Welcome to Buck-a-Hit Day
Thanks for coming to this blog on our sixth annual Buck-a-Hit Day. Just by visiting here today, you have caused the bojack.org Gift-Giving Team to give $1 to the Oregon Food Bank. One of our readers, Mr. Fearless, has pledged to keep donating a buck to the OFB for every visit to this blog today -- through 5,000 unique visits. You can track our total hit count for the day so far by going here; the controlling statistic is the fifth line down -- "Today."
Now that you've shaken a dollar out of us, please don't leave just yet. Don't miss your chance to subvert some of the action to your own favorite charity. The best comment left attached to this post will get to designate where $250 of our kitty goes. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, whatever -- the criteria for "best" are wide open. Something having to do with the spirit of the season would be welcome. Even a link to an original photo of yours would be good. We'll pull out six or so contenders from the comments tonight, and hold a reader poll tomorrow to see which commenter gets to make the call.
Last but not least, here is your chance to help our charities. Please click on one or more of the five buttons below and give generously to the organization pictured. You'll go to a secure PayPal site, which will take your credit card info if you don't have a PayPal account. (We pay all PayPal fees; every dollar you give goes to charity.) Please enter the amount of your donation, and "Update total." Then either log in to your PayPal account or click "Continue" above the credit card logos.
No donation is too small! Total reader contributions of up to $2,100 will be matched, dollar for dollar, by some special friends of this blog, Michael and Anne, and by us:
For more information about these excellent charities, you can check out their websites here:
Children's Heart Foundation, Oregon Chapter
Human Solutions
Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center
Oregon Food Bank
If you'd like a receipt (contributions are tax-deductible for you deduction-itemizers out there), just leave a note with your donation, or email me here. Be sure to include in the note your name and address, and the amount you've contributed.
If we get our 5,000 unique visits and fill out our match of $2,100, then adding in the $250 to the comment contest winner's charity, we'll be raising $9,450 for charity here today. Now, that would be awesome.
Regardless of whether you donate or comment, thank you for coming by today. If you are a newcomer to this blog, we hope that you will look around the site a bit (the archives are on the left sidebar, if you're interested), and come back again another day. And please don't hesitate to get out the word to others who may want to visit and give before this day is out. We'll need lots of help to get to 5,000 hits.
UPDATE, 11:32 p.m.: We did it!!! Our 5,000th hit came in at 11:02 p.m. And at this point readers have chipped in $2,570 by clicking on our "Donate" buttons. And so with almost an hour to go in Buck-a-Hit Day, we've raised $9,920 for charity here today. Amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
It's not too late to be part of this. If you have not already done so, think about clicking on one of those "Donate" buttons above. No contribution is too small. We pay the handling fees, and so every dollar you contribute goes to the charity pictured.
And please, leave a comment about this season below; our comments contest remains open 'til midnight, and if you leave a good comment, you might just get to play the philanthropist with $250 of my money.
UPDATE, 12/18, 12:12 a.m.: A wrapup of the day is here.
Posted at 11:05 PM
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Comments (21)
The only essential is this: the gift must always move.
Posted by Tenskwatawa | December 17, 2008 12:16 AM
I vote for Tenskwatawa (which might mean be a derogatory word in some obscure Native American language, or not). Everyone should vote for Tensk's comment, especially if the never understand what he says.
Posted by Larry | December 17, 2008 4:47 AM
A buck from New Orleans. Your annual tradition was one I enjoyed while I lived in Portland. Good luck and good on you for doing it.
Posted by Kevin | December 17, 2008 6:27 AM
I urged all my friends to NOT give gifts to us this year. We do not need anything.
Donate!!! to the charity of your choice; that is the gift that really keeps on giving.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
Posted by portland native | December 17, 2008 8:12 AM
Thanks for this, Jack. I have to confess that even after all these years in Portland, even working for the City, I haven't ever visited Sisters of the Road. But I came to your site, clicked the link you posted, and explored their whole site and even watched the 12-minute video. It was very inspirational.
I don't need anything this Christmas--my family and I have more than enough. We are donating to those in need and urging everyone else to do the same.
You inspired me to gather books for the day shelter in downtown Portland. Anyone who wants to drop off a few books or have me pick them up, email me at sarahbott@comcast.net
Happy holidays to everyone and stay warm!
Posted by Sarah Bott | December 17, 2008 8:23 AM
It's nice to be involved in a "rescue/bailout" plan that will have real impact.
Posted by jimbo | December 17, 2008 9:13 AM
Christmas to me is spending time with my family. It's dh, myself and two teenagers. Does it matter that we are snow/iced in and I don't have my Christmas shopping done? Nope, we have food, warm heat from the woodstove, water and shelter. And great kids who don't mind being home with their parents!! What more could I ask for? Well, lots of donations to the sites above or to the organization of your choice. :) Merry Christmas.
