Creating Jobs for America

 

 You all know my story.

Working mom gets laid off, not because she didn't do her job, not because she didn't love her job, but because the company that she loved and slaved for for years decided to take advantage of the current economy and change their business model. And lay off thousands of people throughout the country without it ever even being in the news.

Working mom becomes stay-at-home mom and nearly loses her mind. And focus. And drive.

Stay-at-home mom applies for many, many, many jobs and gets two interviews in 4 months.

She gets a job offer, it gets rescinded. 

And then she gets another job offer. It sticks. She has a job.

I was fortunate. I was on unemployment for only two months when I started working part-time from home and I only had to do that for a month and half before I got hired on full-time. I am so very, very blessed that I did not have to go through what so many others are going through right now.

Over the weekend, I received an e-mail from BlogHer, letting me know about a initiative that they are throwing their full support behind. They are not making any money for assisting with this program, they are doing it because they want to help America get back on track.

And I think it is awesome.

The initiative is CreatejobsforUSA.org and that's exactly what they are planning to do. By providing funding for small businesses, nonprofit organizations and affordable housing, Create Jobs and the Opportunity Finance Network will be doing exactly what Americans have been asking their politicians to do for the last 4 years.

Create jobs, help us get back on our feet, get us out of the mess.

I know that with the economy the way it is, it is hard to make donations - especially this time of year. There are tons of ways to help:

1. Donate $5 bucks. 
You get a cool wristband that, in my opinion, would make a great Christmas present. For every $5 donated, their sponsors will donate another $30 meaning that your donation of 5 bucks just turned into 35. I like that math!

2. Go to Starbucks. 
You go there anyway. They are a primary sponsor of this program. You can even make your donations there. Pretty awesome.

3. Facebook it, Tweet it! 
Even if you have nothing to give - status and tweets don't cost a thing and will draw attention to an organization that is launching today.

4. Become part of the solution! 
As they say on their website:
"We know that the Create Jobs for USA program won’t solve the problem by itself but we hope it can help create conversation, inspire ideas and empower us all to take action in our communities. Do you have ideas on how communities can come together to help the current job crisis? Do you have a story of inspiration or hope that might help a neighbor get back on their feet? Share your idea or story on our Create Jobs for USA Facebook page. We want to bring together a community of people who are excited to help one another and get involved. You can also follow us on Twitter for inspiring updates on Create Jobs for USA success stories, news about related programs, and information about CDFIs. And don't forget to sign up for email updates. We want to keep this discussion going strong until this crisis is over and Americans are back to work again."


This is our opportunity to make the world a better place. For our kids, our parents, and ourselves. It's time to quit complaining and actually do something about the world that we live in.