Meet The Jason Foundation

CoolPeopleCare is happy to introduce The Jason Foundation, our first 2007 partner.

Knowing that youth suicide claims the lives of approximately 100 young people per week in the United States, The Jason Foundation's mission is to provide information, tools, and resources to students, educators, youth workers, and parents that will enable early detection of at-risk behavior and guide them to helpful local resources.

When Jason Flatt took his life in 1997, his father, Clark, began to research teen suicide. He was alarmed at what he found. The Jason Foundation is the overflow of a father's determination to prevent suicides among teenagers.

Visit their website for more information about suicide and how it can be prevented. And if someone you know is contemplating suicide, help them find someone to talk to. The Jason Foundation operates in several states and is happy to help.

Party On, Brad

My pal Brad Jones is particularly enamored by our Christmas is Not Your Birthday campaign. In fact, he's having a bash in that spirit to promote giving to others.

He's asking students to give $10 and others to donate between 1% and 10% of your holiday budget to help folks in their local community and around the world.

So, if you're in South Florida on the 10th, swing by and change the world.

And, if anyone else is having a similar party, let us know. We love stuff like this.

Man About Town

Well, Sam didn't quite earn the "Area" tag in this morning's Nashville City Paper story, but it was close:

Local man channels cool people who care

That's a headline in Nashville's only true daily local paper today and they even were so kind to run a picture of our's truly as he gets a cup of coffee in a reusable mug.

We're very thankful to Alexa Hinton and her editors for caring about what we're doing and helping us get the word out. And anyone who refers to me as a "whiz" of any kind is tops in my book.

For those of you in Nashville, pick up a copy today (they're free). For those of you not in Nashville, check it out online (it's free -- still).

Links of the Week: 11/28/06

Here's who we're hooking up this week (and who hooked us up with the 411 on these sweet sites and ideas).

• Ben's Bells - Lynnette Davidson sent us this link about a grassroots movement to spread kindness all around the world.
• Change Everything - This Canadian site is also open to those who don't live north of the border. It's a great place for all those folks who want to change something about themselves and their communities. I stumbled upon this one.
• I Can Survive Fund - avocadoinparadise blogged about the incredible story of Mai and how you can help her very important advocacy work.

CPC Calendar Updates 11/19-26

• Corporate Volunteerism

November 29, 2006

3:00-5:00 pm

Does your workplace have a volunteer program? If not, are you interested in implementing one? Do you want to network with other professionals who are interested in workplace volunteerism? If you answered yes to any of the questions, join us for our next Corporate Volunteer Council meeting.

• Anteater's Ball

November 30, 2006

7:30-9:00 pm

Join us for a fundraiser for schoolchildren in Zambia, sponsored by Alpha Phi Chi, a men's service club at Lipscomb.

• Angel Tree Service Event

December 2, 2006

10:00 am – 2:00 pm

This is a wonderful opportunity to participate in a very rewarding project before the holidays get into full swing, so bring your friends and family along to help with this worthwhile and fun event!

• Alternative Christmas Gift Market

December 2-3, 2006

10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Please join us as we seek to reduce the commercialism of Christmas and recapture the joy of giving by helping those in need.

• Tomorrow Fund Holiday Party

December 7, 2006

5:00-8:00 pm

Come see us at the back bar of Mercy to celebrate the holidays!

• Jingle Bell 5K Run/Walk

December 9, 2006

8:00-9:00 am

Join us for an event to raise money for Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee.

• Festival of the Holidays

December 10, 2006

1:00-5:00 pm

Learn about the holiday traditions of four different cultures as Cheekwood celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Navidad.

• 8th Annual Tomorrow Fund Silent Auction

March 24, 2007

The Tomorrow Fund Silent Auction and Party is an event that has continued to grow since its inauguration 8 years ago.

Rewind: Week of 11/20 - 11/24

Because you probably took most of last week off (even if you were still in the office)...

Monday, November 20: Want Differently

Flip your wish list and want on behalf of someone else.

Tuesday, November 21: Nothing But Nets

How do you save a continent? One bed at a time.

Wednesday, November 22: Give Gloves

Lend a hand. Literally.

Thursday, November 23: Be Thankful

300 seconds of gratitude never hurt anyone.

Friday, November 24: Buy Nothing Day

Participate by not participating.

