Raising Malawi wins MySpace Impact Award!

MySpace users worldwide have made a real difference by helping Raising Malawi to earn this month’s Myspace Impact Award.

The Impact Award honors organizations that are making a positive impact in the world. Raising Malawi was nominated for its work to eliminate poverty and empower vulnerable children in the impoverished nation of Malawi.

As this month’s winner, Raising Malawi receives a $10,000 grant to be put toward improving the health and education of Malawi’s kids. In a nation where every penny truly counts, this money will do a great deal of good.

The Impact Award also means invaluable publicity for Raising Malawi and its partner organizations. Now millions of people worldwide will learn of Malawi’s plight and what they can do to help.

Madonna and Raising Malawi would like to thank all the MySpace users who voted for Raising Malawi and helped to spread the word about the important work of this remarkable organization. With the unified support of dedicated volunteers worldwide, there’s no limit to the impact we can make.

An Easy Way to Help Raise $10K for Raising Malawi by Jan 26. Please Vote!

Visit http://www.myspace.com/impactawards and vote every day till 1/26 for Raising Malawi to win a $10K grant! Please let me know you voted by commenting on this post. If I help to generate enough votes, I can count this win toward my $101K goal. Please vote! It can make a real difference in the lives of impoverished children. So once again:

Go to myspace.com/impactawards

Vote for Raising Malawi today and every day thru January 26.



On a side note, I think the IMPACT awards is a cool campaign - your vote being as impactful as a dollar. Then again, social currency may be deemed even more valuable these days. December's winner, PostSecret, is one of my all-time favorites. They donated their winnings to a very terrific cause. From the Founder:

PostSecret is a collection of over 250,000 artful secrets mailed from around the world to my home on postcards. I share this collection with people on the web, in the four best-selling books and through traveling PostSecret Events at college campuses. I believe that we all have secrets and by sharing our deepest secrets, the ones that hide from us, we are able to find healing for ourselves and serve our communities. This year PostSecret has helped raise over $500,000 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1(800)SUICIDE. - (J. Silka's postcard would say, "I called it in 1985") - I am honored that PostSecret has won the MySpace IMPACT award, and having worked as a volunteer for HopeLine in the past, I am happy to announce that the entire $10,000 prize will go to HopeLine for being there for the MySpace community, and all of us. - Frank Warren, Founder, Post Secret

PostSecret - PostSecret - Happy Holidays?

"How Much is Enough?" is a crap question

You know that scene in Schindler's List where Schindler (Liam Neeson) comes to realize that he could've saved more lives (even just one) had he traded a small pin off his lapel or had one more conversation to bribe the SS? It's when ex-prisoners present him with a letter explaining he is not a criminal to them and give him a ring they secretly made from a worker's golden teeth fillings, which they engraved with the Talmudic quote, "He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire." Schindler is touched, but deeply ashamed, feeling he could have done so much more.

I feel that way at the beginning of every year. I have so much to give. So, do I give enough? Because I find myself asking, the answer must be no.

Why I Give (by Bill Clinton)



I read Bill Clinton's book, "Giving" last year and really appreciated this story of Oseola McCarty, which he touches on in this video. Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

With the assistance of a local attorney (for whom she had done laundry) and the bank's trust officer, using slips of paper and dimes (to represent 10% shares), McCarty set out the future distribution of her estate. She set aside one dime (10%) for her church, one dime (10%) each for three relatives, and the remaining six dimes (60%) for Southern Miss. She stipulated that the funds should be used for students, preferably those of African-American descent, who could not otherwise attend due to financial hardship. When news of McCarty's plan was made public, local leaders immediately funded an endowment in her honor. She signed an irrevocable trust, allowing the bank to manage her funds, from which she received a regular check.

What great irony to be able to give so much of what she never had herself (education). What an inspiration. I'd like to see your generocity, Ms. McCarty and raise you one. My resolution is to have more this year so I'll have more to give away. Come on....seven!