15 Days of Giving

Yes, there are 12 days of Christmas, but why not 15 days of giving?! Check out this list for all the simple actions you can take to help out others in need this year - you'll even find some GREAT gifts for those hard to buys on your list!

December 10th: Kick off this holiday month right by checking out Oxfam Unwrapped - the fab site that lets you buy bikes, chickens, safe water and all sorts of great things for villages in need!

December 11th: Give the gift of your wisdom! That's right, there's are loads of kidlets out there just waiting to hear all the amazing advice you have on clothes, boys, coffee, well pretty much life! Kids.now provides you with everything you need to become a fantastic mentor!

December 12th: Grab a gift card from Just Give for a friend and they can redeem it to donate to a charity of their choice.

December 13th: Bring home a furry friend. Or find a mate for a friend and head to your nearest adoption to centre to bring a little buddy home just in time for the holidays.
December 14th: Buy (Red) Products for everyone! There's cute tees, rings and candles for

your girlfriends, wicked headphones for your beau and even Penguin Classic books for that hard to buy boss - all helping to eliminate AIDS in Africa.

December 15th: Help Abused Women. Mimi + You is a fantastic handmade jewelry company that makes gorgeous and statement necklace pieces - all their proceeds from their Celebrate

Courage line goes to support abused womens' shelter.
December 16th: Find an Elegant Gift with Charity Buzz. Your cousin that loves Lady Gaga -

no problem bid on VIP tickets! Your mom that ohs and ahs over the sexy Ralph Lauren - get her a trip to meet him in person! And the best part is, all the proceeds from these extravagant gifts go

directly to charity!

December 17th: Feed a Hungry Kid in South Africa through the Lunchbox Fund - or get a gift for your family by sponsoring a child for a whole year for only $80!

December 18th: Get Your Colleagues cute office slippers from TOMS. For each pair sold, another pair is sent to a child in a developing country.

December 19th: Keep Mosquitos away. Every 30 seconds a child in Africa dies from Malaria.

Send two mosquito safety nets through World Vision in honor of pretty much anyone on your Christmas list.

December 20th: Become Worldly. With jewelry, skirts, rings, and shoes from all over the world - you can get your girlfriends, mom, or even yourself ;) a fabulous gift from Live Worldly that supports local charities in the artisans' home countries.

December 21st: Support Learning! What about getting your little cousins, nieces and nephews a cool, totally gross gift that their parents' won't hate you for! Check out Elephant Thoughts and all their great eco-friendly gifts for the science nerd in everyone!

December 22nd: Give Cuddles to kids who need it the most. Noah's Ark helps abused children through amazing pet therapy - your donation helps pays for the basics like dog food (they go through 800 pounds a year), new clothing and toys.

December 23rd: Make a Wish come true by buying a wrapped toy and delivering it

straight to the many drop offs for the Chum Christmas Wish.

December 24th: Indulge in the gorgeous handmade jewelry by the female Ugandan artisans of Beads for Life. Not only are the colors and patterns stunning, buteach purchase is helping to end poverty in Ugandan villages.

December 25th: Make this holiday the best. Take a moment today to look around you at all the amazing things life has given you. Great friends, great food, great gifts, great family (even if they're insane!) and okay, great wine. Appreciate what you have, and then vow to make things

better for others - even if it's as simple as these actions - buying a funky gift, clicking and learning more, or making a tiny donation - YOU ARE making a difference!

* A big thank you to GLAMOUR Magazine for giving me the idea for this article - if you get a chance check out this month's "31 Days Giving" Article - it's all American charities, but it's really great!

How Will Your Remember?

John Russell Drewery. He had a fantastic moustache, a wicked sense of humor, the best luck at poker, a great ability at telling stories, and an uncanny knack for kicking ass at Scrabble. He was my grandfather. And when he was 18, he left home, and prepared himself to die for his country.

I am lucky enough to have gotten to know my grandfather. He survived his time as an aimer in a Lancaster Bomber in the RAF. He never talked about it, and when I was younger, I always wondered why. He spent two years flying in a plane that has now become an icon of the war, a plane that was first class in a technology that had only been developed a decade before. At 8 (when I still had dreams of be coming a pilot, traveling with my pet unicorn of course), I thought this would have been the most exciting adventure in the world. And when he enrolled in the RAF, a young, handsome, innocent, 17 year old (he lied about his age) - he thought much in the same way I did (without the unicorn I would assume) - as did so many young Canadian men - they thought they were off on an adventure.

