At the end of 2011, my wife Jen and I decided we would give of either our time or our money at least once per week in 2012. We decided to donate at least two hours of our time or at least $25 each week. As we began the new year, many of our friends were interested in our new commitment, and so I decided to write about the organizations we work with and the experiences we have. The stories told here are meant to shed some light on volunteering - the kind of work that is out there, and the clientele that is served, and to provide information about who is making a difference out there, and what you can do to help. Please come back often and share our experiences as we move through our giving year.

Also, we are always looking for new organizations to work with, groups that are doing good work and could use either our hands or our money. If you know of a volunteer opportunity or worthy cause, please leave it in a comment. Thanks for your help!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Week 5 - Shakespeare Link Canada

This week, we found an opportunity to give that is very close to our hearts.  It does not put food in the mouths of hungry people, but we both feel it is important all the same. 

Shakespeare Link Canada is a group devoted to using the works of Shakespeare to try to make the world a better place.  They do this in a number of ways, but the one that caught our attention was a project in Mozambique.  For this project, SLC brings accomplished Shakespearean actors to Quelimane, Mozambique to work with local music and dance groups to create performances that speak to the problems facing the people of Mozambique - the devastating prevalence of AIDS, the unjust nature of gender relations, and the overwhelming poverty.  This year, the group will be producing "A Winter's Tale", and will include my friend, Matt Schwader.  In order to get the entire group of artists to Mozambique this summer, SLC is trying to raise $28,000 now.  They are a couple thousand dollars along the way to their goal, but they have a long way to go and can use all the help they can get.

We gave to SLC because we believe that plays can help spread compassion and understanding, and that more compassion and understanding means less hatred and violence.

If you would like to help send these committed artists to Mozambique, you can donate here: (the site also has information about the group and the other things they do around the world)

Shakespeare Link Canada

* If this link gives you problems, try again a little later.  It seems to be getting more hits than it can handle...
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