Little brothers are pretty special. I consider myself super lucky because Iโve got two. Aside from Brian, they are both my closest friends.
One of them is in a constant race with me to be a guest on Oprahโs show. He lives in Beverly Hills, and letโs just say that when my dad gave us the โYouโve Got To Make a Living Speechโ, he was taking notes at the age of three. He is a constant support to all my business endeavors, no matter how grand they seem.
My youngest brother shares my passion for writing, literature and a desire to change the world. His name is Shaun Hong (or I call him Shauniโemphasizing the eeee sound :)). Sometimes we called him Scrawny Shauni.
OH but WAIT, for all the women who were in the Seattle CONFIDENCE Workshop a couple weeks agoโฆYES! This is the brother who tortured Ms. Johnson! (Natalie Johnson was one of the attendees.) Shaun said that Ms. Johnson used to have a big fan on her desk, and they would rip up dozens of pieces of paper and let them go when they walked by her desk so it looked like it had snowedโjust on her desk. :) What a pill!
But Natalie, get this. When I told him you were in the workshop he smiled and said โOh man, all the boys had the BIGGEST CRUSH on Ms. Johnson!โ So even though they tried to run you out of your job, it sounds like they were crushing on you! Isnโt that funny! Did you ever know that?
Okay, so back to Shaun in โreal timeโ. Iโm relieved to say that he has taken a turn for the better (since 6th grade :)). He is one of the funniest guys you will ever meet, and he is one of the most giving.
Shauni and his best friend, Nate, have been burning the candles late into the night, hammering out an idea that could help thousands of people. Itโs called Pocket Philanthropist. Donโt you love the name? I think itโs awesome!
Theyโve entered Pocket Philanthropist in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project. Their goal is to win a grant for $250K so they can quit their day jobs and focus all their attention on helping people in need. Iโm shamelessly asking you to vote for these guys. Watch the video, and youโll see how great their idea is.
Every day, you can vote AGAIN. I thought this would be a great way to get your โvoterโ muscle working because tomorrowโฆdrum rollโฆI am posting the Finalists for the Comfort Photo Themed Contest!! I know what your saying, you wonโt believe until you see it! And I respond by saying, I donโt blame you! :) But itโs coming friends. So get your voting muscle working on my little brotherโs dream while I finish prepping the Finalist Contest post for tomorrow!
Oh, and if you have any questions about Pocket Philanthropist feel free to post them as comments on todayโs blog. Shauni will be popping on here to answer whatever he can.
CLICK HERE to VOTE!
Thanks in advance!
xoxo, Me Ra
p.s. Jenniferโs Business Coaching Exercise is live this morning on the SOAR! Blog. Enjoy SOAR! Sisters! Their posts this week are pretty powerful.
Thanks big Sister! Just a few things: 1) Don’t be surprised when I’m a guest on the Oprah Show before you and Shae, 2) I look forward to everyone’s comments on the blog as well as on our video! 3) It was the 5th grade, 4) Yes ladies, that is my handsome voice-over in the video. Thanks for your support…give PocketPhilanthropist wings to SOAR!!
Love this idea! Really Really cool! It takes the idea of philanthropy and makes it “cool” (not that it isn’t!)..hip..mainstream..young…Great job!
LOVE the concept!!!!!!!! And I too believe that we all want to be philantropists but we have all the excuses in the world not to be. No time. Don’t know what to do. Not sure how to support. A mobile app would make this pretty darn easy! ๐ On your road trip, will you be taking video when you visit the charities? Would be nice to see what the money is going towards.
And I was at the Seattle workshop and am LAUGHING so hard right now………finally see the face to all that mischief. LOL!
Great idea! Here’s a question…how would you decide what charities would be featured each week? Wouldn’t you be bombarded by people asking you to feature their charities…how would you decide who is most “deserving?”
I just voted! What a great idea!
Very cool idea! Got my vote!
Awesome idea. I love it. Are there particular types of charities, large or small, that you will focus on, or will it run the gamut?
This is an awesome idea – I run a charity and would love to partner with Shauni! Get in touch with me for details!
