Intel Chairman Craig Barrett announced the launch on Friday of the Small Things Challenge, a one-year charity program that will cost his company a nickel every time someone clicks a button that says, “We’ll Donate 5 Cents for You.” The Intel donation this year, up to $400,000, and citizen action generated during the campaign will benefit two charities, Kiva.org and Save the Children.
The Small Things Challenge is a campaign based on the premise that every small action can make a big difference in the world. The website, smallthingschallenge.com, urges people to click, send an e-mail to their friends, and donate a small amount of money themselves, to become part of the solution to global poverty.
Musicians Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and Adam Duritz of Counting Crows joined Barrett onstage during his keynote speech to issue their support for the challenge. They also donated autographed guitars and percussion instruments, and signed a number of notebook computers that will be auctioned on eBay to raise, what is sure to be, more than small change for the charities. One signed Fender Stratocaster has not met its reserve price yet, with an auction end-date of Jan 15 and the high bid at $401.25.
The group created a video featuring the two musicians along with actresses Maria Bello and Camryn Manheim which highlights the miracle of tiny things like “a seed becoming a 300 foot tree” and a microloan changing the life of a farmer halfway across the world. With time lapse photography and upbeat world music, the video has logged 93,285 views so far. Watch the video below.
Watch the uplifting keynote video of Craig Barrett talking about education and poverty and how they connect to consumer electronics. 85% of K-12 students, for instance, live in emerging economies and technology is one of the keys to educating these children, along with good teachers. The video, on the conventione website, also features leaders of Save the Children and other participants.