Archive for December, 2009
Stories From Smaller Nonprofits: Georgia Canines for Independence
Through out December, Diva Marketing is showcasing the stories of smaller nonprofits. It's a small way to give back to others who give so much. It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two.
Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies.
The Georgia Canines for Independence Story
Story by Ramona Nichols, founder and Executive Director of GCI. My mother and sister have epilepsy, and I experienced through their
eyes the stress and isolation that disability may create for every family
member. My animals provided a support system of unconditional love, which
helped the family deal with the physical, emotional, and social effects of
epilepsy.
After studying animal behavior at the University
of Georgia, I dedicated my
life to training dogs to improve the quality of life of people with
disabilities. Photo: Ramona with canines Mary Kate and Ashley
Georgia Canines for Independence is
a 501-c-3 nonprofit. Donations are tax-deductible. Georgia Canines for
Independence (GCI) provides trained
assistance dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities and other
special needs. GCI
is an all volunteer organization.
Each service dog learns 90 commands and performs skills such as
opening/closing doors, turning lights on/off, retrieving dropped or needed
items, and pulling wheelchairs. After completing 2 years of training, each
canine partner is given away at absolutely no cost to someone in need. GCI
also provides a lifetime of instructional support for each service dog team.
Service dogs increase independence. Many of
our service dog recipients have gained employment or been able to attend
college as a direct result of having a dog to assist them with daily living
activities. Assistance dogs also increase self-esteem and social interactions
and decrease stress and loneliness. Many service dog owners have also reported
improvements in physical health and a reduction in the number of doctors'
visits leading to decreased healthcare costs.
Because GCI does NOT charge for its
services, our programs are made possible by community support. Insurance does
not cover animal therapy or service dogs.
Social Media
GCI has a donation page on Facebook, several videos on YouTube that demonstrate how these amazing dogs help "their people" in daily living, a MySpace page and of course a presence on Twitter.
More About Georgia Canines for Independence
Stories From Smaller Nonprofits: Taylor’s Tale
The Back-story - Last week I met an amazing women, Laura King Edwards, who told me the story of the nonprofit she launched to support her little sister Taylor. Taylor has Batten disease, a rare neurodegenerative disease, with no known cure.
Laura and Taylor touched my heart and inspired this series, Stories From Smaller Nonprofts. In the spirit of the season, to give back, the month of December will showcase wonderful nonprofits. It's my wish that together we can help raise their visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two. Because as Laura says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream."
Story told by: Laura King Edwards: Current board president, founding member and
older sister of our namesake, Taylor King; also the blogger, Webmaster and
Facebook.
Taylor’s Tale
Story was inspired by Taylor King, an 11-year-old native of Charlotte, NC.
She was diagnosed with infantile NCL, a form of Batten disease, in July 2006.
Taylor's Tale
raises funds for research and promotes public awareness of Batten disease. We
are a non-profit, tax-exempt entity pursuant to Section 501(c)(3). We were
originally founded by a group of dedicated volunteers in Charlotte,
N.C. in early 2007.
For two years, we
raised funds for the Batten Disease Support and Research Association (BDSRA).
In January 2009, Taylor's Tale was
granted non-profit status. Today, we work in tandem with BDSRA and other
non-profits to provide financial support for Batten disease research. We have
raised close to $200,000 since our inception.
We made it possible for a prominent researcher, Sandra
Hofmann, MD, PhD, of the University
of Texas SW-Dallas, to begin
evaluating and testing enzyme replacement therapy as a cure for infantile NCL.
Today, she is in the preclinical studies stage.
Her close colleague, Beverly
Davidson, PhD, of the University of Iowa, whose work is very similar to Dr.
Hofmann's but for a different form of the disease, just had a major
breakthrough for not just Batten disease, but all of medical science. Dr.
Davidson figured out a way to cross the blood brain barrier and deliver
therapeutic molecules directly into the brain – a discovery that has
implications for all brain-based diseases (i.e. Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, brain
cancer).
In addition to Dr. Hofmann's work, we have supported or
currently support work at Washington University
in St. Louis, the University
of Rochester and the National
Institutes of Health (NIH).
What is Batten disease?