Several years ago, my dad and I travelled to Normandy to shoot a documentary and found ourselves on Juno Beach, on a cold, windy and damp day. The beach is huge (massive to be exact), the water is ice cold and dark, and there is an enormous ridge shadowing the beach about 50 yards away - there is no cover, no place to hide, no hope to make it up and over the hulking ridge. And suddenly I knew, I understood - my grandfather's time in the RAF was a huge part of who he was, but he did it so it wouldn't be a huge part of who I am. His experiences in those 3 years, were all so that he could protect me and my generation from every experiencing the same thing. Of course he wouldn't talk about it, he was fighting so we would never have to.

Thank you John. Thank you for my freedom, thank you for wicked sense of humor, thank you for the memories. We miss you.

So use Remembrance Day to remember however and whoever you want. Take a moment today and say thank you.

Check out Much Music Veteran's Week site - a great example of how to harness social media to remember, share, discuss and keep Remembrance Day alive.

Charity Buzz - How to Do Good and Live Well

While doing some research for our Think Pink Month piece (more to come), I stumbled across one of the most innovative, interesting and fun fundraising sites I have seen in a long while.

The concept is relatively simple - people like auctions and people like donating money (in theory)...what if you could not only donate money - and in fairly large amounts - which also buys you something that is completely unusual, fabulous and frivolous? The answer is CharityBuzz.

CharityBuzz showcases a collection of super rare items being sold on auction, with the proceeds going to the seller's charity of choice. All the items are completely unique trips and experiences, like a tour by Ralph Lauren himself of his world famous car collection, an opportunity to star in a new horror movie, or VIP backstage pass tickets to Lady Gaga - each one of which support a great cause!

These auction items are in some cases ridiculously expensive - a dinner reservation at NY's Rao restaurant is currently going for $7500....and that's just for the table, not the food! - but some of the items are the perfect gift for those tough-to-buys, or the best way to spoil yourself.

With causes and organizations like the Ralph Lauren Pink Pony, the Lollipop Theatre Network, and the World Wildlife Fund it's definitely worth a peek at all the drool-worthy items on sale.

What's Not to LOVE about Ted Talks?

Ted Talk's tagline ran continually through my head as I sat listening yesterday at Tedx Toronto - "ideas worth sharing"......which definitely are the perfect words to encompass all that Ted is about. Because that's what it is - ideas. Ideas from innovators, authors, poets, creators, buisnessmen - all coming together over a love of knowledge.

Speakers are given 20 minutes, just 20 minutes, to inspire you, challenge you and teach you...or sometimes, even turn your world upsidedown.

As I sat in a conference room at MaRS, full of people drinking cans of pop and clutching their Tim Hortons, frantically typing into their blackberries and ipads (yes, this is the universe of nerdom, but cool nerds), trying to keep in touch with the offices they have left for the day to spend at TED. I thought to myself, that this sight proves that knowledge is power. Not in the traditional sense, but that knowledge has power. It has the power to make you think for days, the power to start conversation, the power to change your views, the power to bring people together, and possibly the power to create peace.

Okay, okay, I've gotten a little hyperbolic, but if you've seen a TED talk that's stuck with you, then you know what I am talking about. If you haven't, then see one NOW, at the very least, it will give you something to talk about at your next cocktail party.

Become a Hero for your charity, your community or just yourself!

Ever sold magazines, girl guide cookies, or coupon books to help raise money for the charity you love and support? Ever done it in the rain, or the snow, or the blistering cold? What if you could fundraise and raise awareness right from your computer?

Well that's exactly what actor Edward Norton decided needed to be done. He created Crowdrise, a hot new site that's already raised over $250,000 for organizations all over the world - and it was only launched in May! Crowdrise is hip, sassy and fun - and what would you expect from a site that's tagline is "if you don't give back no one will like you". Ed has even recruited some of his famous friends to join the site, so Crowdrise becomes a place where stars and volunteers alike can mingle and shmooze over the causes they love!

The best part is it's easy to raise money, give money, or even just learn about different organizations and causes. You can support Sophia Bush's and her Run for the Gulf, or you can learn all about Alzheimer's with Seth Rogen, or even give puppies a great big hug with Kristen Bell.

