Charitable Gift Giving

I’d heard of the investment that new parents have to make in disposable diapers but until I became a father I didn’t realize just how costly it was. In my head I calculated a certain cost over a certain amount of time but little did I realize that my daughter had other ideas. Her diaper would be wet, so I’d change it. In the process of changing it her little sprinkler would go off and soak the new diaper I was putting on her (and everything around it). I’d change it again and then a minute later I’d smell the unmistakable aroma of poop. And so on.

We take it for granted in our society that we can just plop down another 50 bucks and get a brand new set of diapers that we can toss out with the trash. And when we need to go ourselves, we go and then we flush it away, sight unseen.

But there are still a lot of places in the world where this is just a fantasy. Each year, over 2 million people die from disease caused by fecal matter, including dysentery, cholera, typhus fever, typhoid, and diarrhea. And tragically, this is one of the leading killers of children under age 5.

Michael Wahl saw this problem. He was doing volunteer work in Haiti building latrines. But then he realized that while this was helping solve the problem for adults, there were babies everywhere who were naked and whose fecal matter was ending up all over.

His solution was to find a reusable diaper that was comfortable in hot climates, but was also washable, reusable, absorbent, and quick to dry. But he couldn’t find anything like this on the market. So he invented it. The DriButts Diaper.

It’s a brilliant solution that consists of a dri-wick outer shell and inside an absorbent, breathable material made from bamboo material and other fabrics that are soft and anti-bacterial.

It’s comfortable for children even in hot climates, and it’s easy to clean and dry. In addition to providing these diapers to thousands of mothers and babies in need, DriButts also provides them with education on how to properly use the diapers, how to properly dispose of human waste, how to clean the diapers, and how it will help them and their communities combat disease.

This is one of those products that you can’t buy for yourself, because quite simply, you don’t need it. But buying just two for a needy family at a cost of less than a box of disposable diapers can change their lives, all the way from infancy to potty training.

Dributts also accepts donations and volunteers to help with this amazing work. Check them out at their Web site.

A few weeks before my little girl was born my wonderful co-workers splurged for me and got me a Mamaroo Bouncer. My coworkers had talked to me about it, saying that this was his go-to gift for new babies. I admittedly sort of rolled my eyes when he first told me about it, but after a few weeks of seeing it in action I’m convinced

Outwardly it looks like a standard infant seat and bouncer. The difference is that this device was made for the 21st century. Instead of having to push it yourself, you fire up an app on your iPhone or Android device and control it to gently move in one of six ways–gently flowing like a car ride, up and down like a kangaroo, side to side like a tree swing, gently rocking like your arms, and undulating like floating on the ocean.

Okay, I know what most of you are thinking. How lazy can you be? And isn’t this a little impersonal, wouldn’t it be better for baby if you can rock her in your arms? And so I thought until one night when baby first started to exhibit colicky symptoms. No amount of rocking or singing seemed to help.

Then I sat her up in the Mamaroo. Without even starting the motion she was out cold in a few minutes. There was something about the angle of the seat (which you can position to anywhere from lying down to sitting up) that helped her calm down; I’m guessing she hadn’t digested all her formula so sitting up was helping her. The seat with the infant insert made her feel snug, secure and warm. I’d been given the advice of sitting the baby up in her car seat for instances where she’s got the hiccups, gas, or reflux (or all three), but I found her car seat to be way too confining. Moving her to the Mamaroo was like giving her an upgrade from coach to business class.

As a newborn she didn’t really “get” the whole motion thing. She’d either be oblivious to it or act confused. But as she grows older I see that she’s starting to respond to it.

As with any baby accessory, this one doesn’t take the place of spending time with your baby and doing all you can to calm her down. But it’s a nice tool to have in your arsenal in those wee hours of the morning when your arms start to give out. The unit also plays white noise (heartbeat, ocean, fan, rain) which I think I find more soothing for myself than baby does. And you can also connect a cell phone or MP3 player to rock with the music.

One thing I didn’t realize until recently was that 4moms, the company that makes the Mamaroo, also does a ton of work with families in need, non-profits, and hospitals.

They donate units to NICU and pediatric units of hospitals to help nurses calm their most fussy new arrivals. If you’ve witnessed a hospital nursery, you’ll notice that one fussy baby can start a chain reaction (sort of like one fussy adult can). They also donate units to qualified organizations running silent auctions and from time to time they’ll post on their blog about some of the organizations they help support.

This is the sort of product I love highlighting on this blog–one from an innovative company whose employees have passion for their product and for helping others.

Interesting in getting a free PC game? To celebrate the launch of the upcoming movie Hitman and its associated video game, GameChanger Charity is collecting donations to help those with pediatric cancer.

Just visit 47vscancer.org and for as little as $1 you’ll get a Steam code for Hitman Absolution, a very highly reviewed game that retails for $20. You can donate more, of course.

Game Changer is a non-profit that helps children with life-threatening illnesses and their families with direct services to hospital patients and staff, financial support in the form of financial aid and scollect scholarships, and providing unique inspirational video game packages. They generate revenue from processing donated computer equipment and supplies, and hosting gaming events and then donate the funds to charity.

The charity was founded in 2007, by Jim Carol after witnessing the impact video games had on his son Taylor during a 5 year battle with Leukemia.

Help out a great cause and get a great game to boot.

