Rising Above The Funk

Posted on September 5, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

If you’re feeling a little down like I am this morning, sometimes the best way to get out of the funk is to do nice things for other people. Here are two ideas for doing just that, while doing something nice for yourself at the same time.

TOMS shoes Fall line has really expanded. This is Blake Mycoskie’s brilliant business that gives a pair of shoes to a person in need for every pair of shoes that it sells. It now includes not only classic TOMS but several styles of wedges, boots and cordones. I ordered a pair of Kilim classics from the TOMS website (no sales tax and free shipping for orders of $75 or more). As cute and comfy as they are, I’ll be sporting my TOMS all over Chicago this Fall.

As I write this post, I’m drinking a copy of Starbucks new “Indivisible” blend coffee. Five dollars from the sale of each bag of beans goes to Opportunity Finance Network for the Create Jobs for USA Fund to help create and retain jobs across the country. Community lenders will leverage the donations to secure additional financing (an average of seven times the donation amount) to help create more than $80 million in loans to community businesses focused on creating and sustaining jobs in underserved neighborhoods. These loans are expected to help create and sustain nearly 4,000 jobs.

For finding ways to make doing something nice for other people so enjoyable, and for helping me rise above the funk, TOMS and Starbucks are my Rainbows of the Week.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Posted on July 19, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

Steve Aman’s inspiration to give one of his kidneys to a stranger is a central tenet of Native American life called the Giveaway:

“‘If you have something you don’t use,’ he explains, ‘then you put it someplace where others can take it if they need it.’ Steve says his lifesaving deed was just that — a giveaway. As he sees it, he had an extra kidney and figured he’d drop it off in the community free box.”

Not many of us will make the choice that Aman and others profiled in Marc Barasch’s book Field Notes on The Compassionate Life did to give away a kidney while still alive and kicking. As Barasch explains, “Evolution, master of redundancy, has seen to it that you only really need one kidney, but if both of them go, you’re toast.” But within a matter of minutes, we can register to become an organ or tissue donor and provide a second chance of life to people once we’ve gone on to the next world.

In the U.S., you can register to be an organ and tissue donor by clicking here. You’ll need your driver’s license number to complete the process. By Googling the name of another country with the words “organ donation”, you can find similar online organ and tissue donor registration sites outside of the U.S.

In the words of Pete Dubrowitz, who received Aman’s kidney, “I gotta tell you: This is the gift that keeps on giving.”

Making It Right

Posted on June 19, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

Sticking with a New Orleans theme, this week’s rainbow is Brad Pitt, founder of the Make It Right Foundation. Since December 2006, Make It Right has been working to build 150 energy-efficient, affordable, storm-resistant homes for families in the Lower 9th Ward. Make It Right is now past the halfway point, having completed just over 75 homes designed by local and international architects, including Frank Gehry (known for wavy metallic masterpieces like the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A.). For a photo gallery and map of completed homes, click here.

Make It Right needs to raise approximately $5 million annually to complete the foundation’s 150-home goal by the target date of the end of 2013. Unfortunately, donations declined after the attention paid to New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina faded and the economy tanked, going from $15 million in 2007 to $3.8 million in 2010 (the last year for which data is available). As an offering to the real estate gods, who recently allowed me to sell my condo in less than a week — a certified miracle in today’s housing market, perhaps the work of St. Expedite? — I made a contribution to Make It Right. If you’d like to support Make It Right, click here to donate. Hmmm, do you think Brad will come to my housewarming party when I get moved into my new place??

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

Posted on June 18, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

New Orleans, Louisiana: my favorite city in the United States by a long shot. With a history so fascinating and scandalous, the only thing they taught us about New Orleans in school was that the U.S. acquired it in 1803 in the Louisiana Purchase. When you visit New Orleans and become familiar with its past and its people, the place gets under your skin. Like the song says, then you know what it means to miss New Orleans, and the feeling gets stronger the longer you stay away.

Everyone loves the things New Orleans is famous for: the food, the music, and the “laissez les bons temps rouler” attitude. But even more special are its residents and their unique traditions. Here are ten things you may not know about New Orleanians.

