Dare #2: Donate your Organs

Marco:
I'm not sure about what my life purpose is. I have the fortune of many talents but the at the same time the burden of having to do something with them. I always knew I was destined to do something with my life and so when we decided on this project I knew it was going to change things for us. Something special. Donating your organs is the most simple of acts of selflessness that you can perform. It literally took me 45 seconds to do. And by doing so you can save up to seven lives. What if your eyes gave the gift of vision to the next Picasso, or your heart to a future leader like Obama? In the United States alone, 77 people get a new organ every day, and 29 people die because they were unable to get organs.

Will Smith in his heartbreaking role of Ben Thomas in Seven Pounds shows us why this is so important! If you have not already seen this movie I can guarantee it will change you in a beautiful way. Watch it as part of my Dare and follow through with giving the gift of life!

Once you're done making the call/visit, prove it by taking a photo of the card they send you and the stickers you place on your drivers license and ID!

Go on, give so others can live.

Dare #1 results - Mel

So fresh, so clean. Middleway House, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, Goodwill, and a few good friends are now the proud owners of four boxes of what was my stuff. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to upload for this dare being that my camera is in it's final resting place. 

While donating I found out about other volunteer opportunities with Mother Hubbard's and Middleway House. If you click the links and realize you're in the same community you can join me for the Homeward Bound Walk to end homelessness in our community, stuff envelopes for Mother Hubbard, spend a few hours a week at Middleway, and/or help Mother Hubbard get ready for Thanksgiving and help stuff food bags to give away.  Hopefully I'll see you soon!

Dare #1 RESULTS - Marco

To work in fashion means two things. One: You have a lot of great clothes, and Two: There are some items in your closet, we’ll call them “experimental” that have no place being in there!

With this task in mind I wondered what I had to give away to a charity. Food wouldn’t work because the little food I do have in my fridge is either about to expire or something I’m about to eat. Items like half eaten cereal just didn’t seem right, so I took a walk around my flat in search of items I didn’t use anymore.

Because I work so much I tend not to buy too many “things” for myself other than clothing and wine. Seems healthy, I know. My closet is filled with shirts, and it didn’t take me long to walk through the items I not only wouldn’t wear again, but couldn’t. Stained items, holey items, faded items and so on.

Items like Skinny Red jeans just don’t seem neccessary, not when you have my thighs. And besides the Emo look just isn’t my thing, sometimes you just have to realize...



I didn’t have too much to give away considering I do this kind of thing regularly. I read once -- I lie it was Oprah--that for every item of clothing you buy, you should throw away another. But working in my industry you must consider this wisely, seasonal items and classics should never be thrown away. This would include leather jackets or decent outerwear of any kind. Jeans (aside from the above mentioned) should never be thrown away. Remember that styles come back! Be clever about your giving. No point in giving away your favorite pair of jeans if you’re still wearing them! But items that hurt or scratch or conflict with your skin tone should be the first to leave.



Now with your items collected divide them into the charities of your choice and drop them off as soon as you can. If you don’t know where a nearby charity is, GOOGLE it. Or as I often do, give them away to someone who looks like they need it. Just be careful not to offend, you never know when you’ll see an Olsen twin.

Dare #1

Mel:
I am not a pack-rat by any sense of the imagination, but while shuffling around my room I realized just how much 'stuff' I actually have lying around. Do I really need to own two clothing irons? Two! As if one weren't bad enough, considering I don't iron my clothes. I realized I was only keeping the irons and half the stuff sitting in boxes in my closet because they were tied to memories. As if getting rid of the items would somehow magically erase those memories.

So for our first dare back I propose a purge! Let's venture through our homes and donate anything we don't use or want to someone that will put it to good use.


Marco:
Pack rat I am. At least when it comes to paper, books and notes! As a writer I tend to hoard these items as if the world would soon be without them. And don't bother suggesting I keep a book for all these notes, I have tons of those too!

Organizing ones house-hold is said to cleanse the soul of negative karma lingering. So I'm with Mel on this one. Time to get rid of the junk un-used and donate the left over goods (if any) or merely organize for a fresh start!

If you're one of the readers joining us from day one, I hope you'll consider doing the same and joining in. Post any pictures you have in our comments!

TIME SPAN: ONE WEEK

Introduction

It was the year 2004 and somewhere between Miami and Mexico, Mel struck a conversation with me. I was working in the Art Auction as an assistant on the ship and Mel was cruising. If I had known then what would transpire in the coming years I would have taken Mel's details and kept in touch, but the thought never crossed our minds. It wasn't until the following year that I would receive a letter from Mel that sparked a friendship in the old fashion sense. 

When the year 2009 rolled in we came up with an experiment that would help keep our long distance friendship alive. After all I was in South Africa and she was in the American Mid-West.

A dare, was born.

I took a photo of myself jumping mid-air with my arms up, like the Lacoste ads. I sent it to Mel who did the same. We decided to do these dares every week to get ourselves out of our comfort zones. A New New-Years resolution, if you will. But with our busy lives the concept ran awry and we neglected to keep it up. 

Months later over a late Sunday Afternoon we talked online about our desperation for something exciting. Our lives like the project had softened and fallen away. We needed purpose and decided this was the perfect way to get it! This time we decided this project may also benefit other people, giving us more reason to keep it up. And so it resumed fully fledged as the Mel and Marco Project. 

Every dare will follow soon after with the accomplishment on record, a photo or video if possible and the details of the dare from each perspective.

Feel free to follow our progress and send us your dares to keep this fantastic project alive.

With love and laughter,

Mel and Marco