True Life: YOU Can Save A Life

I produced an aftershow special that followed last night's premiere of "True Life: I Need A Transplant," interviewing the two transplant recipients and their families. I also wrote a companion blog post for MTV, which I wanted to encourage you to read and act upon! Getting yourself on the bone marrow registry is the easiest and most non-invasive way to help save a life, and they're waiving the laboratory testing fees for a limited time, so please sign up today!

Money Doesn't Grow On Trees...It Grows On Sidewalks!

The theme of this blog is that each of us can do small things to make a positive change in the world, but today I want to address change in a very literal way.

 

It surprises me that even in these difficult economic times, people blithely drop change (and sometimes bills) everywhere and don't bother to pick it up. It surprises me even more that dozens--even hundreds--of people will walk right by and completely ignore it. Glance around next time you're waiting on line at the drug store or ordering a drink at the bar, and I'll bet you'll find some cold, hard cash. Last Sunday alone, I found $1.41 sprinkled around my subway station, a record fair, a bar, and a bodega. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't at least find a few pennies here and there.

For years now, I've had a strict policy of picking up any found money, and earmarking it to give away. In the past, I've always donated it to whatever situation I next came across, whether it was a charity's donation can on a store counter or a homeless person shaking their coffee cup. For 2010, though, I've decided to slip any and all found money into my right pocket for safekeeping (I keep my own cash in my left...please don't pickpocket me), and then put it into a jar on my bookcase every night when I get home. The running tally so far this year: $9.37! Sure, it's not a mint, and it won't have the greatest impact in the world, but for cash-strapped charities, literally every penny comes in handy.

I'm going to keep an occasional count here on the blog, leading up to my end-of-year donation to the charity I co-founded, the Sean McGrath Fund, and I encourage you to do the same for the charity of your choice! I'd love to hear about your progress, so feel free to post your tally in the comments section sometime.

If your impulse is to dismiss what a coordinated effort of change gathering can accomplish, check out what the Common Cents Penny Harvest is doing in New York City right now, in hopes of beating last year's record haul of $665,000. Proof positive that a little change can make a huge change!