Giving Away Your Birthday

   While people start to talk around the water cooler about the trends of 2009, I have one that tops the "Living by Giving" list -  The "Pay if Forward" birthday wish.  I've seen adults, teens, even little kids jump on this trend, turning their birthday celebrations into an opportunity to help others.  For my 31st birthday this year, I asked for people to donate $31 to Kates Club in lieu of gifts and cards.  Call me trendy if you want, but in the end we raised more than $5,000 for our cause. 

More recently I heard about a group of six teenage girls that are using their 16th birthdays to raise money for their favorite cause.  There will be a dj, fun foods, a dance floor...all the elements of a sweet sixteen, but instead of a gift table there will be a gift basket to collect cash donations. 

You can imagine my excitement when I read that Alyssa Milano was giving away her 37th birthday to help raise awareness and funds for her philanthropic passion: clean water.  Alyssa is someone who I grew up with on tv, and now I feel reconnected to her once again after having read about her birthday wish.  As someone proclaiming she has everything she wants and needs, her wish is simple:  "All I want is to provide life-giving water for 10 communities, 500 families and 2,500 people. In lieu of spending money on a party or presents, I'm asking people to donate to my Charity: Water campaign and help make my wish come true." Three words: Simple. Brilliant. Inspiring.

She shares more in a blog posted on Huffington Post. Read it here.

 

I'll share my top 10 "Best Giving Trends of 2009" list later this month.

Comments

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