Everyday Giving Blog

Thanks Mom Awareness and Donor Recruitment Campaign

Join me in saving lives by joining the National Marrow Donor Registry during the Thanks Mom campaign. It is happening across the country during the two weeks surrounding Mother's Day (May 5-19). The goal is 46,000 new members to the Registry (10,000 online) during the Thanks Mom awareness and donor recruitment campaign.

I am doing it and so should you. Participating is easy. Find a donor drive near you by logging onto Marrow.org or typing your zip code into the search box below.

Give hope to someone in need. Join the National Marrow Donor Registry today.

Giving beyond yourself

My wife and I recently went to Chipotle for dinner. If you're not familiar with this restaurant, it's a fast food place where you can get burritos the size of a small country, packed with rice, beans, chicken, and so on. I added a picture to this post.

While eating, I noticed writing on my cup. It informed me of a person by the name of Wes Jackson, a plant geneticist who transforms agriculture by cross-breeding traditional, annual food crops like wheat, sunflowers and corn with deep-rooted perennials. This can possibly lead to diminishing the need for pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It can also help save water, reduce erosion, and replenish the soil. He founded www.landinstitute.org. He is quoted as saying "if your life's work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you're not thinking big enough."

"If your life's work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you're not thinking big enough."

What a great quote to use to re-align ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year! How are YOU going to give this year? Does your giving lead to something bigger than you are? Why not let this year be the best ever?

Scott Couchenour, guest blogger, Certified Life Coach - Serving Strong (Scott's blog)

Congratulations Northern Illinois University

Scott Meis, Campaign Manager for Donate Life Illinois, contacted me with the final results of the “I Am. Are You?” Campus Challenge. The challenge was a statewide organ/tissue donor registration drive competition between Illinois colleges and universities.

Northern Illinois University won the contest with 484 registrations.

The real winners are each of the students who participated and the people whose lives will be saved. The result of this single  campaign has the potential to ultimately impact 62,775 lives!

Here are the campaign results for each college and university that participated:

Northern Illinois University – 484
University of Illinois – 372
College of DuPage – 235
Illinois Wesleyan University – 187
Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) – 185
DePaul University – 138
Monmouth College - 125 (9.3 percent of student body)
Eastern Illinois University – 125
Loyola University - 116
Aurora University – 106
Augustana College – 93
Illinois State University – 77
Bradley University - 73
Western Illinois University – 46
Knox College – 40
University of Illinois at Chicago – 35
Illinois Institute of Technology – 33
North Central College – 25
Benedictine University – 9
Illinois Central College – 7

Total: 2,511 new organ donor registrations

Go to http://iam-areyou.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-am-are-you-2007-campus-challenge.html and learn more about the organ donor contest and results.

Are you a registered organ donor?

Update: I Am. Are you? Illinois Campus Challenge

In the previous post College Students Compete To Save Lives, I wrote about an organ donor registration competition between several Illinois colleges and universities. After only one week into the challenge, the following list shows the schools participating in the challenge and the number of new organ donors registered at each institution:

Loyola University - 87
Illinois State University – 70
University of Illinois – 49
Illinois Wesleyan University – 45
Northern Illinois University – 20
North Central College – 18
Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) – 18
Eastern Illinois University – 16
Monmouth College – 14
University of Illinois at Chicago – 12
Knox College – 12
Western Illinois University – 11
DePaul University – 11
Aurora University – 7
Illinois Institute of Technology – 6
College of DuPage – 6
Illinois Central College – 3
Benedictine University – 3
Augustana College – 2
Bradley University - 0

The challenge has so far resulted in 410 new organ donor registrations. That is only the beginning of the story. When I interviewed Scott Meis, Campaign Manager for Donate Life Illinois, he said each registrant has the potential of saving 25 lives through their future organ donation.

That means these Illinois university students have already created the potential for impacting 10,200 lives!

There are a few weeks still left in this competition. I'm anxious to see the final results.

Check out http://www.giftofhope.org/donatelife/join-campus-campaign.htm to learn more about the "I Am. Are you?” Campus Challenge.

