50 for 50: Day 1 Amnesty International

Thanks for stopping by my 50th Birthday Celebration on the very first day.

Because I have everything I need, I am asking people to get involved with charities, if they are so inspired, in honor of my birthday. And in honor of caring humanity and all that good stuff.

I will feature a different charity each day for 50 days to give you plenty of chances to get involved. You don’t have to donate or act every day, of course, or at all. But I wanted to give a voice to different good works around the globe. If you ARE inspired to take action, please leave me a comment and let me know that you did. This is all I want for my birthday – to spread some love and kindness. I’m hoping for at least 50 donations or actions over the course of this project. Thank you, my dear friends.

For day 1, I had to choose the organization that has been the closest to my heart for the longest, the first organization I got involved with, Amnesty International. I believe in Amnesty International because I believe in human rights. Basic human rights like the freedom of speech, belief, expression, assembly, freedom from violence – these are the things that give life meaning and richness, and my deepest belief is that everyone deserves them.

Here’s a great little video about the UN International Declaration of Human Rights, which is what Amnesty’s work is based on. It makes me cry every time, because that is the kind of sap I am. This stuff gets to me:

I have been an Amnesty International member, I have been a group leader, I have gone to conferences and written hundreds if not thousands of letters on behalf of people who have had their rights denied around the world. Doing this work, I have come to respect the organization for its rigor in investigating human rights violations and the amazing things it does. Over the years, I have seen governments release political prisoners and change policies because of the attention Amnesty International has brought, through the simple power of bringing light to abuses.
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Thanks for any and all help this great cause. Donate here. And here is an action you can take to help North Korean political prisoners.