PS – I posted to Facebook and Twitter too as well as voted.
Wow Me Ra! That is awesome! I’m not one who will vote for something just because. I really have to believe in it. I already voted! Maybe you can help us remember to vote again?
Lori
Isn’t this idea awesome! I’m so proud of what Shaun and Nate have done. They both have intense day jobs and have to travel way more than I ever do–it makes me cross eyed. But at the end of the day, this is what they’ve been working on.
Your questions are so great. I think Shauni is en route from Dallas today, so if he doesn’t answer right away today—sit tight, because he’s totally going to chime back in later.
Thanks for all your support. And Lori, that’s a great idea. Maybe I could just add a p.s. every day for the next couple weeks. Lord knows i need reminders to remember anything!
I want to say I just love Shauni, I did back then and I still do. What a great heart he has to help people. I am so proud of the man he is today. I heard about this endeavor yesterday through one of our mutual friends and posted it on my Facebook status yesterday for all my friends to vote, but I didn’t know we could vote every day. So, I will vote again and again. What a great idea and to be focused on helping others at such a young age.
Mera, I didn’t know the boys had a crush on me, I think I was just trying to survive all these boys and their antics. It was my first year married, first year teaching, and first year being a pastor’s wife. This group of boys (who are still friends today) kept me laughing on the inside. I couldn’t let them know at the time or I would lose all control. There needs to be a book written on all the things they used to do to me. I will never forget discovering the spit wads all over the ceiling one day. I think they each have their own stories they remember.
Shauni-Congratulations on your engagement! I have seen photos of Rachel and she is just beautiful! I love the name Pocket Philanthropist and I will be the first to give. I will also be cheering you on when you appear on Oprah! Keep us posted! So proud of you!
Natalie Johnson (aka- the Mrs. Johnson from 5th grade)
p.s. I still see and keep up with these boys and we have great laughs over all the stories. I try not to let them call me Mrs. Johnson now because, hey, I’m only 44 and that just sounds old when they call me that. I am flattered to know they had a crush on me!
I am always envious of “Creators of Cool Ideas” because in a few years you know somone will say, “MAN, I wish I had thought of that!!!”
Let’s see how quickly MeRa’s requests moves you from ranking 31st to the top 10! As you can see she has the power to motivate and make an impact from a simple request! ๐
What a beautiful idea! Like the others, I’ve already voted and will continue to as long as we can. I can’t wait to see where this takes your brother and his friend! And like Christina, I’m curious as to how the charities would be chosen and spotlighted? And, like his big sister, will Shaun and Nate blog about their journey and experiences and the people they meet? Oh the wonderful things that can come out of a fantastic idea!!
Best of luck, Shaun and Nate, and we’re all pulling for you to win!!
“The reason why the universe is eternal is that it does not live for itself; it gives life to others as it transformsโ
-Lao Tzu
So So proud of you Shauni!! I am voting daily…yes you can keep on voting and voting and voting. Voting ends February 28th…let keep it up until then!!!
i love hearing all these “shauni” stories…i definitely have some good ones!! Shauni you are one of a kind!!
I love you!!!
What an awesome concept! I have goosebumps!!
Can I borrow the speech your dad gave you guys so I can use it on my kids and hope they the same difference in the world that all you guys are???? ๐
Wow! Such great responses and questions. Let me try to tackle some of the questions below:
Tina, we plan to film our adventure and hopefully turn it into a documentary. At the least we would post video clips of charities on our website and blog.
Christina, that is something we’ve thought about a lot. It is going to be tough, especially as we begin living our lives closer to the heart of so many problems. We would like to find a way for our users to vote or suggest ideas. We anticipate, even though we are doing good, some people will criticize us. That will be tough. One thing we are sure of, when there is a national or international crisis/emergency, such as Katrina or the earthquake in Haiti, we will respond to it immediately.
