Karissa Sparks
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karissasparks.bsky.social
Karissa Sparks
@karissasparks.bsky.social
COO @ Every.org. SF Bay Area. Loves: coffee, data, results. Opinions are my own and not those of my employer. 🏳️‍🌈
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
“It’s not that my heart’s not in it. It’s that my heart is in everything.”

The Cassandra of the Midwest with another poetic essay on America being stripped and sold for parts. Highly recommend all of Sarah Kendzior’s work.
February 8, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Doubly relevant today: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge.” - MLK, Jr.
January 20, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
The Jan. 30 event will stream live and raise money for those impacted by the wildfires.
Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby and more will play FireAid benefit concert in L.A.
The Jan. 30 event will stream live and raise money for those impacted by the wildfires.
www.npr.org
January 17, 2025 at 7:47 PM
“Every day, each of us has an opportunity to help others—to get engaged when it would be easier to mind our own business, to step up when it would be easier to walk away, and to act when it would be easier to assume others will fill the void.”
Given the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, now is a good time to get off the sidelines—to help those who might feel lost and, along the way, find yourself. Read more about this in my Substack post:
The secret to finding yourself is getting lost in service to others
Altruism, not capitalism, is the unlock to growth, fulfillment and finding your people
shannonwatts.substack.com
January 16, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
Paris Hilton, Who Lost Home to L.A. Fires, Launches Fund for Displaced Families www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
Paris Hilton, Who Lost Home to L.A. Fires, Launches Fund for Displaced Families
Paris Hilton pledged at least $100,000 to help families with little ones displaced by the fires that ravaged several parts of Los Angeles.
www.rollingstone.com
January 11, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
What’s even more uncanny: Octavia Butler lived — and is buried — in Altadena, the location most devastated by the Eaton fire.
Cannot stop thinking about how Octavia Butler wrote a book in 1993 about climate change. It opens with deadly fires in LA in 2025. In the story, a fascist President has just won office with the campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."

She was a modern day Nostradamus. If only we'd listened.
January 9, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
Jason Carter’s eulogy, talking about how Jimmy Carter lived his life with love and respect, was so powerful. It was an excellent tribute to the man he is eulogizing and a needed message for the nation to which he is speaking.
January 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Here’s a way to support California firefighters and their families. www.every.org/cafirefounda...
January 9, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
Pasadena Humane has seen an influx of over 300 animals due to the fires. People lined up down the block to drop off beloved pets they could not take with them when they fled their homes. Some animals arrived with burns and injuries and are being treated. Donations and fosters are needed NOW.
Eaton Canyon Fire Update - Pasadena Humane
Update as of 6:30 pm on January 8: We have taken in over 300 animals due to evacuations and have staff and volunteers working nonstop to help with their care. […]
pasadenahumane.org
January 9, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
At the start of each new year, to calibrate priorities, I reread Seneca's classic on the shortness of life and how to live wide rather than long:
The Shortness of Life: Seneca on Busyness and the Art of Living Wide Rather Than Living Long
“The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today… The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
www.themarginalian.org
January 6, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Every Dec 31, I aggressively unsubscribe from newsletters and online retailers I no longer use, along with dozens of sites and services that routinely spam me. A quieter inbox is a great (free) gift to give yourself!
December 31, 2024 at 3:58 AM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
Take some space for reflection, friends, in these waning days of the year. The relative quiet of now is a blessing. I am relishing it.

I hope you get the chance to do the same.

If you are surrounded by lots of people, head outside alone — preferably in the woods or around a body of water.
December 27, 2024 at 12:17 AM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
ICYMI #GivingTuesday 2024 saw record-breaking engagement in donations, volunteer support, and overall participation with $3.6 billion donated in the U.S. alone — a 16% increase from last year.

Local stories fueled this milestone, showing that every act makes a difference. apnews.com/article/givi...
GivingTuesday estimates $3.6B was donated this year, an increase from 2023
U.S. donors gave $3.6 billion on Tuesday, an increase from the past two years, according to estimates from the nonprofit GivingTuesday.
apnews.com
December 5, 2024 at 5:10 PM
Reposted by Karissa Sparks
Here’s the real test of Bluesky. #earthquake in SF! 😬
December 5, 2024 at 6:46 PM
Happy #GivingTuesday! There’s still a few hours left. So take a minute to support a nonprofit in your life that’s doing great work.
December 4, 2024 at 3:14 AM
Took my wife and son to see “Anything Goes” at a local high school last night, and I was blown away by the performance! I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of those teens end up on Broadway. Really nice to see the next generation finding their voices.
November 24, 2024 at 6:54 AM
Tonight, I’m taking my daughter to her first (K-pop) concert: Dreamcatcher. This should be interesting!
November 18, 2024 at 1:17 AM
“And I like to take up space just because I can.”
November 16, 2024 at 4:47 AM
Hi everyone. I’m new here having left the other place. I will mostly read what other smart people have to say. But I’m going to try to join in the conversation a bit more this time around. I appreciate y’all!
November 15, 2024 at 3:28 AM