a night of change

A founder of a nonprofit organization walks into a bar with twenty balloons in one hand and a basket containing a bird house and a duck in the other,,, the bartender says.....

Each One for US All has officially put its first fund-raising event in the books. The night was filled with friends, food and most of all FUN, all for a great cause, to support others in need. The Pines Tavern of Bristol, PA was the backdrop for the event, owned by my good friend and neighbor Larry Warren. Larry along with his entire staff made sure all were taken care of and provided me with some much needed stress reduction as the start of the event drew closer. Larry has a way of doing that, he's one of those positive forces you're lucky to stumble upon. Never does he have a bad word to say about anything and his relaxed demeanor just rubs off on you and sets you at ease.

We had some great support from local businesses and friends around the area who were kind enough to donate some fantastic items for our silent auction. We received sports memorabilia from the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles, gift cards from local shops and restaurants, beautiful jewelry and a last minute guitar which took in the largest donation of the night. (Thank you Jim Donahue, for reaching out and for your generosity, the SVK Les Paul was beautiful, I owe you one my friend.)
We topped off the evening with a 50/50 drawing that the winner donated back to Each One without hesitation (Cary, Steve said it best, you are a mensch.)

A Saturday night of fun combined with awareness that raises money for others in need is a success as far as I'm concerned. What I take from it is what inspires me most. As people, we do want to help others, it's our nature. I thank all of you who joined in on inspiring me once again by showing how we are there for each other.

DD

giving, without spending a dime

Check this out. http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?c=54943 

Search engines can help nonprofits. They're everywhere and I've subscribed to all of them. Why wouldn't I? Things exist to help the nonprofit world?? I'm there!! Support from folks like you is the only way this organization can help others, plain and simple.

The organization, iGive, is hooked up with hundreds of shopping sites and they're having a challenge. Here's what I received in an email:

SPECIAL CHALLENGE NOTIFICATION
The 24 hour, $1 per new member special challenge begins Wednesday, February
24, 2010 at noon Chicago time.
For each person who joins iGive using the special link below AND visits a
participating iGive store
(there are over 700 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle, eBay to HSN and QVC) at
iGive) via iGive
between noon, Wednesday February 24, 2010 and 11:59 a.m., Thursday,
February 25, 2010,
we'll give Each One for US All a dollar. 
- Once we've given away $5,000 to all causes combined, the offer ends.
     - The special link is important.  No link, no $1.
     - Visiting a store via iGive is crucial.  No visiting a store via
iGive, no $1. (PLEASE NOTE, IF YOU DON'T VISIT A STORE, NO DONATION)

Here's the link - http://www.igive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?c=54943
Let's see what we can do.

DD

P.S. Of course if you do decide to spend more than a dime at one of the stores, all the better for Each One. If you shop online, why not support a cause?

"the good stuff" Part 1

Today I am starting something new on Each Word for US All. I was inspired by a comment from a follower and I really like the idea. When it comes to the nonprofit world and especially the disaster relief portion of that world, I sometimes find myself waist deep in stories of tragedy and suffering. This is my gig and my choice, I knew what was out there and that feeds my passion for the change I'm trying to accomplish. A huge part of my job is to inform my supporters and prospective supporters of those tragedies and need, to inspire the change that's needed. The drawback is the constant exposure of bad news that I sort through daily,,, that can be tough on anybody.

One thing I've noticed over the course of the last eight months is a silver lining. I've found, while sorting through the reports of tragedy, there are stories of good that sometimes make their way to certain headlines. I admit, these stories aren't as easy to find as the stories of suffering but they're out there if you spend enough time looking. I find these insights inspirational and I have decided to share a story a week with you in honor of these groups and individuals who are taking a passion to create a change they feel is needed.

With the world in the middle of the Winter Olympics right now, I felt it was very fitting to share this article I 

found on the athletes who use this surge into the spotlight to help others. 

Check it out here - http://bit.ly/bb76lM

It's all very inspiring when you think about the dedication to what they are trying to accomplish in the Olympics alone. I think when you add this additional level of commitment to what they already do, it really demonstrates the overall definition of a "hero" in my mind. Congratulations to all the athletes taking that extra step to bring awareness and to inspire others. You all win gold in the eyes of the organizations and the individuals you have chosen to help.

Like I said, I have decided to add a story like this to share on a weekly basis. Have you stumbled upon articles like this you'd like to share? If so, send them my way, I'll be glad to take a moment for a little inspirational boost and share your story with others.

DD

come and get em

T-Shirts? We got em and you can have em too. Men's sizes small, medium, large and x-large. All donations at www.eachoneforusall.org of $40.00 or more will get you yours. Please indicate your size in the comments section on the donation page.

