to digest solid food, too tired to clean and sometimes bathe. His journey was not unique. Cancer can create a profound change in how you live, and it doesn’t give you a choice.
But my father-in-law was fortunate. He had many people in his life able to help him. Not everyone does and so thankfully there are associations like the English Speaking Cancer Association (ESCA) that can offer peer support for many patients who need help getting to appointments, filling prescriptions, grocery shopping or just walking the dog. However, peer support is not only for patients. It’s also there for the silent heroes who, either out of love or out of goodness, provide an unwavering support, for months or sometimes years, to someone diagnosed with cancer.
In Britain they’re called carers. In North America, they’re called caregivers. Collectively, they are the family, friends and neighbours who look after people who are ill. Many times care giving is a daunting role that one day is suddenly thrust upon them.
Jonathan Elzingre, RBL Swiss Branch Chairman (right) with James Pearsall, RBL Swiss Branch Committee Member (left) at the recent Expat-Expo fair in Geneva.
During the recent updating for the 10th Edition of Know-it-all passport®, we had a series of emails with the the Swiss Branch of the Royal British Legion. As we corresponded it became apparent that there are many potential areas of interest for our readers. Read on to find out more!
What is the Royal British Legion ?
The Royal British Legion, was founded in 1921 on the initiative of Field Marshal Earl Haig, following the First World War, which left thousands injured and scarred by their experiences. For those who returned home leaving millions dead, particularly on the battlefields of Northern France and Belgium, the world would never be the same. Haig’s aim was to provide dignity and self-respect through employment, particularly for the disabled.
There have been many casualties in conflicts since the two World Wars. The Legion is today the United Kingdom’s leading charity safeguarding the welfare, interests and memory of those who have served in the Armed Forces and their dependants. The Legion currently spends more than £73 million pounds providing welfare services and relieving distress. Support is given at every level – from advice about benefits to grants for household appliances, as well as the provision of nursing homes.
