My guest philanthropist today is my friend from college, and favorite roommate of all time Marla. (I've talked about her and her beautiful family here before.) She and I actually got our 'start' while living together in college. Mar was a horticulture/landscape design major, and basically the opposite of my acting/dance major. While I was memorizing lines, she was memorizing types of trees and ways to maximize an open space with landscaping. When looking for a charity for the two of us to donate to, I had my eyes peeled for and eco-y, nature-y, Chicago based organization. Openlands came up, and when I researched it, I was really impressed.
'Founded in 1963, Openlands protects the natural and open spaces of Northeastern Illinois, and the surrounding region to ensure cleaner air and water, protect natural habitats and wildlife, and help balance and enrich our lives.' Not only does OL believe in 'conserving nature for life', they are also a great resource for information on outdoorsy spaces, places, and adventures around Chicago. Check out Openlands, and give the earth a high five.
Charity: Openlands
I donated: $10.00
Marla donated: $10.00
total: $20.00
Feb 15, 2011
Feb 14, 2011
Barrel of Monkeys
Today’s guest philanthropist is my best friend Megan. We’ve been friends for over 10 years, and truth be told we’re going to have to stay friends probably forever, because at this point she knows too much. Any sort of riff, and I run the risk of people finding out about my closet Rod Stewart obsession, what grade I actually got in Theatre History, or what I really think about your boyfriend/outfit/party/etc.
Megan and I met in college where we were both acting majors, so I wanted to pick some kind of artsy, educationy organization to give to. I did some searching on Crowdrise* and came across Barrel of Monkeys. Much like Found, I know of Barrel of Monkeys, but for whatever reason I hadn’t thought to donate to them.
Barrel of Monkeys is ‘an arts education theatre ensemble that works with some of the most underserved students in Chicago
Organization: Barrel of Monkeys
I donated: $20.00
Megan donated: $10.00
total: $30.00
*Also check out my friend Carlo's Crowdrise page.
Montecito Love.
Here's the deal: I've been in Montecito for work, and I'm a little out of sorts. Like new place, different schedule, not enough time, sporadic at best Internet, discombobulated out of sorts. I'm working on getting a hold of myself and taking a few deep breaths, but I don't exactly know what it means for my week 7. Also, If you're keeping track, I'm missing a few philanthropic posts. Have no fear though, I didn't give up, I'm just waiting for the internet God's to smile on me, or for a minute to stop at a coffee shop and do some uploading. I'll try to post them as soon as possible, and because I feel guilty about being behind, I'm going to throw in an extra charity and donation. So, here's to catching up, calming down, and of course, love- happy Valentine's Day!
Feb 9, 2011
found.
Jackson: 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog Rottweiler Mix
My friend Carlo uses this really awesome website called Crowdrise for a lot of his fundraising and donating needs. Not only can you use the site to create fundraising pages, you can also join fundraising teams, search for different charities, and make donations. It's kind of a super hip philanthropy clearing house. While I was checking out Crowdrise and searching for a charity, I came across Found, and decided it was the perfect place to give to.
I know Found through their sister for-profit called Stay: A Modern Dog Hotel. I've used Stay a ton and can't say enough good things about them. While at Stay it's not uncommon to see one or two of the dogs above hanging out waiting to be adopted, but I'll be honest, since I'm not interested in adopting right now, I didn't really think about Found seriously until today. Their mission is simple: Rescue, Rehabilitate, Re-home. What they do is amazing. Found specializes in dogs that have a harder chance of being re-homed. Whether it be 'medical or behavioral, Found provides individualized rehabilitation and training to dogs that would otherwise be euthanized'. You should absolutely consider adopting one of the pooches above, or think about donating to help Found continue the work they do.
My guest philanthropist today is my friend Crystal. We both love a cute pup, and agree Found is a great cause to support.
Charity: Found
I donated: $10.00
I donated: $10.00
Crystal donated: $10.00
total: $20.00
total: $20.00
Feb 8, 2011
the ride to conquer cancer.
Charity: The Enbridge Ride To Conquer Cancer
I donated: $15.00
My mom donated: $35.00
total: $50.00
living philanthropic.
The week's new adventure was inspired by a friend of mine from college. Carlo is an actor living and working in Chicago, and exactly 292 days ago he started a blog called Living Philanthropic. Carlo's mission is 'to give to charity everyday for a year, because you don't have to be rich in dollars to make a difference, you only need to be rich in spirit'. While Carlo 'won't always be able to give a lot, he will give everyday'.
I really like the blog and have been following Living Philanthropic along the way. In a recent interview about LP the term 'Micro Philanthropy' was used to describe what Carlo is doing. I love this idea, essentially giving what you can, keeping in mind that no amount of help is too small to be discounted. It's with this spirit of giving in mind that I'm going to follow Carlo's lead and donate to a different charity everyday. While I can't donate millions, I also really believe in the ripple effect and its ability to make change. So, this week, for every charity I donate to, I will also get a friend or family member to donate too, in hopes that they may find a friend to donate as well, and so on.
I'll keep sharing information about Carlo and LP throughout the week, but for now check out Living Philanthropic, and feel free to give!
I really like the blog and have been following Living Philanthropic along the way. In a recent interview about LP the term 'Micro Philanthropy' was used to describe what Carlo is doing. I love this idea, essentially giving what you can, keeping in mind that no amount of help is too small to be discounted. It's with this spirit of giving in mind that I'm going to follow Carlo's lead and donate to a different charity everyday. While I can't donate millions, I also really believe in the ripple effect and its ability to make change. So, this week, for every charity I donate to, I will also get a friend or family member to donate too, in hopes that they may find a friend to donate as well, and so on.
I'll keep sharing information about Carlo and LP throughout the week, but for now check out Living Philanthropic, and feel free to give!
what's new. 5
While much of this week was spent anticipating, watching, and digging out of Snowmageddon, I also got in some delicious cannoli tasting. Even as I'm sitting here writing this, its still snowing... (or rather re-snowing?) Either way, with the snow and the cannoli, I learned a few things:
-I love cannoli. (o.k., that I already knew.)
-I don't care how old you are, an impending 2 feet of snow is exciting!
-Finding out I have a snow day still gives me the same relieved/excited feeling in my stomach that I got when I was in 2nd grade.
-Mother Nature is no joke.
-You will never, ever catch me on Lake Shore Drive in a snow storm.
-I'm a cannoli purist
-When you go to someone's house with cannoli, they will always be happy to see you.
-The best way to spend $30.00 is to have the neighbor kid dig out your car.
-The best way to spend $5.00 is on cannoli.
-For my money, the best cannoli in Chicago is D'amato's!
-For my money, the best cannoli in Chicago is D'amato's!
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