Happy Birthday to Me!

Posted on December 19th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Relationships, Education, Personal, Politics, Feminism, Omnia Vanitas, Current Events, Money, Give, Random.

For my birthday, my boyfriend sent me the most wonderful gift I received this year. Instead of sending me the usual bouquet of flowers (a staple of the long distance relationship dance we’ve been doing for the last decade or so), Ed made a donation in my name through Changing the Present to educate Afghani girls. Not only did this thoughtful gift show an understanding of three of the causes most important to me — education, feminism, and the promotion of human rights on the global scale — it really made me feel loved. I wish I could have made the actual email card I received display properly, but during this busy season I simply don’t have the time to futz with the code. To find out more about how you can honor a loved one with a charitable gift, click the link above, or if you’re interested in the cause of educating Afghani girls, click the banner below. Trust me, it’s a gift that will keep on giving!

ChangingThePresent

Problem

Under the Taliban, education was prohibited for girls. Now, the hard-won right of simply attending school in Afghanistan for girls is becoming more and more difficult. Experts estimate that every day in Afghanistan a girls’ school is destroyed or a teacher is murdered. Attacks have closed schools in several entire districts in Afghanistan — nearly one-third of all districts have no schools.

The Gift

We cannot allow the destruction of women and girls’ education to continue, with education so crucial to long-term empowerment. The Feminist Majority Foundation is working to keep Afghan girls’ schools open, as well as to reopen those schools that have been closed. We must do all we can to ensure that the rights of Afghan women and girls do not slip away again.

Your donation of $60 will pay the salary of a teacher in Afghanistan for one month. Without teachers, who are being targeted by extremists in Afghanistan, the right for girls to go to school is meaningless.

3 comments.

Dead Dad Days

Posted on May 16th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Relationships, Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Sponsored Posts, Give.

Father’s Day is one of those marked days — along with July 21st, Christmas, September 11th, etc. — that have been redesignated as “Dead Dad Days” since my father passed away.  The last couple of Father’s Days were difficult because I had to spend them reading other girl’s messages of gratitude and love to their sires as part of my job, but that’s not the case this year.  This year is a little sad, though, because its the first time I’ve ever really thought about the fact I will probably never have to buy anyone fathers day gifts again.  I’ve already done the first Father’s Day for my brother-in-law that is married to my twin sister, and apparently its weird to keep doing them when the kid isn’t strictly mine, which is why I don’t do it for my boyfriend anymore.  My older sister doesn’t plan on having children with her fiancé, so that option is out.  Is it weird to buy fathers day gifts for male friends, particularly those that I’m not always in touch with?  Some of the gifts at Gourmet Gift Baskets are pretty cool, so it’s a real shame . . . :(

0 comments.

Charity Balls

Posted on May 6th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Education, Sponsored Posts, Give.

I read a great web release today about Lost Golf Balls, the premier golf ball retrieval company, who have announced a partnership with The First Tee, an organization dedicated to “promoting character development and life-enhancing values to underprivileged children through the game of golf.” Lost Golf Balls, who have been working since 1992 to retrieve golf balls from their watery graves on more than 2,500 courses, recycles golf balls by cleaning, sorting by usability, quality, and brand, and then repackaging the restored golf balls for resale. They offer their wares at various prices depending on the quality and brand, including Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, which makes for great deals on even the most expensive types of balls.

What makes this story interesting to me is the mission of The First Tee, which was initiated by The World Golf Foundation “to provide opportunities for children who would not typically be introduced to golf to learn the game. The non-profit organization’s mission has since been expanded to include The First Tee Nine Core Values, which includes a focus on honesty, integrity and sportsmanship.” I think that it soulds like a lovely partnership. :)

0 comments.

Broke

Posted on May 5th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Personal, Omnia Vanitas, Money, Give.

Ouch. My bank account has reached my definition of “dangerously low,” which is when either of my two autopayments (car & health insurance) might drive me into the red. Yikes. Luckily, my sister just paid me back some of the money I lent her months ago, which I am currently ranking under the actions of divine providence. My work owes me back pay from the middle of March forward, and I’m expecting that any day now, which will be nice as I should be able to pay my summer school tuition and have some left over to cover a little of my monumental credit card debt. My mum always gets angry at me for failing to collect on monies owed, but I guess I believe in the karma of money. Give to those who need and it will find its way back to you when you really need it. For me, it’s like a saving plan, sans interest, but out of reach unless you really have to use it. But its getting to be a little stressful, so I hope karma turns to me soon . . . :)

0 comments.

The Joy of JA

Posted on May 4th, 2007 by gail helen.
Categories: Education, Personal, Give.

I had another great day teaching my Junior Achievement class. This is a volunteer activity that I can’t recommend enough — the activities are really engaging, and the kids seem really interested in hearing about my “real life” business knowledge (I know, I know!) — and anyone who has an interest in helping secure our nation’s economic future would find it a fulfilling experience.

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