Thursday, September 07, 2006

Virtual Birthday Party

Join the celebration!

I invite you to join me in celebrating my birthday, coming up this month (it's a big one, ending in a "0!"). No, there won't be a party with age jokes, fire extinguishers for the birthday cake, or black balloons. For my birthday, I wanted to do something worthwhile. So I set up a gift registry with Heifer, International.

Heifer, International is a non-profit, non-religious organization that supplies hungry people worldwide with sustainable livestock like chickens, rabbits, geese, goats, ducks, honeybees, sheep, cattle and more. They also teach animal husbandry, wool-gathering and knitting, and tree reseeding practices. They're a respected organization doing a much-needed work.

A $40 donation will buy a flock of geese AND a flock of chickens. It will buy a hive of bees AND a share of a goat. It will buy a flock of ducks AND a share of seedling trees. Or it will buy you dinner and a movie...

My goal is to raise $40,000 for Heifer, International. Of course I don't have that kind of money available for charitable giving. I suspect you don't either. But I'm not asking anyone to help me reach my goal alone. I encourage you to send a link to this page to those on your mailing list. Then click on this link, and make a contribution that's within your budget.

(You don't have to go through my gift registry to contribute. You can just go to the Heifer, International homepage if you prefer.)

40 is a nice, round number that holds a certain sort of significance as my birthday approaches. If 1,000 people were to help me celebrate my birthday by donating $40 each, I'll reach my goal, it won't put a crimp in anyone's wallet, and we'll all have made the world a better place.

I'll post the names of contributors on the Contributors' List on my website. If you'd prefer that I not mention you by name, just e-mail me and let me know. I won't be posting how much any person gives -- just knowing that you did something will be more than enough of a present for me!

Here's the link again: http://tinyurl.com/oupcx

Happy Birthday to me! And thanks for helping me celebrate!