Recently, I had the privilege of listening to Mr. Kevin Salwen and his daughter, Hanna at the Clinton School in Little Rock.  They are part of a cool family who sold their house, and invested the proceeds in the Hunger Project.  Kevin and Hanna co-authored a book entitled, “the Power of Half” which details the story of this family and their decision to give to others.  After their talk, they were signing books.   I introduced myself and told them about The $10/20 Project.  They both listened and seemed intrigued.  Mr. Salwen asked the question that many others ask, “So, what’s with the 20 minutes?”

The 20 minutes part of The $10/20 Project originally stemmed from a conversation Ron and I had one night while out to dinner with friends.  We were discussing the economy, and how a man had walked into his place of employment one morning and walked out 20 minutes later with all of his belongings in a box.  He had worked for the company for years, and his family depended on not only his income, but the insurance benefits.   How life can change significantly in just 20 short minutes.  The conversation continued, and we discussed the positive possibilities of what a person can DO in 20 minutes.  Just as $10 can meet an immediate need, 20 minutes can positively impact the life of an individual or group.

In the past 11 months, we’ve had many friends, family members, and readers tell us where or how they’ve contributed their talents and at least 20 minutes of time to make a positive contribution.   Here are just a few of the ’20 minute’ contributions we’ve heard about:

• One Saturday morning, a woman brought coffee and tea to a local oncology waiting room for family members of their loved one who was receiving treatment.
• A nine-year old boy encouraged his family to clean out their closets and send us winter coats they no longer needed, so “someone else can be warm.”
• A woman organized and distributed information for one street in her neighborhood and collected money for the local March of Dimes.
• Faculty members from a Theatre Department from a University went to a local homeless shelter and taught the children residents various dance steps, dances, and puppet skits.
• One Mom cleans out baby clothes regularly now and donates them to a shelter for women and children.
• A father stopped on his way home from work to serve dinner at homeless shelter.
• One young couple collected greeting cards from their co-workers and sent over 200 card fronts to St. Jude’s Childrens Hospital to be used in a summer camp for children.
• Many of you have sent us coats, monetary donations, travel-sized toiletry items for our hygiene kits, etc.

So, contribute 20 minutes (or more!) to someone who needs it today.  Your small donation of time makes a big difference to the person on the receiving end.  And if you’re so inclined, let us know where or how or to whom you contributed your time and talent.