Want one for FREE? Check out my post, "blowing out the candles" and find out how.

Thanks to my favorite little model who had a lot of fun helping her Daddy today.

DD

reaction to proaction

I think I'm going to let my home owners, flood and automobile insurance run out. That slow leak in my front tire, the screech from my brake pads and that crunching sound in my transmission will surely fix itself. I refuse to wear a seat-belt, eat right, exercise or pay my bills. Brush my teeth, forget about it, what for?? I am going to walk around flaunting huge amounts of cash in some of the most crime ridden areas in the country and yes,,, I am going to run with scissors.

Kidding of course... This behavior would be looked at as irresponsible. We take proactive and preventative measures everyday so we're not hit with unexpected costs and so bigger and more serious things won't happen down the line. Fact is, we don't even tend to question these measures. We understand the concepts and have all walked down the path of learning the hard way at least once in our lives.

However, when it comes to dealing with natural disasters, we are for the most part, reactive. How much do you respond after an event hits the headlines? How much money did you give after Hurricane Katrina, the Indonesian Tsunami and the recent earthquake in Haiti? Now I'm not minimizing the need for funds and support immediately after a tragedy strikes. I just feel as a society we need to put more focus on preventative measures to lessen the affects when a tragedy strikes. Much like we do with so many other things in our lives.
 
I can't help but think that if we applied this train of thought and funding to the deteriorating levees, a better warning system and a hurting infrastructure before the tragedies struck, we would have saved so much money, so much pain and so many lives.

DD

As always, I'm interested in hearing your thoughts so,,, don't be shy.

blowing out the candles

Today, February 15th, 2010, President's Day and the day before my 44th birthday. Tonight I'll hear the familiar question from my wife. "Anything you need to get done while you're 43?" I know it's coming so I've thought about it and here's what it is.
I need to get some feedback and I'm asking for your help. If you're reading this right now, you've probably read a post or two before and I'd like to hear your thoughts. Now I'm not asking for a pat on the back, I've received those in the past and they feel good but it's not what I'm looking for. What I'm asking from you is to:
1. Take a moment to look at www.eachoneforusall.org
2. Think about what you see there and what you've seen here previously. Maybe even check back on an archived post or two that caught your eye.
3. Give me some honest feedback about your overall impression of what we are and what we're trying to do.

Do you truly understand what we're trying to accomplish? Does the overall impression leave you confused about our goals? Do you have any suggestions to make things better?

From day one, I have made it very clear that this blog would be a journal of my experiences while going through the process of developing this nonprofit. Comments have always been welcome and appreciated but I guess I just never really asked for your opinion. Well, now I am because as I've said before, "I can only make this venture truly work if I continue to learn from others." You are the others I was referring to so let your voice be heard.

Being it's my birthday, I will be giving out gifts. For each person kind enough to give me some feedback, I will be glad to send you an Each One for US All T-Shirt, free of charge. Just email me your address and your choice of men's size, small, medium, large or x-large at info@eachoneforusall.org and I'll get one out to you to wear proudly.

DD

you need him

That's what it said, plain and simple in an email. "you need him". They're right, the star power of today's celebrities bring awareness and hundreds of millions of dollars to help people in need. Check it out here - http://bit.ly/alXi8Z

An impressive list to say the least and this article was created before the Haiti tragedy of late. I'm sure ol' George would be higher on the list today with his recent efforts.

This whole dynamic is extremely interesting to me because it's brought about by human nature. Fact is, the initial concept of
Each One for US All was born after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Everyday it seemed a celebrity from the movies or from professional sports was bringing awareness by donating money or joining in by rolling up their sleeves to help. Sean Penn actually made a documentary of his efforts. Of course it was wildly criticized, claiming he did it for his own publicity. But no matter what the agenda, it brought awareness to the tragedy. Are his actions any different from a celebrity openly donating a million dollars? I guess you could look at that as a publicity stunt as well. Myself? I don't see the difference. The awareness these folks bring to a need just draws in more donations and actions from folks like us. That's a good thing no matter what the motive.

In conversations I have with people about Each One, sometimes that's the first thing they say. "You know what you need"? "You need someone like Bruce Springsteen". Let's think about that for sec, shall we?
If someone like Bruce or any other celebrity jumped on board, would the focus from my standpoint of this cause be any different? Would it change the need that's out there for the forgotten communities still suffering from a past natural disaster? The answer is "no" to both points but the human nature that kicks in when it comes to star power, somehow changes everything and makes things more important.

So do I need him? You're damn right I do. I can be easily reached, so don't hold back. If you know him, give him my number.

DD