Batten disease is an inherited neurodegenerative disease
that primarily strikes infants, toddlers and school-aged children. Presently,
there is no known cure, and it is always fatal. Batten disease is rarely
diagnosed immediately and is often mistaken for epilepsy, mental retardation,
retinitis pigmentosa or even schizophrenia in adults.
Onset is characterized by
beginning vision loss, seizures, clumsiness and personality and behavior
changes. After onset, Batten disease causes continuing physical and mental
deterioration, and affected children eventually become blind, bedridden and
unable to communicate.
Why Taylor's
Tale?
All children have dreams. Some dream of becoming astronauts
and exploring outer space. Some envision careers as baseball players or
firefighters. Others want to be doctors or teachers.
Taylor King, a girl who
loves princesses, sparkly jewelry and the color pink, dreams of becoming a pop
star or fashion designer. She loves to sing. She believes in fairy tales. Her
courage inspired us to fight for a cure for Batten disease.
We are writing her
story because we believe that it will help us save children like her. Every
child is entitled to dream; every child's story should be a fairy tale.
- Taylor's
Tale began as Taylor's story, but
along the way, it has become a story for all children. Because nothing should
stand in the way of a dream.
Goals
Specifically, we work with the BDSRA to identify promising
proposals made by Batten disease researchers and then provide the funding to
make their work possible. Taylor's
Tale believes that proposals should be built upon a "bench to
bedside" philosophy; we want the work we support to work toward the end
result of a human clinical trial and a possible cure for Batten disease.
And,
we are proud to say that we have been able to help make history over the past
several years: we are infinitely closer to a cure – perhaps only a few short
years away – than we were when we began.
Social Media Strategy
Our small size, limited resources and strong desire to
reserve the vast majority of funds we raise for research grants led us to
position social media and digital marketing channels as major players in our
overall public awareness/marketing strategy. Along the way, we've discovered
that these tools are not only the cheapest way to spread the word – they're
also the most effective in many cases.
We chose the name "Taylor's
Tale" because we want to play the role of storyteller in the fight to cure
Batten disease. Social media channels have an uncanny ability to help us tell
our story virally – and it allows others to be storytellers, too, which fosters
further support and keeps people inspired. Without social media, we'd be left
with local person-to-person networking and special events to build awareness.
We'd have our Web site, but alone, that'd be a pretty static tool. Coupled with
social media tools like blogging and Facebook, we've been able to reach more
people than we would have ever imagined. Our blog, for example, garners
feedback from people scattered across the globe. We've been able to position Taylor's
Tale as a major source of funding for the research community and a reliable,
welcome information source for families whose children are newly diagnosed.
So what's next? We want to add Twitter to our social media
toolkit and continue to enhance our presence elsewhere. We also want to
continue pushing a campaign we launched recently called Project E-wareness – a
call to people who want to help us build support for Taylor's
Tale using social media channels. We even created a pdf e-wareness guide that
people can download.
More About Taylor's Tale
Taylor's Tale Video on YouTube
Read More Stories From Small Nonprofits
Sidebar: If you want your nonprofit included in Stories From Smaller Nonprofits drop a comment and I'll send you the questions.
Stories From Smaller Nonprofits: East Lake Foundation
2009 holidays are winding down. Social networks from Facebook, Flickr to Twitter helped us share memories with family and friends. But for some people holiday memories were not so merry or jolly. In the
spirit of the season, to give back, Diva Marketing is showcasing the stories of smaller nonprofits throughout December.
It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation or two. Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies so we continue to learn together.
The tale of the Miracle of East Lake begins with, Tom Cousins an Atlanta real estate icon who had a "crazy" vision that golf could rebuild an inner city community. The story is told by Mary Dugenske, Director of Marketing and Communications for East
Lake Foundation.
Everyone deserves a chance to succeed – which is why the
East Lake Foundation provides tools for Atlanta’s
East Lake
residents to build a brighter future for themselves and their families."
Just 15 years ago – East Lake
was a blighted, crime-ridden area, home to one of the nation’s most troubled
housing projects. Only 5% of students met state math standards, and the
employment rate (not unemployment rate) was just 14%.