It's got a competitive aspect as well, so Get Involved would recommend checking out this list of organizations to support and start fundraising for them on Crowdrise, because "volunteering and raising money for charity is the most fun in the world!"

Film Possible - the Contest that's Bringing Visibility to Disability

Holland Bloorview, the Kids Rehabilitation Hospital launched a contest last week called Film Possible.

The Film Possible contest has called on all Canadians, across a spectrum of ages and abilities to create short videos (under 2 minutes) with the theme of "bringing visibility to disability". The general public votes, and then the chosen jury selects their top 3 favorite - overall 6 winners will be chosen, with the first place winner receiving $5000! The jury is composed of some well-known faces, including MuchMusic star Trevor Boris, funny-gal Nikki Payne, and Allen Braude of TIFF.

And what a great way to make the world a better and more understanging place for children with disbaialities, then showing the public that people are not defined by their disabilities. The videos are funny, heart-warming and at times extremely touching. Check them out and vote for your favorite!

Turning a house into a home

By: Jinny Wong

An abused woman is beaten an average of 33 times before she makes her first attempt to leave her violent home. When she finally escapes clutching her children, she is left with little more than the clothes on her back.

Even though social services will do all they can to help find this woman a new living environment and shelter, she is often left with no chairs to sit on, no bed to sleep in, and no dishes to eat with.

These are the people that the Furniture Bank has been helping for over 12 years.

Founders Sister Anne Schenck CSJ, Hugh Morris Q.C., and Ann Manuel have been striving to turn a house into a home for thousands of families. They have been able to achieve this by providing used furniture donated by generous families and corporations. Monetary donations are used to assist in on-going costs such as telephone lines, and heating bills.

Furniture Bank makes it possible for families leaving difficult situations re-establish a home. The families in need are referred to them by community agencies such as shelters and refugee centres.

Find out how you can help out by visiting Furniture Banks.

Well of Change - new ideas for fundraising!

In 2009 Christine Ho and Kevin Tsoi recognized a common issue, people love to support their favorite charities, but often can not provide financial support on a regular basis. So they created Well of Change, an online platform where people can use their skills, hobbies and abilities to raise money for their charity of choice.

To kick off their new site, Well of Change hosted an event in the middle of NetChange week at MaRS Discovery Center. And this wasn't any old launch event - Well of Change hosted a "skills drive" so we as participants, could see how valuable this online platform truly is. We were to think about our skills, write them down and give them a price, and then go shopping for the things skills offered we wanted from the other participants!

Well, shopping I am VERY good at - but I learned offering your time and skills for a charity you support is just as much fun! My list included things like "car wash", "planning a children's birthday party" and "bar-tending an event" - all little skills I've picked up throughout my life that I LOVE to do. Once we started shopping, we were able to pick the offers we wanted and the money we spent went directly to the charity the "skills donor" had chosen. (I bought a "puppy and you" Yoga session for a girlfriend's birthday coming up, and my money went to a women's shelter, something you can DEFINITELY NOT find in the Eaton's Center.)

With Well of Change you can post a service, or find a service - and either way your support goes to a fantastic not-for-profit in need! Check it out now and get shopping - and I promise, you will find exactly what you are looking for!

Funding Opportunity for Small Charities

AtlasCare's Care to Share program provides local initiatives and organizations with an opportunity to receive $1,000, as well as promotion through Atlas Care's many media tools (ie website, press releases, ect).

There are many worthwhile causes doing important work. The Care to Share program includes not only the larger, better-known charities, but also the smaller local causes that can include fundraising and charity events in Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, or anyplace within the AtlasCare service area. This opportunity is available every month and even volunteers can nominate the charity they work with. Winners are selected by a random draw and not based on the quality of the submission. Our donation program can make a difference for your charity. Apply today!

The Robin Hood Tax

Around the world, momentum is building behind a tiny tax on bankers that could generate billions of dollars to help with problems at home and overseas.

It has been given different names in different countries – the ‘Robin Hood’ tax in the United Kingdom and ‘ steuergegenarmut’ or ‘tax against poverty’ in Germany, but we are all talking about the same thing. A tiny tax on the transactions of big banks that could deliver billions of dollars to help ordinary people and fight poverty around the world.

It is estimated a levy of only around 0.05% on financial transactions could generate between $200-$700 billion worldwide. Campaigners in the UK, France, Germany and elsewhere propose the revenue be spent on:

- domestic public services supporting ordinary people who have been badly affected by the recent crisis,


- world poverty reduction

- helping poor countries to adapt to climate change.