Seems that everywhere you turn these days people are giving you water bottles. I have about a dozen from various conferences, half a dozen from store openings, another half dozen from promotions, and even one from work (a cheap made-in-China bottle in lieu of a bonus last year).

More often than not these things are junk. When you think about it, they use the same plastic to make these “valuable” water bottles as they do to make the cups and containers you throw away every day. While I used to collect these thinking they’d be useful one day, nowadays more often than not I’ll just toss them.

There are two brands that I do trust, and which fall squarely into the “you get what you pay for” category. This first is Swell, which I wrote about a few years ago. The second, which I’ll write about today, is the Hydro Flask Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle. Both are double wall insulated metal bottles which unlike the bottle at work which will scald my hand if I put a tablespoon of boiling water in it, will be cool to the touch outside, keep the hot hot and the cool cool inside, and never ruin your clothes with condensation on the outside.

The Hydro Flash has a lifetime warranty and comes in nine colors. They’re great for hiking, the beach, the gym, road trips, and anywhere else you need to keep to keep things insulated for a long time. You’ll be the only one on the golf course with an ice cold beverage on the 18th hole and the only one on the ski trip with a steaming cup of soup 10 hours into your day.

Hydro Flask donates 5% back to a charity of your choice. Just go to their site, enter your serial number, select a charity, and 5% of the proceeds they got from your bottle will go to them. You can choose from Adopt-A-Classroom, the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Charity: Water, Fair Trade USA, Habitat for Humanity, Kids in the Game, Leave No Trace, Special Olympics, the Surfrider Foundation, the United Way, and the World Wildlife Fund.

For what’s sure to be a very limited time, Amazon has reduced the price of the Hydro Flask from $36.99 to $29.49. Get on it quick!

Every now and then I like to highlight a startup that wants to focus on helping causes. While Kickstarter is filled with tons of new business ideas from people who want to get rich quick, it’s rare to see startups that use their innovation to help others.

While the concept of “fair trade” is very well established by now, The Fabric of Humanity goes beyond that idea and created something called “Wearable Philanthropy”, referring to a revolutionary way they empower not only the makers of their clothing, but their communities as well. 

The price tag will contain a URL and a QR code that brings you to a video of those who built your garment and their community in need. The actual number of dollars from your garment that will be donated to the community is displayed with full transparency. 

Customers will then vote on various projects in the community to impact the community. Contributions are added to a fund for a number of months. 

Already they’re working with communities in some of the hardest hit ares of the world, including a T-shirt from Tado Colombia (pictured) and Yak cardigans and purses from Mongolia (pictured). In addition, they also have products made in the US and Canada.

How can you help? The Fabric of Humanity has launched their Kickstarter campaign. You can help spread the word about this great opportunity not just to get a great deal on some high quality clothes, but also to get in on the ground floor of a fantastic idea. 

As with all Kickstarter campaigns there are perks for getting in early and pledging more.

 Here is the link to their Kickstarter! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/754086373/wearable-philanthropy-the-fabric-of-humanity

Disclosure: We participate in the eBay Partner Network (EPN) meaning we may earn a commission when users click on links to eBay and make purchases. 

I’ve been a fan of computer baseball games for as long as I can remember. Back when I was a kid I spent hours with my Mattell Electronics Handheld baseball game. I then logged hours playing Hardball for the Apple //e, getting obsessed to the point where I’d even keep box scores of my games. Over the years I kept looking for the most realistic computer baseball games out there, culminating most recently in an under-appreciated game for the Wii called The Cages: Pro Style Batting Practice and every version of MLB The Show for the Playstation. What I liked most about the latter two is its “virtual reality” where it lets you feel like you’re in the game.

Most recently I heard of a new game for iOS called PORTALBALL – Jordan Edelson. When I heard the premise of the game I started to roll my eyes. In it, you’re a participant in an alien invasion of Earth, and you fight off the invaders with–what else–pitching, hitting, and fielding a baseball.

Shake premise aside, once I downloaded the game I really loved it, as it pushes the envelope on a lot of things. First of all, it uses your phone’s camera to enable “augmented reality” so that the background of the game screen is your actual surroundings, against which you bat, field, and pitch balls. As you turn your body, the scene turns with you.

Gameplay itself is simple. To throw a ball you flick it with your finger or thumb. To bat, you swipe forward and back. To catch, you position your phone to match the ball. In all cases you’ll see a bullseye that serves as a “radar” to show you where the next ball is coming from.

Here’s a screenshot of me throwing a baseball at my living room window. Don’t worry, no glass nor pedestrians were harmed in the taking of this screenshot!

You can play against others in cyberspace, or just practice on your own.

What’s really cool about this game is its co-creator: Joe Girardi. That’s right, the same Joe Girardi who was catcher for the Yankees and is now their manager. In addition to providing ideas for the gameplay, Girardi also provided his baseball expertise to make the experience as realistic as possible. For example, when you swing a bat it’s Girardi’s actual swing path that’s represented on the screen.

There are a number of bonus in-game purchases for things like a virtually signed Girardi ball. Proceeds will be donated to Catch 25, Girardi’s charity that helps people in economic hardship and crisis.

I won’t go as far as to say that Portalball is the greatest computer baseball game ever made, I can say it introduces some really innovative things with augmented reality that make it worth the download for any baseball fan, and in-game purchases go to support a really great cause.