Good Deed #51. I have this thing. This thing for Andre Agassi. I'm not going to lie - he hasn't always been one of my favorite athletes, but once Pete Sampras retired, I turned to Andre. And, well, I have this thing now. Anyway, a while ago I saw him on Oprah (are you seeing a trend yet?) when he was talking about his school in Vegas and its success rate. So, for good deed #51, I donated to the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the lives of at-risk children through its support of recreational and educational programs. More than 180,000 children have been touched by its funding of programs designed to enhance their character, self-esteem, and career possibilities.
Good Deed #52. On a much more serious note, as we continue to fight the War on Terrorism, many more military men, women, and families need our support. To help, I donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund which has provided close to $60 million in support of the families of the military personnel lost in service to our nation, and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans. I have been blessed that no one I know has been lost or even wounded in this war and I pray that it stays that way.
Good Deed #53. Our servicemen and women are not the only ones impacted during war time. Across the globe, armed conflicts have reached an unprecedented number. There have been more than 250 major wars since the end of World War II. Ninety percent of those injured or killed in conflicts are civilians -- 75 percent of whom are women and children. For good deed #53 (and I'm sure many more to come) I donated to Women for Women International. This organization helps women in worn-torn regions rebuild their lives by providing financial and emotional support, job skills training, rights awareness and leadership education and access to business skills, capital and markets.
Good Deed #54. We all know St. Jude's and the great work they do for children. A dear friend of mine lost a childhood friend in High School because of cancer. As a small tribute to Jessica and her friend, I bought the magnets below that were designed by patients at St. Jude's and all the proceeds will go to its mission.
Good Deed #55. I'm not sure how I stumbled onto this site, but it is FANTASTIC. GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny a search, to the charities its users designate (I picked AmeriCares and the Central Asia Institute - but they have an endless list of charities to choose from). I have GoodSearch.com as my home page now and I use it just like I would use google (you can even watch the donations add up). They also have a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite charity. Hundreds of great stores (REI, Best Buy, Gap, Target, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) have teamed up with GoodSearch and every time you place an order, you will be supporting the charity you choose. It's simple. It's easy. It's a great way to earn money for your charity.
Good Deed #56. Brian and I are trying to make a honest attempt at being more "Green" this year. We love the outdoors and want to protect our environment as much as possible. Now, we can't put solar panels on our house tomorrow, but we can do the little things. We started by using the new light bulbs, driving less around town, turning down the heat, and using reusable grocery bags. Now, we have bought and started using earth-friendly cleaning products. For starters, we are using dish soap, dishwasher detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner. As we run out of the other stuff, we will replace with earth-friendly products. So far, we are very happy with the results of BioKleen, Seventh Generation, and Green Works.
No comments:
Post a Comment