Awesome: The Sequel
It’s not a good time to ask for money.I’m-a do it anyway.
It costs a hundred bucks to buy enough gas to drive to the store for milk, which also costs a hundred bucks; to buy a plain slice in the city, you practically have to wait for a credit check, which thanks to Wall Street nobody is passing anymore anyway.A bunch of you already threw your weight behind Bitch Magazine a couple weeks back, and maybe you want to give money to your presidential candidate of choice, and the bailout crisis…well, the average taxpayer is going to get punished, without having even done anything wrong.
So is the average public-school student.The government is going to help these investment firms eventually; in a few days Congress is going to ram something through and bail out the big boys.Little boys?Ain’t getting squat.Your senator isn’t debating who gets what science books or overhead projectors right now, or how much money to earmark for waterlogged Galveston schools.No, it looks like that’s on us.
Which is disappointing, deeply unfair, evidence of screwed-up election-year priorities, and a host of other rage-making things…but it’s also kind of awesome, because when it comes to raising money, nobody gets it done like you guys.I mean, the fact that it needs doing sucks.But it’s y’all doing it, so it’s pretty clearly going to get done.
And it’s not actually that hard.We don’t have to rumble with Colbert; we don’t have to learn any dance moves (…we can, though, if we want; when in doubt, tango).Each of us just has to pry loose five or ten bucks.Five bucks!That’s it!Or ten.Or twenty, maybe.You can give more, but if everybody in the group can spare ten bucks, we can knock off a hundred grand before Yom Kippur and go back to our lives.
So, please: try to find ten bucks somewhere.Check the pockets of pants you haven’t worn in a while.Take change to the bank.Brown-bag your lunch for a couple of days.Sell a DVD on eBay, buy Boone’s Farm or generic corn flakes, skip Starbucks for a few afternoons.Who knows, maybe it’s so easy that you’ll have saved up for a new pair of boots by Halloween, or a plane ticket or something, which you should totally treat yourself to as a reward for your awesomeness.
I’ve got enough boots, I don’t like flying…I only ask for ten bucks.If ten thousand of you each give ten bucks, we hit our overall goal, I wear a tomato costume to the White House, the Tomato Nation is a superpower, done, goodbye.
Only got three bucks?Fine.Perfect.Every bit helps; we all have to pitch in together, it’s the only way this works year after year.Whatever you can spare.Your contest entry still counts; you are still awesome.
It’s sucky, queasy times like this — times when we feel the most unnerved and powerless to control our worlds — when it’s the most important to get everybody pushing in the same direction, if only to remind ourselves that we can make a difference and that goodness exists.It all began four years ago, with all of us trying to feel like not everything sucked.Now it’s time to do it again, and I hope we get a different result on the election side, but I also hope you guys do exactly what you did in ’04, to wit: kick ass.
Stay awesome, Ponyboys.The 2008 Blogger Challenge is now open. Let’s go.
originally published 10/1
Tags: contests
Another incentive to give is in honor or memory of a loved one. Sarah knows that I am a passionate advocate of family planning, and because I always tried to give my kids straight answers to tough quesions, she donated to Donors Choose to facilitate a sex education class at a school in Georgia. I’ve already received profuse thanks from the teacher and look forward to the notes from the class. Thanks again, Sar, from Mom!
Hi Sars’ MOM! What a treat! (Good job with the kids! Thanks!)
That’s what I did, Sar’s Mom! My mom passed away unexpectedly last November from pancreatic cancer, and she was a home economics teacher as well as a phenomenal cook & baker. I donated for a project supporting cooking in high schools in her honor. It made me feel good and I know my mom would be happy about that!
Thank you so much! I have a brand new class set of Hemingway novels on the way! My students and I are so excited. Thank you for thinking of us.
I just wrapped up a project for getting some high school kids basketballs – and designated my brother-in-law, a basketball coach himself, as the honoree. I can hardly wait for him to receive those thank yous!
Holy Moses! When did you hit the $75000? I sense the impending onset of the Tomato Days at the White House. 1600 Marinara Avenue, baby!
Oh, JeniMull, THANK YOU! I really was hoping that one would get fully funded. Sports can have such a positive effect on keeping kids in school.
Y’all? $78,574… WOW! Let’s keep it going! With the match we can totally have this banged out by the end of the month! Come on, I want to see the Tomato in my home town!! Yay!
Is there going to be post-dancing bar action? Because I live about an hour from Washington, DC and I might need to get in on that.
I love this fund raiser.
Holy crap! Over $10,000 in a day? Really? This is fantastic. Less than $600 more and I get to see a dancing tomato come to my town. Er, assuming I’m here that day. Sars, you’ll advertise your tomato date, right??
God bless you all! Our request through DonorsChoose.org to get college prep books for our students was filled. You have given 585 students a chance at a better life.
http://www.gaston.k12.nc.us/schools/cherryvilleelem/Fairytale.htm
Above is the direct link for the Fairy Tale Ball page on my class website. Please feel free to go take a peek. If you enjoy seeing pictures of smiling and happy kids, you will or should enjoy this! Thank you so much for helping to fulfill my proposal-Cinderella and the Fairy Tale Ball!
Happy Election Day-tomorrow, Kelly
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