Mollie at CU1 found this great article on CNN the other day. It's about a woman in New Jersey who was having trouble making her mortgage payment, so she decided to dust off some hidden skills and sell homemade apple cake to fight foreclosure.

In my pondering mood, I've decided this story highlights two things about human nature that we often forget (until a sweet human interest piece like this catches our attention). Let me share them with you!

1. People love cake - especially cake with a goodwill purpose (and baked-in apple goodness).

2. When the opportunity arises to help a neighbor in need, cake is merely a sugary excuse to lend that helping hand.

So, I'm not saying we all need cake-shaped incentives to care about another's misfortune. But in some way, trading baked goods for mortgage money does inspire people to give that extra dollar, go that extra mile. Is this because people need something in return in order to give? Would this New Jersey woman have lost her house if she'd simply asked for money? Well - I don't know. What do you think? Would you be more likely to open your wallet for a panhandler if they handed you a bouquet of dandelions in return? That kind of makes me smile. I think I definitely would.

At CU1, many of our employees do monthly payroll deductions for the Safe Harbor Inn in Anchorage. Basically, these employees approve a certain amount of their paycheck to be passed along to Safe Harbor before it even touches their hands. In return, they see a nice donation figure grow on their paystub, and this number represents the beds they've helped provide for homeless families in our community. Lynne Ballew, the Executive Director of Safe Harbor, also sends us a thank-you note each month to let us know our total CU1 donation per pay period. Here's a paraphrase of her July letter:

"Thank you so much for Credit Union 1's generosity! Your latest payroll deductions will pay for 33 safe, comfortable bed nights for the homeless at Safe Harbor. We deeply appreciate your ongoing support in making Anchorage a better place for all its citizens. You are all beyond awesome!" - Lynne

Thanks, Lynne =). See? This is our reward. We would still GIVE without the paystub tally or sweet letter from Lynne - but receiving these acknowledgements sort of drives home the value of what we've given.

My resolution of the day is to give more freely. I don't have a whole lot of money, but I can afford to give my time and skill - and these donations are just as valuable to someone in true need.

Last Saturday, our One for All crew gave its entire day to helping at the Mt. View Street Fair. I face-painted several hundred chubby little kid cheeks. My most prized memory of the event? Hearing a lone 10 year old who wanted a Batman mask say that this was "the greatest day ever." An intangible reward, but more ful-filling than frosted desert.