Second Life

Thanks & Giving

I love the holidays. There is something about this time of year that always makes me hopeful. I think about all the things I have to be thankful for. I think about the opportunities to give to those with less than I have. One of the lessons I've learned in life has been the joy of giving. My workplace participates in adopting families for Christmas. Every Christmas, individuals adopt a family and buy presents for the kids and mom. These are single-parent families struggling to make it. It has given me so much joy to shop for children I don't know. To help people just because they need it. I haven't missed the money, but now I would miss the experience. SAt this time of year, I am humbly reminded of all I take for granted and should remember to be thankful for that many people don't have. I am thankful for a roof over my head (many displaced from Katrina still don't have that), for all the meals I've never had to go without, for the people who love me (sometimes when I don't deserve it), for the people I work with that make me laugh, for a job, for my health.

I forget sometimes how generous life has been to me.

May you all have a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving. Get some sleep, get out your kneepads and helmets because the after Thanksgiving sales (start at 4:30 A.M.) separate the professionals from the wanna be's. Oh yeah, I'm the one that elbowed you last year and took that last Elmo. You lookin' to even the score this year? Meet you at Wal-Mart 4:30 a.m. sharp!

Really, Happy Thanksgiving!

Jann

Help Make a Cambodian Girl's College Dream Come True

If you're observant, you'll notice we've put a "ChipIn" widget in our sidebar. Our friend Beth and her family have been helping a young Cambodian girl make her college dreams a reality and we wanted to help. At one point, Leng Soparath had considered dropping out of school to become a "home girl" in Malaysia, but fortunately Beth and the Sharing Foundation stepped in to keep her from that fate. You can learn more about her story and see video, photos and letters from Leng here. (And yes, that's Leng in the photo on the left).
 

To me, Second Life is about second chances and about helping other women make the most of their's. Leng is on her first chance, of course, which is even better. I think it's important that women stick together and do things for each other, so it felt good to chip in my $50--the price of a dinner out for me, but a good chunk of change for  Leng. I hope you'll consider chipping something in too--the price of a Starbucks latte or a movie ticket--anything will help. Leng, Beth and her family will thank you. And so will we.

Michele

Doing Good in Second Life

I know that for a lot of us, Second Life is going to be about giving back, finding some way to have a lasting impact on the world. I've found some interesting resources to get you started if doing good is your road to happiness in your Second Life.

If you're considering good works as a career change, then 2NonProfits is working on linking "experienced" (meaning "older") business people with non-profit organizations. If you've had it with the for-profit world, there can be opportunity here for you. Or you can check out the Idealist's Non-Profit Career Fairs offered in locations around the country, including in my home city of Philadelphia. They also have a page of tips for non-profit job seekers and a searchable job and volunteer bank.

If your good works will be more of a hobby right now, then check out Care 2, a social networking site that lets you search for people and groups who support the same causes that you do. It's a way to meet new people who are as passionate as you are about making a difference. And the Idealist (same place with the job fairs above) has both a Volunteer Center and a Community Area.

You might also want to check out VolunteerMatch which . . . does what the name says. (I love when things are self-explanatory).

Let me know if you have other resources you want to recommend.

Michele