On October 29-30, Scott had the awesome opportunity to speak at the 6th Annual Conference on International Giving.  On a panel with Kat Woerner and Sharon Schneider, he was able to address the idea that philanthropy is more than money.  Much MUCH more.

Your philanthropic toolbox needs to include more than a check book.  Money is the first thing that often jumps into one’s mind when one commits to doing charity and philanthropic work.  But have you considered other things, such as your social network?  Do you have friends with special skills who can donate time and talent to charity?   What about your own personal skills?  Are you an educator?  Teach people how to make a difference.

There are so many ways to donate beyond cold, hard cash, and you can visit http://thephilanthropicfamily.com/ for a more in depth look on just how to do that.

Also present at the conference, was Paul Rusesabagina, of the Hotel Rwanda foundation.  Scott spent 2 days with this amazing man, the hero who helped save the lives of 1,268 people during the Rwandan genocide.  His foundation works to raise awareness and understanding about the preconditions of genocide.  His foundation also seeks to educate on the need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the Great Lakes Region of Africa.  Genocide directly affects several of the MGD’s, and his Foundation is crucial to our cause.

Scott also was able to meet with Cheryl Musch, the Director of International Development at SERRV.  SERRV is an amazing non-profit fair trade and development organization that works with developing countries.  With the holidays approaching, now is a perfect time to do a little philanthropic gift giving.  Visit www.serrv.org and browse through all of the amazing, hand crafted items.  Make a purchase, knowing that your money is helping someone in a developing country to raise his or her standard of living.  No sweatshop garbage from exploited people on this site.  Completely guilt free gifting.

Scott also had the opportunity to meet with Judd Holzman from Link Community Development.  LCD works tirelessly to promote high quality education for children in Sub-Saharan Africa.  By promoting MGD #2 (achieving universal primary education) LCD’s work is also directly affecting completion of other MGD’s, as education is a crucial foundation.

To find out more about LCD, visit www.lcdinternational.org.

Here at Interface we are working tirelessly to expand our own philanthropic toolbox, by interacting with other charities.  All of the aforementioned charities are integral players in completing the MGD’s, and we are proud to be working with them.  Now, see what YOU can do.

Are you hungry?  You probably are, if you happen to have the misfortune of being a child living in Haiti, Nicaragua, and Kenya, some of the world’s most phenomenally  impoverished areas.

But you aren’t, are you?  I mean, if you are reading this post, that pretty much qualifies you as a well fed individual, since typically one who can afford a computer and internet access can probably manage to put a little food in his or her belly.

The North Carolina based Stop Hunger Now has been feeding starving children for over 11 years.  Millions of children on the cusp of death have been saved due to SHN’s generous efforts.  Such efforts are made possible by well fed individuals  like YOU.

Saturday is the last day of University Million  Meal Week.  I will be flying out to meet with Rod Brooks,  CEO of SHN to discuss how the partnership between Interface and SHN can continue to be fruitful.

If you don’t happen to live in North Carolina and want to help, donations are gladly accepted.  And at a paltry 25 cents per meal, a little bit goes a long way.  Visit stophungernow.org for all pertinent information.

We at Interface gathered a few supporters of SHN and produced a quick, yet powerful  1 minute video.  You’ve spared 2 minutes to read this, please spare 1 more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzwSHQq-5bo

I just drove back to Chimaltengo after spending two days in the volcanic region of San Juan near Lake Atlitan working on a series of sustainable initiatives including terraced and vertical farming, education, planting of trees, and micro enterprise.  It was magical to say the least.

This morning as we were leaving I asked one of my colleagues if I could deliver 200 toothbrushes I had brought with me to a local school.

Almost immediately a local girl took us to www.centromayaguatemala.org which serves over 200 disabled Mayan children in the region.  Not only do some of these children have physical handicaps, but they live in a region which has the highest malnourishment in Central, South and Latin America.

I was immediately greeted by the principal Liticia and told her that I had 200 toothbrushes I would like to give to her kids.  She immediately began to tell Julio that she had just been looking on the Internet the day before to find toothbrushes for the kids!  As simple as this sounds it was an amazingly cool moment knowing I was in the right place at the right time with the right people!

Tonight I am off to Guatemala City for meetings with the Vice President.

Many thanks for your support, love and help in making the world a better place!!  We are a collective force for good!

Scott

Interface Foundation’s founder and CEO Scott Lazerson took off to Guatemala this week with education initiatives in mind. The following is one of Scott’s first impressions and encounters with a 12 year old boy with just the kind of needs we’re trying to meet.

Today I made my journey to Guatemala, also known as the Land of Eternal Spring.

Needless to say I always feel like I have made a journey home even though I speak very little Spanish let alone fit in as a Guatemalteco!

Here is my quick story of the day.

While at lunch today my colleague Julio was repeatedly asked to have his shoes shined by kids that looked no older than my 9 year old Tsering. Finally Julio conceded and stuck his foot on the top of an antique shoe shining box.  At that very point I began to bombard Julio with a series of questions to ask the boy:

How old are you?  12
How old were you when started shining shoes?  9
How many shoes do you shine a day?  20 pairs
How much do you get paid?  3 to 5 Qs approximately 40 to 60 cents
What hours do you work? from 6am until 5pm

Needless to say I way shocked at each answer!!  Here was young 12 year boy with what seemed like a very cute personality working over 40 hours a week shining shoes in hopes of making 8 dollars a day!

It was at this moment that time seemed to stand still and I realized that I was here with a GREATER purpose than I even thought, I will use my voice and connective powers to bring education initiatives to Guatemala, to Central America to the 3rd world for this young boy!!

I am grateful tonight for each experience that drives me to the next to do my best in being an AGENT OF CHANGE!

I hope you will continue to support the work of the Interface Foundation as we strive to achieve the Millennium Development Goals through high impact charities!!

More updates to follow…

With gratitude,

Scott

With social media being all the rage you can now follow our work at www.twitter.com/scottlazerson & www.twitter.com/interfaceorg. From dinner with 14 of the First Ladies of Africa to talking global philanthropy with Paris Hilton at her house to trekking up mountains in Guatemala to deliver meals & toothbrushes into school lunch feeding programs you can now know exactly what we are doing by adding us on your Twitter!

Actor Simon Rex teaches children in Guatemala how to brush their teeth.