1. They invent saints.

When building the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadeloupe in New Orleans, the parish priests ordered a large statue of the Virgin Mary from Spain. Months later, they received two crates instead of one. The unexpected second crate bore the legend EXPEDITE (as in “expedite this shipment”). They opened it and found a statue of a Roman centurion, which they assumed was St. Expedite. He still stands near the entrance to the Chapel, and people pray to him for rapid solutions to problems.

2. They know how to deal with arduous teenage boys.

That spiked metal object near the top of the poles in this photo is called a Romeo Catcher. New Orleanians – especially those with daughters – put them on poles below their balconies. I don’t think I need to explain the rest….

3. They engage in competitive fence building.

The Cornstalk Hotel in the French Quarter sits behind an iconic “cornstalk” cast iron fence. The fence, erected in 1856 by an owner of the then-mansion, is beautifully ornate with ears of corn on their stalks and pumpkins at the base of iron columns, around which are entwined pumpkin vines and morning glories. Not to be outdone by those Europeans in the Quarter, a resident of the very American Garden District (Colonel Robert Henry Short from Kentucky) had an identical but much, much larger cornstalk fence built around his mansion at 1448 Fourth Street. Unfortunately for Colonel Short, the fence didn’t keep out the invading Yankees during the Civil War: they kicked him out and used his home as officers’ quarters during the occupation of New Orleans.

4. They are very creative with sacrificial offerings.

New Orleans voodoo queen Marie Laveau (1782-1881) is reportedly buried in Saint Louis Cemetery #1 in the Glapion family crypt. It’s the second most visited grave in the U.S., topped only by Elvis. Visit the crypt on any given day and you’ll see all manner of offerings lying around it. My personal favorite: buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken (so much more humane than the traditional sacrificial killing of a chicken during voodoo ceremonies).

5. They let women run plantations.

Take a fairly short drive from New Orleans through the Bayou to the Laura Plantation in Vacherie, Louisiana and learn about the fascinating world of the French Creoles. Back in the day, many Creoles ensured that their smartest child, not necessarily the oldest son, would run the family business. The Laura Plantation is one example of the many farms along River Road in plantation country that were run by women. When Laura Locoul sold the farm in 1891, she stipulated that from that sale forward, it must be called “the Laura Plantation.” You go, girl!

6. They serve a fantastic 25 cent martini at lunch.

At beautiful Commander’s Palace Restaurant in the Garden District, modern New Orleans cooking meets haute Creole for delicious results. More importantly, they serve fantastic martinis at lunch for just 25 cents!

7. They have the BEST marching bands.

There’s nothing quite like watching New Orleans high school marching bands strut down the street during Mardi Gras parades. Incubators for New Orleans’ amazing musical tradition, these bands have more energy and pride than any I’ve seen. Forget about one drum major. They come at you with a line of drum majors!

8. They are serious about their Mardi Gras throws.

Doubloons, beads, cups, stuffed animals, and … coconuts?? New Orleanians are serious about the stuff that’s thrown to the crowds from the floats during Mardi Gras parades: serious about throwing them, and serious about catching them. Don’t even think about coming to the parades without a butterfly net or some other contraption designed to help you collect as many throws as possible. The most valuable, of course, are painted coconuts from the Zulu krewe, which are prized collectors’ items.

9. They give a sheet about their Mardi Gras costumes.

If you’ve never been to Mardi Gras, it’s worth a trip if for nothing else than to see the costumes. From incredibly ornate, to a simple yet effective “sheet” theme, New Orleanians don’t mess around when it comes to getting dressed up for Mardi Gras day!

10. They still need our help.

Even though it’s been 7 years since Hurricane Katrina, the rebuilding effort in New Orleans is still very much underway. The need is especially great in St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, where thousands of families can’t afford to rebuild their homes. If you love New Orleans like I do, consider donating your time or money to the St. Bernard Project. It rebuilds homes for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with children who can’t afford to have their homes rebuilt by contractors. For clients who can afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project provides supervised volunteer labor. For clients who can’t afford supplies, the St. Bernard Project buys the supplies and provides the labor. Together, we can help the people who really know what it means to miss New Orleans return to their home.