Thinking about Christmas

Personal friend and homeless advocate The Homeless Guy has a pretty intriguing video at his blog.

Click here to check it out and think about those who will be doing without this holiday season.

The Camera Loves Sam

Sam's in NYC and didn't get to see his pretty face on the local news this evening. But I just happened to catch it with my in-laws between the main course and my very own (and tasty to boot) pumpkin pie dessert.

Flanked by the swankiet mall in Tennessee, Sam opines and dreams about what kind of difference we could all make, donating only a small percentage of our holiday spending to a worthy cause. Take a look at Faith & Ethics.com if you missed it.

Thanks to Jamey Tucker for his story, and for continually highlighting corners of the world that need some light. Spend some time reading Jamey's thoughts after watching the news clip. I promise you'll learn a few things about the world and yourself.

Happy Thanksgiving, and pass the gravy.

Links of the Week: 11/21/06

This week, we're featuring:

• Jeff Morrison - A singer and songwriter living in Nashville, Jeff spends a lot of time volunteering at the Nashville Rescue Mission. He's got a "More Time on Your Hands" coming your way at the end of December. And until December 11, a portion of each CD he sells will go towards the Mission. Buy his CD, get some good tunes, and make a difference.
• Stop Global Warming - This site does what it says. Find tips and ideas to do your part.
• Biodiesel Fuel - If you've heard the buzz but aren't sure about the details, check out this site for the skinny on alternative fuel sources.

Redemption

Former child laborer Om Prakash has been awarded the International Children's Peace Prize. After his rescue from forced labor, he became a champion for human rights.

Read the whole story here.

Another Reason for the Season

We're very excited to be mentioned in Ray Waddle's weekly column in The Tennessean this morning.

His focus is Christmas and its over-commercialism, and he offers our site, CoolPeopleCare.org, as an example of how to "inspire people to generosity and take away my excuses for postponing new habits of spending and spirituality."

"I guarantee you have five minutes — that's two TV commercial breaks!" Davidson says. In that time, you could take steps to get off junk mail lists (saving 50 trees a year), or pick up litter, or thank a soldier, or sit down to lunch with someone different and expand your world.

For some more quotable Sam Davidson, read the full story.

Thanks again to Ray and the city's "paper of record" and check out our new campaign "Christmas is not your birthday" starting Monday, right here on this very web site.

Earl Hickey Is a Star

It looks like NBC's "Must-See TV" Thursday-night lineup will soon be back up to the high, comedic standards set by "Cheers" and "The Cosby Show" and "Friends."

With "My Name is Earl," "The Office," "30 Rock" and starting in two weeks the addition of "Scrubs" (one of my favs) we all have a reason to kill two hours each week just laughing.

But is laughing good enough?

The folks over at "Earl" don't think so. Last night's "super-sized" episode, guest starring my favorite Elvis from "3000 Miles to Graceland," Christian Slater, focused on teaching us a thing or two about global warming and conservation.

If you missed it, you can watch a 2-minute replay here. And starting in December, NBC will finally be on the bandwagon and show full episodes online after their air date, so you can catch the whole dang thing.

In the clip currently online, Earl has "seen the light" and "changed his ways." He's concerned about his carbon footprint and buys eco-friendly products to help save the world.

Heck, Christian Slater's character even says (and I'm paraphrasing) "if everyone took just 5 minutes out of their day to do something good..."

A hippie after our own hearts.

Intoducing: Lynnette Davidson

You'll notice yet another new author today. Lynnette Davidson (yes, my wife) wrote today's More Time on Your Hands. Read her article, feel inspired, and go replicate these good acts in your neighborhood.

Lynnette's full of good ideas, and she'll write some other peices in January, once our Christmas is Not Your Birthday series wraps up.

Lynnette, Cool People. Cool People, Lynnette.

Rewind: Week of 11/6 - 11/10

Since you were too busy tracking Britney and K-Fed in the tabloids...

Monday, November 6: Police Your Pet

Good for shoes. Good for the environment.

Tuesday, November 7: Free Hugs Campaign

In this age of lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign are phenomenal.

Wednesday, November 8: Waste-Free Lunch

Break out the lunchbox and reduce your lunchtime trash.

Thursday, November 9: Give a Compliment

Your kind words can mean a lot.

Friday, November 10: Flip Your Fan

It's getting colder. Do you know which way your fan is spinning?

