Hasten to do good

Magnet #1114 - Hasten to do good

I love this sticker magnet. While I know Hello Kitty and her buddy are just headed off to school in their roller-skates, I prefer to think they're roller-skating off to save the world.

Using it for today, because if there's any time I love in humankind, it's that short period of time right after natural or manmade disaster strikes - when the world pulls together for the good all and just want to help get things done. Everybody pledges money, sends help, sends supplies, etc.

Mind you, all the goodwill is followed right afterward by recrimination, but for that short time when everyone just wants to come to the rescue is nothing short of amazing.

It takes a village...

Magnet #1107 - Salvadoran Village

...or just my sister.

STW Sister brought this magnet back for me from El Salvador, on a work trip. She's moving back down to NC from DC, in favor of working for a non-profit company in Durham, so it looks like the STW title still stands.

It's funny, I consider the non-profit, save-the-world work that she does is basically my carbon offset for the corporate work that I've done for big oil, big pharma, big technology, big energy, big whatever's not saving the world organizations in the past.

Of course, it's not a surprise - after all, she's like eight years younger, which puts her squarely in Gen Y, the folks out there to save the world.

Equal opportunity toy-giver

Magnet #1031 - Toys for Tots

Toys for Tots is the other toy-drive charity, sponsored by the United States Marine Corps, with its goal: "to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them in becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens."

I'll admit, last weekend at the mall, my friend and I purchased two infant toys that we were intending to donate to the Salvation Army, when I went in to the Toy Shop on Monday. But, as we walked around the mall with our bags, we passed the Toys for Tots table, staffed by a few older Marines.

What's that thing about not being able to resist a guy in uniform? Yeah, it was like hypnosis. We dropped our toys right in their bin. And he gave me a magnet!

I know, I know - three weeks of volunteering at the Salvation Army should have taught me some loyalty, but you know what? Either way, that toy's gonna eventually end up in some child's hands.

And that's enough for me.

I feel gratified

Magnet #1022 - Emotes en masse

Whoa, feels like joy magnetism's starting to get all cause-related, what with sea turtles last week, puppy mills yesterday and the Salvation Army toy drive today.

Is it because saving the world's an addictive feeling? I dunno.

Anyway, see all these Emotes? They're animated characters that were designed to teach children how to express their feelings.

I'm using it for today, because I feel a range of emotions, as we have just about one more week to get our toys in to the Salvation Army for their toy drive program. I mentioned this before, but my time with the Salvation Army's been one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever had in New York.

This started out as a selfish thing - I just wanted to wrap gifts. Ya'll know I love doing it, and I can always use the extra practice. But, it's turned out to be so much more - and believe me, it's not like I'm doing all that much - just being the little helper picking up the toys from various corporations around town, and matching up toys to age groups and to our lists of good little boys and girls.

But, it's knowing that in some small way, we're making sure that some little kid will have something to unwrap on Christmas that makes me happy. Doesn't matter who that kid is, or where they come from - somewhere, they'll be opening up something on Christmas.

Some of things I've noticed from donations is that we get a lot of toys for that golden age of childhood, anywhere from 3-10. They're the easiest to buy, right? They have the cutest toys. Like, ever. The kids are old enough to appreciate the fun toys, and young enough to have unjaded imaginations. Hand them Dora or High School Musical dolls, or Legos or remote-controlled car, and they're happy for a few hours.

Not surprisingly, it's the infants and the older children who we usually have trouble finding toys for in the workshop.

I'm talking the seriously 6-24-month baby stuff. I know they're hard to buy for - I just spent time with my BFF's newborn, and I had enough trouble with her floppy head! (What? I love them, but newborns are bundles of heat - cute as hell, but really, they just sit there and ooh and ahhh at the ceilings.) But, they do have a newborn section in the toy stores - the developmental, bright lights, colorful shapes and sizes and yes, those loud, loud sounds that drive parents nuts!

