Posts tagged News
Need inspiration to GIVE? Look no further than this video on the flooding in Tennessee
May 3rd
On May 1 and 2, 2010, Middle Tennessee was hit with the greatest amount of rainfall in its recorded history. Photographer Michael Deppisch created the following video which, as you will see, is a supremely moving account of the destruction.
If this video moved you at all like it did us here at foyble HQ, then please consider visiting the Middle Tennessee Red Cross Chapters site and making a donation to help.
Posted by Jerry
Starting the GIVE: Pay it Forward Day in Elkhart, Indiana
Apr 28th
You all know that foyble, Start the GIVE, and Pay it Forward are synonymous. The folks at foyble HQ are always looking for ways to start and spread the GIVE. When we see others committed to the same philosophy, we like to spread the word. Our web alerts went to DEFCON 1 this morning (acts of kindness ready for launch) when we came across this story from reporter Brandon Lewis from WNDU news out of Elkhart, Indiana:
image via WNDU
The city of Elkhart is encouraging people to help a neighbor this weekend as they declare Saturday “Pay It Forward Day”. The idea is to give back to your community, especially if you’ve received help.
There will be a bed race, a tug-of-war, and much more. The winning team will get to donate a check to their favorite charity.
Meantime thousands of students at Elkhart schools will be involved in assemblies to learn what it means to pay it forward and do good deeds for others. Classrooms will also teach kids that there are a lot of simple ways to make a difference.
“A lot of times things don’t cost money or very little money to do something nice for somebody,” said Debbie Micola from Santa’s Pantry Inc. “So that’s what we really try to get through to the kids that they can do something no matter how old they are.”
Micola introduced us to Art Jones, an Elkhart resident who exemplifies what it means to pay it forward. He’s helping make it easier for others to make a difference. Jones started a web site called “Basic Needs” that allows people to buy items at discount prices, and then he delivers them to local charities. For example, tooth brushes or canned food items. Even though he’s been battling cancer for several years, Jones says the project is good therapy.
“It gives me a good purpose in life.” said Jones. “I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve had a lot of people helping me. And then what I’m doing hopefully will give something back to the community that’s helped me so much.”
Brandon’s original story with related video can be found here.
We love this idea and send out mad foyble love to the city of Elkhart, Debbie Micola, Art Jones, and all the other residents of Elkhart that are participating in Pay it Forward Day this weekend!
Posted by Jerry
Who knew? Habitat for Humanity is an international organization
Apr 26th
That’s one of two things I learned about Habitat for Humanity in this article about three Edmonton builders giving away three homes to the organization.
The other thing? Habitat does not give their homes away- homeowners must put 500 hours of sweat equity into the building of the home as a down payment. At least one parent in the family must have a full-time job and there is a mortgage to pay- although it has a zero percent interest rate. The mortgage must not be more than 25% of the homeowners total income. ”Habitat gives families a hand up, not a hand out”, says Susan Green, who chairs Habitat’s Edmonton board and is quoted extensively in the article.
Posted by Brian
via the Edmonton Journal – Local Builders Pay it Forward with donations
Habitat for Humanity- http://www.habitat.org/
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Thanks for reading the foyble blog and for your continued support of foyble. You can join our movement at www.foyble.com. You can reach the author of this post, Brian Foy, via email at BJFOY@FOYBLE.COM
“‘Pay it forward’ pays off.” The science of the GIVE.
Apr 11th
This diagram illustrates how a single act of kindness can spread between individuals and across time. Cooperative behavior spreads three degrees of separation: if Eleni increases her contribution to the public good, it benefits Lucas (one degree of separation), who gives more when paired with Erika (two degrees of separation) in period 2, who gives more when paired with Jay (three degrees of separation) in period 3, who gives more when paired with Brecken in period 4. The effects also persist over time, so that Lucas gives more when paired with Erika (period 2) and also when paired with Lysander (period 3), Bemy (period 4), Sebastian (period 5), and Nicholas (period 6). The effect also persists at two degrees of separation, as Erika not only gives more when paired with Jay (period 3), but also when paired with Harla (period 4) and James (period 5). All the paths in this illustrative cascade are supported by results in the experiments, and it is important to note that if Eleni decreases her initial contribution then her uncooperative behavior can spread and persist as well. (Image via James Fowler, UC San Diego)
The following article discusses a study by some pretty smart guys at UC San Diego and Harvard providing scientific evidence that acts of kindness are contagious. Now that’s the kind of cold foyble hopes everyone will catch! Read this for a dose of scientific inspiration.
by Inga Kiderra, UC San Diego:
For all those dismayed by scenes of looting in disaster-struck zones, whether Haiti or Chile or elsewhere, take heart: Good acts – acts of kindness, generosity and cooperation – spread just as easily as bad. And it takes only a handful of individuals to really make a difference.