Links of the Week: 11/14/06

Here's what we've found this week (and the good people who brought this stuff to our attention).

• Plant a Row for the Hungry - These fine folks leverage their connections as garden writers to encourage donations of food to fight hunger. Many thanks to friend and gardener Betsy Hall for sending this our way.

• Border Film Project - Our own Adam Solesby found this film that distributed cameras to those trying to cross the border into the American southwest.

• How can I recycle this? - This clever website shows all of us how to make good use (again) of those objects that are very easy to just throw away. Thanks to Stumble Upon for bringing this link to our attention.

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 13, 2006

COOLPEOPLECARE.ORG LAUNCHES CHRISTMAS IS NOT YOUR BIRTHDAY CAMPAIGN

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – CoolPeopleCare.org, a philanthropic website based in Nashville, today announces the launch of "Christmas is Not Your Birthday," a campaign that urges website visitors to focus on others this holiday season by offering tips on how to rethink wish lists and give generously. The campaign will run from Monday, November 20, to Monday, December 25.

CoolPeopleCare.org's signature feature, "5 Minutes of Caring," will direct its Monday content towards this campaign. The 99-word daily article features helpful hints, practical tips and links to inform readers of the many ways in which they may make a difference in less than five minutes a day.

Each Friday's feature, "More Time on Your Hands," will showcase true stories of people who have dared to take the "Christmas in Not Your Birthday" challenge.

Launched in August 2006, CoolPeopleCare.org is an offering of CoolPeopleCare, Inc., a company founded by Nashville residents Sam Davidson, CEO, and Stephen Moseley, President. In just three months, it has served more than 25,000 visitors.

Davidson and Moseley believe that consumerism has become "The Reason for the Season" in the U.S.A., but that the money spent each holiday season could be better directed for a longer-term, society-wide impact.

Though the site seeks to encourage people to give, Davidson knows that attempting to change the spending habits of Americans is no easy task. "We're here to help," said Davidson. "We're accustomed to certain holiday traditions, like shopping, so CoolPeopleCare.org is here to show people, step-by-step, how to begin traditions of generosity."

CoolPeopleCare.org is the first endeavor of the newly created CoolPeopleCare, Inc. The website is designed to educate and motivate individuals to get involved in their local communities. Believing that people want to give back, but don't have the time, the site offers a 99-word article every weekday to inform readers how to make a difference in less than five minutes. Also believing that people want to give back but don't know how, the site also includes an events calendar with local happenings that have a social benefit. The concept for the site was developed in early May and the site was officially launched on August 18.

CoolPeopleCare, Inc., a Nashville-based company, was founded by Sam Davidson, CEO and Stephen Moseley, President. The newly formed company's model is one of social entrepreneurship, by which it creates positive social change as a direct function of its business. For more information about CoolPeopleCare, Inc., CoolPeopleCare.org, or the "Christmas is Not Your Birthday" campaign, visit www.coolpeoplecare.org or contact Sam Davidson, (615) 260-3082.

Faking It: Hybrid Cars

If you don't have time to really make a difference, you can always fake it. Here is a product from the parody SkyMaul catalog that let's you make your gas-guzzler look like a Hybrid.

CoolPeopleCare doesn't officially support faking it... but we still think it's funny.

Thinking About Time

We're here to help remove the excuse "I don't have enough time to give back." Thus, I've started reading James Gleick's book, Faster, to help me understand time better. Here's a great quote from the first chapter:

"We are in a rush. We are making haste. A compression of time characterizes the life of a century now closing. Airport gates are minor intensifiers of the lose-not-a-minute anguish of our age. There are other intensifiers - places and objects that signify impatience. Certain notorious intersections and tollboths. Doctors' anterooms ("waiting rooms"). The DOOR CLOSE button in elevators, so often a placebo, with no function but to distract for a moment those riders to whom ten seconds seems an eternity. Speed-dial buttons on telephones: do you invest minutes in programming them and reap your reward in the tenths of a second? Remote controls: their very existence, in the hands of a quick-reflexed, multitasking, channel-flipping, fast-forwarding citizenry, has caused an accelration in the pace of films and television commercials.

Instantaneity rules in the network and in our emotional lives: instant coffee, instant intimacy, instant replay, and instant gratification. Pollers use electronic devices during political speeches to measure opinions on the wing, before they have been fully formed. Like missiles spawning MIRVs, fast-food restaurants add express lanes. If we do not understand time, we become its victims.

