First I must say thank you.  Thank you for putting this challenge out there and thanks for donating your $10 instead of buying that beer.

Sunday I went to the local farmers market and when I returned home my neighbor was talking about how great it would be to have fresh fish.  She is just a couple months pregnant and really values fresh, wild caught salmon.  I knew that a girlfriend of mine would be at the farmers market, she tends to sleep in on sundays.

Anyways, I called my friend and I was right, she was just getting to the market.  I asked if she would buy a fresh piece of salmon for my neighbor. 
My friend later stopped by to deliver the fresh piece of fish and my neighbor was elated.  She couldn’t believe that someone would do something so nice.  It was quite simple, one phone call.

That night we all BBQ’d and my neighbor not only ate every last bite of the fish, but she was so grateful and had a great big smile the entire time!

Nogali, great challenge. That is funny, I did the same thing, put $10 in the Red Cross bucket instead of tossing it down the tap opting to keep refilling my water. I have been challenging myself to really look at wants versus needs. I find I WANT a lot of “things”, and whenever I need a reality check I listen to “Gone”. I will be honest, too frequently I give in. So that watch that I just new I HAD to have and go get today, I won’t be getting it. Instead, I am going to spend the day with my pseudo-nieces and my son, playing out in the sunshine.

We are, also, going to go around and find itemes that we no longer need and take them to Martinsville to donate to the flood victims.

Have a great day!

kizzow-

This morning you inspired me. On my weekly trip to the store, I purchased extra fruit (organic of course) and took it to my neighbors in a reusable bag. This is a neighbor I have been reluctant to meet for reasons I am not even sure of, but they are very nice. You are the reason I did it. Thank you for the inspiration.

XaveysMom-
Good job on resisting, I have had to tell myself no to the iphone. I don’t need it. I am on my way out to swing with the kids, and will be heading to the library to donate to the food bank for the flood victims.

You also have a great day! & please keep posting, I have a feeling some will be reluctant to get into this thread.

Nogali, I think you have captured the essence of All At Once and of Jack.  What great insight!

A few years ago, I was working with a nonprofit Spanish-immersion preschool that my kids all attended.  They had outgrown the church they were in, and we were looking for a place for them to move.  We looked at a building (which, unfortunately in my opinion, they passed on) that would have been perfect for a school, ok, a little funky, but it was a really good deal and had a lot of potential.

So, my husband and I decided to buy it.  (We even gave the preschool another chance to take over our contract, but they passed again.  Ended up closing, which is a tragedy.) 2/3 of the building was vacant, and we had to gut it.  The other third was occupied by a daycare that operates from 5:30 am to 11:00 pm, mostly low-income kids.  But we had no tenant for the other side, a rather risky deal, but I knew how hard it is for daycares and schools to find buildings.

I had the renovations almost done, and a woman called me asking if she could see the space.  She had been running a summer camp for low-income kids for 9 years, always going from place to place.  I rented her the space, and she is now running a before and after care as well as the camp.  She calls me her angel, and is so grateful to have a home.  I think she is the angel, she is so committed to helping these kids break the cycle, go to college, etc, I can’t say enough nice things about what she is doing.  I feel so good that all these kids have a nice space to spend their time in.

In the end, financially this building is working out well for us. Yes, there have been times where it has been extremely stressful, and we didn’t know if it would work out and we were stretched.  I didn’t go into this cold, I have a lot of experience with construction, the market, leasing, etc. But it was still a risk.

It is possible to “Do well by doing good.” Whatever it is you are good at, you can use those skills in a way that results in positive things, sometimes you just have to be a little creative and be willing to take some risks.  My experience is that when you take this approach, things just somehow work out for the best.  You can’t be too attached to financial success, your ego, or the way things have always been.  You can’t be afraid to fail.  If you let go of the fear of all the things that can go wrong, you are so free to see the possibilities. 

And, like with your neighbor, when you see the impact even a small gesture can have on others, it just energizes you to do more. 

Just think, if All At Once, everyone was operating this way—what a wonderful world!!

Yesterday, my co worker found out that his mother was in the hospital. He was going to wait until he got off work to go see her since it was just me and him at work.  He works until 6pm and I work until 3pm.  I told him to go to his mom and I would cover for him.  I ended up working 11 hours yesterday, but it was worth it for him to be able to be with his mother.

This is a great topic and you have all really inspired me to keep thinking about friends, family, community, and even strangers on the street.  We should keep this topic going for a long time!

Kinda a small one, but I donated 3 tickets to the show yesterday, to a few that may not have gone if I hadn’t. They all had a fabulous time!

My husband just recently adopted my daughter, which ispired me to love a little deeper!

XaveysMom~

Dave Matthews once said, “What I want is what I’ve not got, but what I need, is all around me”.

I heard that about 10 years ago, and try to live by it the best I can!
Im not saying that I don’t splurge sometimes, but I am happy with what I have!

I would have donated twenty and still bought beer. I’m a balla, fo sho.