NatalieD, as mentioned above, it will be tough to decide, but luckily we feature a new charity EVERY week so we can support more causes more frequently. One cool thing, we ask the charity to specify a “project” donations will support. We want our users to KNOW where their donations go. Social Psychology shows people are more inclined to give to something when their contribution is “measurable”. So just giving to an organization doesn’t cut it. We want to give to a project.
Laura lets talk once this gets off the ground!!
Natalie thanks for the support!! You really are one of the few teachers I remember and miss. See you soon.
Addie, we will blog about the journey daily, and eventually hire additional journalists and reach more than one charity per week. Eventually our users will be able to customize their account to be more Planet focused, or Hunger focused, etc. so they can partake weekly in what moves them.
Everyone, I see HOW we choose our charities to partner with is a big question, and maybe a concern. We’d love to hear your ideas and concerns. Every bit of advice is welcome and appreciated.
Keep voting!! And thank you so much for your support!
Me Ra, I heard someone ask if you’ll remind them with a little one-liner P.S. each day….hmmmm…pretty good idea ๐ Don’t you ALL think so!!?
Oh yeah, I was in Dallas this morning, in Ft. Worth now, and headed home tonight ๐
The life of a salesman…. B-)
I never do this sort of thing, but how could I resist a call to action from Me Ra? With all that she gives her community of readers, it’s the least we could do.
Good luck Shauni!
i voted…
I think this is a GREAT idea!!! I’ll definitely support you guys!!
Nice presentation!!! I like the fact that it’s easy (I can even get the kids involved they can earn a $1) and your helping a charity. Like you mentioned above, I would hope that you would post pictures and updates. I would want to see my money in action. The best of luck I’ll be voting everyday.
What a wonderful concept and an amazing vision, and presented so powerfully in just over a minute – that’s an achievement in itself! Many years ago I took a one year contract to work for an international charity – wanting to make a difference in the world. My role was to raise awareness as well as generate regular income and it was the hardest job I have ever had (until becoming a Mother that is). I think finding a way to make giving fun, easy and instantly gratifying for people is a model that will work and I wish you much luck! You have my vote, and if you’re anything like your Big Sis, which I’m guessing you are – I don’t doubt for a moment you’ll make it happen.
ps. see you on Oprah!
Hi Me Ra and Shauni I just went and voted and will continue to do so until the end of the month. I also posted a link to the video on my FB page to spread the word. There are two in the 250K category that I’m voting on since there will be two winners. The other is Joyful Heart, Mariska Hargitay’s Foundation for survivors of Sexual Abuse, Domestic Violence and Child Sexual Abuse. Good Luck to you Shaun
Thanks everyone for the support today! It meant a lot to see everyone excited and believing in what Nate and I are doing. Please continue to vote for us daily. We need all the support we can gather. Me Ra will post a couple reminders. If you join us on facebook you’ll get reminded daily!
Great idea….I voted!
I’m so glad I came here to read your blog post instead of just going off of the link to the entry from Facebook. I would never have realized I could vote every day. Shaun, this idea seems inspired by God and if that is true, you will soar with or without Pepsi’s money. I will vote daily for you. And I think you may be right about getting on Oprah first, but you’ve got to get there soon. Isn’t this supposed to be her last season? Good luck!
Shauni-eeeeeeeeee! Me Ra’s ‘midget’ here. You just might beat Me Ra and Shae there – how cool is that to have a race like that between sibs?
Wonderful idea. And setting criteria for who/what receives is such a critical aspect. Pulling together an advisory board would help – people you respect and come from different needed domains of life (financial, legal, activist, etc.). Then you’re not flying completely alone. And I hope you fly BIG!
Another question inherent in this: would I use it? Yes, if I knew I could immediately and easily donate to a cause I respected and wanted to give a few dollars to, I would. So I would like a way to choose my cause or organization. Or I would enjoy responding to requests for help once I knew you were choosing deserving, low overhead, on-the-ground causes. My two cents! ๐
One more thing: check out http://www.feestofunds. They set up merchant accounts that give back a percentage of their fees to non-profits of your choice. Tell Steve I sent you. Anyone who wants to set up a socially just merchant account, I recommend them highly.