College Students Compete To Save Lives

Sports and academics aren't the only areas college students compete. Starting October 2007, college students in Illinois will have a unique challenge. The purpose of this “I Am. Are You?” Campus Challenge is not to win a trophy or earn a better grade. It will save lives! The challenge is a statewide organ/tissue donor registration drive competition between Illinois colleges and universities.

I had the privilege of being able to ask Scott Meis, Campaign Manager for Donate Life Illinois, about the upcoming campus challenge. Here is what he shared with me.

Roger: Why is Donate Life Illinois putting on the campus challenge?

Scott: Simply put, there are a lot of stereotypes that exist about college students being lazy or unconcerned with larger social issues. In our past work with Students for Organ Donation chapters and other student groups in Illinois, we’ve seen how motivated students can get around the issue of organ/tissue donation. There are still millions of Illinois residents that do not realize that they need to RE-REGISTER post Jan. 1, 2006 (when Illinois initiated their first-person consent registry) to ensure their wishes as donors. So many residents quickly associate signing the back of their driver’s license with being a donor, which is no longer the case in Illinois if you want to ensure your wishes.
 
The “I Am. Are You?” Campus Challenge is a great way for us to unite these college students for a one-month focused registration effort that engages students, faculty, staff, alumni and surrounding campus communities. Given the context and popularity of today’s social media atmosphere and the benefit of having an online registry in Illinois, it only makes sense that we put these elements together and forge ahead with a strong outreach effort.   

Roger: What goals do you hope to meet through this contest?
 
Scott: Primarily, we want to push beyond the notion of promoting the issue. Promotion is certainly a key element to any outreach initiative, but let’s face the facts…4,700 Illinoisans and now over 97,000 people nationwide are waiting for lifesaving transplants. That demands action. It’s such a simple process to register and the potential benefit of one day being able to save 25 lives is downright incredible. This is such an easy, powerful issue for college students to get behind.
 
Second, we want to not only engage college students, but make them strong advocates. We have some great content lined up to keep their attention engaged with the Challenge and on the issue at large during October. We hope that this will eventually spur registered donors to tell their friends, family and so forth about the need to re-register. Even with our support and coalition partners, Donate Life Illinois is a pretty small team, so we need all the help we can get encouraging action and spreading the word about Illinois’ new registry.

Roger: What schools are involved?

Scott: As of August 30, we already have the following schools planning to participate in the Challenge in one capacity or another:

• University of Illinois
• Western Illinois University
• Northern Illinois University
• Southern Illinois University (Carbondale & Edwardsville)
• Illinois State University
• Illinois Wesleyan University
• Loyola University
• Midwestern University
• Columbia College
• Illinois Institute of Technology
• North Central College
• Illinois Central College
• Monmouth College

We’re incredibly cognizant of the limited time and resources of college students, so we work with each group on an individual basis to ensure their efforts can be maximized. With our Facebook group, MySpace group, YouTube and other online communities, we’re working hard to engage as many students as possible in the effort.

I am excited about the hope this campaign will bring to others. Be sure you check out http://www.IAmAreYou.org, http://www.giftofhope.org/donatelife/join-campus-campaign.htm and http://iam-areyou.blogspot.com/2007/08/donate-life-illinois-2007-campus.html to learn more about how to get involved.

BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign

What image comes to mind when you think of a hero?

Does the picture of a firefighter, law enforcement officer or doctor who is saving a life come to mind? Maybe your image is of a person at the scene of a fire or accident who risks his or her life in a dramatic way to save another.

You have the potential to save lives as well. As an organ donor, you have the potential to save up to eight lives. Imagine the impact you could have on this world if you saved the lives of several people? You don't have to imagine it. You can do it!

Almost 100,000 men, women and children in the Unites States are currently waiting for life-saving organ transplants.

I am one of many bloggers around the world who is making people aware of the impact they can have by being an organ donor. This BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign and others like it are crucial. 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor. Since the law varies from state to state, it is important that you know what the laws are where you live. Donate Life America has made this easy.