Posted by Tammy | December 17, 2008 9:17 AM
My mother and my mother-in-law used to say that "there should never be hungry people", and both meant it with a fervor nothing short of messianic. We honor their memories and their tradition each year at this time by donating the largest chunk of our charitable dollars to the Oregon Food Bank. Our older children honor us by donating to the Oregon Food Bank. Thank you all for coming here to visit Jack's site. He does a wonderful service each year to promote giving and we are very proud to be a part of that tradition. Please join us in helping the charity of your (or Jack's) choice at one of the most difficult times of the year for charities.
Posted by mrfearless47 | December 17, 2008 9:55 AM
On a more humorous note, anybody see the "iReport" on CNN of cars sliding down an icy hill while trying to access Hwy 43 in SoWhat?
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-164378
Perfect theme song on so many levels. Priceless.
Posted by Joey | December 17, 2008 10:20 AM
let me suggest In Other Words bookstore
http://www.inotherwords.org/NASApp/store/IndexJsp
after reading their pitch, link to the "about us" tab.
I will let them speak for themselves.
R.
Posted by R. | December 17, 2008 12:06 PM
What a great idea this is.
Anyway, to go off the last comment, I 'Benny-Hillified' the infamous Portland sliding car video from last year:
http://james.nerdiphythesoul.com/bennyhillifier/?id=zMzeiMJQrvk
Enjoy and happy holidays!
Posted by Alex Mestas | December 17, 2008 12:07 PM
I'm more than happy to help give away somebody else money, especially this year when my own is...um...lacking...
Posted by Chuck Butcher | December 17, 2008 1:01 PM
There is just nothing funny about charities. I'm wanting to give jack a ribbing but, then, its hard to rib a guy that is raising money for charity. Well maybe this guy will fit the mood
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L9_8vwx2w8
Posted by ian | December 17, 2008 1:27 PM
So many of us who visit this blog have so much: computers, internet access, homes with light and heat, and food to eat in excess. And Jack goes and makes giving a little bit of what we've got to help others very easy...
...maybe too easy. I worry that I'll forget that who I'm helping are people, with unique personalities and smiles and troubles in the depersonalization of our communities.
Please don't forget that going out and getting involved in your neighborhood, your apartment complex, your city is important too.
Thanks, may your Yule be filled with light and warmth
Posted by Clare Vickers | December 17, 2008 2:14 PM
I'm going for the laugh. Got the best X-mas letter ever today. IT featured my neice as she was giving up smoking looking pale and nauseous as she was puking into the toilet. The next photo was of the other neice, cleaning out the cat box, making an ugly face at what the looker supposed was a horrific smell. The photo of my sister the teacher, was of her on vacation at home, grading a stack of about 200 papers, giving the photographer the finger. Lastly, a photo of Dad upon entering the house after a long day at work, yelling at everyone pointing to a puddle of pee on the floor by the front door, left there by the 17 yr old cat.
I know this has nothing to do with the food bank but I thought you might enjoy it. I sure did.
Posted by Vicki Shaw | December 17, 2008 4:04 PM
I don't have much to give right now, but I've announced to the extended fam that I'd be giving no presents to anybody who wasn't a kid.
Everybody was way ahead of me; and are giving gift money for adults to charity.
So I threw some money toward Oregon Food Bank today (not much but what I can afford) and I'll be giving a little to a charity at Friendly House that provides weekend food for the homeless kids who attend Chapman Elementary.
So this year, I'm all about food.
Posted by Talea | December 17, 2008 7:48 PM
Now *this* is a bailout with real heart, with genuine feeling, and true love in the best sense of the human spirit.
mrf
Posted by mrfearless47 | December 17, 2008 8:46 PM
As a life-long volunteer, I've seen first-hand how essential non-profits - large and small - are to the communities they serve.
If not for the Around the Sun blog, I wouldn't have the pleasure of being part of this annual on-line giving tradition!
I've lived in Portland for 6 months and have heard mention of Sisters of the Road and Oregon Food Bank; didn't know about the others, so thank you for the links.
Best wishes for the rest of 2008!
Paula
Posted by Paula | December 17, 2008 8:54 PM
In reading the other posters' comments, it's hearteningly obvious that folks are, in
actuality, moving toward the the essence of this sentiment!
...from one of my books of musings...
Holiday Survival:
_Fear less, hope more;
__Eat less, chew more;
_Whine less, breathe more;
__Talk less, say more;
_Hate less, love more;
__And all good things will be yours.
Ora et labora,
-oregbear
Posted by Oregbear | December 17, 2008 9:39 PM
It's always appreciated during this season of foodin' and boozin' and giftin' for this blog to remind us to give away some of our good fortune (both the earned kind and the lucky kind).
Thanks Jack.
Posted by Matthew | December 17, 2008 9:42 PM
I hear by vote for oregbear's "Holiday Survival" for best comment!
Posted by portland native | December 17, 2008 9:52 PM