Seriously, continue patting yourselves on the back for doing the simplest things possible. You are all humanitarians. for real, my top ten list of humanitarians would be 1. Mother Theresa 2. Princess Di 3. You guys 4. Paris Hilton

I think the most amazing thing about giving, generosity, kindness, etc. is that when it is done right, you don’t need to celebrate it or say “Hey, guys, look… look.... I worked extra for a friend, 10 hours! and then I gave $.25 cents to this little boy so her could buy some juicy-fruit gum. CELEBRATE ME!”

OP, Words can be inspiring, but words celebrating simple actions when the world needs more than that is like bragging you recieved a trophy for last place. If you want to inspire, than use your words to inspire, not to brag. If you don’t want to use your words, use action. Otherwise, you look like a tool. And I mean that as nice as possible.

woo hooo!!!!  We beat Paris Hilton!?!?!?

I used to agree that you should keep your good deeds to yourself, that telling people some how took away from what you had done, but I have recently changed my mind. When Jack told us that the proceeds from the concert were going to go to the Red Cross, I was inspired. If he had not said anything, I might never have known. You can take this thread however you want, but I think I have you pegged lazyguitar. You like to ruffle feathers. Go ahead, ruffle, but good deeds are just that, good deeds. You putting them down does not phase me, and I hope that others will not be either. I am glad you are here to entertain. We will continue inspire each other, what ever kind of tool that makes us.

We all know that it is the big actions that matter, but small actions multiplied can make a big difference, so follow suit lazyguitar, donate your money, be part of an process that is bigger than you. And then tell us about it.

No, I don’t like to “ruffle feathers” I like to increase thought. Huge difference.

Here is the thing, when Jack Johnson says at a concert that the proceeds are going to the red cross, he is letting the audience know “Hey, so you know how you guys just got to rock out, and have fun and drink 12 dollar miller lite? Yeah, GREAT news, all of the money you spent on the ticket, sans fees for Deer Creek, is going to a good cause. So, by rocking out tonight, you donated to charity. Great Job. “

So in a way, he was thanking the audience for making the donation possible. He was not saying “look how cool I am for donating.”

I do a lot with charities, but when I talk about it, I talk about the good that the charity does, I don’t talk about what I do for the charity.

But hey, way to “peg” me, detective.

Generally increasing thought does not involve putting others down. So if just wanted to increase thought you would have said what you said without saying we looked like tools. I do not recall saying that Jack was bragging, and please don’t quote what he did not say.

So tell me about it I want to know what you do I want to know what the charity does . Maybe it will inspire me and others.

If you don’t want to ruffle feathers, than put something positive, otherwise you are just here to argue and that does not do anyone any good.

nogali - Jun 18, 2008 07:55pm

Generally increasing thought does not involve putting others down. So if just wanted to increase thought you would have said what you said without saying we looked like tools. I do not recall saying that Jack was bragging, and please don’t quote what he did not say.

So tell me about it I want to know what you do I want to know what the charity does . Maybe it will inspire me and others.

If you don’t want to ruffle feathers, than put something positive, otherwise you are just here to argue and that does not do anyone any good.

Don’t misquote me. I never said you were all tools. I said, “… other wise, you look like a tool.” Had I said “ You guys are tools, here is why...” I could understand being insulted. However, I was merely giving advice as to how not to come across as a tool. That was my way of helping others. Inspiring, I know.

As for “quoting” Jack Johnson. I wasn’t I was using a device to portray/paraphrase what he was meaning to point out the difference between what he did and what you are doing.  Also, you need to be a little more careful when you are reading, I never said that you said Jack Johnson was bragging. I also never said Jack was bragging. Come on, you are better than that.

Also, I am not arguing. I was stating my issue with what this thread is, and why it is pointless. I do not believe in tooting my own horn when it comes to volunteer work, charity, etc. People pretty much know I rock. I think it was voted upon once. So, it is scientifically proven.

As for some good charities…

http://www.networkofstrength.org/

http://www.adoptpetshelter.org/

http://www.savedarfur.org
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf
http://www.cawc.org/

Each one of these charities deserve the attention and resources people can provide.

You want to be inspired? Go here
http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&q=Darfur+children&btnG=Search+Images

So are we taking a poll, I think we should make it official. The truth is, I love that you have brought this up. It is a good argument.

You can say that you have paraphrased, and say that you did not say things, but you have implied a lot. You are an excellent debater, but that is all I will give you credit for.

These are all great charities, and the pictures, I have already seen, but I cry as I see them again. I do not hide that I do not do enough, but in the end, there is always more that we could do.

As you are directed to this page it says “An individual action, multiplied by millions, creates global change.” If you believe this, then even something infinitely small can make a difference.

Your actions here have made a difference, maybe it will keep someone from acting, thinking their action is too small to make a difference, maybe it will do the opposite, but everything we have said is being watched, for the good or the bad. Shouldn’t we use that to make a positive difference. 

The ball is in your court......inspire me. I want to know that you rock.

Ok, Ok, Im a tool…