In an episode of Seinfeld aired in 1997, America was introduced to the anti-materialistic, non-religious holiday we have come to know and love - Festivus!!
In this episode ("The Strike"), you may remember that George Costanza sends Christmas cards to his fellow employees, in an effort to save money on real gifts, stating a donation had been made to a fake charity (invented by George) called The Human Fund (with the slogan "Money For People").
Later, George is confronted by Kruger, his boss, after handing out the fake donation cards. George defended himself saying that he feared persecution for his beliefs, for not celebrating Christmas. Attempting to call his bluff, Kruger came home with George to see Festivus in action.
Interestingly, in 2005, an organization came into existence that is actually called "The Human Fund". To my delight, I came across their website during my research for the Festivus display case (go check that out, by the way!).
So, all you Seinfeld fans out there can make a REAL donation to "The Human Fund" on behalf of your friends and family, and along with making them laugh, you can make a real impact on the lives of the under-served youth in Cleveland, OH.
The mission of The Human Fund (it's not just "money for people"):
The Human Fund effectively supports arts education programs for the under-served youth of the city of Cleveland, providing a commitment to funding several arts programs annually.
We are a non-traditional foundation taking a fresh approach to fundraising. Our foundation takes arts education seriously and as a friend of the arts, The Human Fund is committed to financial support for youth arts programming.
To learn more about The Human Fund, visit their website!
http://www.the-human-fund.org/index.php