Random Acts of Rainbow: Prom For All

Posted on May 9, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

I’m a firm believer that every girl should have a prom dress that makes her feel beautiful. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched John Hughes’ Pretty in Pink too many times. (You know, the one where Molly Ringwald’s character, Andie Walsh, makes her own gorgeous dress for prom using her friend Iona’s old prom dress and a thrift shop dress her father bought for her?)

Anyway, it’s prom season. DoSomething.org is partnering with a style app called Pose to collect and donate gently used dresses to girls in need (and those who don’t have the sewing and style skills to whip up their own prom dress like Andie Walsh). The program is called Prom For All. It includes a cool interactive map of the U.S. that you can use to find prom-dress drop-off sites where you live. Why not donate a fabulous dress or two from the back of your closet to help a high-school girl have her own “Pretty in Pink” prom?

"My men and I still need every bit of your support."

Posted on May 5, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

Reblogged from Operation Gratitude Blog:

A guest post from deployed First Lietuenant John A., who is serving in the United States Marine Corps:

As American service members continue ten more years of commitment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, we cannot help but think:

We are not alone in this fight.

I signed up for duty for a few reasons. I believe in public service, self-sacrifi…

The Micro Philanthropist

Posted on April 27, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

I will never be a billionaire. But if I were, I hope I’d be like the 81 billionaires – ranging in age from 27 to 96 – who have committed to give the majority of their wealth to charity by taking the Giving Pledge. Each person who takes the Giving Pledge decides on the particular causes or organizations they want to support.

The latest group of billionaires who made the Giving Pledge last week includes Bill Ackman, founder of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management. In his pledge letter, Ackman wrote:

“My earliest memories include my father’s exhortations about how important it is to give back. These early teachings were ingrained in me, and a portion of the first dollars I earned, I gave away. Over the years, the emotional and psychological returns I have earned from charitable giving have been enormous. The more I do for others, the happier I am.”

Founded by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010, the Giving Pledge focuses on billionaires but it seeks to inspire and encourage givers of all financial means and backgrounds. Thanks to innovative approaches and advances in technology, each of us, regardless of wealth, can make a lasting impact on the lives of others through donating to worthwhile organizations.

The Monthly Micro-Philanthropist

I consider myself a “micro-philanthropist” of sorts. I donate on a regular basis to FINCA, an anti-poverty organization that provides financial services to the world’s lowest-income entrepreneurs so they can create jobs, build assets and improve their standard of living. FINCA operates Village Banking programs in 21 countries in Africa, Eurasia, the Middle East and Latin America, serving over 900,000 people, 70% of whom are women. Through micro-loans from FINCA, families can invest in and build their own small businesses and income-earning capacity.

Donating to FINCA is easy by signing up for a regular monthly donation in whatever amount you choose, automatically charged to a credit card or withdrawn from a bank account. A monthly pledge of $10 can help provide a first loan for two new clients. UNICEF is another organization with a monthly giving program. By making monthly donations that are processed automatically, you can help these organizations reduce their costs and give them more proceeds to fund their programs.

eBay Giving Works

Speaking of UNICEF, they’re one of the nonprofit organizations you can support when you buy and sell items through eBay’s Giving Works program. eBay Giving Works partners with a non-profit service called MissionFish, which uses innovative technology to help nonprofits raise funds through online commerce.

As a seller on eBay, you can donate from 10 to 100% of your proceeds to organizations of your choice. You get extra exposure by being listed on eBay, the eBay Giving Works site, and the Missionfish site, and a receipt for every contribution you make will be available in your MissionFish account. As a buyer, you can search for items on the eBay Giving Works site that will benefit general causes (for example, Ending Poverty or Improving Education) or specific organizations that you’d like to support.

