Battling Child Abuse, One Cartoon Avatar at a Time

Earlier today, I saw a friend’s status update on Facebook announcing that she was changing her avatar to a cartoon character from her childhood in response to a call to join the fight against child abuse. You also may have seen the update:

“Change your FB Profile Picture to a cartoon from your childhood. The Goal? To not see a human face on Facebook until Monday, December 6th. Join the fight against Child Abuse, copy & paste to your status and invite your friends to do the same.”

So, being as much against child abuse as the next guy, I showed my support of this worthwhile cause by changing my own avatar to one of my favorite characters from Warner Brothers stable of misfit cartoons, Marvin the Martian. I used to love seeing him and Duck Dodgers wage their limited battle of wits in the 24th 1/2 Century. And his clash with Bugs Bunny was classic…”Hare-way to the Stars“, it was called. Now THAT was cartoons. Anyway…

The fun started later in the day when I started seeing a lot of comments on Facebook and other blogs, like Mashable, that decried the effort as being meaningless and useless. Changing your avatar, the critics said, does as much good as putting a pink ribbon on your picture to prevent breast cancer and amounts to what they term slacktivism. Wikipedia describes slacktivism as, “a pejorative term that describes “feel-good” measures, in support of an issue or social cause, that have little or no practical effect other than to make the person doing it feel satisfaction. The acts also tend to dilute awareness campaigns and require minimal personal effort from the slacktivist.”

Man, did they miss the point. I am of the opinion that gestures done in solidarity with a particular cause enhance awareness of the cause rather than dilute it. It’s true that we all are aware of the problem of child abuse that exists around the world, but unless you are a victim of it, related to a victim or a child abuser yourself, it simply isn’t in the forefront of your consciousness on a daily basis, any more than breast or pancreatic cancer is. Therefore, any additional exposure you get to it can only sharpen one’s focus upon it, like good word of mouth advertising. And word of mouth is a powerful force in marketing. If someone with thousands of Facebook friends changes their avatar in support of child abuse, and the majority of those friends see it and are moved to replicate the act or, better yet, do some research on the subject and perhaps even donate to the cause, then the simple act of changing an avatar has done some good. At the end of the day there may be many thousands of people who are now more aware of the problem than they were before, and who may be moved to open their wallets. Which leads me to my next point…

While supporting a cause does not necessitate that you do so monetarily, neither does it mean that you can’t make a small donation to a local or national organization dedicated to that cause. The more I thought about it the more I felt compelled to do something more than just change my avatar to Marvin the Martian. I therefore went to the web site of Prevent Child Abuse America and made a $25 donation to that organization.

Will it do any good? No, not directly. But if anyone reading this will also go donate whatever they can, and tell others to likewise donate,, then perhaps we can, in our small way, make some kind of difference in the life of even one child. If you feel like making a donation or have made one, please let me know in comments below.

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Battling Child Abuse, One Cartoon Avatar at a Time

Giving Thanks in Thankless Times…

Thanksgiving usually brings people out of the woodwork posting lists of things they’re thankful for: family, friends, a roof over their heads, clothes on their back and food in their stomachs are all mainstays of these lists, and deservedly so. We’re thankful for all those things, too, and many more that could fill a book.

This year we thought we’d do something a little different. Many of us are always on the lookout for ways in which we can make a difference in the life of someone less fortunate than ourselves. Donating clothes to the Salvation Army, volunteering in a senior center or spending time as a mentor are all ways you can help. Donating time, money or goods are time-honored methods of giving back to those in need, whether they are in your community or halfway around the world. So, we’d like to present our list of favorite charities and causes that we’ve either personally donated to or highly recommend. Some will be familiar, some maybe not so much, but they’re all worth a look…

5 Familiar Causes…

1. Make-A-Wish Foundation: Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation’s mission reflects the life-changing impact that a Make-A-Wish^® experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities.
2. Habitat For Humanity: Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which every person can experience God’s love and can live and grow into all that God intends.
3. American Red Cross: Since its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation’s premier emergency response organization. As part of a worldwide movement that offers neutral humanitarian care to the victims of war, the American Red Cross distinguishes itself by also aiding victims of devastating natural disasters. Over the years, the organization has expanded its services, always with the aim of preventing and relieving suffering.
4. World Wildlife Fund: For more than 45 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF’s unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.
5. National Council On Aging: The National Council on Aging is a non-profit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC.
   • NCOA is a national voice for older adults – especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged — and the community organizations that serve them.
   • NCOA brings together non-profit organizations, businesses and government to develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults.
   • NCOA works with thousands of organizations across the country to help seniors live independently, find jobs and benefits, improve their health, live independently and remain active in their communities

…And 5 Not So Familiar

1. Email Our Military: eMail Our Military’s founder is a military wife, the daughter of a veteran and an avid troop supporter. We’re volunteers from all walks of life who understand that regardless of our political views, our military service members deserve our respect, support & encouragement.
2. Pillows For Soldiers: Our simple purpose: Send pillows to soldiers, vets and to families of fallen soldiers to say “Thank You For Your Service” and offer them a little comfort.
3. Skip1.org: Skip1.org taps into the world’s wealth to bring food and water to children and families in need around the world. Skip1.org is a promotional division of Children’s Hunger Fund (CHF) which was founded in 1992 and seeks to alleviate the suffering of needy children across America and around the world.
4. The Feed Foundation: The FEED Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds to ensure nutritious school meals for all children as a first step to improving the global food system. In partnership with FEED Projects, LLC, the FEED Foundation has provided over 50 million school meals to children in the developing world through the United Nations World Food Progam school feeding operations.
5. The Hole In The Wall Gang: The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, in collaboration with its associated camps in the United States and abroad, provides children with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions a camping experience of the highest quality, while extending year-round support to their families and health care providers.

So, there’s our list of ways to show thanks this holiday season. This list is by no means an exhaustive one; there are scores of other, worthy causes that you can donate to, all as deserving as these. These just happen to be some of our favorites. If you have a cause that’s especially dear to you, we invite you to leave a comment to let us know what it is.

In closing, we would like to say that, in addition to all the traditional things we are thankful for, we’d like to add one more to the list: YOU, our readers, clients and friends. Without you, we would have no need for this blog. We thank you for taking time out of your busy days to stop by and see what’s going on. We wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you may be.

Post from: Wallingford Wired©2009 by Pat & Wayne Harriman

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving