HELPING KIDS – ONE NICKEL AT A TIME

I need to share a VERY quick story, and I have a VERY small favor to ask. (I know what you’re saying... “Drew is on the giving back war path again!” This time it’s VERY 

painless and it will only 

cost you $4.)

As most of you are aware, I used to be a “holiday volunteer” (You know... I’d go to the homeless shelter at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas and serve food for a couple hours so I wouldn’t feel guilty about gorging myself later in the day.) But most of you also know that a little over a year ago my life completely changed.

When I launched e-Partners in Giving in May 2008, I realized very quickly that I need to do more than “talk the talk” in regards to giving back.

That’s when I became a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters. For the last 16 months, I have been a mentor to a wonderfully great young man named Anthony. We’ve done so many fun things – from waterparks and Frisbee golf to the final Dallas Cowboys game at Texas Stadium.

In a short amount of time, Anthony has changed my life. More than anything, he has made me realize that every single person deserves a fighting chance to be successful. Anthony’s story is tragic, but that doesn’t diminish his HUGE heart and his AMAZING sense of adventure. His home life might be a daily struggle, but that doesn’t deter his inquisitive nature and passion for fulfilling his dreams.

Again...

EVERYONE DESERVES A FIGHTING CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Well...we need your help putting five more kids right in the middle of this fight!

I’m not asking you to become a Big Brother or Big Sister (not right NOW, at least) – I’m simply asking for a $4 donation to support our Bowl for Kids’ Sake team. This is Big Brothers Big Sisters’ largest fund-raising initiative of the year and we’re making a push to get FIVE KIDS OFF THE WAITING LIST – one nickel at a time.

One nickel? Actually, 80 of them.

We’re asking people to pay 5 cents for every pin that we knock down during the BFKS bowling tournament on Saturday. Since we’re all AWFUL bowlers – we figured our average score would be around 80.

80 pins x 5 cents = $4.00!

Through a MASSIVE social media blitz, we’re trying to raise $5,000 for our bowling team. That would ensure that FIVE KIDS would get matched and that match would be sustained for one year.

The process is super simple and there are NO additional fees. Simply visit: http://www.epartnersingiving.com/bowlforkidssake

We’re trying to pull this off in 72 hours.

We encourage you to forward this e-mail to family and friends as well. (Don’t worry...nothing bad will happen to you if you DON’T, but if you DO...I would be forever grateful.) Other ways you can help – post on your Facebook page, Tweet about it, put it on your blog. Spread the word anyway you can.

Just think about it...if all of my Facebook friends made a $4 donation – we’d be well on our way. If all of THEIR FRIENDS made a donation – we’d start making a difference.

This is your chance to help change the lives of five kids AND change the lives of the five adults who will get the opportunity provide them a little time and a lot of love.

Thanks in advance for your support!





NEVER STOP GIVING BACK


BLOG FODDER: Screaming Kids & Fried Butter

I have a file on my computer, entitled “Blog.” This is where I keep all my fodder – which is anything and everything that I think will make a decent blog post.

 
I get ideas from anywhere and everywhere – books, magazines, TV, friends, family, experiences, and of course Facebook.

My only self-imposed rule: Try to stay within my parameters – “Life, Business, and Giving Back.” I do this for the simple fact that it's blazed across the top of this web page. (Actually, I try to abide by that policy because nobody wants to read about my thoughts on politics, reality television, or what I ate for dinner.)

Here are some examples from that file on my computer (and a brief description on the possible focus/point of each post):

NOTE: Whether I ever get around to actually writing these is HUGE question mark.

• “Prayer for the families”

My new company partners with funeral homes to make memorial giving as easy as possible. This can be extremely sad. Even though we are providing a quality service to the families, they are still going through tremendous grief and heartache. Recently, I’ve been including these families on my daily prayer list.

Personally, I don’t handle death very well (another possible blog post) – and I’m sure I’m not alone. I just hope my prayer helps those families lean on God a little to get through the grieving process.

• “Am I REALLY ready to be a dad?”

This summer I went to Florida on a family vacation, which included my sister and her two children (a 4-year-old princess and a 16-month-old mama’s boy). I thought this would be a tremendous test for me and my expecting wife.

ME: “Bring it on!”

RESULT: Fail.

Without writing the whole blog post here and now, I’ll sum it up in four words: A LOT OF CRYING.

Needless to say, my life flashed before my eyes a more than several times on the trip and the anxiety level of being a daddy-to-be was ratcheted up a couple notches.

• “News story: Investor response”

Way back in March, e-Partners in Giving received some exposure in a local TV news feature. (see video here)

The story was tremendous for our young company, but it was a simple response by one of our investors that highlighted the 2-minute spot.

After watching the feature, he said, “I’m proud to have my money invested in this company.”

When things get rough – and I don’t know which way is up – I think back to that statement. It reminds me that even though our revenue stream is not where we want it OR need it to be – our brand and mission of giving back is strong.

• “The List”

My 101 List is ALWAYS combustible
fuel for my blog fire.

Example 1: Right now, I’m in the middle of no-shave month. (No. 101) What is that, you ask? Ummm...for one month, I don’t shave. Duh! I’m doing it in conjunction with the Rangers’ playoff push – in honor of the Wolfpack bullpen. (see my "Mugshow" to date)

Example 2: The State Fair of Texas is right around the corner, which means I have a golden opportunity to cross No. 78 off my list (“Eat a ‘fried concoction’ in front of Big Tex at the State Fair”). The featured fried fare this year is....butter. Yum!

• "Online fodder"

I also Bookmark online features that I’ve stumbled on – mostly having to do with business and entrepreneurship. Here are a few of examples:

• The Pleasure of Being an Entrepreneur 

(click here to read)

• What's Your Brand U.0? 

(click here to read)

• 20 Tips for the New Entrepreneur – from Savvy Auntie 

(click here to read)

Again, when I actually expand on these subjects and dedicate a entire blog post to each one is up in the air. Every day I tell myself, “I need to be blogging. I need to be blogging.”

Hey...wait a second...

SUCCESS!