New Feature

Gerry's Corner: I was sitting on my butt in my cozy Manhattan apartment the other night, watching - what else? - American Idol. I'd just fed my unicorn, and he was happily chowing down on a healthy mixture of oats and leprechauns, but I was a little more saddened. The coverage of my 'death' a few months ago left me feeling that way because it seemed that my actions had not matched my legacy. Lots of reporters remembered me as a real uniter, someone who sacrificed his own political career for the good of government, a healer of American wounds. So why didn't I do more to cultivate that image after my inevitable defeat at the hands of ol' Guinea Worm Carter? I chose to play golf with Bob Hope and champion Not-Betty's alcohol rehab center, but as I watched AI raise millions of charity dollars for Africa merely by having some no-name twits sing along with fifteen-minute stars, my heart grew heavy.

And then it got lighter as I got an idea.

Why can't I use this blog for good, to raise awareness of the noblest causes? From now on, each week, I'll feature a segment called Gerry's Piggy Bank, in which I give a symbolic donation - $10-15 - to a worthy organization, cause, group, or individual, and talk about why I think they deserve both my money and your money. Over time, I will hopefully have given a few hundred dollars to charity and spread the missions and ideas of dozens of people to all my readers. Or both my readers, as the case may be.

So, without further ado:

Gerry's Piggy Bank: The Hokie Spirit Scholarship Fund. There's lots of memorial funds you can give to in order to help families cope with and recover from their personal losses due to the Virginia Tech shootings. I selected the scholarship fund because it goes towards renewing the academic and intellectual loss on the campus of Virginia Tech by giving more bright, young scholars the opportunity to attend school there. Besides, if I'm only able to give $15 (this week's contribution), how could I possibly choose one family over another? There's a Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, too, but I don't know if it will reach and impact people with the same impact that I know scholarships will.



There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe,
Gerry