Friday's Mark with Sylvain Reynard
My guest blogger today made me late to my own birthday celebration. I picked up his novel, Gabriel's Inferno, out of curiosity and became so engrossed I couldn't put it down until I was finished. So it's entirely his fault I was late to meet my family and friends at the local wine house. Lucky for you, he has kindly offered up two free e-copies of Gabriel's Inferno as a giveaway today. My advice to anyone reading his novel for the first time: Set aside a day to completely immerse yourself in the words. ~ Heather
I always thought that giving to charity, especially local charities, was important. But it was always something I pursued privately. It wasn't the kind of thing I mentioned publicly.
When I published my first novel, Gabriel's Inferno, I began interacting with readers on Twitter and Facebook. On occasion, I'd hear about various causes people were supporting, or I'd see tweets from different charities. Shortly thereafter, I read Throwaway by Heather Huffman. Suddenly, my eyes were opened to the global crisis of human trafficking – something I knew very little about. I also learned that Heather donated a portion of her royalties to World Vision.
I began to see my platform as an author as an opportunity to raise awareness about various organizations that help those in need. My strategy wasn't complicated. I simply chose a few charities to support and I began following them on Twitter. I chose one of them each day to be in the "charity spotlight." It was a modest strategy, to be sure. But I'd recently begun reading Claire Diaz-Ortiz's book, "Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time." The book persuaded me that social media had the ability to motivate and to mobilize people for good.
The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation (NILMDTS) is one of the charities I support. Sandy and Cheryl Haggard formed this non-profit organization in 2005 after the loss of their son. NILMDTS administers over seven thousand volunteer photographers across the U.S. and in twenty-five countries, who visit families in the hospital in order to conduct private portrait sessions. You can find out more here: http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/home/
My purpose in raising awareness about NILMDTS is twofold. First, I want to help them grow as an organization so that they can help more families who have lost a child. Second, I want to raise awareness about their services so that a family in crisis can find an NILMDTS photographer when they need one.
Just before Christmas, a few readers contacted me, telling me that they were making donations to NILMDTS. I was deeply moved by their generosity.
Shortly after Christmas, I was contacted by a reader whose stepdaughter had been helped by NILMDTS. Her story reminded me that the focus of charity is to help those in need. Because of someone's donations, NILMDTS was there for her stepdaughter. The donations we make today will help another family in the future – possibly the family of a neighbour or friend, or someone we'll meet on Twitter.
It's easy to think, "I'm only one person. What can I do?" But the purpose in raising awareness is to inspire others to become involved. It begins with a tweet or a blog post, but when someone else is inspired to give and to raise awareness, it becomes much, much more.
I'd like to thank Heather for inviting me to visit her website. And I'd like to thank you for reading,
Sylvain Reynard
The Rules: There are three ways to enter to win a copy of Gabriel's Inferno. You don't have to do all three, just pick one.
Tweet what your #FridaysMark is (be sure to include the hashtag #FridaysMark)
Comment on this blog post with your Friday's Mark (and I'll tweet it for you)
Comment on the link on my Facebook fanpage with your Friday's Mark (again, I'll tweet it for you)
What is a Friday's Mark? It's a simple statement about what you are doing to make the world a better place. Whether you save the whales, rescue strays, work with foster children, volunteer at the soup pantry or simply do your very best to always be kind to the cashier at the grocery store – how do you brighten the world around you? What kind of mark do you leave on the world? Share it with us, and you could win a decadently delightful book for your efforts!
Entries will be accepted through the end of the day on Friday, January 27, 2012.
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