April 2009
16 posts
In honor of my trip to NOLA for Jazz Fest this weekend:
Make It Right - Helping Rebuild The Lower 9th Ward
The Mission of Make It Right is clear: it is to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes that are inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking, with an emphasis on a high quality of design, while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture. The goal is to accomplish this quickly, so that the first residents can begin returning to their homes as soon as possible.
Donation Page here.
About GPICT:
GPICT! Yes, kids, it’s Gratuitous Public Interest Campaign Thursday, begun last week and to be continued on every Thursday hence. Can you imagine if everyone who gratuitously posted a photo of themselves on Wedesday matched it with by gratuitously posting a link or note about some great public interest initiative? That would be so badass! I’m gonna start by directing you to Soup’s post about his upcoming birthday (March 30th yo!) and his Charitini-inspired drive for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. But it can be anything really - letting people know about a day of clean-up, volunteering, a Twitter fundraising campaign,and, um, dangerous-sounding-but-cutely-named hitchhiking campaigns. Or more! Who knows what it can become - when it comes to social media the possibilities are endless!
Okay so that’s my pitch. Anyone who’s into it, please reblog with a link to your favorite charity. Let’s see how many we can collect in one place - I will add everything we get to the Charitini blogroll. Let’s DO this! High five! Woo! Booyah! Etc.
I was out of town last Thursday, so will make up for the lack of a post then with two this week.
Giving two friends’ causes send-ups today:
1) Fundraising for a NYC Triathlon for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Hi everyone!
I am fundraising for the Lukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. This is a link to my fundraising site. Please make a donation, its a good cause, and come on… I have to swim in the Hudson River!
Thanks!
2) Race For Hope, DC to benefit The National Brain Tumor Society & Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure
voula:
Sascha is a good friend of mine from college at GWU, and no doubt on my list of “favorite” people in the whole world. Not only is she hilarious and awesome, but has an amazing way of calming me down during my lapses in sanity and than making me laugh at my own ridiculousness. A rare and special gift to find in a friend. Eleven years ago the Roths lost their father to brain cancer, and although I never had the opportunity of meeting Jeffrey Roth, as Sascha and I became friends after his passing, I did have the wonderful opportunity of meeting and falling in love with the rest of the Roth family. They are an amazing family, and the love they have for one another and their father still today, is so evident that it’s hard not to feel like a part of the family when you are with them.
So it’s in that spirit I ask for your support in my fundraising efforts with a donation to Race for Hope, as I “virtually participate” with Jeffrey’s Goofy Gang to raise money for brain cancer. The Roths named their team name in honor of their father’s favorite Disney character, Goofy, whose laugh, silly antics, and never ending ability to make people smile held a special place in their Dad’s heart. Your tax-deductible gift, no matter how big or small, will make a difference in the lives of brain tumor patients and their families.
Thank you in advance for your support.
About GPICT:
GPICT! Yes, kids, it’s Gratuitous Public Interest Campaign Thursday, begun last week and to be continued on every Thursday hence. Can you imagine if everyone who gratuitously posted a photo of themselves on Wedesday matched it with by gratuitously posting a link or note about some great public interest initiative? That would be so badass! I’m gonna start by directing you to Soup’s post about his upcoming birthday (March 30th yo!) and his Charitini-inspired drive for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. But it can be anything really - letting people know about a day of clean-up, volunteering, a Twitter fundraising campaign,and, um, dangerous-sounding-but-cutely-named hitchhiking campaigns. Or more! Who knows what it can become - when it comes to social media the possibilities are endless!
Okay so that’s my pitch. Anyone who’s into it, please reblog with a link to your favorite charity. Let’s see how many we can collect in one place - I will add everything we get to the Charitini blogroll. Let’s DO this! High five! Woo! Booyah! Etc.
“…and she attempted to stick her hand down his pants but they were too tight.”
From the three-time world heavyweight boxing champion’s essay for “This I Believe”:
Throughout my entire boxing career, my belief in my abilities triumphed over the skill of an opponent. My will was stronger than their skills. What I didn’t know was that my will would be tested even more when I retired.
In 1984, I was conclusively diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Since that diagnosis, my symptoms have increased and my ability to speak in audible tones has diminished. If there was anything that would strike at the core of my confidence in myself, it would be this insidious disease. But my confidence and will to continue to live life as I choose won’t be compromised.
Early in 1996, I was asked to light the cauldron at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Of course my immediate answer was yes. I never even thought of having Parkinson’s or what physical challenges that would present for me.
