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An Auction for a date with a SINGLE GOOD LOOKING SURFER. How much would you offer? $1000...more???

With the highest bidder enjoying a paid dinner, a tandem bicycle ride, a free haircut and predinner drinks on date night. The deal gets sweeter....

The money raised goes to SurfAid, a not for profit humanitarian organization with the aim to improve the health, well being and self reliance of people living the Mentawai and Nias islands of Indonesia and Sumatra. 

Saltmotion in Manly organized this FUN fundraising night with 6 of Sydney's hottest surfers donating themselves for the Auction.

A whole lot of fun for a serious cause. A whopping $6405aud was raised in one night!!!! 

That is more than $1000 per auction 'item' on average!! 

In terms of saving lives this amount will be spent on '492 mosquito nets which will provide protective 'insecticide halo's' around villages which will assist to disrupt the parasite cycle of infection and reinfection' says saltmotion. See fun pics of the night here.

I hear you asking to tell you more about SurfAid.

In 1999 Physician and surfer Dr Dave Jenkins went to the Mentawai Islands to find the perfect wave. The surf proved to be everything he hoped for BUT he was astonished by the needless suffering and preventable deaths in this region. He had to do something! Hence his involvement in establishing SurfAid in 2000.

Did you know?

• Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of 17 000 islands
• The Indonesian population is the 4th largest in the world with a total of 240 million inhabitants
• With approx 19 million people trying to survive on less than $1US a day and 120 million people surviving on less than $2US a day
• The poorest areas of Indonesia are the remote islands where people cannot access basic public services (education, healthcare, work )
• In the Mentawai Islands this results in unecessary deaths. Especially among pregnant women and children under 5. With unacceptably high levels of malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria, acute respiratory infections and inadequate maternal health care.

Rather than just giving the hardware to provide a short term solution SurfAid tackle these problems from a community development philosophy. Providing education and ensuring communities and local governments commit to improving their situations together in a hands on approach. They believe 'Huge possibility lies within each and every one of us, no matter how isolated our community might be, or how little formal education we might have received'.

SurfAid cover a range of Programs including: (They have some great videos of their work  for each program)

1. Malaria
2. Community based Health
3. Water + Sanitation
4. Emergency preparedness
5. Emergency Response
6. Schools

Here is a great example of two complementary organizations coming together to DO GOOD! Surf Aid and Saltmotion for the benefit of many.

What are you passionate enough about to fundraise for? 

Do yourself a favor and LIKE Saltmotion and SurfAid's facebook pages to hear more FUN and inspirational surf stories helping communities at home and abroad. 

This blogpost is about GOOD people doing GOOD things

SHOP by GoodieDo's DO GOOD criteria Australia

SHOP by GoodieDo's DO GOOD criteria Hong Kong

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Do you often say: "Wanna fight aye? Wanna fight?"

OR are you under the belief that if you have been through child birth you are one TOUGH MUDDER?

May ALL real Tough Mudders please STAND UP!

If you haven't yet heard about the most testing obstacle course on the planet then you are obviously NOT TOUGH ENOUGH!

These hardcore 20km obstacle courses are designed by British Special Forces to test individuals stamina, strength, mental grit and camaraderie.

Participants must PLEDGE before starting

As a Tough Mudder I pledge that........

I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge

I put team work and comraderie before my course time

I do not whine- kids whine

I help my fellow Mudders complete the course

I overcome all fears

We are talking mud, fire, ice-water and 10,000 volts of electricity as a few of the obstacles to get though on this grueling course. Tough Mudder's are team players who make sure no one gets left behind. Through this course participants gain a massive sense of accomplishment and camaraderie which is 'experienced all too rarely these days' 

This world class event is to be staged next in Sydney on the 22nd and 23rd of September. You can still sign up.

I write about it because my husband Adam is training to participate in this event. And tough Mudder has raised a whopping $3.4million for the Wounded Warrior Project. A project which helps to support thousands of warriors returning from the battlefields. Every dollar raised helps to provide:

• Combat stress recovery programs
• Adaptive sports programs
• Benefits counseling
• Employment services and more

A team of wounded Warriors is hosted in every event. They carry a Wounded Warrior Project flag.

Here's what ex service men and women say about the course.

SUPPORTERS of all participants can buy your spectator ticket here prior to the day to save 50% on your spectator ticket.

Wishing all of the Sydney Tough Mudders a fun challenge together and may you all grow through this event beyond your wildest expectations! And meet many great comrades(friends) in the process!

Can't wait til this exciting event in only 3 weeks time!!!

This blog post is about GOOD people doing GOOD things for communities and giving.

SHOP by GoodieDo's DO GOOD Criteria Australia

SHOP by GoodieDo's DO GOOD Criteria Hong Kong

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"Children are great imitators so give them something great to imitate" (Anonymous) AND teach them to be responsible through their actions.

