THIS ARTICLE WAS RECENTLY PUBLISHED IN CATALYST MONTHLY.

It started on a whim at a wedding reception.

We were sitting at a table with a few strangers and an awkward silence. Ignoring the look of embarrassment on my wife’s face, I decided it was my chance to test an idea that had been running through my head, but had never moved forward. “How many of you have gift cards in your wallet or purse that have been sitting in there for more than 6 months? You know, the ones that are starting to stick together from being there so long?” Of course, everyone gave an affirmative head nod. “What if you give them to us and we promised to give them to people in need?” They emptied their wallets and we walked away with $50 in Gift Cards and a new responsibility called GiftCardGiver.com.

After testing our theory in this small social experiment, we started researching and learned that the Gift Card industry has risen to be a $60 billion a year industry. Ever wonder how many of those Gift Cards are unused every year? Between 10-15% are never redeemed. That means $6 billion dollars are waiting to be used for good but sitting on Gift Cards in America alone. A new form of giving has emerged in our culture and we think there is an opportunity to give hundreds of thousands of dollars away in the years ahead.

Giving opportunities happen at the least convenient times. On December 23, just two nights before Christmas, we got a call from a friend informing us of a single working mother with five children named Amina who had just had her home broken into in a South Atlanta neighborhood. She lost all the Christmas presents she had purchased for her children, children’s clothes hanging in the closet, food from the pantry, and even the decorated Christmas tree. While we were dreaming about what we were going to open under our tree in the coming days, she lost everything. Within 24 hours, because of a community of people giving small gift cards from around the country we were able to change her unfortunate situation. We went to Wal-Mart and Target and were able to buy new clothes, new toys, new coats and new shoes for all five children, plus give a Gift Card to restock the kitchen with essential groceries.

A hole in the drywall from where the door was kicked in greeted us that day. Amina’s clothes were still thrown all over her bedroom since she’d been focused on her children. The tears streaming down her face as she told us her story and received our simple gifts are worth more than any gift I have ever received at Christmas. She called us angels, and we were touched immensely by the sacredness of the moment.

How many unused Gift Cards do you have? We guess you have at least five dollars of gift cards in your wallet or purse right now. Your five dollars can give families like Amina’s a glimpse of hope in the midst of the harsh injustices of our broken world. So, please send us your small gift that is making a bid difference in others lives. Thanks for joining a new community of giving.

Support the Gift Card Giver by going to our new conference website: CatalystConference.com - sign-up to win a free Flip Video camera, and we’ll give $1 to the charity of your choice!

We have been in Antigua the last couple days and stumbled upon a new store that is focused on environmental and social responsibility in creating consumer goods called Urban Reclamation. The design of the store featured graffiti artists from the city that is very modern with a mix of southern California and Latin cultures combined. The Bags are made of recycled materials, mostly from billboard and banner materials. The quality is really good with a nicely stitched liner to complete the creation. In a place where most of the artistic expressions begin to look all the same, this creative space for young artisans stands out from the rest of the city. Hopefully, by the end of the day, we will try to figure out an agreement for distribution in America to share with all of you reading about the new cultural artifact.

Her feet were ashy, beaten up, swollen, and storied. Can you imagine being 60 years old and working in no shoes. Imagine the narration her feet could give. A widow and a grandmother of 7 children. She has no home, but she does have a family. Her husband died thirty years ago in the civil way. Her face had a wrinkle for every hard time in her life. We built the house in 4 hours and she lived for 30 years without it. We communicated through 3 translations to understand her thoughts. He daughter was overjoyed with tears about her “big new house.” Meanwhile, most of our personal beds wouldn’t even fit through the door. We are called to care for the widows, now we have a glimpse of why we should. They are souls that comprehend grace more than we could ever imagine. The lives of widows are ones that care for others and none care for them. They are selfless expressions of love. We are selfish. They are hero’s. Meet our new widow friend and her feet: Candelaria.

THE WIDOWS FEET

OUR HERO: THE WIDOW

THE NEW HOME

THE FAMILY BUSINESS

THE LOCAL FARMER

We arrived this morning in Guatemala City and took a long drive into the mountains. On the way up, we stopped by Paulinos, for a traditional meal of Guatemala. It was excellent, a great steak and homemade tortillas. The stat of the day must have been the dogs. They say…there are 14 million people in the country and 28 million stray dogs. We arrived in Chichicastenango tonight and already joined an impromptu soccer game with street kids. Apparently, 30 years ago there was a civil war resulting in thousands of widows. Tomorrow, we get the opportunity to help build a home for a widow in the city. Here are a few glimpses from the day…

HOME MADE TORTILLAS

STREET CHILDREN RADIATING BEAUTY

MADDY. THE DAUGHTER OF A LOCAL MISSION LEADER

SPRAY PAINTED CHICKS. TRUE STORY. PURPLE. GREEN. RED.