Three key building blocks - Working with residents, the East Lake Foundation brought
hope to this historic community, relying on three key ingredients:
•Quality Education: East
Lake kids now enter a
cradle-to-college pipeline that includes an early education program that’s become
a statewide model and Atlanta’s
first charter school. Students learn, excel and graduate – in fact, 97% are the
first in their families to attend college!
•Affordable Housing: Families now have access to safe
housing choices, plus classes, events and support groups that help them build
knowledge, skills and lasting financial strength.
•Community Connections: Neighbors connect and learn from
each other – for example, through The First Tee of East Lake, a dynamic program
that teaches both golf and life skills while opening the doors to colleges,
scholarships and jobs for hundreds of children.
Toward a brighter future - As East Lake
families begin to break the cycle of poverty, East
Lake is becoming a community of
choice. Violent crime is down 95%, while school test scores and property values
have surged. Today’s economic challenges
hit working families particularly hard — but thanks to donors and volunteers,
the East Lake Foundation can continue to provide tools that build brighter
tomorrows. Just $10 a week provides a child with after-school tutoring,
educational support and enrichment activities that foster lasting academic
success.
Social Media Strategy
Expanding the conversation – Like many small nonprofits, the Foundation has long relied
on “social” events (especially volunteer opportunities) to connect donors,
partners and neighbors. We’re excited about the opportunities that social media
offers to connect with our supporters and broaden our outreach.
Right now,
we’re focused on listening and learning about what others are saying about our
cause, as well as helping supporters and volunteers tell our story via their
blogs and tweets. In 2010, we look forward to expanding the conversation
ourselves via our own presence on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social
media channels!
More About Eastlake Foundation
Stop it! Just Stop it!
Stop waiting. Stop waiting for tomorrow or the next day. Stop waiting for the “next big thing”. Stop waiting for that client to send that check. Just stop it!
We spend so much of our time waiting – for inconsequential things, that time passes like a hurricane force wind, and we wind up on the opposite side of where we want to be. Waiting is a useless task. Just stop it!
Instead, make sure you’re moving into 2010 with a clear picture of who you are, what you want, and how to achieve success. There is no success, you understand, without innovation, and though some innovations are more apparent and successful than others… some are seemingly invisible, until you put them into action. Then, only then, can you see their power.
Ideas – that’s what’s at stake here. Ideas to do better, rise higher, be different, show strength. THINK about the companies that were innovative this year – this decade. How did they do it? Did they wait for the right moment? Did they pine afer great PR or mention on some wildly popular website? Or, did they just do it? Did they rise each day and hit the ground running…not in an attempt to keep ahead of the crowd, but in a passionate attempt to get to the goal they’d set for themselves?
Ok, the DMV (dept of motor vehicles) might keep you waiting. Your bank might keep you waiting. Your clients might even keep you waiting. But, that’s manageable time. Be active while waiting. Prepare for the wait by setting daily goals to accomplish things; little things, big things- phone calls, emails, blog posts, twitter posts, and most importantly, the things that you’ve identified as necessary to move your business forward. (making phone calls? cleaning out your filing cabinet? rearranging your office? all of that counts)
Forward – towards achievement. Forward – towards success. Forward – towards the results that will make 2010 a pivotal year for you. Think Big.
I know you can do it. I know you can stop waiting for tomorrow or next week. Stop waiting for the unknown and take charge. Do it today.
30th Anniversary of the Best Business Book Ever
What's the Best Business Book Ever?
Surprise, It's a Novel: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford
When I read this book, I was young and impressionable, working in a showroom at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles. I had dreams of starting my own business, but didn't know how.
Emma Harte was a poor uneducated servant girl who was left pregnant at 15. Despite the odds against her, she became a billionaire business owner. Her story inspired me to take risks in my own life and go for my dreams despite the obstacles.
I know it's not the typical business book in everybody's library, but the Emma's story is so captivating that I put it on the top of my business book list.
I celebrate the 30th anniversary of a rich tale that inspired me and countless women to live their passionate lives and do it bravely.
Happy Holidays to Everyone!
Check out what my Tom wrote about family holiday traditions, kids spread around the world, and his holiday gift of Pet Pic Puzzles over on Scratchings & Sniffings.
