What Does 25,200 Service Hours Look Like?

Back in January, we called on the GOOD community to commit 1 percent of their time to service in 2013, and to date, 1260 of you have pledged a total of 25,200 hours. That's simply inspiring and amazing and we here at GOOD HQ are thrilled to see your reports trickling in about how you've spent those hours. Some are serving in schools and community centers, wilderness zones and community gardens, and others are pushing pixels and coding for non-profits. The 1% service pledge has been a reminder for us of just how broad and diverse the GOOD community is. Below are a handful of recent tidbits from the 1% Club that you've sent us (and we look forward to seeing more).

Crystal Rector serves at the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center in Arizona and with the Sierra Club to built habitat for Burrowing Owls. That's her in the pink shirt in the lower left hand side of the photo above.

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Bev Nel is walking 300 kilometers through the Swiss Alps to raise awareness and funds for rhino conservation in Southern Africa.

Aubrey Byron and her friends helped out with a fundraiser in St. Louis for The Covering House—a refuge for victims of sexual assault.

Beijing-based Guillermo Munro Colosio, a graphic designer, has been lending his skills by creating infographics for causes: one for NY-based MASA on the drop-out rate of Mexican America kids, and another on conservation and protection surrounding 'big cats'.

Christina Ellis has been organizing clothing swaps in her neighborhood.

Richard LaRue, an Art Director, has been working with Chicago-based EPIC (Engaging Philanthropists and Inspiring Creatives) to support the Chicago branch of 826 to help them create new letterhead, brochures, videos, and a 'strategy guide.'

"You served as the catalyst," he writes. "So thanks for inspiring me."

Sue Potter even sent us something of a 1% poem: My Little 1% Today

It was little to me,

but to a disabled friend,

it was a lot.

I took a couple hours this morning,

picked up the winter's trash,

that hadn't gotten to the dump.

I sorted and bagged.

Loaded it up and unloaded,

at the dump station.

My day is none the less,

but her day is all the more.

\n

Douglas Heady actually wrote to say that we could all be doing even more: "The best return to your personal life balance and energy is the minimum at 100 (hours)," he said. "Read the excellent book Give and Take for more about these studies. Here's to my 100 hour commitment this year!"

Please do keep sharing your stories from your 1% commitment in the comments below or send them our way to community (at) good inc (dot) com.

Photo courtesy of Crystal Rector