Day 31

Today I took some kids Trick-or-Treating. A couple of my friends are out of the country, but their daughters are not traveling with them. So I made sure Halloween was covered and that their grandparents could stay back and hand out candy, rather than trying to trek through the neighborhood of oversized lots and widely spaced houses. Fun was had by all.

Day 30

Today I made a contribution to America's VetDogs Veteran K-9 Corps, which is a not-for-profit organization "that serves the needs of veterans with disabilities from all eras who have honorably served our country. VetDogs provide guide dogs for veterans who are blind; service dogs for those with other physical disabilities; physical and occupational therapy dogs to work with amputees in military and VA hospitals; and combat stress control dogs to be deployed in theater."

 

Day 29

Today I donated a wrecked laptop to the Kramden Institute.

What they're doing is pretty amazing. They take old computers and laptops and repair, rebuild, or refurbish them, and then they give them away to economically disadvantaged students. They even provide ongoing tech support and repair services for the recipients.

Not only that, they bring in volunteers (12 years old and up) and teach them the various stages of support and repair, from how to install an operating system, to how to replace a hard drive, to how to disassemble and recycle old parts. They've given away something like 3800 computers so far this year, and over 18,000 since they began.

I'm kind of wishing my oldest son was a year older than he is...

44 Good Days, Special Edition #1

This from my old boss and dog hiking coordinator, Matt:
--
Well Edson, you have inspired me. Inspired me to get off my butt and do something I've been meaning to for months but never got around to it.

My wife and I have been looking around for a place where we could donate shoes. Like many Americans, we buy more than we need and have many that just aren't being used. In an effort to de-clutter the house, we decided to get rid of a bunch. This was last spring. I found a place (http://soles4souls.org) where you can ship them and they take care of the rest. You just have to buy the shipping label, find a suitable box, pack them up and get them to a post office. Seems like a lot of work! Which is where I hit "pause" on that activity and never returned.

Until the other day. I finally got my act together and packed up a 16"x16"x16" box of shoes. The shipping was only $25 (not too bad I guess) and I think these are going to a good cause. Besides, as a rather tall person myself, I have large feet. There have to be people around the world with size 14 needs, and I bet those shoes are sparse in the donation bins. I included about 6 pairs in that box which will hopefully bring some relief somewhere.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the inspiration. I've been following your blog for the past 27+ days and figured if you could do something good each of those days in a row, then there's no reason for me not to follow through with a plan forged last spring. Muchas gracias, my friend.
--

Thanks Matt. That's awesome. If anybody else wants to share similar stories, let me know!

Day 28

Today I donated blood. Not much to tell on this one. The vampires got me. The first time I donated blood I was light-headed for most of the day. This time it seems to have perked me up quite a bit instead. I don't know what that means if anything. Maybe the blood loss is getting to me after all...

Day 27

Today I made a small donation to Chapel Hill-Carrboro Meals on Wheels. Their mission statement says:

“We nourish the bodies and spirits of the homebound with a balanced meal and the human connection they need to help them live independently.”

Day 26

Today I was on a camping trip with my youngest son's Cub Scout group. We had over 50 people on this trip, and quite a few first-time campers (including parents). So today I volunteered with, well, everything I could.

I volunteered to unload the trailer. I volunteered to set up breakfast. I cracked, scrambled, and cooked about two dozen eggs. I helped coordinate the boys doing dishes afterwards. I helped pack up gear and re-load the trailer. And then rush to get our own stuff packed up so I could follow somebody to the bike outfitter for a beautiful 17-mile bike ride. (All downhill, thankfully.)

All in all, a great trip.