This post was guest blogged by Kevan Gilbert of the Union Gospel Mission, a non-profit urban relief organization providing hope for the hungry, hurting and homeless of Vancouver since 1940.
The final totals are in: John Chow’s readers donated over $3000 to Union Gospel Mission, and with John’s offer to match every penny, that makes it $6,132.48.
2,367 people will be able to enjoy a meal at UGM thanks to the donation by John Chow and his readership. I know for some of our guests, that sandwich or bowl of soup can be their first real meal they’ve had in days and days. The thing is, I bet that NONE of those 2,367 people will ever hear about John Chow. Sure he’ll get attention on the web, but when you know the true recipients of your gift will never hear your name, that kind of humility is worth respecting.
If you were feeling cynical about the web, consider this campaign the antidote. You CAN make a difference with your blog, with your social network, with your Twitter readership. Blogging is NOT a waste of time; you’re building up a platform that can really make a huge impact when called upon.
Before the campaign launched, I helped John get the graphics and text he needed to talk about Thanksgiving at UGM, but this was John’s idea from the very start. It was 2006 when John decided that some of his income could be diverted to charity, and John chose UGM as one of three local non-profits who he could donate to. Since then, I have been thoroughly impressed and grateful for the generosity John has shown.
Thanks, John, and thanks too to every single person who contributed to UGM as part of this campaign. The difference you made is tangible. For what linkbacks from a little site like ours are worth, I’ll include your names and websites below:
Quinton Pullen, Benito and Verney Kho, Linda Bustos, Aaron Fedora, Michael Kwan, Daniel Ferreira, John Gregg, Merendi Networks Inc., Duane Storey, Chris D, Tony Chung, Laidback Geek, Jamie Harrop, Wayne, Deborah A. Freeman, Bonnie Sainsbury, Cadillac Blog, Hubcaps, Wait Til A Commercial, Nishadha Silva, Matthew Kidd, Gary Ng, Lyndonology, Kat Sanders, Elaine Yu, Chris Guthrie, Rain Coaster, Credit Cards, American Express Platinum, Dan Williams, Webkinz, Ryan Green, John Lee, Grip Money, Jordan Garn, Pushpalata Shah, Cool Gadgets, Webtraffic ROI, Ben Collins, Bryn Youngblut
I LOVE that web communities are helping transform this city. Let’s keep this going. If you have a blog, if you’re on Facebook, if you love the web and you want to help Union Gospel Mission REALLY change lives all around Vancouver, then drop me a line: kgilbert@ugm.ca. I’ll work with you to figure out what kind of support UGM can give you (from landing pages to graphics), and you can bounce ideas off me that you might have. The web can change the world.