I'm Asking You

Hey--we've known each other awhile, eh? And in all that time I haven't asked you for anything.

But I'm asking now.

If you're anywhere that Christmas, Hannukah, or any one of the midwinter festivals religious, secular, or just plain wack, is celebrated in any way, then you're probably digging deep to find that special gift for that special someone, to stock up with food for the annual feast, or to get enough booze together to get decently tight before you have to deal with your in-laws.

This will all cost you a pretty penny. In fact, it will cost you a downright gorgeous dollar.

Did you have a cup of coffee today? It probably cost about a buck-fifty. Will you drink eight of those this week?

Of course, if you're addicted to the sweet frothy coffees served at the trendy chains you could be spending five dollars or so. D'you think you'll drink two of them this week?

How about saving a life? Do you have ten bucks to do that?

I'm asking you to do this: before you run out to fight the hordes at the mall for another piece of noisy plastic that'll be trashed as soon as its batteries run out, visit Spread the Net and make a ten dollar donation.

It's tax-deductible and you'll feel a little better as you walk by all the festive holiday panhandlers while deliberately avoiding looking at them, or duck in through side doors to avoid the Salvation Army Santas at the main entrance. That's what I do. But I feel okay. Because I contributed a sizeable chunk of my daily salary to fight malaria.

Ten-dollar gifts may seem like drops in the ocean. But Regina Rabinovich of the Gates Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic agencies in the world, says small private gifts complement official aid in multiple ways.

--Even The Economist--that bastion of loony left-wing thinking--believes in the simple power of $10 bed nets to make a difference.
If you need any proof whether this is a worthwhile effort--it's a UNICEF project, by the way--ask Mr. Rick Mercer. Or The Economist. But Mercer's more fun.

It's ten lousy dollars people. You spent that much on ice cream last week, on coffee, on unleaded gas to ensure you didn't have to walk all the way to the corner store.

Check your sofa cushions, then pony up. Donate here.

I'm asking you. Please.