E-mail, newsgroups, online course registration, Blackboard,phone directories, instantaneous news, sports, business andweather; indeed, the World Wide Web has brought forth many greatthings to our society.
And so has charity.
It is the combination of the two that we should pay closeattention to.
Take Lance Armstrong's recent venture to benefit cancer patientsvia his foundation. He means well: raise $5 million through thepurchase of cheap, nonobtrusive yellow wristbands. To date, theFoundation has raised roughly one million dollars by selling thebands at a dollar a pop.
Certainly not a bad price to pay to help a worthy cause.
Thanks to some celebrity assistance, and a dire need for a newfashion obsession, the "Livestrong" trend is catching as fast asFurbys, beanie babies or even that dreaded Tickle Me Elmo doll everdid.
And, thanks to a few online auctions, that may be Armstrong'sdownfall.
The trend is becoming so popular that the bands have now goneout of stock at Armstrong's online store, where it promises atleast 3-4 weeks before shipment. So what ever is a fashion-crazedmaniac to do?
eBay!
As of Tuesday night, hundreds of entries filled the onlineshopping aisles of eBay.com promoting "new" or "sealed" Armstrongbands. In fact, as of 11 p.m. a shopper could bid on a lot of "100LIVESTRONG Lance Armstrong Bands" ("Going fast," the seller added)for just over $400.
However, for the more impatient purchasers out there, that samelot could be purchased instantly for $899 using "Buy It Now."
What a steal!
Literally.
Other bands can be purchased for much more realistic prices onthe auction site, but it still does not guarantee the proceedsfinal destination, however much they may be.
Those selling the bands are wrong for marking them up, but evenmore disappointing are those who purchase these "black market"charity bands. It is almost as disgusting that eBay would allowsuch sales. Because when the means stop justifying the ends, thereis a serious problem.
So in the midst of the trends and hype, just remember one thing:charity is not about doing things for yourself.
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