When the moment came for me to walk out on the 140-foot high scaffolding and take the torch from Janet Evans, I realized I had the eyes of the world on me. I also realized that as I held the Olympic torch high above my head, my tremors had taken over. Just at that moment, I heard a rumble in the stadium that became a pounding roar and then turned into a deafening applause. I was reminded of my 1960 Olympic experience in Rome, when I won the gold medal. Those 36 years between Rome and Atlanta flashed before me and I realized that I had come full circle.
Nothing in life has defeated me. I am still “The Greatest.” This I believe.
One Brick - Volunteering Made Easy
One Brick provides support to local non-profit and community organizations through what I like to refer to as “flash-mob social volunteerism.” They support over 600 organizations and simply post a calendar of events for the areas they serve on their site that individuals can review and sign up for if interested. No long term commitment or set schedule. They’ve adopted an innovative twist to the volunteer experience: create a friendly and social atmosphere around volunteering, and after each volunteer event — which typically lasts only 3 to 4 hours — volunteers are invited to gather at a local restaurant or café where they can get to know one another in a relaxed social setting. One Brick currently operates in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, Minneapolis and Seattle. In 2008, One Brick brought 54,196 man hours to the communities they serve.
Learn more and/or view an event calendar for your area here.
They also accept donations here.
About GPICT:
GPICT! Yes, kids, it’s Gratuitous Public Interest Campaign Thursday, begun last week and to be continued on every Thursday hence. Can you imagine if everyone who gratuitously posted aphoto of themselves on Wedesday matched it with by gratuitously posting a link or note about some great public interest initiative? That would be so badass! I’m gonna start by directing you to Soup’s post about his upcoming birthday (March 30th yo!) and his Charitini-inspired drive for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. But it can be anything really - letting people know about a day of clean-up, volunteering, a 0 Comments,and, um,dangerous-sounding-but-cutely-named hitchhiking campaigns. Or more! Who knows what it can become - when it comes to social media the possibilities are endless!
Okay so that’s my pitch. Anyone who’s into it, please reblog with a link to your favorite charity. Let’s see how many we can collect in one place - I will add everything we get to the Charitini blogroll. Let’s DO this! High five! Woo! Booyah! Etc.
Poll Results From the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy:
53% of respondents did not know what the Dow Jones Industrial Average was.
No, the irony’s not lost on me that that’s the same amount of people who…
Update:
In the spirit of “give a man a fish vs. teach a man to fish,” as a proponent of experiential learning, I am providing a link to an informational piece on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. I would rather not just give the information, but provide those who are interested in learning about the DJIA with a starting point in the exercise of attaining knowledge. Perhaps upon performing such research this one time, it will inspire a trend to constantly seek out knowledge of that which one is lacking a full understanding or has been ill-informed.
March 2009
26 posts
Thanks to everyone who reblogged yesterday’s inaugural post marking Gratuitous Public Interest Thursday - or, as the cool kids say, GPICT. In gratititude for helping to kick it off on its very first day, I have donated to each recommended charity. My philosophy is that those who step up philanthropically should be recognized, and I’m happy to shout-out those who did so yesterday. (My eventual model for Charitini - when I get it together to build an actual site - will include a scrolling list of benefactors like this one, with full names but not amounts, because the act of giving is important in and of itself, and every little bit counts.) So! Without further ado, my honor roll of GPICT charities, and their beneficent Tumblr promoters:
- Operation Gratitude - Care Packages for Soldiers - courtesy of mbrosen
- The Kucetekela Foundation -Education for Zambia’s Youth - courtesy of katiebakes
- Music Maker Relief Foundation - courtesy of The Romp
- Circle of Women - Building a Girls’ School in Afghanistan - courtesy of Ferrrn
- Heifer International - Donating Sustainable Resources - courtesy of jgh
- St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital - courtesy of Soup Soup
If anyone out there wants to match me, I’ll forward my receipts and you can have at it. I probably won’t be able to keep it up as this (hopefully) takes off, but it’s a decent start (and NB if you have ever seen me promote a charity on this site or on my Twitter, it means I have donated to it, too. Walk the walk). That also counts for volunteerism - so yes, Krucoff, I have already put The Great American Clean-Up on the calendar for April 22nd.
I hope I am not being annoyingly, cloyingly do-goody here. But as Hillel once said, if not now, when? He also said, “Oy, this matzah ball tastes like gefilte fish,” but we’ve all made that mistake at one time or another.
My fave:
BOB NEWHART
“It’s a shame that the ‘3 a.m. phone call’ issue in the Democratic campaign was resolved after Obama’s nomination, when John Edwards was caught by the paparazzi while visiting his mistress and love child.
“Thinking quickly, he ran down several flights of stairs and barricaded himself in a stall in the men’s room until escorted back to his room by hotel security.
“It showed quick thinking, originality and inventiveness. I personally would want John Edwards there for that ‘3 a.m. phone call.’ “
