What I'm Thankful For: The 500 Club

The organization is called the 500 Club. It's premise is simple: members donate small amounts of cash to the club, and one member per month receives a $500 check from the club. The club also donates the same amount to a different charity each month in a member's name. Its real name is community, an idea that could use some repackaging in these trying times.

What does $500 mean to a stay-at-home mom during this holiday season? Ask Karlyn Nevels, the first recipient of the 500 Club's beneficence.

Nowadays, the words stay-at-home mom have almost become synonymous with the word "sacrifice." However, Mrs. Nevels quickly dispelled such a notion, saying "My husband is an awesome provider, and I've been blessed to have the opportunity to stay home with my kids."

I asked her how she would use this gift. Her answer was selfless, another old cliche that could use some sprucing-up.

"It's allowed me to do something special for my husband. He works hard, and it was nice to do something for him with "MY" money, rather than "OUR" money. It's also allowed me to do something nice for a close relative of mine."

As we gather for the holidays, it is family that draws us together. With a relatively small amount of money, a regular person was able to bring some happiness into the lives of the people she loves. How much closer is her family now? How much will her community benefit from the example that her strong family sets?

It is somehow fitting that a former point guard set the whole thing in motion.

Tony Wysinger is currently the Men's Basketball Coach at Illinois Central College, a community college located in the blue-collar city of East Peoria, Illinois. When he was younger, he played the point for a Peoria Central High School team that would finish second in the state during his senior year; his skills at distributing the basketball took him to the University of Illinois, where he set a still-standing record for assists in a game with 16 (!!). Always active in the community, Tony continued to think of new ideas for reaching people until he came up with the 500 Club.

"The club was started to do good things for people with no strings attached," he said. "(We want) to give away $500 per month to an individual, as well as (making) a donation per month, in that person's name, to their donation of choice."

No strings attached. Apparently, even die-hard Bears fans like myself are welcome, and the gift keeps giving.

Once he had his idea, the technology to launch it was already in place. Social networking sites like Facebook have allowed 500 Club to grow even faster than Tony had anticipated. "We expected to reach around 200-300 people over a one-to-three month period. We are now touching the lives of over 925 people!" I am not overstating the fact when I say that this is the kind of viral, grassroots campaign that took Barack Obama from little-known Illinois state senator to President of the United States.

The 500 Club is precisely the kind of group that makes "We, the people" sound a lot less corny and a lot more powerful. This isn't a political organization, or a special interest group, and it's not the kind of investment scam that allowed Bernie Madoff to steal millions. The only thing they are investing in is each other.

Every member of the 500 Club knows this: they are joined together with people like themselves to help people like themselves.

That's community. That's the 500 Club.