CPC Calendar Updates (11/6-12)

• Barnes and Noble Story Time November 13, 2006 11:00-12:00 pm Kids can hear stories about Thanksgiving.

• Heaven Sent Parenting Class November 13, 2006 6:30-8:00 pm Adoptive Parents can learn how to deal with post-adoptive depression and the baby blues.

• Off the Wall Lecture Series November 15, 2006 12:00-1:00 pm Bring your lunch and listen to local scholars discuss the exhibition "Extra Ordinary: The Everyday Object in American Art."

• From Preschool to Kindergarten Forum November 16, 2006 7:00-8:00 pm Representatives from five schools discuss kindergarten transition and readiness.

• ARTini November 17, 2006 7:00-9:00 pm During this parents' night out activity, join Frist Center Executive Director Susan Edwards for a discussion of pieces in the "Extra-Ordinary" exhibit, then enjoy martinis at the cash bar and live music.

• Volunteer Day at Safe Haven Family Shelter November 18, 2006 9:00 am-12:00 pm Volunteer Day at Safe Haven Family Shelter 9am-12pm Thanksgiving will be around the corner. What a great way to give back to the community and be thankful for all that we have!

• American Girl Fashion Show November 18, 2006 10:00 am-1:00 pm View new fashions for special occasions, school, sleep or play, then enjoy treats, favors, prizes and more during this benefit for Special Olympics Tennessee.

• Little Miss and Master Benefit Pageant November 18, 2006 Kids ages 0-20 can enter this kids' pageant to benefit Toys for Tots.

• Musical Petting Zoo November 18, 2006 1:00-3:00 pm Kids of all ages can try their hands at a variety of instruments including banjos, dulcimers, guitars and more.

• Nashville in Harmony November 18, 2006 2:00-4:00 pm Enjoy holiday music and other popular tunes of the season performed by a 35-member community chorus.

• Laughter for the Children November 18, 2006 6:30-8:30 pm The evening features a live comedy performance by Joe Starr, dinner and cocktails, and a fabulous silent and live auction.

• FutureMan and the Black Mozart String Quartet November 19, 2006 3:00-6:00 pm This Circle of Harmony concert will include a "salon" conversation and opportunities to be part of this growing community.

• The Lion Sings Tonight November 20, 2006 7:30-9:30 pm A cabaret featuring members of the cast of Disney's "The Lion King" benefitting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Nashville CARES, and Comprehensive Care Center.

• “An Inconvenient Truth” Discussion Series November 27-30, 2006 7:00-10:00 pm Come join us for a FREE viewing of the documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' at the Sarratt Cinema from the 27th-30th November.

• Free Kidney Screening November 28, 2006 9:00-11:00 am Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP) is for individuals at increased risk of developing kidney disease.

• Cider Carols and Silent Art Auction November 30, 2006 7:00-9:00 pm Kick off the Christmas season by joining Hope Clinic for Women at their 2nd annual Cider Carols event.

• 8th Annual Christmas Extravaganza December 3, 2006 6:00-8:00 pm The 8th Annual Christmas Extravaganza celebration salute and award ceremony for the businesses on the Jefferson Street Corridor and the North Nashville area.

• 16th Annual Homeless Memorial Day December 16, 2006 8:30-10:00 am Gather with us as we mourn the lives of those who died in the streets this year.

• Williamson County Youth Orchestra December 16, 2006 1:00-2:00 pm Twenty-five high school seniors from Williamson County will perform classical and contemporary music at the Frist.

• Handel’s Messiah December 21-22, 2006 8:00-10:00 pm For more than 250 years, Handel's Messiah has inspired international acclaim; it is, without a doubt, the world's best-loved choral work.

Links of the Week: 11/7/06

Enjoy this week's links:

Recycle Now

National Alliance of Mental Illness

Buy Nothing Day

Visit these sites and educate yourself, learn how to recycle everything you own, pledge to wean yourself off of consumerism, and help others.

That's what we're here for.

Rewind: Week of 10/30 - 11/3

Monday, October 30: Make It Count

What if your life was 1/10,000th of a second?

Tuesday, October 31: Trick or Meet

Treat yourself to an introduction.

Wednesday, November 1: Pick Up Litter

Sure, it’s a cliché, but it needs to be done.

Thursday, November 2: