May 2: Young Entrepreneurs to Serve Up Lemonade Day Across the U.S.

Tomorrow, young and aspiring entrepreneurs [think "Family Ties"' briefcase-toting Alex P. Keaton, portrayed by the inimitable Michael J. Fox] in cities from coast to coast will gather for hands-on lessons about the importance of doing good while doing well. Glass by glass, boys and girls in grades pre-K through 12 will celebrate Lemonade Day, a unique experiential learning opportunity combining academics and life skills to teach youth about entrepreneurship.

Lemonade Day is an initiative organized by Prepared 4 Life, a growing nonprofit network of communities devoted to developing meaningful outreach and educational opportunities for young people. The program is designed to teach children how to start, own and operate their own business -- a lemonade stand, an iconic American symbol of entrepreneurship. It provides an opportunity for families, businesses, faith-based community organizations and schools to come together for a common purpose: to train the next generation of entrepreneurs through a free, fun, engaging and experiential activity.

Young Lemonade Day entrepreneurs keep everything they earn. In the spirit of a true business, they are encouraged to open a savings account; pay back investors; and make a further investment in their community by donating a portion of their profits to a charity of their choice.

The annual event started in 2007, with just three flagship cities: Austin, Tex.; Houston, Tex.; and Wayne County, Ind. In 2010, 11 metropolitan cities have been added: Atlanta, Ga.; Chicago, Ill.; Dallas-Ft. Worth, Tex.; Denver, Colo.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Los Angeles, Cal.; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; San Antonio, Tex.; San Francisco Bay Area, Cal.; and Washington, D.C. Additional communities include Durham, N.C. and East Hartford, Conn.

Through sponsorships, companies can donate or become a partner. Businesses are also encouraged to get employees involved by distributing information, or even creating a companywide family event around Lemonade Day.

For information about how your business or organization can get involved in future Lemonade Day events, visit http://www.LemonadeDay.org/. Or, you can contact Julie Eberly at jeberly@prepared4life.org.

SOURCE: Prepared 4 Life
____________________

Help Nurture the Learning and Development of Future Generations. Shop PBS KIDS at ShopPBS.org.

July 29: Life is good® to be Featured on NBC's 'Today Show'

GoodBiz113's take: Check out this segment, featuring one of our all-time favorite profilees!
____________________

The Gold Card from American Express OPEN(SM) -- No annual fee for the first year, a savings of $125

Jan. 21 Marks National King Day of Service

"Everybody can be great because everybody can serve." -- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, as we celebrate the birthday of the great Martin Luther King Jr., we're reminded of Dr. King's walk-his-talk message of service. Since President Bill Clinton signed the King Holiday and Service Act on Aug. 23, 1994, King Day of Service has been a nationwide effort to transform the federal holiday honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. into a day of community service that helps to solve social problems. On Monday, Jan. 21, 2008, our nation takes time to commemorate Dr. King's legacy from coast to coast.

Dr. King recognized the power of service to strengthen communities and achieve common goals. Next Monday's King Day of Service honors that legacy by seeking to transform the holiday from simply a day off from school or work for millions of Americans, to a day ON – that is, a day of community service that strengthens communities, empowers individuals, and bridges social barriers.

All types of service are encouraged, with the hope that participants continue to serve throughout the year. The service may meet a tangible need; e.g., fixing up a school or senior center. Or, it may meet a need of the spirit; e.g., building a sense of community or mutual responsibility. Ideally, service projects and activities will include reflection on the life and teachings of Dr. King, as well as how volunteer service is one means of addressing his concerns.

King Day Has Consistently Grown Since 1995
King Day of Service has grown steadily since its inception in 1995, as people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities are encouraged to get involved in their communities in some way.

In 2007, hundreds of thousands of volunteers in cities and towns across the nation participated in thousands of King Day service projects in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Highlights included:
* Los Angeles, where 85 community partners -- including many small businesses -- worked together to engage an estimated 40,000 volunteers in a variety of projects;
* Philadelphia, where more than 55,000 volunteers participated in more than 600 projects citywide;
* Atlanta, Dr. King's birthplace, where more than 7,000 volunteers took part in 100 service projects; and
* Washington, D.C., where about 10,000 volunteers served at 80 project sites.

Corporation Holds Annual Grant Competition
Each year, the Corporation for National and Community Service, through a small number of intermediary organizations, awards more than $500,000 in grants to groups across the country planning to stage service projects related to King Day of Service. For information on grant fund availability, go to MLKDay.gov.

The Corporation for National and Community Service is the lead government agency supporting and promoting King Day of Service. As such, the corporation offers grants, toolkits, and a variety of other resources to organizations that want to organize King Day projects.