Kids4kids is a non profit organization founded in Hong Kong who inspire and empower kids of all ages to make positive changes in the world through their meaningful actions both in their local community and globally.

They host competitions like 

• Art for a Cause  - partnering with G.O.D to produce 6 unique designs for 'My Hong Kong' placemats
• Writing for a Cause- to engage kids with their writing skills to produce published books.

    

Products produced from these competitions are are sold to raise funds for children's charities.

Kids4kids community outreach program includes a:

Reading Program in which volunteer children read to younger children at kindergartens and childcare centers, to instill the love of reading in the children being read to. 

What great ROLE MODELS for the younger children!

Play Program- Volunteer children go to the Princess Margaret Hospital to play with sick children and children with special needs.

Kids4kids have many great events which you can be a part of. 

In April 2011 following China's devastating earthquakes they organized a group of young people to travel to Yunnan Province in China to help make a difference at Long Bin Primary School. See below.

You can support this great program or get involved by:

1. Liking them on facebook
2. Become a volunteer
3. Buy a gorgeous book or placemat as a gift
4. Watch out for their fundraiser profile on GoodieDo- coming soon! (We will donate 30% of sales to their program!)

P.S. Inspirational, action oriented kids make earth moving adults. Let's encourage this movement!

This blog post is about things GOOD for Communities and GOOD for Giving

Shop GOOD for Communities

Shop GOOD for Giving

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If you made $1M in 12 days by 'being a professional asshole' and I must state CLEVER!  Would you GIVE $280,000 of it to charity?

Just by cutting out the middle man in promotions and setting up his own website and offering his latest stand up special: Live at the Beacon to fans online for $5 Comedian Louis C.K. hit the million dollar mark in sales on day 12 of its release.

Louis told fans "That's alot of money. Really too much money. I've never had a million dollars all of a sudden. and since we're all sharing this experience and since it is really your money......I want to set an example of what you can do if you all of a sudden have a million dollars that people just gave to you directly because you told jokes."

He is breaking the million into four pieces. 

1. 250k will pay back what the special cost to produce and to build the website

2. 250k for staff and the people working with Louis C.K. on the special show. 'I'm giving them a big fat bonus.'

3. 280k split between the following charities The Fistula Foundation, The Pablove Foundation, charity:water, micro lending through Kiva, Green Chimneys.

4. 220k for himself. "Some of that will pay my rent and will care for my children. The rest I will do terrible, horrible things with and none of that is any of your business. In any case, to me, 220k is enough out of a million."

Fans can feel great that they have not only got a side splitting show for their $5 they have also helped a talented person give forward in their purchase to bettering the world.

When we talk about conscious consumerism this is a GREAT example.

Looking for a cheap night in a way to give more to charity and a good laugh then BUY THE THING!

P.S If being an asshole makes Louis C.K. another million he has pledged to give more of it away. "If it pools up around me, it needs to be flushed back into the system".

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Are you raising money or running a non profit and asking for donations?

Is your strategy currently PAYING OFF?

Sally Hogshead author of 'Fascinate: Unlocking the 7 triggers of influence, persuasion, and captivation'  writes about 

LUST, 

MYSTIQUE, 

ALARM, 

PRESTIGE, 

POWER, 

VICE 

TRUST

as being the 7 key elements to being MEMORABLE. She outlines with many examples how experiences in life are chosen by us because of these seven underlying triggers, which we are often unaware of.

You know that feeling when you come across something FASCINATING and you are left lingering for MORE......?

There's something you just cant put your finger ON,  you have to see it AGAIN!

It's like an itch that won't go away. 

The more you itch it, the more you WANT TO ITCH IT!

In this book Sally answers the question 'Are beautiful people STILL more attractive with the lights OFF?' The answer to this is YES they smell better......

apparently: 'through scent, we can unconsciously detect gene makeup in other people.'

She goes on to explain the psychological reasoning behind shoe fetishes and provides an extremely useful self evaluation critique of how fascinating your company, brand or product is. 

This book is extremely useful for any who would like their story retold. From this you will understand how large companies such as Coca Cola create a lasting impression.

If you would like to FIND OUT how to:

• recruit supporters of your cause by the truckload because you are just SOOOO fascinating
• get others to buy products that you love and support
• WOW people and create a lasting impression 

THEN

1) click HERE and find the new fascinating YOU or buy it for that person or company in your life you find BOOOOOORING!!!

2) Then click add to basket (They even have FREEEE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!!!) and whammo you will finally understand why you just have to have Chinese fried noodles every Friday night for dinner.

P.S This is why I LOVE using products which have a great story behind them, retelling that story is just SOOO FASCINATING, not to mention FUN!

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I blogged a few weeks ago about Ailish and Ash, two great kids who are putting together a series of videos to empower kids with information and motivation to make positive change in the world.  I've never met them, but I love them!  I learned through their tweets @TheYouCrew that they are participating in the Winter Sleepout 2011 organized by Mission Australia.

