This Sunday night almost 40 million people will watch the 81st Annual Academy Awards, and I believe we'll see more of a balance between the glitz and glamor and actors supporting social causes. I think we'll hear a call to action for people to volunteer their time and money, and in keeping with that spirit TrueNorth will be debuting a new commercial on the inspirational story of Lisa Nigro.
Unlike past years, I don't have a favorite for best picture, best actor or best actress, since the only category in which I've seen all of the movies is Best Animated Feature Film. I've taken my grandsons to see all the nominated films -- Bolt, Kung Fu Panda and Wall-E -- and my personal favorite is Wall-E. But for whatever reason, my wife Janis and I haven't gone to many movies this year, and we'll have to catch up with the winners on Netflix.
In addition to the awards, I believe we'll hear more of a call for volunteers to help others in these tough economic times. The Wall Street Journal on February 12 published a good article called "A Virtual Matchmaker for Volunteers" by Jane Hodges on the rise of volunteerism, which has trended at about 27% in Amercia, with web sites matching people willing to volunteer with organizations.
In that spirit, TrueNorth is debuting on the Oscars a 60-second commercial directed by Helen Hunt featuring the inspirational story of Lisa Nigro, founder of Inspiration Café, and her work to help homeless people. Lisa's story was selected from thousands of entries in the online TrueNorth contest for the most inspiring story of how a person is pursuing their passion. In December in Snack Chat I wrote a blog called "Why I think TrueNorth will beat the odds" about TrueNorth, a new line of nut snacks from Frito-Lay, and the Oscar's contest.
Lisa founded Inspiration Café in 1989 as a place where homeless men and women could be served with dignity and respect, in a safe environment. In the years that followed, Inspiration Café expanded its offerings to include case management, supportive services, housing and a restaurant skills training program -- all of which collectively serve more than 2,500 people each year.
Following the Oscars, TrueNorth will feature other inspiring stories on TV, in print and on their web site.
For me, the TrueNorth stories have a special meaning. As I prepare to retire next month, I feel a need to give back to the community through volunteer work, but am struggling to find out where my personal passion lies. So Sunday night as I watch the Oscar's, I'll enjoy seeing who wins the awards -- come on Wall-E -- but I will also be thinking about how I'd like to be at least a little more like Lisa Nigro.
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