Everyday Giving Blog

Emails for Good

drmani-email-challenge, originally uploaded by rogercarr.

Dr.Mani posted this comment on Twitter. What a wonderful idea! I am adding a personal goal to send an encouraging email each day to someone I admire. That means at the end of each year I will have encouraged more than 365 fabulous people just from a daily email.

If we each sent a email every day for the purpose of encouraging someone, what impact would it have? I am certain it will be the start of some greater relationships. Together, let's find out.

You can follow Dr.Mani and me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drmani and http://www.twitter.com/rogercarr, respectively.

Free Gift For Donors

The Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk is almost here. I am only $155 short of my personal fundraising goal to raise $1,000. for the Arthritis Foundation.

If you have made a donation - thank you. If you haven't yet contributed, let me give you a new incentive.

Last night I finished writing a book on living a fulfilling and influential life. It is entitled "Wake Up and Make a Difference." I sent an electronic copy to everyone who has contributed so far. I will give you this thank you gift for your donation as well. Just make your donation before April 30.

Please consider making your donation of $10 or more at http://www.everydaygiving.com/arthritiswalk. Thanks in advance. Together we can make a difference.

Wanted: Online Relationships

When I created a profile page on mySpace I was excited. But the first person I told about my new adventure replied, "mySpace is where kids and pedophiles hang out." I'm glad I didn't listen to that person because I have built many great relationships with some wonderful people through online social sites.

The depth of some of these friendships has become even more apparent as I asked some of them for help promoting my latest fundraising effort for the Arthritis Foundation.

Here are some examples of responses I received:

• When I asked Dr.Mani if he would help promote the fundraiser, he responded "You don't need to ask - the answer is always YES. Pls send details." What a response! You can read his blog post Social Networking for GOOD to read about doing good online.
• Beth Kanter also jumped in immediately to help. She discusses why she said "yes" in her blog post Spamming for Good is the Wrong Description of What Dr. Mani, Roger Carr, Jen Lemens, and Other Good Personal Fundraisers Really Do!
• Scott Couchenour jumped in with a blog post before I asked. Please read his blog post Opportunity To Help Eliminate Arthritis
• Martin Sabel is a good friend of mine. He responded with the blog post Help Stomp Out Arthritis
• My earliest and strongest friendship that started online is with David Perdew. He sent out an email to his subscriber list. It was not an email that came across as a form letter. He wrote it from the heart and encouraged his readers to donate to the cause.
• Christopher Scott is a young nonprofit leader and friend who is in the middle of multiple large projects. However, he still made time to support me. Be sure to read his blog post Great Causes

In addition to promoting the fundraiser, each of these friends made a personal donation as well.

These are all true friends that believe in giving back to help others. Each of them makes me a better person.

If you haven't yet donated to my fundraiser, please consider following the example of those I mentioned and do it now. Click here to make your donation. Together we can make a difference in people's lives.

Do Kids Suffer From Arthritis?

Juvenile arthritis currently affects 300,000 kids in the United States. Arthritis does not just inflict the elderly.

Over the last three years I've become friends with several children and young people who have juvenile arthritis. Daily tasks and activities that we take for granted are difficult or even impossible for them to do. 

I will never forget the first time I heard a child tell a doctor that he could not hold a pencil long enough to take a test and asked what he could do about it. I will also never forget the smile on a teenager's face (and her mom's face) the first time she was able to make a fist with her hand because of treatment changes made possible through the afforts of the Arthritis Foundation.

The Arthritis Foundation provides support to these kids and their families. One way they do this is by hosting conferences where these families can learn how to cope from experts and from each other. These conferences also spawn friendships and support among these families that goes on throughout each year.

For the past three years, I've had the privilege of being a volunteer at the Juvenile Arthritis Weekend in Virginia. Feel free to go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogercarr/sets/72157604531502162/ and view some of the photographs I captured during the last weekend. You can also play a part in supporting the efforts of the Arthrits Foundation.

Your help is needed. If you have not yet donated at least $10 to this important cause, please click here and change a child's life. Together we can make a difference.

Related post: What Is Living With Arthritis Like?

What Is Living With Arthritis Like?

Take a moment and imagine your joints continually in pain. Buttoning your shirt is difficult. Removing the lid from a jar is painful. Sleep doesn't come easy. Now imagine that this pain has been a part of your life for many years.

My wife Kim lives the life you have just imagined. She suffers from several forms of arthritis. She has had to give up a successful retail business. Our family activities had to be limited. She is always fatigued due to the emotional strain of struggling with the pain and the lack of adequate sleep. Kim and millions like her need our help.

Most of my volunteer efforts over the past 3 years have been devoted to the Arthritis Foundation for this reason. They are effective at helping those with arthritis and are working hard to find ways to prevent and cure the many forms of arthritis. They have had many successes, but there is much more to do. I am passionate about helping them do that.

This is the 3rd year I have chaired the Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. This year's walk is scheduled on May 3rd.

My personal goal is to raise more than $1,000 by the end of this month. I need your help to do that. You can help in 2 ways:

1. Please consider clicking on the "Help Stomp Out Arthritis" badge below and making a personal donation of $10 or more to the Arthritis Foundation.


2. If you own a website or blog, you can encourage others to give by letting them know you are a supporter. You can blog about this fundraising event, send a notice to your subscribers, and proudly display the badge on your website. To display the badge, insert the following html code where you want the badge displayed:
   
   <a target="_blank" href="http://www.everydaygiving.com/arthritiswalk"><img width="110" height="110" border="0" alt="Roger Carr badge for Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk" src="http://www.everydaygivingblog.com/images/2008/04/12/arthritiswalk_2.gif"></a>
   
   If you aren't sure how or where to enter the code, send me an email at roger@everydaygiving.com and I will try to help you.

When you make a donation and/or announce the event in some way, please let me know. I would like to thank you publicly for your help.

Don't delay, April 30th is not far from now. Make a difference today. You will feel great and be glad you did.

Reserve Aid Benefits from James Dondero Contribution

Truly successful people express their gratitude by helping to make the world a better place.

James Dondero is one of these truly successful people. He is the Managing Partner and President of Highland Capital Management. His investment firm manages approximately $38 billion in assets. But James Dondero's impact is not only defined by his work in the corporate world. He also supports a number of charitable efforts.

One of the charitable efforts Mr. Dondero supports is Reserve Aid. This is a nonprofit organization that supports the families of U.S. military reservists on full-time deployment to a combat zone or homeland security position. Reservists typically have to quickly transition out of the civilian world and into active combat. Reserve Aid is there to help. They provide financial support to the families during this difficult time.

Is Mr. Dondero making the world a better place?

"Mr. Dondero's support for our organization has enabled us to expand the number of cases we can consider and establish a foundation to grow our operation."
Polly Weidenkopf, Executive Director of Reserve Aid

Follow James Dondero's example and make your own impact on the world. You will be glad you did.