FLIP FLOPS. THE INTERNATIONAL SHOE.

THE WIDOWS OF CHICHI.

If anyone knows how to mark the world, it is artisans. Creative people that look beyond a blank canvas and make an artifact that changes humanity forever. Catalyst is filled with creative beings that are making their mark all over the world and we want to share these canvases with others. Catalyst is calling all artists to share their expressions as artisans to share their story or a story of others that are making their mark on culture.

We are calling artists from all over the nation to submit your artistic expression of what “On Your Mark” means. Our hope is to create an art installation of the work created as an exhibit at Catalyst in October. As we receive these creations, we will be featuring the pieces online, promoting your work, linking to your website, sharing your stories, conducting podcast and video interview and together offering a beautiful expression of what it means to mark our world through any and all art forms. The winning art creation will be duplicated as prints and given to all of the Catalyst speakers at the event as a gift from the Catalyst community.

WHAT DOES ‘ON YOUR MARK’ MEAN?
Leadership is marked by the moments that change us. Defining moments that are the milestones on our journey. Moments when our assumptions are challenged. When clarity rushes in. When ambition soars. When we are all called to step out courageously, even in uncertainty. When time stands still, and God helps us see out calling with eternal perspective. We long for moments like this. As we associate them with the places we’ve been and the people who were there with us. For ten years, Catalyst has created moments that have left a mark on each of us, a collective experience what has defined a generation who will envision the endless possibilities of leading change in our world; giving more, doing more, and living more on purpose. How will you make your mark?

STORY IDEAS
1) Share a story of someone you know that has or is making a mark on society.
2) Envision the mark you hope to make on the world.
3) Depict the struggles of finding your mark.
4) Any other graphic depiction that is in the same genre of the theme that means speaks to you.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We are looking for a wide array of artistic expressions and mediums represented. We do not want to limit the creations in any way, so please create how you see best fit. Please submit a high-resolution version of your creation and a picture of the artist (with bio and website) to jeff@jeffshinabarger.com by August 1, 2009. By submitting your work, you give digital rights to Catalyst for digital distribution, prints, and to exhibit the collection, while giving credit to the artist. By submitting your artwork, Catalyst agrees to promote you and your artwork however they see fit in the days ahead. Catalyst may ask to have a video or audio interview with selected artists to promote the work and project.

Check out some of last years submissions.

Thank you for participating in this project with Catalyst.

Need Magazine continues to bring thoughtful creations, by partnering and platforming organizations that serve the common good. They have recently launched the Humanitarian IQ, a quick survey to educate readers and give a pulse to the participants on how much they know what is going on in the world. This is a really quick survey and is worth the time to see how the tool works.

Take a quick Humanitarian IQ quiz and see how your humanitarian brainpower stacks up. Show your brilliance when it comes to everything from India’s street children to Sudanese doctors.

www.humanitarianiq.com

When you’re done, show off your score and challenge your friends to beat it. If they can.

The Red Cross of the UK has launched a new campaign to support refugees, in honor of the coming Refugee Week. Refugee Week celebrates the important contribution of refugees to UK society. This year the Red Cross is asking you to look beyond labels to the true identity of the refugee in modern Britain. Only by looking beyond the status and label of ‘refugee’, can we overcome prejudice and help people restore their sense of identity and belonging.

The brilliance in this campaign is creating actionable directives for people to use their networks in support of the cause. Check out the site. Great design and great call to action.
GO TO LOOK BEYOND THE LABEL.

We have the opportunity to welcome Russell Shaw to our team for the summer. He is just 20 years old, but wise beyond his years as you can imagine. He is a very talented guy - President of his college student body, an event planner for all the events on his campus, photographer, a really gifted graphic designer, and as a whole has a great spirit in the way he lives his life. But, even greater than all these things, he is a spitting image of Ron Howard (compare the picture above and below). We are having some fun with him, but if he has half of the creative talent that Ron Howard eludes, then watch out world. Russ has been here for 2 weeks already and is doing great work leading the logistics and planning for the Gift Card Giver Summer Tour. You can follow his journey for the summer on his blog here (he took a really great picture of our dog Max). Please join me in welcoming INTERN RUSS!

