I suppose I am feeling reflective due to the recent earthquakes in Haiti. Or maybe it is because of the media coverage honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week.  At any rate, when people step up to create change they have my attention.  Dr. King had many followers, but he alone became the voice of change for our country during a dark time in our history.  He was the one who stepped up and had the courage to say what others were thinking and feeling.  His words encouraged action.

On Monday, the post on The Stylish Planner was on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the recognition of this day as a day of service in our communities.  In this post, I challenged wedding and event planners to choose and add a philanthropy to your business by the end of January.  It’s not just good business, it is the right thing to do.

Instead of posting a featured planner of the week today, I thought I would take this opportunity to talk about action instead of fashion.  Planners, by definition, do things for other people.  You need a servant’s heart to be in this industry, and if you don’t have a servant’s heart, you may want to reconsider this as your career choice.  Here’s a glance at some amazing planners across the country are what they are doing to give back:

 Eliana Baucicault of Elly B Events, Atlanta, Georgia (Eliana’s husband has loved ones in Haiti) pledged a percentage of her profits for the rest of the year, to Wyclef Jean’s Yele foundation.

Nadine Poliard of Nadine Lynn Weddings, Atlanta, Georgia – Nadine initially feared she may have lost loved ones in the first earthquake – she has since received reports that everyone is accounted for.  Nadine organized a grass roots type of e-mail to her friends, encouraging donations to various organizations while updating us on the status of her family.  Just this morning, I received another e-mail message and a tweet from her in regards to H.R. 4462, a bill to allow all Haiti-related charitable deductions made through March 1, 2010 to be deducted on 2009 income tax filings.  A broad, bipartisan coalition in the U.S. House has already passed HR 4462—now, we just need to encourage Senate to support the bill.  You can submit an e-mail now through the Habitat for Humanity website.

Lindsay Pitt of TOAST Events, Atlanta, Georgia pledged donations of $50 to the Red Cross for every couple scheduling a consultation, and will double the donation when a contract is written by the end of January.

Bridal Bar Atlanta pledged $20 to the American Red Cross for each bride who schedules an appointment with The Bridal Bar or books a Bridal Bar event professional all this week.

Emilie Duncan of Emilie Duncan Event Planning & Kasey Skobel-Conyers of Bliss Events of Ohio are organizing an annual event called Columbus Cakes for a Cause to benefit the Mid-Ohio Food bank and Operation Feed.

Latrice Cushenberry of Bridal Opulence in Nashville, Tennessee spent Monday “on” volunteer duty instead of taking the day “off”.  Second Harvest of Nashville coordinated over 200 volunteers that committed 600 plus hours on MLK day to help sort food for the emergency food box program and pack backpacks for hungry children in middle Tennessee.

Thank you ladies, for giving your time and financial resources to our communities (and beyond) and for setting an example for the rest of us.

I’d like to reiterate my challenge to all wedding & event planners: have you incorporated a service or charity into your business?  If so, please tell us about it – I’ll write another post on the ways planners across the country give back to their communities.  Please provide the name and website address for your chosen charity, what your goal is for 2010, (i.e., a certain number of service hours, or a particular dollar amount) and any other information you feel we should share.

Feel free to leave comments here regarding this post or what the ladies mentioned here are doing in their communities.