The Winter Sleepout is an event that is organized by different groups of supporters to raise money and awareness for homelessness.  The money raised goes to fund the various homeless services run by Mission Australia. These services include shelter, food, clothing and support to help homeless individuals and families get back on their feet.  Apparently these sleepouts have been taking place for over 20 years in weird and wonderful places such as the Toronga Zoo and the Sydney House Opera steps!

For many people and families homelessness is an issue that can spring up suddenly and without much warning due to lost jobs or mental illness. Its an extremely hard fight to win and come back from. If you have a few extra dollars, please consider supporting Ailish and Ash in their campaign.  They are just under half-way to meeting their goal of AU$360.  Alternatively start a Winter Sleepout campaign of your own!

Thanks for reading and Happy Friday!  Belinda, my partner in GoodieDo, will be taking over the blog for next week.  Enjoy!

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The American Women's Association of Hong Kong is one of the largest women's run volunteer and charity organizations in Hong Kong. Every year they organize a fabulous bazaar during the holiday season full of fantastic Hong Kong shops and vendors selling everything from chocolate to baby toys to jewelry and sleepwear.  I have been going to the bazaar for a number of years and love spending a few hours browsing and sampling.  There is a fantastic bake sale with stacks of treats donated by members and its fun to indulge!  I always manage to come home with some great buys for myself and some very unique gifts that are always loved by the recipients.  All proceeds from the bazaar are donated to local Hong Kong charities.  Last year the AWA donated a total of HK$1.3 million to various charities and organizations in the city!  

We are thrilled to announce that GoodieDo will be participating in this year's bazaar in partnership with our lovely organic baby clothes partner, Organic Family.  We'll be selling a great range of our most popular gifts including hand loomed scarves, baby toys, handmade jewelry and funky t-shirts.  Its going to be a great day out, so don't miss your chance to shop for great gifts that give in more ways than one!

Details are as follows:

DATE: 8th of November

TIME: 10am - 6pm

PLACE: Hong Kong Jockey Club, Happy Valley Race Course

We'll see you there!

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Rachel was an average American girl with not so average dreams.  For her 9th birthday she wanted to forgo birthday gifts for donations to her favorite cause, charity: water. Her dream was to raise US$300 by her birthday on June 12th in order to help 15 people have access to clean water, but she came up a few dollars short. Tragically Rachel passed away in a car accident 2 weeks ago and since then she has inspired thousands to give and help her reach and surpass her dream. To date Rachel's campaign has raised US$765,328 and this will provide clean water to 38,266 people, the largest amount EVER raised in a charity: water campaign.  Rachel's selfless acts and the outpouring of donations and kindness from around the world in her memory is a testament to the generosity of humankind. Let it serve as an inspiration to us all to open our hearts and help others however we can. To donate to Rachel's campaign, visit her campaign page.  

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I love discovering great new fair trade and ethical products.  I especially get excited about fair trade coffee, as I have fond memories from living in Rwanda and enjoying a fresh cup of local coffee every morning. Yum!  I recently discovered Three Avocados Coffee, a non-profit coffee company that donates 100% of its proceeds to providing clean water in Uganda. What a great idea!  

Three Avocados was formed just over a year and a half ago by a group of Christians after a mission trip to Uganda. During their trip they were inspired by a widow's church offering of yes, you guessed it, three avocados. The widow did not have any money, so she placed the avocados in the offering basket which was passed around. This offering was so the pastor, who does not earn any money, would have something to eat. Inspired by a poor woman who gave all that she had to help others, the group left Uganda brainstorming ways to give back.  Their goal "is to ensure the poor throughout the world are cared for and never forgotten." 

Every cup of coffee that is made from their beans holds this beautiful message. I haven't tasted their coffee yet, but reviewers say its fantastic and it can't hurt to start off your morning with such good karma. I'mheaded to the US this week and I am looking forward to trying it! 

You can buy it on their website if you are living in the US or Canada. In addition, they have a fundraising program where you can sell their coffee to raise money for your own cause.  That is also something close to our hearts because GoodieDo has a fundraising program too!

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We love seeing kids who go the extra mile to give back to their community. These two kids, Ruby and Brooke, are good friends that are graduating from the Grays Point Public School this year.  Every year the graduating sixth grade class works together to raise money to buy the school a gift in appreciation for all of the support the class received over the past seven years.  Ruby and Brooke have decided to go out on their own to try to raise additional funds for the gift by selling fairtrade sports balls from Jinta.  They will ask all of their friends, neighbors and relatives to support their fundraising efforts buy purchasing great quality and ethically made sports balls.  The girls are big netball and soccer fans and they love the idea of being able to support fairtrade products while helping their school too.  Good luck to you, Ruby and Brooke and great job in getting active in giving back to your community!  Please help us spread the word about Ruby and Brooke's campaign.  To support them by purchasing fairtrade sports balls or any other ethical and environmentally friendly products on our site, visit their campaign page.

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