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It’s 11-11, make a wish…come true
By Justin Goldsborough | November 6th, 2009
Do you remember the first time you heard one of your friends say “It’s 11:11, make a wish?” You’re either smiling and nodding or thinking I’m smoking something. I’m not smoking something, I promise. After all I’m writing this post on an airplane, so there’s no smoking :).
For me it was my next door neighbor Michelle who taught me about the 11:11 game. When the clock hit 11:11, you could make a wish. That was in middle school years. I heard it a few times in high school, less in college and once or twice when eavesdropping on my corny college friend’s conversation with his then-girlfriend, now-wife.
Today, I heard about a different kind of 11-11. And it involves a wish we can all play a part in making come true. As you may know, Nov. 11 is Veteran’s Day. And Beyond Tribute, an organization that supports our American veterans, is looking to raise $11 million for our retired service men and women to commemorate the holiday this year.
How can you help? Well, got $11 to spare? Actually, you only need to give $10. If you visit eleven-eleven.org and donate $10 or text VETS to 85944, Beyond Tribute will kick in the extra $1. My math is terrible, but I’m pretty sure if 1 million people donate $11, we’ll get to $11 million. So after you make your donation, make sure to share the 11-11 story with your friends.
This cause is a perfect one for social media because it’s so easy for us all to give just a little to participate and still feel like we’re a part of something. I plan to give $11 for my Great Uncle Duard who flew planes in WWII. I plan to give $11 for my friend Pete who went to West Point and did a year-long term in Iraq. I plan to give $11 for my cousin Tommy who served in the Navy. And I plan to give $11 for my dad, who gave time to the Army Reserves.
There are certain things in life we all wonder if we could really do. Joining the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines has always been one of those things for me. For that reason and many others I so admire the people who put their lives on the line to keep our country safe. When I think about heroes, these are the people I think about.
There’s no amount of money I can think of that could fully express my gratitude for what our Armed Services do. But $11 and an 11-million person movement is a good place to start.
Who would you donate your $11 for?
- Apartment Fund for Daniela’s Family (@davearmano)
- 12for12k (@dannybrown)
- #Iamsovereign Twitter Birthday Project (@jasonstoddard)
- Jaeli’s Syndrome (@AngEngland and @BrandyBrow)
- #GebenGives (@prtini)
- 11-11 Veteran’s Day (@JoeTrippi)
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