Doing good

So, in a desperate effort to beg out of a meeting today, I found myself frantically searching the inauguration web site for any sort of event I could claim to be participating in or viewing via the internet. After all, who is going to argue that you shouldn't be a patriot and attend some hellish meeting?

And, I see that the inauguration committee has set aside January 19 . . . a paid holiday for most folks . . . as this event: Renew America Together: A Call to Service. The Bidens and Obamas are planning on spending the day involved in service projects. Beyond the sappiness of it, I have to say I like it. I know, they didn't ask my opinion before hand . . . which we'll have to discuss later . . . but I like the idea of encouraging folks to use a paid vacation day to extend themselves within their communities.

So, in recognition of this call to service and in recognition that most folks are likely to intend to do something but end up sleeping late instead . . . I give you a list of web sites where you can do some good and stay in your jammies.

Kiva . . . you can loan people in developing parts of the world as little as $25 for their enterprises. They pay you back and you can take your money back or reinvest it. You can thumb through their ever changing list of projects and pick something that is close to your heart or just tugs at your heart.

If you want your shopping to have a more positive impact, you can check out the items on Ebay's World of Good site. Everything from recycled goods to jewelry.

For a longer term, even more passive approach, try making GoodSearch your home page. You can find a charity you like, or add one you like, and every time you search anything on the internet, the charity of your choosing will get a penny. The more people searching, the more money your charity earns. Their site says they have 73,000 charities listed, so you're sure to find one you like. Additionally, on the same site, there is GoodShop. If you access one of the many many(they say they have over 700) online retailers (from ebay to macys to nike to overstocks.com) through GoodSearch, the charity of your choice gets a percentage of your purchase . . . and it varies from retailer to retailer.

If you'd like to design your own project and solicit donations or sponsors, you might check out setting up a FirstGiving site. You can list a charity you already work with or you can find one that is near and dear to your heart. I've seen kids set up pledge sites for their own activities and charities set up sites for fundraisers.

These are just a few ways you can contribute to your community or the charity you love. There are lots of other things you could do . . . if you take a shower and change out of those jammies.