Blog Action Day 2008: Join the Fight to End Poverty

Poverty – a word we hear far too much of and do little to overcome. Poverty – a word that conjures up images of the homeless, the starving, the empty-handed, the ones on the side of the street we hide our eyes from each day. Poverty – a word at the center of countless stories we haven’t yet heard.

There are extreme cases and there are those that aren’t as prominent in the media that are just as heart wrenching, and today’s a day we are reminded to take action.

We all know poverty’s there, so we should all take a few hours and do something. Volunteer. Donate. Educate.

My idol, Audrey Hepburn, had a favorite poem written by Sam Levenson that read:

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

This is my reminder that though poverty is an issue that seems too large to overcome, we can all fight it in our own way.

This post is my contribution to Blog Action Day 2008. This year’s topic is poverty.

Gen Y Embraces Social Responsibility, Defies Stereotypes

On Friday night, I stood with a group of my friends in the University of South Florida gym wearing bright green shirts that said “Dance Marathon: The Party with a Cause.” We were participating in Dance Marathon, a nation-wide event that raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network, and were two hours into the twelve hour event when a small girl stepped onto the stage. Few people stopped what they were doing to listen to the girl’s mother speak in broken English about her daughter’s nearly-fatal condition, but when the 5-year-old survivor took the mic and started singing “Only Hope”, the entire room fell powerfully silent. No one moved, no one spoke, and little Katie sang to each of us with so much emotion and gratitude that we understood why we were spending our Friday night raising money for children like her.

At the end of the twelve hours, the directors of the event (all Gen Yers) announced that we had raised over $17,000 for All Children’s Hospital here in Tampa. Five hundred college kids. Members of Generation Y. Giving back to the community and being selfless.

Then, last night, my Greek organization planned a campus-wide event to raise money for Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA) and its local affiliates. This week, we will be writing PCA a check for over $18,000 and donating a wide array of blankets, clothes, and school supplies to these organizations. $18,000 dollars…!

Right now, I am very proud of my peers and excited to be a part of a generation that expects citizens to volunteer and be active in social causes.

Gen Y may be getting a lot of bad press lately, but my experience is that we are quickly shattering these stereotypes. We may be ambitious, but our hard work isn’t all self-serving. While I can’t generalize, I can say that based on my experiences, Gen Y is committed to doing good and actively participating in community service events.

For those of you who don’t think this is true, I challenge you to do research on the number of philanthropic events that take place each year on college campuses around the world. I guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Kudos to NBC Universal’s Green Week

A recent post of mine revealed my skepticism about companies’ commitment to social responsibility, especially those that claim to be “green.” As I was perusing the PR Week website, I stumbled upon a recent article about NBC Universal’s launch of Green Week, a week filled with green-themed programming that will “make NBCU the leading green media company,” according to Lauren Zalaznick, coordinator of the campaign.

I read the article hoping the campaign was genuine and not a sly attempt to increase viewership. Then, I realized I was being entirely too pessimistic. Companies HAVE to make money to succeed, and if they can implement campaigns that will benefit some aspect of society, then I’m okay with it, no matter what their true intentions may be.

By incorporating all aspects of the company, NBCU capitalized on the green trend while educating both employees and viewers about the importance of sustainability and conservation. I especially liked the Green is Universal website that the company launched concurrently with the television programming.

Sure, Zalaznick admits that NBCU is trying to achieve an increase in advertising revenue and improve ratings, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a negative take on the Green is Universal campaign. The company seems to be actively engaged in the movement, as shown in its preliminary research that surveyed 16,000 employees on their environmental attitudes. A follow-up survey will also be conducted. This will show how effective the campaign was, and will demonstrate that NBCU improved its brand reputation and bottom line while committing to a significant cause.

So after a lot of deliberation, I decided I support the social responsibility craze that’s consuming the corporate world. I hope more companies continue to advocate for these causes, as long as they remain committed long after the trend has faded from the headlines.

Go Green. Everybody’s Doing It.

My favorite color is green, so imagine my excitement when I discovered that green is SO the new black. If you aren’t green, then you will not be sitting with the popular kids in the cafeteria.
Green’s in. It’s the new “it” thing in the business world. But just how genuine is this overwhelming crusade to conserve the environment? Are organizations really that concerned with preservation, or is it just a ploy to reach out to customers who are actively demanding a more socially responsible corporate America?

I’m not so sure, and there are others who agree with me.

In his blog “It’s Not Easy… Being Green”, Steve Crescenzo expresses the same wary sentiments about the green trend that I have. He pinpoints major hotel chains and how they use “going green” as a means to save themselves money while improving customer relations. After reading his blog, I had to admit that a little piece of my optimistic side shriveled up and wilted.

I want companies to be socially responsible, but I only want them to claim being so if they truly mean it.

Perhaps I’m dreaming of a utopian corporate culture where CEOs volunteer on Saturday mornings with the charities they choose to support, but I can’t help thinking of corporations like General Mills that actively strive to be more environment-friendly. The numerous changes it has taken to minimize negative effects on the environment should be inspirational to other companies. General Mills goes beyond writing checks—it leads by example.

I love that our society is growing more concerned with giving back, and I hope that going green is more than an ephemeral fad and another way to increase the bottom line