“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
I know you’re enjoying your day off today thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King, but I wanted to call your attention to an important fact: It’s my birthday! I share the day with Eartha Kitt, Betty White, Benjamin Franklin, James Earl Jones, and Anton Chekov (and, ironically, not Martin Luther King, Jr.) All in all, it’s a good date for humanity, not diminished by the fact that gangster boss Al Capone was also a January 17th baby.
In celebration of my birthday, we had a little get together last night in our new house. As the date approached, I spent many hours wondering if it was plain crazy to have a party so soon after moving in (a little over two week’s time). It turned out to be a good motivator to get the place in order, even if our spare room looks like the final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark with boxes stacked in every inch of it and we can’t get at our clothes because I shoved so much crap in there!
In lieu of gifts this year, I asked my friends and family to bring donations for the food bank at Hope & Help Center of Central Florida and I’m happy to report I have a ton of canned goods and toiletries to deliver to that important organization. As I’ve reported in the past, donations to food banks have decline in the face of our current economic woes. You can create your own food drive or turn an office party into this type of fundraiser. Just contact the organization you have in mind and I guarantee they will welcome you with open arms.
My favorite thing about my party was having friends compliment me for doing a great thing — exactly what I was thinking about them!
Kiddies Art for a Cause
6-year-old girl organizes charity art fest
Our first Ripple comes from Utah’s Daily Herald Newspaper and in some ways mirrors the food bank drive I had, but has a unique twist from a do-gooder who is starting a young age. Ella Bleak is just 6 years old and she came up with the item to have an art gallery showing for charity in her basement. Ella and friends created art in various different mediums for an art fair. Then attendees were encouraged to bring goods to be donated to The Center for Women and Children in Crisis. As much as I’m inspired by Ella, I have to say she appears to have wonderful parents who embrace and support her ideas. I have a feeling we may be hearing more about this young lady as the years go by.
Win-Win Situation
How philanthropic is ‘prize philanthropy’?
I’m a bit of an NPR junky. Whenever I’m in the car, I turn the dial to it to hear the news without the sensationalizing that seems to be mandatory for a majority of news outlets. I’m also convinced that even if I start thinking of things other than the broadcast, the information will seep in and I will get smarter. This Ripple is a segment on an NPR program called Marketplace, it takes a look at companies that set up contests to benefit non-profits. “Who wins?” is basically the question here since companies like Pepsi reap the marketing rewards of the contests. Orlando performance artist Brian Feldman posted this one on his Facebook page, so I have him to thank. You might remember Brian married a stranger to point out the absurdity of marriage inequality, so we have him to thank.
Homelessness by the Numbers
On the Grid
Jeff Gore of Orlando Weekly crafted this eye-opening article about a computer database that collects information about homeless people. Initially this sounds like a fantastic idea. “How would you solve a problem without fully understanding it?” asks Brian Sullivan of the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). However, skeptics of the system raise interesting concerns about personal security. When you consider that there are unscrupulous individuals offering money to homeless people for their personal information, caution does seem like the best path to take.
