In the spirit of the season I wanted to take a moment to recognize and promote some charities that were founded by members of the telepresence industry and a couple that are near and dear to some of us at the Human Productivity Lab.  The list includes: Bicycles for Humanity co-founded by Pat Montani, CEO & Co-founder of IP-V Gateways, Vacations for Veterans founded by Chris Carr, Director of Video Markets at MASERGY, The Appleseed Project which I am supporting, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation which was nominated by John Serrao.  If anyone knows of any other worthy efforts supported by members of the industry then please pass them along and we will add them to the list.


Bicycles for Humanity
Bicycles for Humanity is a non-profit founded by IP-V Gateway's CEO Pat Montani that collects unused bikes in North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the western world and ships them to developing countries, primarily in Africa, where they change lives by providing transportation for local entrepreneurs, charities, and deserving individuals.

Some of the groups that benefit from Bicycles for Humanity include:

• Women, who typically spend more time walking than men through performing domestic duties like gathering food, water and firewood.
• Children, who face long walks to school and arrive too tired to learn, or simply don't attend
• Healthcare workers, who often walk long distances to provide medication and counselling to people living with HIV/AIDS and malaria in their homes
• Unemployed people, who can start bike shops, delivery businesses, tourism ventures or spin off projects making trailers, racks and other addons.
  

 

A News Story on Bicycles for Humanity

In 2008 Bicycles for Humanity focused on distributing Bicycling Empowerment Centres (BEC) around the world.  A BEC is a bicycle shop in a box, ready to be delivered to any community in a developing country. Stocked with 300-400 bicycles, tools, spare parts and accompanied by comprehensive training in bicycle mechanics, it is designed to empower disadvantaged people and their communities with their own transport and their own means of maintaining it. The BEN Namibia, Okathitu update on a BEC will give you a better idea of how it works and the benefits derived.

How to Help: Donate - Time, Money, or Bikes/Tools/Spare Parts., Sponsor a Bicycle Empowerment Centre, Organize fundraising activities to help fund the cost of a shipping container, shipping to a deserving community, tools and in-country delivery

Vacations for Veterans
Vacations for Veterans is a non-profit founded by Chris Carr, Director of Video Markets at MASERGY Communications, and his wife Peggy.  Chris is a former Marine Corp infantry officer and veteran of Operation Desert Storm and Peggy is a former Marine Corp legal officer and both were looking for a pro-active way of supporting the troops.  They founded Vacations for Veterans to provide recently wounded veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a well deserved vacation.  The organization collects donations of unused time in vacation homes which they then pair up with deserving vets. Occasionally, through the genorosity of donors, they are able to provide amenities like airline tickets, a rental car, and even the occasional fishing trip.   
  

Vacations for Veterans - Laura Ingraham Interviews Co-founder Chris Carr

A  recent example of Vacations for Veterans at work is the story of the young solider saved by the actions of Pfc. Ross McGinnes.  Pfc. McGinnes' squadleader in Iraq was saved when Pfc McGinnes absorbed the blast of a hand grenade with his body.  In November that squadleader contacted Vacations for Veterans seeking assistance with the logistics for a visit to Pfc McGinnes' grave in Arlington National Cemetery on the anniversary of his heroic death.  Vacation for Veterans helped with donated frequent flier miles to take care of the plane ticket, money for a hotel room, and a corporate donation of a free rental car from Enterprise.  Vacations for Veterans helped ensure that the anniversary of Ross McGinnes' death being honored and remembered in the most fitting way possible.. by the presence and gratitude of one of the men he died to save.

How to Help: Donate Time/Money or Frequent Flier Miles AND/OR Donate Time in your Vacation Home. 


The Appleseed Project

Here is an organization that I am personally supporting: The Appleseed Project is an effort of the Revolutionary War Veteran's Association that both teaches the history of the American Revolution and takes Americans from being simple rifle owners to being true riflemen. All throughout American history, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away -- no ifs, ands or buts about it. This 500-yard range is traditionally known as "the rifleman's quarter-mile;" a rifleman can hit just about any target he can see. This skill was particularly evident in the birth of our country, and was one of the important capabilities that allowed the colonies to win the Revolutionary War.


The Appleseed Project's Sam Damewood recounts the history of the American Revolution on the Alex Jones Show.

Should tyranny ever come to the shores of the United States through either foreign invasion or the traitorous actions of special interests and corrupt politicians then the last line of defense will be a "well regulated militia".  The Appleseed Project is ensuring that the heritage of the American rifleman not only survives but thrives.

I am taking my oldest son to an Appleseed shoot in Ramseur, North Carolina this weekend January 3rd & 4th.  Ramseur is not too far from Nortel in Raleigh-Durham so hopefully we might see some other members of the industry developing/refining their skills as "High-Speed Operators" and learning the history of the American Revolution.     

How to Help: Donate (Your Donation Matched 2 to 1 by an Appleseed Benefactor!), Attend an Appleseed Shoot, Become an Appleseed Instructor.    

The Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been called "the ACLU for the digital age".  They fight for our constitutional rights in the digital domain.  They helped bring a lawsuit against ATT for illegally and unconstituionally spying on the American people, took the big media companies to court to stop them from shutting down new hardware technologies, and made sure the technological shortcomings of the Diebold digital voting systems became public knowledge.

 

     Room 641A: The EFF's NSA / AT&T Spying Cartoon

As our world digitizes all of its information, it is important that the rule of law follows.  The EFF is one of the most effective organizations in making sure powerful interests maintain their legal constraints in the digital world.  They deserve our support.

How to Help:  Donate.