Day 2

Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.)

We discovered K.I.D.S. when researching ways to help out during Hurricane Sandy.  They led numerous efforts to bring much needed supplies to those children impacted by the storm by partnering with several organizations.  You can see some great pictures of this on their Web site.

They also have a 10 to 1 system of matching $10 worth of product for every $1 donated.  So that means a $10 donation will provide $100 worth of brand new merchandise to victims in need!

37 days of giving

With 37 days until the end of the year (counting today), we are embarking on a group journey of discovery and giving.  Each day we will be highlighting a different charity and we will be blogging about our discovery daily.

If anyone would like to share this journey with us we are always happy for help.  In fact what we would be grateful for are suggestions.  So just leave a suggestion in the comments below.  We can't promise we'll be able to get to every suggestion but if we do select your choice of a charity then the donation for that day will be made in your honor.

Let's start with day 1 - Oxfam America Unwrapped: Gifts That Give Back

What do you think? A goat, a pig, a cow, or a sheep?

Happy Thanksgiving!

The impersonal hand of government can never replace the helping hand of a neighbor.

- Hubert H. Humphrey

http://www.myfoxny.com/story/20161996/village-to-96-year-old-man-residents-clean-up-debris

"But despite everything that's happened, Picucci is very thankful for one thing: the support of his neighbors who have helped him get by. He said he never knew people could be so nice."

Perseverance

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy

On this Veterans Day we give thanks and express remembrance.  One thing our veterans have taught us and bestowed on our American spirit is perseverance.  For everyone out there who has given of themselves in support of Hurricane Sandy relief, please continue to persevere.

This weekend I witnessed many acts of humanity and kindness.  In the spirit of Kennedy's words and in the spirit of all of the sacrifices our veterans have made for our country, the people who have performed these acts give hope and inspiration to all of us.  They are true heroes and are fulfilling the legacy of everything that our veterans fought for.

Thank you America.

Hurricane Sandy

Many of you have recently been asking us the following:

1. How can we help with the relief efforts?
2. What happened with your $500 random act of kindness?

With regards to helping out those impacted by this devastating hurricane, our personal preference is the American Red Cross.  But beyond the monetary aspect of giving, one thing there may be a greater need for is blood.  Particularly in the NY/NJ/CT area there is usually just a bare minimum amount available and it seems they are further strained due to previously scheduled blood drives having been cancelled due to the hurricane.  You can find out more about donating blood here: http://www.redcrossblood.org

If anyone has other ideas about what can be done, please feel free to share those in the comments below!

Finally, despite the recent events I thought Random Acts of Kindness month actually went very well.  At least for me personally I can say that I am much more aware of my surroundings and I pay more attention to those small moments that can lead to new beginnings.  And based on what I've heard from many of you it seems like collectively we really made a difference this month - something that I am glad to have been a part of.  Indeed something that will stay with me and make me continue with #randomactofkindness :-)

So did anyone greet me with a hello or good morning?  No, but to be honest I am not surprised (having worked in NYC for many years).  Going in to this I had thought of 2 options: either continue and see if anyone does greet me, or at the end of the month simply give it away very randomly.  Before the hurricane hit I was leaning towards the latter.  Having been confined to my house for the past week I was unable to accomplish this in time for the end of October.  But in a way now I'm almost glad (not for the circumstances but for the new opportunity) as I will now endeavor to reach someone impacted by the hurricane.

Origins

First we'd like to start with thanking everyone so much who have tweeted or donated to help Art ala Carte PDX to relocate to some new digs (and so much more!).  And since more than 10 people rose up to the challenge, as promised here's the story about how we got started :-)

The idea behind "37 people can't be wrong" actually started 21 years ago.  At the time we had no idea where it would take us.  But we can't say too much about that part of the story (without breaking anonymity).  Fast forward though to April 24, 2011 and there begins the real story that brought about 37 people as you know us today.

Kids sell T-shirts to save music program

On that fateful Sunday I happened to come across this article (link above).  I can't tell you exactly what it was but for some reason that article really struck a chord.  Perhaps it was because of how much music has impacted my life or how I remembered that I had the opportunity to play an instrument when I was younger.  In any case it was on that day that the journey of 37 people began.

After doing some research I came across a few charities where I felt I could help make a positive difference in trying to preserve music education across the country.  The rest is, as they say, history!  All it took after that was the help and support of my 37 people as well as a most fortuitous encounter with the person who runs one of our favorite giving pages (here's a hint - we've been told music makes our students smarter!).

So now you know what got us started as 37 people ;-)

Arts and craft(iness)

arts |ärts|
noun
the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance : the visual arts | [in sing. ] the art of photography.

For those of you who follow us, you know how much we support music education.  Music is just one part of the arts and they are all interconnected in many ways.  Yesterday we came across this tweet from @ArtalaCartePDX:

It is a very sad day when someone steals $50 from a cash box of a small business trying to make a difference with children in our community!

Well, one thing led to another and we found this campaign to help Art ala Carte PDX relocate and achieve their dreams for the community: http://www.indiegogo.com/helpaacrelocate

So now for the craftiness!  In typical fashion we're offering up a 37 people challenge.  This may be our most interesting one yet ;-)

• If at least 10 people donate any amount (alliek323 counts as #1) we will write a blog post explaining what got us started as 37 people.
• In keeping with the spirit of art, for everyone who donates at least $37 we will send them a picture of an old portrait that a then very young member of 37 people drew of yours truly (and if you don't already know my first name, it's written on top of the portrait).
• And just for kicks, for everyone who donates at least $370 yours truly will meet them for a coffee at Eataly in Manhattan and tell them everything about 37 people...alas you'll have to make your own way there :-)

In all seriousness (not that this challenge isn't serious), please consider giving what you can to this wonderful organization.  Every dollar will help and there are only 6 days left before this campaign expires (as of October 13th).


craft-i-ness |ˈkraftēnəs|
noun
the quality of being crafty

craft-y |ˈkraftē|
adjective
clever at achieving one's aims by indirect methods

#savethearts