Good Deed Week #31

Good Deed #212. I donated to the pajama program which provides comfort and love in the way of new pajamas and books to children in need and children waiting for permanent homes. By providing pajamas and books, they help to create a warm and nurturing bedtime environment for vulnerable kids living under difficult circumstances.


Good Deed #213. Another way to help kids, I donated to First Book. First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities.



Good Deed #214. Once again, I went to my monthly habitat for humanity meeting. We are still preparing to create new materials and displays to place outside each home we are building. Not much has changed since the previous post.

Good Deed #215. As I was sitting at home watching my FAVORITE show, Ellen, I saw this awesome group of very intimidating men that are part of Rescue Ink. These guys will stop at nothing within the bounds of the law to protect animals at risk. They intercede without hesitation when they are informed of a situation that needs to be addressed, and they address it. If they need to convince people to do the right thing ... they can be very convincing, they will even buy animals if that's what it takes to get them away from abusers. Rescue Ink™ is all about zero tolerance when it comes to animal abuse and neglect. Their ranks are growing every day, as Americans from coast to coast are reaching out to join in their efforts. How could I NOT donate to them!?! Check them out: Rescue Ink on the Ellen Degeneres Show


Good Deed #216. Today, I clicked to help air a public service announcement protesting Canada's baby seal hunt. I mean, who doesn't want to help the baby seals?!?!

Good Deed #217. I have now nicknamed Ryan my "superstar." He is such an asset to the team and is a pleasure to have around the house. Things are still going well -- even though he can kick our ass at every Wii game we own. Hopefully one day he will learn that it is only polite to let your host family win every once in a while.


Good Deed #218. Alright, I have officially passed the "half-marathon" mark. This past Saturday I ran 14 miles. So, now I know I can run a half-marathon if something happens. It is a great motivator to know that I really am making progress and this is actually going to come true. I don't know if this will make sense to you, but I don't really realize that I, Little B, will be running a marathon. I realize that is what I signed up to do and I realize that is what all my donors are expecting me to do, but really....me...run a marathon?!?!

Good Deed Week #30

Good Deed #205. I donated to a project that will serve 150 children by offering them the opportunity to get out from their slums, to express their feelings and open their minds to the world. It also creates a positive dynamic for the whole community by providing jobs. The project targets children who live in poor and marginalized areas of Casablanca, Morocco.


Good Deed #206. Through DonorsChoose.org, I donated to a teacher at my former high school. Mrs. B's students love the CBS Numbers show, which uses math to solve crimes. In order for her class to complete the "forensic" type activities they need a data collection tool. My donation is helping them purchase a Casio EA-200 graphing tool. This tool will allow them to collect real-world data and transfer that data to graphing calculators. Then, students can analyze the graphs and the equations and make generalizations about what could happen next.

Good Deed #207. Imagine being a child, away from home, scared in the dark! That is what happened to many of the children in Mrs. D's classroom when a tornado knocked out power for hours at their school. I donated to her project so they can have good flashlights and emergency radios. These simple pieces of emergency equipment can make sure these stressful situations are easier to handle for both the children and adults.

Good Deed #208. As we all know, I try my best to support military men and women. So, it shouldn't be a surprise that I donated to the USO, which is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform.



Good Deed #209. I clicked again and saved 7.4 sq feet of rainforest. I still have no clue how much that really is, but it sounds good. If you too want to save the rainforests or carbon emissions click here.

Good Deed #210. Ryan is still living with us and is still playing some great baseball. The hours are long and hard, but he is managing the schedule incredibly well. Overall, this has been a great summer and we are happy to be a part of his career and life.


Good Deed #211. Thank goodness this was a recovery week. As you know, last week we had to run 12 miles, this week we only had to run seven miles. However, I am starting to realize that our "down" weeks means harder and longer hills. This week I received two very generous donations from Rich G. and Rhonda. Rich is technically a friend of a friend, but I like to consider him a friend of mine now. I have done a few good deeds with him this year (Race for the Cure for his mom and Guitars Not Guns). Rhonda is a fellow Boise Hawks host mom (she has a pitcher).

Good Deed Week #29

Good Deed #198. As I attempt to help our planet, I donated to a project to help Northwestern students in Panama. The community of Santo Domingo is located in Chagres National Park in Panama. It is isolated; a 10 km dirt road separates it from the nearest town. After the Northwestern group assisted in installations of solar panels and lights at the local school and church, the community proposed the electrification of individual houses through solar energy. This project will benefit the community’s health, economy, and environment. Northwestern will provide technical expertise, training, and 50% funding for materials.



Good Deed #199. I donated to a project that will provide a regular supply of basic foods and other items to the elderly population in parts of rural Guatemala, while educating families on age related issues. My small donation, will feed one elderly person for a month.