Cause Shop Online and Save Money

Through a site called GoodShop, you can “cause shop” online as a way to donate to charity for free AND save yourself some money in the process. GoodShop works with dozens of retailers and service providers – Apple, iTunes, Macy’s, Groupon, Travelocity, GoDaddy, Home Depot and many more – to donate a percentage of your purchase to a charity of your choice. Just choose your cause, then click on the merchants’ logos to shop online.

The merchants on GoodShop provide deals and coupons for GoodShop users, like free shipping and returns or discounts. With Mother’s Day around the corner, why not take advantage of the 15% discount being offered by 1-800-Flowers through GoodShop and donate 8% of your purchase price to a worthwhile cause?

What’s your favorite way to experience the emotional and psychological returns of being a micro-philanthropist?

How to Declutter and Give Back at the Same Time

Posted on March 24, 2012 by rainbowinclouds

“Clean out your closet. Clean out your storage drawers—at least four times a year. I firmly believe that the less stuff you have sitting around, the less stuff you have cluttering up your mind.” (Blake Mycoskie, Start Something That Matters.)

Declutter It

I couldn’t agree more! Having an organized, clutter-free home frees up a tremendous amount of time and energy that you can use for bigger, better, more important things. In his book, How To Organize (Just About) Everything, Peter Walsh lists the following steps (slightly edited by me) to conquer clutter:

Pick one area to focus your decluttering efforts on. Start small – just a drawer, shelf or closet floor.
Decide how long each decluttering session will last. You’ll be most effective if you limit your session to a few hours at most.
Bring bags or boxes to your decluttering location for collecting the items you no longer need or use.
Ask yourself these questions as you pick up each item to decide whether it stays or goes: Have I used this in the last year or two? Is it a duplicate? Am I keeping it only for sentimental reasons? Does it need repair and, if so, is it worth repairing? Is an unused item taking up space where I could store something more valuable or useful? Do I love it? For clothing: Does it fit? Is it comfortable? Does it look good on me?
Add that item to one of your boxes or bags: Repairs, donations, items to sell, items to put elsewhere, mementos, garbage, maybes and definite keepers.
Take action on each box or bag of items after your decluttering session.

Donate It

For those items that you want to donate, here are some worthwhile ideas:

Salvation Army takes many types of donations, including furniture, household goods and clothing, and they come to your house for pick ups. You can schedule a pick-up time online here.
In Chicago, donate used books to Open Books at 213 West Institute Place. They run a fantastic used book store that funds 50% of the costs of their reading and writing programs for school-aged children throughout the city. For store hours and to learn more about the programs they offer, click here.
If your “donate” pile includes professional clothing and you live in Chicago, consider giving it to Bridge To Success. This organization focuses on enhancing employment opportunities for at-risk men, women and young adults by providing appropriate interview and work clothing, coupled with coaching, to build self-confidence through appearance, interview preparation and a sense of belonging at the workplace. For more information (including place and times for donations), click here.

Swap It

A different idea if you have clothes, shoes, jewelry and other accessories to donate is to invite friends to gather similar items and have a clothing swap/auction for a favorite charity or non-profit organization. My friends and I did this recently and raised $1,000 for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk for breast cancer. It’s fairly simple and a lot of fun.

Clothing Swap/Auction for Breast Cancer

Everyone brought their items to my condo and set them out on clothing racks and tables. We took turns selecting an item we’d like to have. If no one else wanted the item, the person who chose it added $5 (the minimum price we decided on) to her tab. If someone else wanted the item too, we auctioned it off to the highest bidder. Bidding for some of the items was very competitive!

To help encourage generosity (in addition to serving wine), we gave prizes to the 3 people who ended up with the biggest donation amounts. And at the end of the night, we had 6 large trash bags of clothing to donate to the Salvation Army. The evening was so fun and rewarding that we decided to make it an annual event, with the hostess selecting the charity or non-profit organization to which the proceeds from the evening are donated.

As you do your Spring cleaning this year, keep in mind Blake Mycoskie’s advice to own as little as you can get away with. Think about the people and causes you can help by donating the things you don’t really need, or having a swap/auction for charity. It’s fun and rewarding to declutter and give back at the same time!

A Rainbow In The Clouds

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