Put another way, this tax could help solve most of the world’s major problems, without costing ordinary citizens a penny.

The Robin Hood site features videos, blogs, facts and even a live voting calculator to see the results of these actions (current tally: YES: 83974 votes
NO: 7934 votes)

Ways to Take Action and Spread the Word:

Check out an event coming up in downtown Toronto!

Join the Robin Hood facebook group to get instant details about the votes and the progress of the tax.

Oxfam's spreading the word too! Check out their page on the Robin Hood tax!

And check out the events page to find out ways you can take action and join their band of merry (wo)men. http://robinhoodtax.org.uk/category/action/1-current-actions/?catno=27

"While There's Tea There's Hope"

For generations, tea has made a difference in people's lives by providing warmth and inspiration. In fact, Arthur W. Pinero, a famous British dramatist once said, "While there's tea, there's hope."

Now, Red Rose tea is bringing some of that hope to children in Canada and around the world through the Reach Out With Red Rose program – an active sponsorship that includes a $250,000 contribution to ONEXONE and the chance for Canadians to win a volunteer experience with a ONEXONE partner.

ONEXONE’s partnership with Red Rose is unique and extraordinary. Not only are they helping the cause with their donation, but they are also providing fantastic and inspiring “volunteer vacation” opportunities for Canadians.

"The Reach Out with Red Rose program will help spread the word about the important work we and our charity partners are doing to support, preserve and improve the lives of children in Canada and around the world," said Joey Adler, ONEXONE founder and president of Diesel Canada. "ONEXONE focuses on five pillars– clean water, hunger, education, health care and play – and sponsors like Red Rose help ONEXONE continue to make projects like wells for clean water in Ethiopia and breakfast programs for Canadian kids a reality."

The Contest

The third contest of this year is launching April 5th.

To enter, submit a short 200-word essay and photo that shows what you are doing to change the world.

Then invite your friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, dentist, and so forth to vote for you so that you can make it into our top 10. Round one of voting will begin after the submission deadline. If you make it into the top 10, you will have one last chance to rally your community - and all of Canada – to vote for you as you compete to get into our top three.

From there, our judging panel will select one lucky person, who will win a once-in-a-lifetime volunteer vacation: a seven-day, all expenses-paid trip for two to live and work in Africa on a ONEXONE partner project! Footage from these once-in-a-lifetime trips may be used to create a compelling documentary that is currently scheduled to be shown at the ONEXONE Gala during the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival!

Read Rebecca Tremblay's story - Reach Out with Red Rose's first contest winner! She wrote a beautiful blog about her experiences - get inspired and watch her video!

Water Education 101

“Is water a commercial good like running shoes or Coca-Cola? Or is water a human right like air”? This is the question proposed by Maude Barlow in “Water on the Table” (airing Wednesday, March 24 at 10pm on TVO).

When the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights was drafted over 50 years ago, water was not included in the list of protected rights. The rationale was simple. Water, like air, was considered so fundamental to life that naming a right to it would have been redundant.

However in more recent years, there has been pressure to privatize water in developing countries. Water Privatization is an issue in constant debate - having both negative and positive side effects. Originally, water privatization provided hope that there could be better distribution, less waste and more realistic pricing, but protesters and debaters everywhere think this will only result in rate increases, decreases in water quality, and loss of accountability.

Maude Barlow is the leader of this movement to end water privatization. Commonly known as the "Water Warrior", she sees water privatization as a loss of one of our basic human rights: “Water must be declared a public trust and a human right that belongs to the people, the ecosystem and the future, and preserved for all time and practice in law. Clean water must be delivered as a public service, not a profitable commodity.” And it is the Third World countries that have suffered the most from water privatization, “12 percent of the world’s population uses 85 percent of its water, and these 12 percent do not live in the Third World.” It is the Third World that struggles the most with severe water shortages. Just take a look at these statistics:

• Roughly 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to clean water
• Most of the world's people must walk at least three hours to fetch water
• 1.8 million children die every year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This amounts to around 5000 deaths a day.
• The water and sanitation crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns.

And as times goes by, these statistics will get worse. With our rapid population growth, the percentage of people without access to clean water is expected to double. There are arguments for both sides, but one thing that can not be argued is that something MUST be done. Either way, water should be safe, affordable, and accessible to everyone – not just those who can afford to pay.

