Danny Brown

podcaster - author - creator

Latest posts from Danny Brown

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12 Days, 12 Ways to Help the Homeless

This is a cross-post from 12for12k.

Today sees the launch of the 12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push. As we’ve mentioned in the run-up, this isn’t about cash donations this month (although if you wish to donate money to your local homeless shelter or organization, please do).

Instead, 12for12k wants you to think of ways that you can physically help. To this end, and with the help of Mark Horvath and various homeless organizations, we’ve come up with these 12 suggestions for you. Themed around the 12 Days of Christmas, this is the 12for12k version – the 12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push.

It’s up to you which ones you choose, although obviously choosing all 12 will make the biggest impact. And whatever you decide to do, record it. Photographs, videos, blogs, social networks – your choice. Sharing can only make more people aware, and encourage more help – and that’s always a good thing. And 12for12k will share your stories on our community, so please consider joining if you haven’t already.

So… on with the 12 suggestions.

  1. Day 1. Contact your local homeless shelter(s) and ask what they need. Make a list and work from there.
  2. Day 2. Gather 10 friends each (family, friends, colleagues) in preparation for Helping Day.
  3. Day 3. Challenge these friends to a bake-off. Bake a bunch of homemade goodness – soup, stews, cookies, etc – ready for Helping Day.
  4. Day 4. Clean out your closet (especially your husband’s, 12for12k wives!), and pack up all the old clothes that you find. Coats, socks, underwear, shoes, jeans – anything and everything.
  5. Day 5. Go through your linen closet and think of what blankets, sleeping bags, duvets, etc, that you no longer need.
  6. Day 6. Check your pantry – do you really need all these tins of soup or canned stew? Collect and store.
  7. Day 7. Invite a homeless person for coffee. Go to a Starbucks or McDonald’s, buy a combo, sit and talk. Get to know the person behind the story.
  8. Day 8. Go grocery shopping. Find 2-for-1 deals and buy what you can afford. Save the second item for Helping Day.
  9. Day 9. Kids are homeless too. Collect all your childrens’ unwanted toys and box up. This includes books as well.
  10. Day 10. Go to your local fast food/coffee house and buy a bunch of gift cards ready for handing out.
  11. Day 11. This one’s an easy one – share with your networks what’s happening and get them involved.
  12. Day 12. This is Helping Day. Go to a shelter, take everything you and your friends/family have collected, and help. One hour; six hours; all day – it doesn’t matter. Help – serve food; give out packages; talk to people; befriend someone. Simply put – be human to another human being.

This isn’t an exhaustive list; it’s simply suggestions. Please, feel free to leave other suggestions in the comments, or join our community and let us know what you’re doing. And make sure you follow 12for12k on Twitter for all the latest updates on what everyone is doing.

Christmas is a time for giving; let’s give to those that need it the most. Thank you.

Friday Five

Recently I suggested the idea of Friday Five, along the lines of?#FollowFriday on Twitter but with a twist – you choose five things to share that may or may not be related. Here’s this week’s five to get your weekend started.

  1. Blogger Corner. I’ve known Christina Kingston for a little while now, and I’m very glad I do. Not only is she a special person with a heart of gold, she’s also an incredibly talented blogger with a very witty outlook on life. From sex advice to Internet memes, Christina shares her inimitable voice with you – check her out.
  2. Local Heroes. One of my favourite movies is?Local Hero by Bill Forsyth. It’s warm, gentle and human – much like?David Holliday, Elli StGeorge Godfrey and Matt Caruso. These three people put on a live show in Lowell, MA, in support of the 12 Days of Christmas Homeless Push for 12for12k. So far they’ve raised $1,200 and a whole ton of awareness – kudos, guys, you rock.
  3. Friends Forever? Chris Brogan wrote today about how he’s cleansing his Facebook friends, and de-friending a bunch he hasn’t connected with in over a year. I’m not sure if it’s the right approach – aren’t these the same guys that bought the book, helped the blog grow, etc? How do you deal with growing friendships and would you follow Chris’s direction?
  4. Blast from the Past. A little while back I wrote why Twitter mobile apps don’t interest me, and it seemed to spark a healthy conversation on mobile app pros and cons. Now that I’ve been using a Twitter mobile app for a few weeks, it seems a good time to revisit my thoughts from then (follow-up post to come).
  5. Video Manana. Earlier this week I shared the uber-cool Maritz Canada holiday card, the Snow Globe (and if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out!). It received awesome feedback from a lot of people. So, it’s with great delight that I share the Globes of Darkness – the behind-the-scenes look at the making of a corporate video with a difference. Enjoy!