In a study published in the March 8 early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of California, San Diego and Harvard provide the first laboratory evidence that cooperative behavior is contagious and that it spreads from person to person to person. When people benefit from kindness they “pay it forward” by helping others who were not originally involved, and this creates a cascade of cooperation that influences dozens more in a social network.
The research was conducted by James Fowler, associate professor at UC San Diego in the Department of Political Science and Calit2’s Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems, and Nicholas Christakis of Harvard, who is professor of sociology in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and professor of medicine and medical sociology at Harvard Medical School. Fowler and Christakis are coauthors of the recently published book “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives.”
Five Pay It Forward stories
Feb 15th
As you know, we love stories about people committing selfless acts of goodwill. Unfortunately not all of these stories ends up on our website, foyble.com. For your reading pleasure we have collected a few good ones from around the internet below. These will go over on the Start the GIVE resource page as well. Enjoy!
A feel for skiing, sight not necessary: Nancy Stevens, an Oregonian who has been blind since birth, teaches instructors to teach other blind people how to downhill ski.
Mystery couple starts ‘magical’ chain reaction: A couple bought another table breakfast in a Philly diner. This started a chain reaction that lasted for five hours! Sound familiar? More >
Massive Earthquake in Haiti. Here’s how you can help.
Jan 13th
Image via AFP.
An earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter Scale rocked Port-Au-Prince, Haiti collapsing buildings and killing untold thousands yesterday. You can read more on the earthquake on every news outlet anywhere, so pick your favorite.
What’s important for us, is how you can start committing foybles to help this impoverished nation in the very long road to getting back on their already fragile feet.
foyble co-founder John Frazier supports a missionary in Haiti that builds schools and health clinics. You can find them at www.lifeline.org.
An article from The Huffington Post via Yahoo shares several ways that you, (YES YOU!), can help the people of Haiti. You can make a difference whether you donate $1.00 or $10,000 or more. You can also donate supplies. Here are their ideas and they are all foybles for you:
•The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.
Google foybles with free holiday wi-fi and asks you to pay it forward.
Nov 10th
Sometimes I catch a story or two on the world wide interweb that just screams “foyble!” Today, it was Google’s announcement that it is providing free wi-fi access to 47 participating airports during the holiday season and on every Virgin America flight. So, from now through January 15, 2010, you won’t be annoyed when firing up your laptop or mobile device during your layover only to find that wi-fi access will cost you $10 for the couple hours you have before you board again. You can find more information on the site Google set up to officially spread the news www.freeholidaywifi.com.
Google is not only doing us all a great service by hooking us up with free holiday wi-fi, but they are doing a foyble at the same time! When you visit freeholidaywifi.com, you will see they are encouraging you to follow Google’s example by making a donation to some worthy non-profits by using Google Checkout. What’s more? Google is going to match all the donations made through participating wifi networks up to $250,000!
Find out more about Google’s Give Back right HERE.
Do you like Google’s free wi-fi program and the Give Back?
Will you be using the free wi-fi over the holiday?
Are you going to participate in Google’s Give Back?
Comments Please! If you do, make sure you share your foyble right here. Also…safe travels to you all from the foyble guys.
Click “continue reading” for a list of the participating airports.
Posted by Jerry
For Educators: why foyble should be part of your curriculum
Oct 22nd
One of the most interesting and promising applications for the tools we are developing are in the classroom. From the very beginning, foyble co-founder John Frazier has been helping develop tools that make sense for students and schools to use. Some of the recent publicity we received in Columbus also garnered some unsolicited interest in the site from teachers. So we know that foyble has potential to be a very valuable tool for educators to use. Here are some of our thoughts on the issue.
Foyble 101: The Basics
The tools that are out there now are very well suited for teachers and administrators to encourage students to perform acts of goodwill and track them on the site. Teachers can create groups by class and challenge students to do something nice for their peers or family members. Teachers with older students can simply encourage community service. Perhaps issue challenges to other schools or classes to see who can inspire the most acts? Use the act maps to see where students have performed their acts. Use the act of recording foybles on the site as a critical writing exercise; asking students to think about what they might do, going out and doing it, then reflecting on their experiences and writing about them is a perfect language arts assignment! All of this is possible to do, NOW, on foyble.com.