The older kids are a little tricky to buy for - seriously, once they've outgrown the Hannah Montana stuff, it's so much harder to find something that entertains them for more than the time it takes to open the present. We end up sending the basketballs, soccer balls, board games and older books out for them - anything that looks like a teenager would enjoy. But, it's hard!

And, some additional stuff to keep in mind if you're looking to give some Christmas cheer:

When you're sending over dolls, think of all shapes, sizes and colors. I swear, if I see another blonde Barbie, I will cry. (Though in her defense, I will say that we have a section of baby dolls that makes me take the long way around. They seriously creep me out.)

And if you can't stop from buying stuff for the fun kids in the middle? Think of the big brands your own kids will love - Dora. Enough said. Poor Diego, no one cares about him. But Dora's like gold in the toy shop!

Finally. I've never seen so many Candy Lands and Chutes & Ladders in. my. life. Like, I think we could give Toys R Us, 42nd Street a run for their board games.

Gravy. I had no idea how gratifying these couple of weeks would be. And how fun.

Speaking of fun. Man, I bet there are some mad parties up in the toy workshop after all the humans have gone home!

Iconoclasts saving the world

Magnet #286 - Biloxi Beach, Mississippi

My sister and her fiance brought this back from a trip down to his hometown. I gotta be honest, I don't think I ever thought that there were dolphins in the Gulf. But now I know.

One of my favorite shows is Sundance Channel's Iconoclasts. Love it. The point behind the show, that I can tell so far, is to show celebrities in a different light, but to also highlight different good works that they do.

I'm always surprised to "get to know" the people outside their element - like how buddy-buddy Richard Branson and Tutu were, or what Madeleine Albright and Ashley Judd had in common. The latest one I caught was the Cameron Diaz (I know) and Cameron Alistair, the architect behind this really supercool nonprofit called Architecture for Humanity. Cameron Diaz surprised me, with how dedicated she seems to be to learning about how she can help out (she was a major part of Live Earth last year), while Cameron Sinclair, who happens to be my age, is out doing good works all over the globe.

I'll admit, I wanted to run out and save the world after this episode. For sure, I'm totally buying this book, Design Like You Give a Damn soon.

With projects all over the world, Architecture for Humanity helps pair building professionals (like architects and designers, etc.) with the communities in need - communities affected by natural disasters (like the Gulf region) or man-made disasters. It's quite an amazing organization - one that Cameron Diaz wanted to learn more about. So, the two Camerons actually spent a couple of days together in Biloxi, to assess the damage that had been done, and to take a look at what they were doing to help out.

Trust Robert Redford & Co. to come up with such a great idea for a show, and be able to execute it pretty well, episode after episode. Now, if they'd just pair up George Clooney with someone awesome, we'd be set. Like George Clooney and Walter Cronkite. Or George Clooney and Barack Obama. Or George Clooney and me.

Yeah, I kinda like that last one.

Goooood morning, Nepal!

Magnet #284 - On-Air Newseum

My sisters and I all ended up in some form of communications. I started out in publishing, and am now in advertising. The middle sister, who gave me this On-Air magnet from the Newseum in DC, is in newspaper journalism. And, at least until April, the youngest, is in broadcast radio. In Nepal.

We probably inherited it from my maternal grandfather, who after gotten his law degree, published the only newspaper back in Cebu City, Philippines. They owned a building on a town square, and on the ground floor, that's where they had the printing press.

My earliest memories of both my grandfather and the Philippines are of seeing the giant presses, and when Grandpa would come to the US, we would take him to some sort of press equipment place, where he would go and purchase the individual typeset letters to bring home to the PI. And when Grandma found out that I would be in publishing, she offered to give that same press to me, in case I needed it for my work. Very sweet.

The reason I picked today's magnet is because the youngest sister is part of Equal Access, a nonprofit organization, that put together charity football match to benefit children living with HIV and AIDS. She helped voice a PSA for the event, where she sounds supercool. I mean, I'd want to go to the event.

She posted about the experience on her blog...but you know the coolest part is that apparently the event was actually covered by BBC News!

Superneat! And for a great cause.

And of course, I'm going to have Robin Williams in my head all day now.