How many times have you thought about doing something, but just not
gotten around to it? Maybe it's something seemingly small, like
calling a friend. Or maybe you've been thinking about helping
out with a worthwhile cause, but haven't made the time.
Well, now is the time. The 30 Day Challenge is a
new initiative designed to motivate people to do those things
they've been putting off, large and small. "One small
act of kindness per day can make
a lasting difference to you and everyone you touch," says
Challenge creator Marissa Gilbert. She designed the Challenge with
the help of friend and co-organizer, Remy Kurland, to be a fun
combination of social media, altruistic endeavor and social
experiment. The Challenge will run from Monday, June 22 through
Tuesday, July 21, 2009 (you can join in at any point throughout the
month).
The Challenge is based at www.The30Day.com. Each day the
site prescribes a new activity that allows participants to help,
support or offer encouragement to a person or worthy cause in the
community. Participants can then post their Challenge experiences
on the blog site.
Examples of Challenge activities include holding a meaningful
intergenerational conversation, paying someone a sincere
compliment, participating in an event and cooking a meal for
someone. Organizers have planned the first 15 days of activities.
The remaining days will be filled mostly by suggestions from
viewers and non-profit organizations, giving everyone a chance to
help build the project.
Corey Weber Pontz Design Studio signed on as the first organization
to take the Challenge. Corey Pontz, owner and creative director,
was so inspired by the concept, that she volunteered to create the
logo design and set up a
website. "When hearing about this social experiment, I knew
that it was important to bring this vision to a reality."
Pontz sought to convey a sense of immediacy in her representation
of the logo with the use of a calendar icon, reminding all who take
the challenge that there's no time like the present. She will
further honor her commitment to this project by joining the
Challenge as a participant.
Kurland notes that the Challenge is actually more about the givers
than the receivers. "When we make a difference in someone
else's life, we make a difference in our own. When we're
sharing our experiences with others, it can have a snowball effect," she says. Gilbert
says the Challenge is timely because of the economy. "People
are redefining themselves by focusing more on values, family and
community. They want to be more than their job titles and material
possessions. They want to be part of something bigger. We plan to
provide that."
Gilbert and Kurland have pooled their talents and experience to
create the Challenge. Gilbert, of Conshohocken, is a senior manager
at Accenture and an executive
coach. Kurland, of Bryn Mawr, attends the Masters in Reading
program at West Chester University and will work this summer at The
Hill Top School in Rosemont.
One of Gilbert's goals when inventing the Challenge was to
create a community project and mentor another leader to take
ownership of it. In developing the project, Gilbert and Kurland
were inspired by the movie, "Pay It
Forward," which showed the impact one boy could have by
doing three favors and asking all the recipients to pay the favor
"forward" instead of back in order to start a chain of
people helping people. Like the boy's idea, they hope this
project will inspire and take on a life of its own.
Links
http://www.The30Day.com
http://www.coreyweberpontz.com