King Day of Service also is supported by numerous national nonprofit organizations, including:
* American Red Cross
* America's Promise
* Arizona Governor's Commission on Service and Volunteerism
* Big Brothers Big Sisters
* City Year
* The Corps Network
* Do Something
* First Book
* Habitat for Humanity International
* Hands On Network
* HOPE Worldwide
* National Alliance of Faith and Justice
* Points of Light Foundation and Volunteer Center National Network
* Service for Peace
* United Way of America
* Volunteer Match
* Youth Service America

National corporate sponsors include:
* Bank of America
* Best Buy
* Cargill
* Clear Channel Communications
* Comcast
* UPS Foundation

Resources Available to Promote King Day
A wide variety of free King Day resources for individuals, organizations, and King Day projects is available at www.MLKDay.gov. These include:
* Complete MLK Day Toolkit -- including background on the holiday, project development tips, and sample projects and schedules
* Media outreach tips and materials -- including sample editorials and letters to the editor
* Partnership outreach materials -- including "Now Is the Time," a six-minute video promoting King Day of Service to potential partners
* Marketing materials -- including logos, posters, flyers, T-shirts, event ads, Web banners, and a photo library
* Latest news and updates
* My MLK Day -- a Web portal for organizations to register and promote their King Day projects, sign up and manage community volunteers, and to report results
* Project search for individuals to find and sign up for a project near them

To register your project, or to find a list of projects taking place around the country, go to http://www.mlkday.gov/. For more information or answers to questions about materials posted at MLK.gov, e-mail MLKDay@cns.gov.

SOURCE: Corporation for National & Community Service
____________________

Workplace Emergencies. Disaster Preparedness. First Aid -- CPR -- AED and More... To Learn About American Red Cross Training for Your Workplace, CLICK HERE.

Fargo-Based Security Bank & Trust Gives $1,000 or $500 Holiday Checks to Employees, Says 'Pay It Forward'

In previous years, Fargo, N.D.-based Security Bank & Trust has taken five percent of its company earnings, then divided it up at holiday time among employees. This year, employees are receiving those year-end bonuses -- plus $1,000 checks for full-time staffers, and $500 each for part-time employees. There's just one caveat: Use the gifts for people in need.

State Bank & Trust COO Michael Solberg said the payments are part of the bank's $502,000 "Pay It Forward" initiative. "Over the past years, we have been so blessed at State Bank & Trust," he said. "We wanted to put this money in the hands of our employees, who know where the needs are in their communities. Giving back is one of our core values, and we hope this project will have huge impact in our communities in 2008."

The privately owned bank employs 500-plus people at 13 locations in North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. Employees were told not to use the money for themselves, their families, or families of other bank employees. They could choose an individual cause, pool their money for a larger project, or collaborate with donors outside the bank.

Each employee also received a digital video camera, and was asked to document their project and its impact by June 30, 2008. Employees can then keep their cameras or give them to someone else as a gift.

This year's surprise announcement was made over the weekend, at the bank's annual holiday party -- with special guest Caroline Hodge, a dead-ringer Oprah Winfrey impersonator [see above]. Replete with a stage designed to appear exactly like Winfrey's set, "Oprah" interviewed Solberg about the innovative give-back initiative prior to the bank's distribution of employees' bonus and gift checks.

This morning, Harry Smith, co-host of CBS' "The Early Show," interviewed Solberg and Jill Staffner, the State Bank & Trust employee who coordinated the holiday event. Click here to see CBS News' "Bank Spreads Holiday Cheer" video clip, which includes Smith's interview with Solberg and Staffner, plus footage from last Saturday's holiday party.

GoodBiz113's take: Once again, a highly ingenious and generous initiative sprouts from the small-business sector. Just imagine the impact that such an endeavor could make if, say, a leading money center bank like Wells Fargo and/or an electronics behemoth such as Best Buy did the same thing in all the communities in which they do business. Certainly the latter -- who, by the way, just announced a 52 percent rise in third-quarter profit -- at least has a few extra camcorders to deploy for a larger-scale project of this sort...

SOURCES: CBS News, State Bank & Trust [photo]
____________________

Save on RadioShack's Huge Selection of Cameras, Gear & Accessories!

(RED) VISION Seeks Short-Film Entries for 2008 Vail Film Festival; New Toolkit Available

This just in from (PRODUCT) RED, with whom GoodBiz113 ad partners American Express and Apple have teamed to help fight AIDS in Africa: The (RED) VISION short film category for the Fifth Annual 2008 Vail Film Festival is now open for submissions!

For those of you seeking a fun summer project, you're in luck. (PRODUCT) RED is looking for short films that represent one of these two (RED) themes: "We are the people we've been waiting for," and "Be a good-looking Samaritan."

The accepted (RED) VISION film will debut at the 2008 Vail Film Festival held in Vail, Colo., which promotes independent filmmaking during a week of screenings, workshops, seminars, panel discussions, parties and live music.

With your creativity and artistry, (PRODUCT) RED can raise awareness about (RED) and the fight against AIDS in Africa. So pick up your camera and start shooting!

For submission guidelines, go to JOINRED.COM/VAIL. Find out more about the Vail Film Festival at vailfilmfestival.org.

SPREAD (RED)!
(PRODUCT) RED recently updated its website with the (RED) Community Toolkit, which you can find at JOINRED.COM/TOOLKIT.

The toolkit comes with an instruction sheet to help you figure out the best way you can promote (RED) amongst your friends and family. Plus, you can choose from posters [see sample above], fliers, stickers, buttons, name tags, Web banners, and desktop wallpapers. A fact sheet and FAQ are also available, so you can effectively answer questions about (RED).

____________________

Support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS in Africa... Get your iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition today! Starting at $199.