Innspiration

"We are all in this humans race together and it's our job to make sure we all cross the finish line as one."

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Friends, Humans, Social Media Folks Lend Me Your Ears: The Payoff

Friends, Humans, Social Media folks…Lend me your ears…For let me tell thee about the true payoff of this thing we call Social Media!

Last week myself and others started a ball rolling on Twitter to aid a small but powerful radio station in Campbell River Canada where 99.7 FM The River’s morning DJ, Dave Reynolds spearheaded a food drive for their local food bank. A great local cause right? Everyone gets together to drop of food in a truck he’s residing in until all the food donated forces him out. Fun neighborly idea, right? He also wanted to get 700 turkeys donated to give to families that need a Christmas dinner. Wonderful thing for a small community, yes?

Now, take the word community, drop the word “local” and just run with “community”. You see, Dave had a bunch of friends on Twitter that believed in his cause. We asked, “What do we do for Dave and his radio station’s noble cause?” So we started Tweeting about it. We attached phone numbers to it. We added names of people to speak to at the local supermarket that had discounted turkeys for this event. The Save On Food store added people to the phone to keep up with calls coming in from across the globe. Next thing you know the truck overflows, the turkeys are accumulating and they need another truck…then another…And then the food bank donation start rolling in…

One Million Dollars later.
One thousand turkeys later.
One million eyes on Twitter later.
One idea, one dream later and 11 days later enough food was gathered to provide and feed 9,000 families!

The meaning of giving, the meaning of the holidays and the meaning of what it IS to be human came through that thing we call social media. The “social” in that definition earned its meaning.

One more note on the power of the medium. I was sitting at my desk just now and a card is dropped of from the mail person. Excited to see who would have thought to send me a REAL Christmas card rather than an email blasted to everyone in their mailbox thrilled me. So, thank you Steve Curtin!

When I opened it my pulse increased. It was unexpected and real and authentic! It was from a friend I made on Twitter and had the pleasure of sharing conversation with and he was nice enough to send me a card. Not a Tweet. Not a Facebook “poke”. A card in his own handwriting.

Sometimes something we look at as a generally cold and really impersonal way of communicating can surprise you. But it’s what we make of it. It’s how we use it. It’s sometimes how we can stay human.

Be real.
Be authentic.
Create and redefine the world around you and the human race will make it safely over the finish line with a little help from each other.

And So It Goes and Happy Holidays!



                            

Friday, December 2, 2011

Don't Be a Turkey, Give a Turkey This Holiday!

 A few months back I had the privilege of becoming online friends with Dave Reynolds and RickieTyler, two of the radio DJ’s at 997 FM in Campbell River, British Columbia. We are all part of the #usguys Twitter chat gang and nearly every morning Dave is kind enough to play me a request for some abstract song I torture his music library with or give me a kind shout out. I always say to him, Thanks Dave I owe ya”. Well in my eyes it’s payback time.

For three years, 99.7 The River has hosted the River Relief Truck in support of the Campbell River Food Bank and other local agencies. And like past years Dave has dedicated himself to live in a 53 foot transport trailer until it is full of non perishable items. The show will be broadcasting live from the trailer and the goal is to fill the semi-trailer from front to back. Last year The River Relief Truck raised $250,000 in food which supplied the Food Bank until July of this year. This December 1st will be no different.

But here’s the added beauty of the vision of Dave and his team. This year, on December 6th they are holding a fund-raiser called Turkey Tuesday in which they will hold a Turkeython (I guess is the safe way to put it?) to get 700 turkeys donated to feed the homeless this Christmas.

But I need the help of my restaurant friends and people that want to be the change.

For those who know me, you know I LOVE a good cause (right Amanda Hite?) I believe in this cause but more importantly? I believe in Dave Reynolds and his team.

This isn’t a call to action. It’s a call to arms. To reach out your arms to those that don’t have food this season. To help those trying though their minds and arms are too weary.

I’m asking you to make a difference and do what you can for Dave and his Relief Truck. The goal is to make sure every family that uses the food bank this year, get a Turkey. That's 600 families then 100 birds to the Salvation Army for hot meals.That’s 700 total. Dave and the 997 Radio team has worked out an incredible deal with a food sponsor for turkeys at .95 a lb for that day!

Some of you may be saying, but what about the homeless in my backyard? Friends, this entire planet IS our backyard!

A simple $10 donation buys a Turkey on Dec 6 for an entire family. That’s one less fancy drink after a holiday party or 3-4 cups of Starbucks that week. Please go to the link below and make a difference.
                                     The Campbell River Food Bank http://t.co/osZJELC
Plus follow Turkey Tuesday on Twitter at #TurkeyTuesday and make sure you are re-tweeting it to help spread the word! And please use this link to make a donation! Just $10 can feed a whole family with a Turkey! Click Here>> http://goo.gl/yKZbo

Dave…I’ll be sending Hello Kitty earmuffs and a light saber so you can split your Taun Taun open and keep warm inside until you hit your goal. And YOU WILL hit your goal!


Listen to the Dave Reynolds and Rickie Tyler shows live online at 997 The River and check out the video from last year’s campaign! Also read his blog post on a moving experience with last years campaign. "The Power to gather Roses in the Winter: http://bit.ly/ryX7K8


                                                                    And So it Goes...
                                          Thanks Dave but you can rest when we hit the goal!