Yesterday marks a milestone in my life, I got a mention in the NY Times for participating in the Secret Society of Creative Philanthropy. Here is the full story of how I joined and where my $100 bucks went:
How it started:
A few months ago I met Marissa, a co-founder of If We Ran It. Together with other people involved in the If We Ran It project they hosted a dinner to kick off the project. There I met Chris, the President of a the Secret Society of Creative Philanthropy… and the story begins: He explained the SSCP, but to be honest, I didn’t really get what it was all about. I just thought, this guy chris is super cool – and this sounds very mysterious…I knew there was a social component but need to learn more!
One day I got an email from Chris saying something along the lines of “It’s time…” I didn’t know exactly what to do, but I was excited as anything to do it!
Chris stopped by the Holstee office with two envelopes, each containing a single $100 bill. The envelope also had a letter which outlined that the $100 needed to be used to create a positive impact, with a few inspiring past stories to get the juices flowing.
I still didn’t fully understand whose money it was, but part of me didn’t want to ask because I kind of dug the mysterious do good-ing element.
What I did:
The first day of getting the money was exciting and liberating. But as time passed it became a bit worrisome : “would I find the right person”, “how will i know they really need it”.. etc.
There is an elderly woman who walks down avenue B, as early as there is light and collects bottles, cans, and other recyclables that return a deposit. This woman was always an inspiration. No matter what the weather she was up early, trolleying around an enormous load and doing something amazing for the planet.
I’m not an expert on logistics or recycling, but based on my observation this woman has developed a system ahead of its time. Recycling is great, but the massive diesel trucks that wind through the city collect more than what can effectively be recycled and create a lot of pollution in the process. What this entrepreneurial senior citizen has developed is an amazingly effective recycling process. She sorts the bottles directly from consumers waste into her trolley and walks them about 10 blocks to a local drop off where she is rewarded for her work. From there the bottles are already crushed and sorted and ready to be sent out.
How it happened:
One morning I was up early walking and spotted this women collecting bottles, she was a good bit ahead of me so I ran ahead. Before reaching her, I took a moment to jot a quick note on my envelope. As cheesey as it sounds, I wrote: “THANKS FOR SAVING THE PLANET”, it was the first thing that came to mind, and exactly how I felt.
I ran up to give this woman my letter. As it turned out she didn’t speak any english. When I reached out handing her the envelope she instantly refused to accept it. Using hand gestures I pleaded for her to accept. Initially I didn’t want her to see the money in front of me, for fear that she would be uncomfortable. The message wasn’t getting through though, so I asked her to open it first. She opened it and to my surprise, refused it with even more excitement – not the reaction I was expecting.
I smiled, said thank you, bowed, thanked and about every other physical gesture I can make to show her it was a gift of gratitude. She eventually cracked a smile and began carting on. Halfway down the block she looked back and shouted “Thank you!”
What a way to start a monday morning…
About two weeks ago I took a moment to jot down a few of the things that I wanted to start doing more, and I am using the new year to break into these healthy and fun habits.
I made a conscious decision to read a fictional short story to break some of the heavier reading I typically lean towards. With the recommendation of my brother I picked up “A Study in Scarlet” a Sherlock Holmes classic.