Learn more about the Water Warrior and her plight to end water privatization in the new Canadian documentary, "Water on the Table" airing March 24th at 10pm on TVO's Water Week.

Want to know more? Check out these other great resources:

The Blue Planet Project, a initiative created by Barlow - discusees the issues raised by water privatizations and provides alternatives. There is also several options for individuals to take action.

Food and Water Watch - an extremely informative tracking site and a non-profit organization working with grassroots organizations around the world to create an economically and environmentally viable future. It's mandate states “We have the right to know where our food comes from with accurate labeling and we have the right to clean, affordable, publicly owned water.” Consumer tools and action tools provides readers with useful knowledge and easy ways to get involved.

The Program on Water Issues - a discussion forum that provides readers to learn, express, or even jump in on the collaborative research

Water Week On TVO (March 21-27)

• 2.5 billion people in the world don't have access to adequate sanitation - that's two fifths of the entire world's population!
• 97.5% of the earth's water is saltwater. If the world's water could fit into a bucket, only one teaspoon would be drinkable.
• A person can live a month without food, but only about a week without water.

Makes you think doesn't it?

Monday March 22 is World Water Day and UN-Water has chosen “Communicating Water Quality Challenges and Opportunities” as its theme. To mark the day, TVO will air a week of water-themed programming featuring the world premiere of the Canadian documentary Water on the Table, and encores of films that examine political, economic and environmental issues dealing with water quality and availability. Get Involved is partnering with TVO to support this fantastic endeavor to spread water education.

Check out TVO's Water Week schedule here:

Water on the Table

March 24th at 10pm (repeated March 28th at 10:30pm)

Is water a human right, or a commodity to be bought and sold like gold and oil? That’s the question at the heart of this timely new documentary by filmmaker Liz Marshall. Over the course of a year in Canada and the United States, the film follows Canadian activist Maude Barlow as she campaigns against the privatization of water and tries to bring attention to how industry is polluting the water table.

A World Without Water

March 21st at 8pm

Filmmaker Brian Woods examines the dramatic impact of the battle for water ownership on the lives of four disparate groups of people in Bolivia, India, Tanzania and the heart of the planet’s richest nation, the United States.

Toxic Trespass

March 21st at 10:30pm

Filmmaker Barri Cohen investigates the effects of the chemicals all around us, beginning with her 10-year-old daughter, whose blood carries carcinogens like benzene and the long-banned DDT. She heads to Windsor and Sarnia, Ontario, identified as Canadian toxic hotspots, with startling clusters of deadly diseases.

Strait Through the Ice

March 24th at 7pm

Scientists and explorers weigh in on how the melting of Arctic polar ice, opening up the Northwest Passage, can be both an ecological catastrophe and a commercial godsend.

National Geographic's Extreme Ice

March 27th at 7pm

Photojournalist James Balog and his team conduct the largest photographic study of the cryosphere (the portions of the Earth’s surface where water is in solid form and ground is frozen) ever attempted – in order to assess the rapid glacier melt and its implications on the future environment of our planet.

Learn more at TVO's Facebook Page or reading the Water Week Press Release!

Micro-Volunteering

Looking to give back but don't have the time? What about all the time you spend waiting in line at the post office? During subway delays? Avoiding work on Facebook? What if you could turn these dull drum moments into volunteering success?

With the Extraordinaries micro-volunteering opportunities you could be volunteering for the Library of Congress with just a click of a button! Originally created for the iPhone, The Extraordinaries provides a database of simple opportunities that can be done on your phone, or on your computer. The Extraordinaries harnesses the power of crowdsourcing by aggregating thousands of micro-actions dedicated to over 20 different organizations including the Smithsonian Institute.

Click to try it out live!

US Department of Labor Releases List of Slave-Made Goods

Popular website Change.org celebrates a victory for the online movement for Corporate Social Responsibility. Over 6,000 members recently petitioned for the release of a confidential report listing products produced by child labour across the globe. The US Department of Labor gave in to public pressure and released the document this week:

"This list was mandated by anti-trafficking legislation back in 2005, but the Bush administration dragged their feet for years. Now, thanks to your voices and the hard work of our friends at Polaris Project and other NGOs such as the International Labor Rights Forum, it's finally available. This list is a huge boon for consumers who want to choose slave-free products, and for organizations working to pressure companies and countries to end the use of child labor."

