LDM's Philanthropy contest!

[Lord Dottore Matto]

Okay, here is the deal. I started this contest on another forum, but I don't want to limit the spread of good will! Post stories here of selfless things that you have done for others. It must be something done simply out of respect for your fellow man! Don't be modest. It can be the simplest of things as long as it is heartfelt.

This is indeed a contest (the Big Boss A.K.A. Tim has okayed it, but makes no warranties or guarantees with regard to it).

Here are the rules:

0. Post your entries in this thread.
1. LDM is the one and only Judge. Rule Change---I will throw all qualified entrant's names into a hat and draw a winner! There should be no value judgement on philanthropy!
2. Don't make stuff up. (this is serious!)
3. The contest will run until January 1st, 2009
4. Enter as many times as you like, but each entry must represent a separate act of philanthropy.
5. Philanthropic acts aimed solely at winning this contest WILL be considered. (afterall, a good act is a good act!)
6. Anyone who would like to contribute to the prize list must PM me before posting their idea.
7. The prize will be awarded to the person who meets certain (secret) criteria, but I have outlined the basics for you!
8. The prize will be sent to you not later than one month following the last day of the contest.
9. You must be a member of Judgesabersmith.com, TCSS or Fx-Sabers.com and in good standing at the time of contest close to be eligible!
10. The winner (one and only one) will be announced in this thread not later than 01-04-09 and can come from either site where it is running concurrently

And now for the prize:

It will be a custom LDM saberwith MR sound (donated by darth_call), with input from you! (You get to pick the color of LED and maybe a few small details) This saber will be free, gratis, cost you no cheese, no shipping, no handling, no partridge in a pear tree. The stunt will be MR-based, but certainly unique!


Registered Contestants:

1. LordBane21
2. Darth Leximus
3. ThreeQuadFive
4. jtsteph
5. samurai rob
6. Pullo
7. DizzyKungFu
8. Swear000
9. Vargose
10. Alcfalath
11. Ideal
12. Lord Preston
13. bubbalew
14. bubbalew's son
15. Malaki
16. ketsuraku anei
17. MaverickJsmith
18. samurai_rob
19. mmafighter
20. Tradeliphine
21. Kal-El Rah
22. NewberL337
23. Eco
24. MasterRoop
25. Blue Fox
26. Mcich
27. Ivod
28. Do-Clo
29. erictank
30. Vazan Maceu
31. Cannibal 869
32. TirolLeonidas
33. Darcy666
34. Physche
35. vadeblade
36. Novastar
37. Gundamaniac

[Alcfalath]

Wow this is really a generous offer... I am always humbled to see/meet people like you LDM, even if it is online.. You are a great benefit to this community

As for the contest, as much as Id love to be a part of it (and i do have some rather interesting tales/have led an interesting life..) as well as a saber which would be awesome, i think ill sit this out... Im building 2 sabers of my own and its more fair that someone else get a shot...

I for one however will love to read about other peoples tales. Who knows, i may be inspired to tell a few of mine, but they wouldnt be for the contest.. unless you insist

Anyways... everyone start posting

[Darth_DevilGuy]

does not killing people who really piss me off count?

I'll have to think about this one, I'm generally a nice guy, but the level of philanthropy that merits a saber may be above me...

[MoonDragn]

No thanks. If I ever did anything good for someone, I don't expect to be rewarded for it, therefore it would be pointless to relate the story about it in hopes for a reward.

I can build my own stunt sabers anyway.

[Lord Dottore Matto]

I have to say that a few of the responses surprise me a little. First, I am sure that ALL of you can build your own sabers! This "contest" is simply a vehicle to spread a little good will and give TCSS some business (where do you all think that I will get the parts after all!) If you just want to do something nice for someone else and not enter, then that would be great as well!

P.s.-devilguy, you don't need to donate a kidney to a transient or anything, just buy him a meal! The acts don't have to be huge to qualify. It isn't about "deserve a saber", It is about me appreciating good folks!

P.s.s.-moondragn, relating stories of positive acts toward your fellow man is not, in this context, a way of "tooting your own horn". The reason I brought this contest here was to demonstrate the human side of many of us. I am discouraged at the tone that this forum has taken on lately and would like to "re-humanize" it a little!

[Alcfalath]

Very well put LDM... in that case.. i may just put a few of mine down after all.. but after i get some sleep.. its 0315hrs here and im a little knackered from work this evening :P

[ThreeQuadFive]

No thanks. If I ever did anything good for someone, I don't expect to be rewarded for it, therefore it would be pointless to relate the story about it in hopes for a reward..

Ditto.

I help out a lot of friends and people @ work after hours and such with their PC problems (being the tech guy and all) and happily donate time, spare parts, and anything else I can. Same goes for family members. I know I'm always the kid out of the three of us that always lends a helping hand to my parents, watching the dog on the weekends if they have to go out of town (I live an hour away).

Outside of that, holding doors open for people, allowing others to cut in front of me at the grocery store if they have less items than me (I did piss off a grump old woman doing that once...that was actually kinda rewarding considering how bad she made herself look for bitching me out about it!) and the usual being nice to others.

