20 July 2009

Help From Home; Send us Your Story

Ever since TAM, I've been pretty darn sick. But every day, I have looked at SkeptiLove and wondered what to do next - where to go with the awesome support received at TAM and from the folks over at Skepticality and the GeoLogic Podcast. (Thank you, Derek, Swoopy, and George.)

Many people have written to my Facebook, and to the SkeptiLove e-mail at skeptilove@gmail.com asking how to get involved.

Well, to answer the most pressing question - yes, SkeptiLove will definitely be making an appearance at Dragon*Con, armed once again with the ECTO red wagon portable office unit (to be donated to area children after the con) and SkeptiLove launch CDs. There is not yet a definite plan for an event, but don't worry, there will be. Check back here often for information on what, precisely, that event will be. We've had some great suggestions and offers of help.

If you want to run into me directly, my talk on critical thinking and its application to real-world problems is tentatively scheduled for 1pm on Saturday during the con. I'd love to chat with anyone who is interested in SkeptiLove, so please, do stop by.

And if you feel like you can't get involved because you won't be at the con, don't worry. There are many ways to help out. One is to simply send your story to SkeptiLove and tell us what charitable acts you're engaged in. You can also keep an eye here, on SkeptiLove, as we'll be planning events that you can take part in no matter where you're located.

Another is to go out and find some that you're interested in.

Today, for instance, since I am sick and can't rush about the city gathering clothes (as I hoped I would be immediately after TAM), I donated $100 to a cause I believe in - the PetsMart spay/neuter initiative that benefits animal welfare groups where the number of strays has gotten out of control. At the moment, the charity is focusing on Texas and Los Angeles as 'problem areas.'

Having recently become a puppy owner, I greatly appreciate charitable organizations that help to keep the cost of spaying or neutering your pet at a minimum.

Nearly every cause has a web site, and nearly every web site has a donation button. So today, in lieu of any way to hit the streets and help out there, I hope that all of you will donate through your favourite site and drop me an e-mail telling me about where you put your money, and why. Your stories will be posted in the next SkeptiLove entry, and I hope there are many.

Thanks again to everyone who has shown such wonderful support, and I hope we can continue to show that church isn't what makes us care for one another.

All you need is love. Pass it on.

-- Alison

2 comments:

  1. A reminder to folks that (wether or not you have kids of your own) school is starting again soon - next week down here in the south, maybe after Labor Day for other folks. This is a good opportunity to donate to your local schools. Many businesses are putting out bins for "A Gift for Teaching" or similar organizations. This is a great time to help out our struggling public schools with needed supplies and perhaps get some extra science/math/critical thinking material into the classrooms.

    I dropped off my bag o' goodies a couple of weeks ago, and I still have a stack of Hubble images and posters that I nicked from last year's Space Track at DragonCon that I'll take to my neighborhood elementary school next week.

    - Lori

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