Apparently Stella thinks it's her turn. Stella, go straight to jail. Do not pass go.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Kitty Picture of the Week
Apparently Stella thinks it's her turn. Stella, go straight to jail. Do not pass go.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
In the Spirit of Giving
It is easy this time of year to get caught up in the consumerism of the holidays. As I did my Christmas shopping, I found myself purchasing things for myself that I wanted, simply because I could. Recognizing that this was a little bit greedy, I decided to turn my attention to a good cause and make a donation that could benefit someone else.
As I debated what to do, I recalled a video that I watched a few months back on Ted.com from the creator of Kiva, a lending organization that empowers entrepreneurs throughout the world utilizing microloans. Here's the video:
Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money -- and love | Video on TED.com
Inspired by what Jessica had to say about changing our attitude towards philanthropy and service from one of guilt towards working together in a relationship, I created an account at Kiva(http://www.kiva.org/) and began looking through the different individuals and groups looking for loans. I ultimately decided to give my first microloan to Veronica in Kenya, a woman who runs her own beauty salon and is looking to grow her business. I was excited to be the last lender needed to fund her project. The cool part about Kiva is that when Veronica repays the loan, I have the option to re-lend my money to another entrepreneur, continuing the cycle of giving, while empowering additional projects. So cool!
While looking around on Ted.com , I also found this really great article about the new humanitarianism that is happening through social entrepreneurship. I find this really interesting, since the university that I work at does a smaller social entrepreneur program where students can give back to the community. Definitely worth checking out as you join me in considering ways to give back to the community.
As I debated what to do, I recalled a video that I watched a few months back on Ted.com from the creator of Kiva, a lending organization that empowers entrepreneurs throughout the world utilizing microloans. Here's the video:
Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money -- and love | Video on TED.com
Inspired by what Jessica had to say about changing our attitude towards philanthropy and service from one of guilt towards working together in a relationship, I created an account at Kiva(http://www.kiva.org/) and began looking through the different individuals and groups looking for loans. I ultimately decided to give my first microloan to Veronica in Kenya, a woman who runs her own beauty salon and is looking to grow her business. I was excited to be the last lender needed to fund her project. The cool part about Kiva is that when Veronica repays the loan, I have the option to re-lend my money to another entrepreneur, continuing the cycle of giving, while empowering additional projects. So cool!
While looking around on Ted.com , I also found this really great article about the new humanitarianism that is happening through social entrepreneurship. I find this really interesting, since the university that I work at does a smaller social entrepreneur program where students can give back to the community. Definitely worth checking out as you join me in considering ways to give back to the community.