Nate Ledbetter serves as Co-Executive Director of FCS, an urban collective made up of thirteen diverse groups all partnering together within one urban neighborhood in Atlanta, GA. Additionally, Nate is Social Architect of Sub-Urban, a division of FCS. He recently embarked on a new social entrepreneurial project that we have joined called Metro Merge, a unique new office experiment. You will love hearing Nate’s vision of redefining work and bringing together people through these 5 simple questions:

JEFF SHINABARGER: Metro Merge is a unique new entrepreneurial project. Can you share with me the vision that you have for the space?

NATE LEDBETTER: Similar to the concept of mixed-income, affordable housing, I believe our city needs communal, affordable workspace. I envision Metro Merge as a launching pad for new possibilities, an office where business professionals, leaders, and neighbors combine their work and life experiences together. We are inviting each other to imagine and work together on common causes in our South Atlanta neighborhood. We are channeling our diverse gifts (and fields of interest) toward spiritual, social and economic rebirth. Listen to our vision online.

JEFF: So, I own a business, how will this space make my business better?

NATE: Metro Merge is a great space to expand networks, host a creative meeting, and share resources. After all, we’re an affordable workspace! Collaboration and cost cutting are both important in today’s world. Practically speaking, Metro Merge Office is set up through pre-paid buckets of work hours (like a pre-paid cell phone with rollover). No bills or maintenance. Simply come to work, meet people, and, if you choose, dream alongside vocational neighbors during breaks, lunches or other times. Set your own hours to suit your unique schedule when the doors are open.

JEFF: What is the benefit of Metro Merge to your community and how will participants in metro merge benefit from the community?

NATE: We need each other. Expanding local networks will benefit our community AND metro-wide participants, believing that access to the pond of relationships is a justice issue. Plus, I am learning that our full God-given creativity is found when people who are unlike each other come together. New ideas. New possibilities. Creative love.

The beautiful thing about Metro Merge is that most people can benefit from affordable workspace–neighbors, leaders and professionals. And the U.S. Census Bureau is clear. Whites will make up less than 50% of the total U.S. population in just a matter of years. This is a serious opportunity for anyone, anywhere–especially for those who follow Jesus. It’s time to work together.

JEFF: Explain the name to me and what you hope the brand promise to be for all its consumers?

NATE: The name is about connecting people who are unlike each other. When people merge into relationship, the unexpected happens. Vision bursts onto the scene. Stories and business cards are exchanged. Names are remembered, and people’s lives and entire neighborhoods can be transformed. Too often, our vocational life ends up isolated or limited within homegenous relationships. Most people seem to go to work everyday with people like themselves. Metro Merge is about learning to imagine and work together across race and class lines. We could be roommates.

JEFF: As a non-profit behind this social experiment, what have you learned the last 6 months that you are integrating into this new idea?

NATE:
Everything connects: Affordable office space seems to go hand-in-hand with entrepreunership, creativity, job creation, and more.

Relationships matter: Embrace the process as equal to our outcome. Partnership flows from/through relationship.

Work together from the beginning: Collaboration must be the foundation to our creative process (from painting walls, to interior design, to a business plan).

Invite professional artists into the art of working together: Be clear on expectations, and communicate effectively–especially if a brilliant volunteer is giving of his or her time and talents.

Take time for the sake of excellence: Work hard, but don’t rush a creative process.

Raise the needed funds in stages: We are still raising funds for this project, however, we unexpectedly raised $4,000 in 4 days for office furniture!

Anticipate God’s movement: Connections and impromptu meetings are naturally happening (one neighbor landed a job with Civic Leaders from Kansas City while visiting Metro Merge).

Dream big. God brings together all the needed people and moving pieces for the vision. We just played our part, along with many other generous voices and gifts.

LEARN MORE ABOUT METRO METRO MERGE NOW!

GiftCardGiver is hitting the road this summer with the Card Me Tour! We are going to be traveling to cities all across the Southeast to promote and raise support for our cause, while partnering with local organizations from each city serving people in great need. If you’re interested in hosting a house party for GiftCardGiver in your city and think you can get all of your friends to come and help out, let us know at info@giftcardgiver.com. We are already headed to Orlando, Nashville, Charlotte, Pensacola, Atlanta and will keep you posted about the additional locations, venues, and event dates as the start of the tour draws nearer. So, stay connected to GiftCardGiver and check back often - we may be visiting your city soon!