New Year's Resolution Idea (Hint, hint!)

Let's say you make a $10 donation to ABC Charity and that $10 is put into a general fund or used for programs. It goes to the people who need it. Then it gets used up.

Okay. You've made your donation. Now you're off to the rest of your life.

But wait just a minute. Instead of just writing a check, what if you decided to pitch in a few hours as a volunteer? Wouldn't it make your donation go just a little bit further?

Okay, you're volunteering! And guess what? You love it!

What if I told you that you could still do more?

What if you told everyone you knew that you had donated to this charity? You told them why you like ABC Charity? You tell them that you just made a donation, and you volunteered to pitch in a few extra hours a week this year.

How much do you want to bet that those people would be a) interested in donating b) interested in volunteering or c) might pass the word along to their friends?


YOUR BEING INVOLVED INSPIRES OTHERS TO BE INVOLVED.

See how big and fast it could grow? And it's so simple.

Wow, I forgot to mention what you will get out of all of this.

I'm not going to say that being involved with a charity is a sure-fire way to a happier life, however, volunteering and donating to charities makes you feel good. I can speak from my own experience... it has made an enormous difference in my life to be surrounded by people who are involved to help others. It was an unexpected, exciting discovery for me. And it made me blossom in other ways.

If you've ever felt unaccepted in your daily life, or need some help feeling good about yourself, there is no more perfect opportunity than to volunteer. You will be thanked until you are sick of hearing it. Your work will be appreciated. People will say, "I couldn't have done it without [insert your name here]."

Make this your New Year's resolution - choose a charity and make your mark on it.

BIAD Art Club: Where the boundaries between brain injury and creativity crumble

Although I haven't outright said it, I do support the nonprofit for which I work: the Brain Injury Association of Delaware (BIAD). At BIAD, we've been working hard to find out what we can do to help people take charge of their own lives - even if it's not completely at first - so that they can begin to build their own self-esteem.

My last ten bucks of the year will be given to BIAD's Art Club in memory of Mr. Bob Crowley.

The BIAD Art Club was conceived by Tracey Landmann, one of the board members of BIAD. Together with the Gibby Art Center and Art Therapy Express Program, Inc., we put together the BIAD Art Club Program - she worked on the concept and the research - I worked on writing for grants. We got some help from DFRC and the DDC - a local foundation and a state agency that gets money from the federal government help people gain their independence.


The BIAD Art Club Pilot Program was a success in many ways. To see smiles on everyone's faces and watch as they produced art was an emotional experience for me. I saw people enjoy the company of others, as well... even two men who didn't get along were speaking more frequently. Art has since become a major factor in their lives.

One of our artists, Bob Crowley, passed away after the 7th Art Club session. He had suffered a stroke about a year prior to his enrollment in the BIAD Art Club and had been struggling with complications from pneumonia. He was non-verbal, but understood all of what was happening around him. His sister, Dr. Jane Crowley, is a member of our Advisory Board and enrolled him because she loved him. I watched as he worked to construct a model of the Coliseum, experimented with pastels, and quite simply, enjoyed the process of creating something. In honor of his sister, he named his character Jane. (Jane - or Janus Flavius - was a rat that lived in the Coliseum). Bob's nephew was his caregiver, he sat and doodled on his arms and clothes while Bob plugged away at his projects.

I vividly remember the Sunday morning when Tracey called me to tell me that he had passed away. We were camping, and I cried hysterically at the small table while my best friend Liz sat with me. I was so heartbroken. After the shock wore off, I was grateful that I had been able to meet Bob and see him enjoy his experience working with clay and using his art supplies to his heart's content.

I am making a donation of ten bucks to the 2012 BIAD Art Club in Bob Crowley's name because he embodied the BIAD Art Club's intent - to bring together people with similar challenges in order to inspire them to create - to remember that their disability doesn't stop their creativity. I believe in the Art Club and want it to flourish.

Make your own donation to the BIAD Art Club by clicking on the green "donate" button at www.biade.org. You can also send a check to BIAD, P.O. Box 1897, Dover DE 19903. Call 1-800-411-0505 for more information.

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours.