The F-er Project

Plug into any media outlet today, and you're going to hear about change. At The Beehive, we're totally behind the swapping out of the overstuffed nappy that is the Bush Administration. And we're overjoyed at the arrival of The Man Who Isn't The Man. Still, it's important to remember that ordinary people can contribute to change as well. And leave it to Deb to figure out a way to change the world by dropping the F-bomb.

Friends of The Beehive will be shocked to learn that Deb occasionally lets a swear word slip. And while this isn't the world's most grievous offense, she decided to do something about it. After all, she was setting a bad example for Eli, who had begun to show a talent for sailoresque discourse as well. So the two set up a Curse Jar. The rules: use a word your great-granny wouldn't approve of, and drop a buck in the bucket.

Perhaps Barack inspired Deb to take her experiment a step further. Perhaps it was her own generous nature. But instead of using the Curse Jar to fund a new flat-screen TV, she and Eli decided to swear their way to change by donating their Curse Jar cash to Heifer International. This charity organization collects money from willing donors and uses it to buy farm animals for poor rural families. The animals—which range from chickens and bunnies to cattle and camels—provide their new owners with a source of food, fiber, or finances, making their lives more sustainable.

Gary and Maddie, of course, never use salty language. But we did have some spare change lying about. So we joined Deb and Eli on their Heifer Project. All told, the four of us scraped together $50, which enabled us to buy a share of a heifer (which, for those who are not agriculturally inclined, is a young female cow) for a family who needs it. That means somewhere down the road, folks will belly up to the breakfast bar with big servings of nutritious, delicious milk. And that's a change we can all get with.