I hear lots of people, one of them always staring blankly back at me in the mirror, say they would give back to charitable causes if they only had more time.
To that bearded procrastinator, and all those out there like him, I’m here to say that there are all sorts of ways that one can give back.
Pittsburgh Steeler Brett Keisel shaved his beard. Which I still don’t agree with but it’s hard to stay mad at someone who sacrificed so much for those less fortunate.
A group of NBA players gave up their own money to pay for a coach’s cancer surgery.
For those of us without the star power to earn money for shaving out beard’s, or the funds to finance major surgery, we can donate clothes, canned goods, spare change, time, or if you happen to be attractive enough, you could auction yourself off to the highest bidder in order to raise money for your cause of choice.
About twenty minutes ago, I learned that former New England Patriots LB Tedy Bruschi is going to be climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in order to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. Bruschi, along with former Titan head coach Jeff Fischer, former Eagles TE Chad Lewis, and four injured service members, will scale the highest peak in Africa from May 13-19.
Bruschi had never climbed a mountain before, but jumped at the chance after missing out on the NFL USO trip to Afghanistan. It is inspirational to think that someone who endured the pounding of an NFL career, and survived a stroke, is volunteering to participate in such an undertaking just to help others.
I don’t have resources to climb Kilimanjaro and much like the shaving of my beard, I doubt anyone would pay me to do it even if I did.
I don’t have a ton of money. I haven’t bought any canned goods in years, and I’m most certainly not attractive enough to earn enough money at auction to buy anything more than a Sunday edition of The New York Times.
But I do have a bunch of extra clothes that I can donate to a homeless shelter.
So thank you Tedy Bruschi and those who will be climbing Kilimanjaro with you.
My closet, and my conscious, are a little less cluttered because of you.
——Corey
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