11.17.2005

Simplification

The Spirit of Giving

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm reminded of how blessed I am. And reminded that there are so many others who aren't as fortunate. So, in the spirit of giving, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite giving organizations.

DonorsChoose.org allows teachers to submit a business plan for materials or experiences that their students need and donors can pick the projects that they want to fund. I love this for so many reasons: (1) I'm a huge advocate of learning and education; (2) I love children; (3) I get to decide where my money goes. Donorschoose.org is the winner of Amazon's Nonprofit Innovation Award. Even if you can't afford to give much, it's worth it to browse through the submitted proposals alone — a few are really heartbreaking.

Being charitable doesn't always require writing a check. If you have experience designing websites and are willing to spend a few hours, why not volunteer as a judge for ThinkQuest NYC? Like DonorsChoose, it combines my love for education and children — and my interest in technology as well. TQNYC is an afterschool program/competition for kids where they get to plan, design and build functional, educational websites for other school kids. I was a judge for the 2005 competition and I plan to volunteer again next year.

Locks of Love may not be for you but if you have long hair and are looking to get it cut short, you may want to donate your hair for re-use as hair pieces for children who have lost their hair due to medical treatments. I just got my long hair cut and while I didn't get it cut at a salon that sponsors LoL (many of them will cut your hair for free if you donate your hair), I did save it in a tidy ponytail which I can then drop off at one of these LoL salons.

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