Good Deed #200 and #201. The genocide continues. 400,000 people are dead. How this is allowed to go on day after day doesn't make sense to me. I know this isn't much, but if we all sign and if we all fight for them, maybe (just maybe) we can put an end to this. To do my part, I joined and donated to Save Darfur. Please watch the videos on this site: http://www.voicesfromdarfur.org/page/content/voicesfromdarfur and the video below:



Good Deed #202. In order to offset the emissions I released during my shower today, I clicked to donate to stop global warming. It's easy, for you it would just be one click on this page and another on care2's website.

Good Deed #203. Ryan is still with us. We fear (mostly me) that he will be called up at any minute to the bigger leagues. Our players are being called up on a weekly basis, so our time with him could be over at any minute. He has the talent to move up and we sure will be happy if he does, but I selfishly want him to stay. So far, so good.


Good Deed #204. Ouch, ouch, ouch. We ran 12 miles this Saturday. Ouch. I hurt everywhere and walking seems impossible. They warned us about blisters and bloody toes, but when it actually happens you really realize how much it hurts. Oh well. It's done and over with and next week will be an easier week.

Good Deed Week #28

Good Deed #191. The benefits of solar power are rarely enjoyed by the low-income households who need the savings the most. GRID Alternatives brings together a grassroots network of volunteers, as well as rebates, grants and low/no interest loans, to install solar for low-income families throughout California. “These projects bring together environmental and economic sustainability on a local level while helping folks gain hands-on experience with solar,” says GRID Alternatives co-founder Erica Mackie. My donation is helping to bring solar power to 10 families in California.

Good Deed #192. I donated to a project that contributes to the rehabilitation of children and youth who have experienced severe stress and trauma due to war of summer 2006 and the following internal conflict in Lebanon by means of regular sport activities. Through guided sport activities the participants are provided with a healthy regular routine in an otherwise chaotic environment. So far the project has been provided psycho-social support to roughly 400 children, affected by the recent conflict in Lebanon.

Good Deed #193. Of the more than 1 million people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, some 300,000 are children. After the storm, Boys & Girls Club moved quickly to assist children who were forced from their homes. I donated to help provide a safe place for kids to recover from the traumatic events, a place to learn, play and make new friends. Currently, there are about 500 displaced kids participating in the programs that will run throughout this school year and next summer. Boys & Girls Club provides after school programs at Scotlandville Middle School and weekend activities at FEMA trailer parks.


Good Deed #194. My donation to poor farmers in Brazil helps establish them as organic farmers and agroforestry producers. This project was created with the purpose of donating vegetable gardens and tree nurseries and offering courses on environmental and agricultural matters. Basically, irrigated vegetable gardens are provided for Brazilian rural families, resulting in food, work and better habitat and environmental conditions.

Good Deed #195. I signed a petition to move landmark legislation through Congress that will allocate federal resources to non-profit and research organizations focused on finding a treatment and/or cure for SMA.

• SMA is an inherited genetic disease that results in loss of nerves in the spinal cord and weakness of the muscles connected with those nerves.
• SMA is the #1 genetic killer of children under the age of 2.
• SMA is estimated to occur in nearly 1 out of every 6,000 births.
• The gene mutation that causes SMA is carried by 1 in every 40 people or nearly 7.5 million Americans.
• There is currently no cure, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have selected SMA as the disease closest to treatment of more than 600 neurological disorders.
• Researchers estimate that we are as close as only a few years away from finding a treatment and/or cure.

Good Deed #196. Ryan Keedy has had another great week! He has had several key plays that knocked in a few runs. In general, the hawks are playing strong even though many of our players are being moved up to other teams. Keedy played one home game and 5 away games this week. The picture below is him being interviewed for being player of the game.


Good Deed #197. Thank goodness this week was an easier week. We only had to run 6 miles! The training is going well and the donations continue to come in. This week I received a donation from Michael Goldfarb (former coworker -- he had the unfortuante pleasure of having to share an office with me).

Good Deed Week #27

Good Deed #189. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to caribou, snow fox and millions of migratory birds. But this natural treasure is constantly under siege. Time and time again, the oil industry has sought to open this special place to harmful new drilling, threatening all of the wildlife that depend on it for survival. And now President Bush has called for drilling in the Arctic Refuge by 2010 in his new budget proposal. I signed a pledge urging congress to permanently protect the Arctic Refuge! If you would like to sign, please click here.

Good Deed #190. In Billi, 512 households face an increasing water crisis. Severe drought over the past couple of years has severely depleted the water tables and most of the public water points run dry for 7 months a year. Other wells are contaminated with arsenic and are blocked from use. Families often resort to getting their drinking water from open, contaminated sources. These problems are further compounded by poor sanitation practices, leading to increased incidences of diseases and child mortality. My donation is helping a project that consists of constructing 20 new borehole wells with hand-pumps and drainage systems, and pit latrines for 512 households. The project also includes health education, community development and technical training.