This is an idea we came up with earlier today. It is what it says, and here's how it works: we're setting up this request post, where we accept small donations in exchange for icons and profile codes. Then, on Sunday, January 31st, we'll donate all contributions to Oxfam. Those donations will go to help relief efforts in Haiti.

Why Oxfam? I already donated to them after seeing their appeal on YouTube, which I'd recommend you watch if you've got the time. But also, it's because they already have people working in Haiti. I'm hoping that'll help the relief efforts sooner, rather than donating to a group that hasn't sent any people or supplies to Haiti yet. I've run this past Mina and Boots and they've given it the OK, and we're all hoping it's alright with you, too.

If you haven't heard of Oxfam and would be more comfortable donating to another organization, or if you just plain don't want to donate to us, CNN has a list of organizations accepting donations. By now, I think most people have spread the word about texting "Haiti" to 90999, but if you haven't heard yet, doing so will donate $10 to the Red Cross, and it'll be charged to your phone bill. There's also help_haiti, which I recommend. There are lots of options, and we hope you'll choose one.

We understand that you can basically go to any of your favorite communities and get as many icons as you want for free. On top of that, we know that it's easy for scams to happen on the internet, and we completely understand if you're suspicious of donating anything to anyone. Still, we're really crossing our fingers and hoping that's reason enough for people to donate. We're willing to work with you guys and do anything that'll put you at ease, whether it's just answering questions, taking screenshots of receipts and transactions, or something else. We just want you guys to know how much we appreciate you guys contributing to this cause, because a little really can go a long way.

If you're interested and want to help, please read on and find out how to ( donate, promote and pitch in! )

Please use this post for any questions, comments or concerns, and be sure to look through other comments to see if your questions have already been answered. One of us will get to it as soon as we can. Once again, we'd like to say how grateful we are to those of you who choose to do this, and those who spread the word. Hopefully together, a little community on LiveJournal can be a big help.