Hope yours are joyful, too!
Stories From Smaller Nonprofits: Isipho
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. ~ Francis Pharculles, The Sun
There are people who play Santa year long. Many bring their talents and hearts to the important work they perform for nonprofit causes. Throughout December Diva Marketing will highlight stories from smaller nonprofits
that light the way for causes but rarely pull mentions in the main stream media.
It's my wish that together we can help raise their
visibility, perhaps find a new volunteer or even encourage a donation
or two.
Because as Laura King Edwards, Taylor's Tale, says, "Nothing should stand in the way of a dream." Also the nonprofits that are using social media have agreed to share their strategies so we continue to learn together.
The story is told by Miranda Lynch who is the 15-year old co-founder and vice president of Isipho. Miranda's story is as much a part of the fabric of Isipho as the children she is passionate about helping.
My name is Miranda Lynch. I co-founded Isipho in December 2009 so I could do everything possible to improve the lives of the children in Nzinga, South Africa after visiting there in August 2008 while on vacation to celebrate my 14th birthday with my dad.
When we first got to Nzinga, all I wanted was to turn around and leave right away. I had never experienced such hardship or poverty. It was really overwhelming.
But I didn’t have time to be overwhelmed, because the second I got out of the car, a girl my age handed me a saw and pointed to some wood. I understood that she wanted me to cut the wood; something I had no idea how to do, but was embarrassed to admit that, so I just started sawing. As the evening evolved, I realized that the wood I was sawing was the wood we needed to make a fire to cook our dinner. Just making and then cleaning up after dinner was such hard work and took so long that by the time we finished, I was exhausted and went straight to bed. I guess it’s good I was too exhausted to leave!
The next day my life was changed forever, because I met Amahle, the beautiful, smart, precocious two-year-old daughter of our host. Amahle doesn’t have the same opportunities in life that I do - the opportunity to receive a quality education, the opportunity to have three healthy meals per day, and the opportunity to earn a living and support herself once she’s an adult. Amahle became my little shadow, and I came to love her like a little sister.
When we left Nzinga, I kept thinking about Amahle, and was determined to do all I could to change the inequality in her life; to do everything possible to give Amahle and every other child in Nzinga the opportunities that I believe every person deserves.
- I know I’m just one American teenager, but I knew I had to at least try, and that I couldn’t just leave and never look back. When my mom and dad saw my passion for this, they agreed to help me help Nzinga overcome their biggest obstacles to a better life.
The municipality where Nzinga is located has identified severe and chronic malnutrition and illiteracy as two of the biggest contributors to the poverty in Nzinga. It seemed so simple to me that if they could grow their own fresh vegetables and had the proper resources to be able to receive an education, their lives would vastly improve. So we decided to start a non-profit to focus exclusively on this small village and to make a difference one child, one family, one food garden, and one classroom at a time.
I decided to name the nonprofit Isipho, which is the Zulu word for “gift,” and the nickname that Amahle gave to me because she couldn’t say “Miranda.” Our Isipho, or our gift, is to help the people of Nzinga create a better, self-sustaining community.
We do not give them more hand-outs that just extend the cycle of dependence. We give them the tools they need to feed and educate themselves within five years without any outside assistance. Specifically, we provide them with fencing, gardening tools, seeds and gardening training so that they can learn how to garden for themselves, and be able to protect their gardens from grazing animals.They do all the rest.
We also provide books, school supplies, educational toys and teacher training so that the kids in the village are all going to school and are learning when they get there. Before we started Isipho, only 44% of the villagers had ever attended any school at all, and only seven percent had ever graduated from high school. Our goal is to get 100% of the children in the village enrolled in school, and to increase graduation rates so that their poverty begins to improve.
In our first year we raised almost $20,000, and on just that limited amount of money we’ve been able to send:
~23 villagers through a 3 day sustenance gardening training program with the regional agriculture college.
~Provide fencing, tools and starter seeds for more than 500 square yards of community vegetable gardens
~Provide fencing, tools and starter seeds for 40 smaller, individual family garden
~Deliver over $3,000 worth of books, mathematics tools (calculators, protractors, etc.), and other needed school supplies.
