The Joy of Giving

When I was a kid there was no better day for me than my birthday, followed closely by Christmas. Those were the two days in the year when receiving was at its max, presents, presents and more presents.  Over the years, those two days have constantly lost importance in my life, to the extent that even some of my close friends comment on the fact that I don’t like my birthdays anymore. What changed? What happened? Does this happen to everyone?

I am going to go ahead and partly blame my adorable niece, Andrea, for my “issue”. Since I don’t have any children, Andrea is as close as it gets to my own child. Unfortunately, due to the fact that we are 3,000 miles apart, I only get to see Andrea about 2 or 3 times a year. The only thing that I MUST take with me when I go visit my brother is a present for Andrea. Seeing the extreme excitement in her face whenever I open the bag to take out her present is, like the MasterCard commercial would say, priceless. She was the one that showed me that I get more joy out of her happiness than out of mine own.  Sure, I still love receiving, but I truly believe I gain more when I give than when I receive.

GBP helps me attain the feeling I get from giving to Andrea thousands of times. Whenever things get tough with GBP, I remind myself of the happiness that I get when we do the backpack drop offs. I remind myself of the smiles in the kids’ faces; the happiness and relief that those kids’ parents feel when they realize their kids are getting the tools to attain the world’s most powerful weapon, education. I urge you all to give, any way you want, maybe by making your significant other a nice breakfast in bed on a random Saturday, maybe by holding the door open for someone, maybe just getting your train conductor or your doorman a coffee one morning, anything to make someone else happy, if you do this I guarantee you will experience true joy.

-Nick

The Groupon of Social Giving

There's a new group buying site hot on the heels of the incredibly successful Groupon.com ( 17 million subscribers across 230 cities) and it has a conscience. Deals For Deeds was started by two entrepreneurs in Washington D.C. that thought there was nothing wrong with helping others as part of a business plan - a philosophy we applaud and very dear to our GBP hearts. 

We actually partnered with Deals for Deeds over the 2010 Labor Day weekend and received a great response. They were nice enough to give us three full days of coverage (usually organizations get one) and it's definitely a partnership we want to repeat in the future. As we come up with new products (stay tuned!) we'll want to spread the word as much as possible and partnerships with organizations like these are one of the best ways for us to do that.

If you live in the D.C. area go ahead and check them out and let us know if you have heard of similar groups that are doing something good for their communities.

-Daniel

Not just a backpack

Scene one: cute little girl in a uniform
Scene two: cute little girl screaming while fighting with her vest and skirt

As I saw a little girl attempting to strip out of her uniform this morning, I couldn't help but think of my own elementary school days. I'd wake up and put on my socks half asleep. I'd grab those khaki shorts I wasn't sure were made for men or women but I knew I had to wear anyways. I'd be dropped off in a school where both girls and boys wore the same exact outfit; not exactly style at its best. The only thing that let me stand out, my most cherished possession at 13 was my purple backpack.

While the rest of the kids had the typical Jansport backpack, mine was unique. My best friends and I had bought ours together. We had chosen one that would represent us as a group. It was special because there was meaning behind it, because of the story it told. To a child, a backpack can be more than just a bag for all their stuff; it can be the one thing that lets them demonstrate their likes, what they believe it. This is why we believe in the importance of backpacks. We are happy to share our story through our backpacks and invite you to become part of a greater movement; one that you'll be proud to represent.


Nahila

Advancing Millennium Development Goal #2

The Millennium Development Goal #2 is to Achieve Universal Primary Education. The first target, to "ensure that by 2015 children everywhere - boys and girls alike - will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling", is both ambitious and needed.

Education provides the opportunity to prevent poverty, to create wealth, and lift all economies. In our interconnected world, a rising tide does indeed lift all boats.

From policy and advocacy to actual teaching, the ways to become involved are numerous - and the smallest investments reap multiple rewards.

What are your favorite ways to advance education? We would love to hear from you!

The Team at GBP

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml
http://www.chindiarising.info/