Go to http://www.donatelife.net/CommitToDonation and select the state you live in. You will be provided the steps you need to take to sign up as an organ donor. It will take very little time and the rewards for doing it are tremendous.

For more information about organ donation, check out these web sites:

• http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/index.htm
• http://www.unos.org
• http://www.MatchingDonors.com
• http://www.donatelife.net

If you live outside of the United States, You can have just as great an impact if you choose to be an organ donor. Go to http://body.orpheusweb.co.uk/lnks.html to find links to organ donation websites that apply to your region of the world.

I made the decision to sign up and be an organ donor several years ago. I am asking you to seriously consider doing the same. Together we can give the gift of life and make a positive difference in the world.

Givng Blood with a Purpose

Giving blood is one of the easiest things a person can do to save lives. This is something I am passionate about. I have promoted the benefits of giving blood in my ezine and on the Everyday Giving website. I also donate blood. I know some people have been encouraged to give through my efforts.

I also have a friend, Nicolette Beard, who is passionate about the need to give blood. Nicolette produces an informative blog called man-o-pause in which she addresses issues that are important to men at midlife (like me). I encourage you to discover her thoughts on life purpose and the need to give blood at  http://www.man-o-pause.com/manopause/2006/07/mans_purpose_in.html. I know even more people are being encouraged to save lives through Nicolette's actions as well.

More Reasons to Give in August 2006

Have you exhausted your brain trying to come up with new reasons to do something for someone?  There are always reasons to do something for someone (if you need an excuse). Take advantage of these upcoming observances for August 2006:

• National Back To School Month
• International Clown Week - 1-7 August 2006 - http://www.internationalclownweek.org
• International Friendship Day - 6 August 2006 - http://www.friendship.com.au/friendday.html
• International Youth Day - 12 August 2006 - http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/iyouthday.htm
• International Left-Handers Day - 13 August 2006 - http://www.lefthandersday.com
• Be an Angel Day - 22 August 2006
• Kiss and Make Up Day - 25 August 2006
• National Dog Day - 26 August 2006 - http://www.nationaldogday.com
• Women's Equality Day - 26 August 2006 - http://www.nwhp.org
• Be Kind to Humankind Week - 25-31 August 2006 - http://www.bekindweek.org

The Power of Giving

Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon are graciously giving away an electronic version of their book entitled, "The Power of Giving." Don't let the fact that they are giving this book away convince you that it is not valuable. This is a terrific book full of quality information and I would  encourage you to get a copy. Go to http://www.thepowerofgiving.org to get your copy right now. I initially read the electronic copy and was impressed. I have since purchased a hardcopy of the book that I have been using. Azim and Harvey's goal is to use the book to spread a "giving virus."

Interviews Available at Everyday Giving Radio

I am excited to announce an additional way to learn about giving back that we have started here at Everyday Giving. We have just launched Everyday Giving Radio! You will be able to listen to interviews of people making a difference. it is my hope that by listening to these interviews, you will:

• support the wonderful efforts being discussed
• learn that "everyday" people can do extraordinary things
• be challenged to come up with unique ideas for giving
• learn ways to overcome any challenges you might face
• be inspired to take action on your ideas for giving

We already have a couple of great interviews ready for you to listen to.

• One interview is with a terrific lady I met at Book Expo America this month. Cindy Katz has started a company called Plant A Tree USA. She has a very big goal to benefit the world that she is pursuing. She has already made significant progress towards meeting that goal.
• The second interview is with a young boy and his mother. Cole Hodges and Joan Crown are the co-founders of Donate Your Birthday. Cole has been donating his birthday since he was five years old. Cole and his mom have now set up a nonprofit organization to encourage others to do the same.

Check out the interviews at http://www.everydaygivingradio.com. Be sure to leave a comment on the website to let me know your thoughts on the interviews. I am also interested in knowing what you liked, what I can improve on, and topics you would like covered in future interviews.

Note: If you prefer to download the mp3 files of the interviews to your portable mp3 player, like I do, it will be easier to sign up for the Everyday Giving Radio podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/EverydayGivingRadio.

Gracious Giving Pod Started Today!

Check out the new Gracious Giving discussion board at http://pods.zaadz.com/gracious_giving. It is another great way for people to inspire each other to give and share ideas on ways to give. An increase in all forms of giving will result in a better world.

Add Significance to Your New Year's Resolutions

by Roger Carr

The start of a new year is traditionally a time to reflect on the previous year. It is also a time to establish new resolutions. Popular resolutions include losing weight, getting more fit, getting out of debt, and making more money.

Giving to others tends to be forgotten when creating resolutions. However, their impact on you and others can be more significant than pursuing the more common resolutions.

What are some resolutions related to giving that you can consider as you pursue your own? Consider the following examples:

• Increase your financial giving to church and charities.
• Increase your time donated to important causes.
• Write and send an encouraging note at least weekly.
• Smile and greet the first people you meet every morning.
• Perform an act of kindness at least weekly.
• Search the house for unused, unneeded items and donate them for others to use.
• Increase the number of people you share your faith with.
• Donate your blood multiple times during the year.
• Determine your life purpose.

Your list needs to be unique to you. Use the above items only as a starting point in determining your own.

Be sure to set resolutions for yourself for the upcoming year that will help make a difference in the world. It will provide a special significance throughout the new year as you fulfill these important resolutions.

© 2005 Roger B. Carr

To learn more ways to give, go to http://www.everydaygiving.com/ezine.htm and sign up for the free Everyday Giving ezine. Be a philanthropist by giving everyday to others. Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving. His life purpose is to help people help others.

Give a Miracle by Giving Yourself

I can't believe the holiday season is here again. You may already be buying gifts to wrap and give away to your family and friends. We tend to get busy with shopping and other activities during this time of the year. Finding parking at your local shopping area can be difficult and the drivers on the road seem more rude than usual. However, I had an experience this week that gave me hope.

I was waiting in a line at a local store to make a purchase. Although the lines were long, those waiting did not seem impatient. In fact, the couple that was in front of me saw that I only had a couple of items to purchase. They offered to let me go ahead of them in the line so that I would not have to wait so long. Their kindness was an example of what we should be doing on a daily basis. What would happen if we all started doing small things for people we didn't know? What are some examples of things you could do?

• Buy a cup of coffee for someone you don't know
• Go out of your way to open a door for someone
• Let someone move ahead of you in a line
• Let someone get a parking space that you both noticed was available
• Pay the toll for people behind you
• Offer your seat on the bus/subway to someone
• Give good books away (http://www.bookcrossing.com)
• Compliment someone

These are just a few ideas of things you can do for others every day. Try out some of these ideas today and think of some additional ways you can show you care.

The article "Give a Miracle by Giving Yourself" at http://www.everydaygiving.com/ezine/27NOV05.html also discusses some new ways to think about giving to others we don't know. It describes ways you can improve and save lives. I strongly encourage you to read the article and consider following through with one or more of those ideas. The world will be a better place because of your actions.

What Can You Do When Disaster Strikes Somewhere Else?

October 22, 2005 is Make A Difference Day. I encourage you to make a special effort to plan and do something on that day that will make a difference. Last year 3 million people volunteered their time during this special day to make their community a better place. To find out more about Make A Difference Day, learn about projects already planned in your area, get ideas for new projects, and register your efforts go to http://www.makeadifferenceday.com.

One area you can make a difference, no matter where you are located, is to help those affected by a tragedy. Many people have lost their health, jobs, homes, precious belongings, pets, friends and family due to the natural disasters that have recently hit several parts of the world. There are probably other tragedies in your own community not reported internationally in the news but just as devastating to those touched by them. One of my mentors challenged me to find at least two ways I should be helping in the recent disasters and then continue to help. Use the article "What Can You Do When Disaster Strikes Somewhere Else?" at http://www.everydaygiving.com/ezine/10OCT05.html to start finding ways you can help someone suffering from a tragedy as well.