~Encourage development of a local committee that will oversee and lead the programs going forward so that the villagers have ownership and ultimate responsibility for long-term success. More than half of the committee is comprised of women.
Isipho is run by me, my mom and my dad, so far on a 100% volunteer basis.
I’m founder and Vice President of the Board of Directors. I spend most of my time working on public relations and fundraising, and I’m also busy making a short film about Nzinga, using video footage that I shot this past August when we were in Nzinga building vegetable gardens and working in the schools.
My dad, Tom, is President of the Board. He does marketing and fundraising, and is always spreading the word about Isipho.
My mom, Sheri, is Executive Director of Isipho. She handles all the day-to-day operations.
The three of us work together to plan all of the programs. We’re also putting together a really great Board of Directors right now.
It’s been really interesting to work together with my family like this. We’re a business, so we have weekly meetings, as well as quarterly planning sessions and an annual planning retreat. I’ve learned a LOT about what it takes to run a business, like how to do strategic planning, how to organize fundraisers, what it takes to do even a simple program, and a lot about business etiquette. Most of that I’ve learned by making mistakes and embarrassing myself. But that’s OK – that’s one of the nice things about learning all this stuff as a teenager – people are quick to forgive my mistakes!
Social Media Strategy
Social media is important for us, but also very natural. My dad has worked in digital marketing for a long time, and I’m 15, so I’m on it all the time. We have a limited budget, so social is a great way to spread the story and get people involved. It has been great for us, and also a lot of fun.
It also is a lot of work though, because you have to stay active. Sometimes we’ll find that too much time has passed before we’ve interacted, and other times we’ll find we’re all on our individual Facebook pages saying the same thing.
- Sometimes being consistent and coordinated is not as easy as it would seem.
More About Isipho
Web site
Blog
Facebook page
Twitter
YouTube
Donation link
For the greater good sites from Miranda:: Idealist Gold Star
Brands celebrating the holidays with charitable programs
By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna’s Promo Talk
Well it’s now the day before Christmas Eve and I still have some packages to ship. Guess I’m doing the overnight shipping thing. I was waiting for a package yesterday to arrive that I need to include in the package I’m sending and we found it on our front steps this morning. Those UPS folks must have been working throughout the night. They do an amazing job this time of year.
Anyhow, I wanted to write more about the brands and companies that are using this holiday season to thank their customers and partners by contributing to a charity and giving back to the community. Here are five companies that I’ve come across with a charitable promotion this year. I’m sure there are many more that could be added to the list, so please do.
Xerox Let’s Say Thanks – I think this is the third year that Xerox is supporting this program which provides a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. Visitors to this website can send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women. There are many postcard designs to chose from which are illustrations of patriotic scenes and hometown images that were selected from a pool of entries from children across the country.
So all a person has to do is click on a design and either select a message or create their own personal note. The postcards are then printed on the Xerox iGen3® Digital Production Press and mailed in care packages by military support organization Give2TheTroops.
Google’s Happy Holidays – I actually received an email from Google this morning which said “As we near the end of the year, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for the time, energy, commitment, and trust you’ve shared with us in 2009. With sharing in mind, this year we’ve decided to do something a little different. We hope you’ll find it fits the spirit of the holiday season.”
Google’s little something is a $20 million dollar donation which you can see here a list of the current intended charities.
Macy’s Believe – Macy’s is donating $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for every letter addressed to Santa Claus that was mailed at an official R.H. Macy Santa Mail Letterbox at a Believe station in Macy’s stores. They have created a special Believe website in which they hosted a special “Tell us Why You Believe” Contest and the Believe meter that tracks the number of letters received.
They have pledged up to $1 million and as of today they have hit it with the Believe meter reading 1,000,000 letters received. Believe is inspired by a letter written by 8-year old Virginia O’Hanlon back in 1897 asking if there was really a Santa Claus. Journalist Francis P. Church responded with what became a famous essay, “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus”.
PetSmart is donating 10 percent of the $5 purchase price of a plush, collectible dog toy named Chance and their Luv-A-Pet holiday ornaments to PetSmart Charities to “help save the lives of homeless pets”.
