props for my pops...

My Dad has had a concern for the people of Darfur on his heart for the past few years. He lives in a development in Northern Virginia where they have an annual Christmas decorating competition for their homes. It has been amazing to see the time and money people put into this competition. Last year, someone in his development actually paid someone to design and install their.

Well, he recently put together a proposal for his idea: "Dark for Darfur", shown to the left. His idea is to have people calculate how much they would normally spend decorating their house with lights and instead of putting up the lights, donate that money to the Save Darfur Coalition funding the crucial awareness and advocacy programs that play a critical role in building the political pressure needed to end the crisis in Darfur. Unfortunately, this is not a political issue, it is a humanity issue. Yet through Save Darfur, it is our hope that the word gets out so that we will not longer stand quietly while a brother or sister is subjected to atrocities and genocide. Save Darfur enthusiastically accepted his proposal, so this year will be the kick-off of the campaign. Each person that commits to going Dark for Darfur with a donation will receive a yard sign bearing the logo above so you can let your neighbors know why your house is dark. I think this is an excellent way of raising awareness and taking a stand for our brothers and sisters on the other side of the globe. I encourage you to check it out at the website (which has just launched recently). Oh, and if you are too attached to the tradition and look of the lights, make a donation and go Dark for Darfur, one night, one night a week, whatever works for you.