This list is not only useful for American consumers but can help people around the world to boycott companies and products that use child labour. Together we can make a difference!

Little actions = BIG results!

This month on Get Involved on TVO, you’ll be meeting Paul Edney – a guy who helped start a movement in Canada to help change the world, one small action at a time.
You don’t think small actions make a difference? It’s the sum total of all those small things, multiplied by the number of people doing them that translate into BIG ACTIONS.
It’s just simple math!
And it’s simple to get started! Here are 7 little things for you to do…
1. First, watch Paul’s video on Get Involved
2. Check out his website “We Are What We Do”
3 Select one of the 130 small things you can do to make a difference
4. Add your results to the actions of others
5. Tell a friend, to tell a friend, to tell a friend…
6. See how it all adds up!
7. Congratulate yourself – you’re helping to change the world!

National Aboriginal Awareness Week - May 19 - 22

May 19 – 22 is honoured in Canada as National Aboriginal Awareness Week.
So what can you do to increase your knowledge of Aboriginal issues and become more aware?
You could click here to go to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to discover all sorts of facts, figures and relevant articles. Did you know that this year we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the creation of Nunavut? Or that June 21st (which is also incidentally the beginning of the Summer Solstice) is National Aboriginal Day?
And did you know that Get Involved has a story debuting in May about a fascinating teacher who focuses much of his time, energy and passion in more than 100 First Nation communities?
Get ready to meet Jeremy Rhodes – Dr. Germ to his students, creator of Elephant Thoughts (an educational not-for-profit organization based out of Collingwood Ontario) which raises money for and provides extracurricular science and technology programs to students all over Ontario. Watch a preview here – and look for his story on TVO… maybe then we can find out what that lizard lurking behind him is up to!

February is Black History Month

Did you know that Elijah McCoy, born in 1843 in Colchester Ontario, the child of runaway slaves who arrived in Canada by the Underground Railroad, is the source of the expression “The Real McCoy”? As an engineer, he was awarded over 50 patents for mechanical inventions so superior, builders and engineers asked for them by name. They wanted “the real McCoy”. Or, that hired in 1987, Andrea Elaine Lawrence was the first black female to become a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police? These are just two individuals who are part of a rich history of accomplishments and contributions made by African Canadians to their home: Canada.

February is Black History Month– the perfect time to reflect upon the history of African Canadians, well established but little known, who’ve been making that history here in Ontario for more than 400 years. Check out Black History Society a treasure trove of information and the personal histories of some of our country’s most fascinating, unsung heroes and discover some of the profiles, places and accomplishments that have enriched the history of all Canadians. You can also find out more about one of the most famous sites of the Underground Railroad, as told in the anti-slavery novel based on the life of the Reverend Josiah Henson, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, set right here in Ontario, to learn more check out this link.

Or take part in some of the many celebrations taking place this month - – where you’ll find events around Ontario and the GTA planned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Black History Month.

OBAMA'S CALL TO SERVICE

Obama just keeps delivering on his promise to engage citizens to GET INVOLVED.
Check out this video from Michelle calling people to action.


They've created a site for people to find out how they can Get Involved in their community and it features a brilliant list of events for individuals across America and it's got a great mixture of charities and lots of everyday individuals.

Go to CALL TO SERVICE and try searching for an event. It's truly inspirational. Try typing in a state and a date and you'll find lots of amazing grassroots postings from the thousands of Americans they connected with over the course of the campaign. I searched California and there was everything from Bone Marrow Registration, to clothing drives at people's homes, to food drives at local variety stores. Brilliant at harnassing the power of the internet to get people active and engaged in a variety of ways.

We need a Canadian politician to take up the call and do the same!!!

Get Involved in Government

You must check out this site USNOW There is incredible stories about people using the power of the web to transform the political process.
Steven Harper and Iggy need to educate themselves on what's going on. I received a note from Michael Ignatieff and was sorely disappointed. They asked for ideas, volunteers or money. I clicked on idea started typing and at 50 words was cut off. Don't engage people in democracy if you aren't prepared to interact. The past few weeks prove that people want to discuss politics and definately have opinions. Voices want to be heard and the net allows people to quickly disseminate their ideas so quickly -- and the current political strategists here in Cananda are way behind the times. Check out what Obama is doing at change.gov it's amazing and inspiring. join in the conversation write to your local politicians and Get Involved....

Dorothy