PayPal Re-gift the Fruitcake – Social media was integrated into this promotion where consumers were able to “give the gift no one wants and give the gift everyone needs.” The fruitcakes were icons that linked to sites where users could make a donation to one of 25 charities. People created the fruitcakes with a designated charity and sent them to their Facebook friends who then could re-gift them and send to their friends. The program ended yesterday and their website states that they’ve raised over $22,000.
I already wrote this post on American Express who has partnered with United Way as well as this post on Iams Home 4 the Holidays Program. I received an update from IAMS who told me that 808,147 pets had been adopted as of December 17th!
They are definitely on our way to reaching their 1.5MM goal by Jan. 4th.
So I do want to thank you all for reading my posts both on the Lip-sticking blog and on my own blog, Donna’s Promo Talk. I wish you all a very wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
Macy’s Gets the Path to Peace Project Right
Every day a new email arrives in my email box that gently asks for a donation to – children, wildlife, the underprivileged, those suffering from a myriad of diseases, you name it. If only I could give to all of them. And, maybe, in some small way, I can. Just $5 given to a select group of charities, across the nation, adds up fast. So, I do give – as much as I can. I especially give to the homeless and to animal charities.
Yesterday, I was watching the news and this story about ”Rwanda Baskets” came on – literally making me sit up and pay close attention. I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of this, and I’m ashamed that it’s taken me so long to learn about it.
Here’s (part of) the story: (visit the full story here)
“In 1994, Rwanda was torn apart by a brutal and swift genocide—in roughly 100 days, close to one million Rwandan citizens were murdered. In the aftermath, the population of this small African nation was nearly 70% women. Faced with an uncertain future, these women turned to their past and reclaimed their unique heritage of weaving. Drawing strength from this common history and ancient art form, brave women from both sides of the conflict organized groups of weavers, in an effort to rebuild their communities and their lives… together.
In 2002 Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), visited Rwanda and was struck by the beauty of the traditional woven baskets. Moved by the pride and strength of the weavers, she reached out to American businesswoman, and UNIFEM supporter, Willa Shalit in hopes of developing a market for Rwandan basketwork. After UNIFEM made initial contacts with the Rwandan Government and the association of genocide widows, Willa began working with weavers in Rwanda and partners in America. Three years later, she founded the Rwanda Path to Peace project in partnership with Macy’s.
This partnership established a global market for these unique works of art, and in September 2005 Macy’s introduced the very first Path to Peace Baskets. The modest collection, only available online at macys.com and in Macy’s flagship Herald Square store, included every basket the weavers could produce over the course of the year.”
How could that not make you sit up and take notice? But, it’s more than that. These amazing, spectacular, astonishing women told their stories on camera – and what they said resonated to my very core.
Their message was one of hope – a message that, one woman said, “Only women can bring” – women who want what we want: a better world for each other and for our children. “We cannot always fight and argue,” one woman said. Though she was sitting next to a woman whose husband may have killed her family, this woman not only forgave, she recognized the need to look forward, not back. She, and her ‘sisters’ were weaving beautiful baskets to make a better life for themselves and their children. They were pulling their heritage back into their lives and looking at the world with visions of happiness and hope, not anger and despair.
Yes, you can buy these outstandingly beautiful baskets at Macy’s. At first, the store was ready to give a donation – something many of us would lean towards, after hearing this heart-warming story, but the women of Rwanda do not want donations. They want jobs. And so, Macy’s, with the help of the Path to Peace Project, Macy’s began a business relationship with these basket weavers – and helped them create new lives for themselves, their children, and their villages.
Personally, I don’t think it gets any better than that. Thank you, Macy’s. This is a business venture I can support hearth and soul. The baskets are not only useful and functional, but so very beautiful, I need three or four – just for myself! And, many more for friends and family.
Can we – the women of the net – the bloggers and twitterers, do this same thing? Can we not compete with each other as if the end of the world is near and being #1 is all important? Can we work together, build and create, together? Can we choose 2010 as the year we partner with our neighbors, partner with our competitors, partner with the small shop in the foot-plaza that has the best homemade gifts of all… and make the world a marketplace of togetherness.
Ladies, can we do that? Maybe the better question is: how can we not do it?