Virtue is it's own reward

[vargose]

For the past two years I have been participating in a breakfast for the homeless that my church puts on arround Thanksgiving time. I prepared and servered food. I spent time talking to those who came in form the shelters. I donated clothes and other necessities. I will be participating again this year.

[mmafighter]

I am a very trusting and generous person, and I know what it is like to be "Down on luck". Recently, at my job, (I am employed at Panera Bread inc.) a responsibility of one of my co-workers is to fill and deliver via (Catering) orders, and make sure all of the ordered sandwiches/salads/paninis/soups are made with accuracy. We had an order of about 2/3 group salads, and 3 group sandwiches, which alltogether would feed about 4-5 people. There is a homeless gentleman who is a very nice man, byt he name of Terry, that I pass every day on the way to work. He is a generous man, always offers a cigarette to me, (I don't smoke) but I generously take them and give them to someone who does, and asks in the most polite manner if I have the time, as he catches the 4 'oclock bus. The order that would have been delivered, turned out to be a prank call. All of us in the restraunt werent hungry, so My manager- Adam asked if we wanted to donate the proportionate meal to Terry. All of the workers magically found "something else to do". Adam had the look on his face as if he were about to give up. I walked towards him, and he said to me "Are you gonna turn me down too?" I said "Give me that bag". I walked down to the corner of the street, and when I got up to terry, his face lit up-he was grinning form ear to ear. He even started to cry. I was so heart broken to see this man cry over something as simple as food. It is apparent to me that this man, who is in his 40's, knows a good deed when he sees one. As I mentioned before, I see this man everyday as I walk past that corner for work. It has become a part of my every day life to "sneak" any sort of bagel, or bread that I can into my work bag to give to him as I see him on the corner on the way home from work. I understand that people have good hearts if they would actually use them, and it pains me to see that your average person wouldnt stoop down to pick up an old lady's dropped wallet. That is why I go out of my way to see to it that Terry's stomach has a little something in it at the end of the day. Winning this saber isnt the reason I wrote this. Bragging about myself IS NOT why I wrote this either. I want people to see that the smallest act of kindness can go a longer distance than anything else in this world. Thanks for reading.


-Aaron

[Tradeliphine]

Well, I wasnt going to enter this, but I figured I would post here cus its a kinda cool story. Ive played World of Warcrack for about 4 years, I met a guy in the game early on and we played together a lot, we were in the same guild and all for a few years and always seem to find something fun to do in game.

We got to know eachother, and I learned that he had some problems, bipolar disorder, severe depression (attempts on his life and all). He was unemployed and living with his unemployed mother who has a tendency to nag/be pessemistic. They had no vehicle, no money, and no hope.

We are both HUGE star wars fans and so I decided to invite him down here to FL for Star Wars Weekends this last June. I found out who was going to be here what weekend and who his favorites were and we (my family and I) flew him down here for 2 weeks to hang out and get to 2 weekends (Peter Mayhew, David Prowse, Matt Wood, and Amy Allen).

While we were there we saw several nice sabers and we vowed to learn to make our own.


It was a total blast, I mean here we were opening our house to a person only know through a game and not sure of any truth to what I knew from talks, and it was a blast, it was like my long lost brother had just come back from war/travel. I talked it over with my parents (Im 28, almost 29, Im a nationally certified Paramedic and I work at a Lowes, my mom has a bad hip, my stepfather has many cardiac problems, and we have a rather large house, so they love havign a live in medical care person and handyman, but I still choose to pay rent) and we decided to invite him to come down to live with us for up to a year ( at which point we may choose to extend it). We wanted him to have a change of pace, a fresh start. We knew that his mother did not want to leave, and that she was a part of the problem. We told him that if he wanted to move down he would be welcomed as family, but he would have to contribute at least as much as he was taking, either by money or deeds. He would also have to find work and try to better himself. We were kinda blunt about it, but having been there, been that depressed myself in the past I knew what worked and what didnt for picking you up.

I would talk to him when he went back about sabers, about all I had read and learned, what vintage stuff I had scored for how cheap (vintage graflex for $12 because the guy didnt know what he was selling and no one else on ebay looks as... creatively as I do, complete heilands for $8, etc) I would tell him about procedures I was doing and how he would have to help me with the saber business when he got here. From the June trip until he moved there were no more attempts, he cut drinking cold turkey, and took his meds as directed and no extra.


He moved down a few months later. He is now working as a real estate assistant at the office my mom works at. He is making about 1200 a month between that and disability. He is paying rent, on time, every time, he is paying off his credit cards, buying gifts for people, laughing more and more each day, his "down" days are fewer and farther between. We have built 5 duelable sabers to date ( >.< I know I only have pics of one up so far, more to come soon) I let him design them, and he lets me get the soldering burns making em (aint he a friend??!?!).

So thats it, theres no real end to the story cus its still going on, hes my best friend now, like the brother I never had, brought together by WoW, Star Wars, laughter, and the need to help someone who was somewhere that I have been.