Operation ShareLove - Support Victims of Typhoon Ketsana

One of the most amazing things about SharePoint is that there genuinely is a real community of people in this space who care about one another and the world around us.  I tend to credit people like Lawrence Liu and Joel Oleson for helping to establish this ecosystem, and of course there is a cast of thousands who sustain it and keep it going.  Names like Michael Gannotti, Mark Miller, Arno Nel and Bill English also leap to mind as good citizens of the community who lead by example.  As a group, the SharePoint MVPs deserve enormous credit for creating and sustaining this network of people who truly care about one another.  Sometimes I think we're just a bunch of nerds.  Other times, I dare to think that yes, there is a movement of individuals and organizations that have rallied around a piece of software that helps people collaborate and make the world a better place.  Not only are we doing something important and valuable for the world, but in our precious spare time, we often make time to look for other ways to improve the world around us.

One of the rising stars in this ecosystem is Dux Raymond Sy, author of the book SharePoint for Project Management, and a principal at Innovative-e.  Dux is an amazing speaker, a manic marketing genius, and simply a gentleman and overall decent human being.  Take a quick humble bow my friend, you deserve it.

So when Dux reached out to me yesterday to let me know that he was scrambling to organize Operation ShareLove, a SharePoint community oriented charity supporting victims of last week's tragic flooding and natural disasters in Southeast Asia, it took me less than a nanosecond to affirm Bamboo's hearty support for the effort. We're donating $10K in software to the cause, in addition to our own personal cash contributions to the fund.

If you use SharePoint, or have any other role in the SharePoint community, chances are high that you lead a pretty good life.  Most of your days are spent in the comfort of an office, sitting in front of a computer.  You likely had the benefit of a college education and a privileged upbringing.  You probably live in country with robust infrastructure and the resources to overcome natural disasters.  Think of how the US, the richest country in the world, struggled to respond to the catastrophe in New Orleans.  Imagine then how much greater the need is for victims of Typhoon Ketsana.

If this describes you at all, I would like to personally urge you to take this moment, acknowledge the blessings and good fortune that surround you and give back to some people who are in desperate need of help right now.  I'll be the first to tell you that none of us can solve all of the world's problems.  There is an infinite need for charity, service and volunteerism in the world.  It is easy to become hardened and immune to calls for help for all of the people in need around the world.  

The only way to rise above the apparent futility of combatting all the hardship and despair in the world is to do what you can, when you can, and be open to making little miracles happen whenever you have the chance.  I'm personally calling on everyone who reads this to make this one of those little moments.

Dux is linking to this video which gives you a sense of the horror going on across the region.  

Please visit Dux's blog post to see all the ways you or your company can help.  Hopefully Operation ShareLove will be something that grows and continues and becomes a mechanism the SharePoint Community can use to focus resources and good works on other people in need in the future.

Thank you in advance for your support!