Helping Dave Delaney, Keith Burtis does it again

Last night I learned my friend Dave Delaney unexpectedly had to give up his MacBook when he made are recent career change. Dave is on the verge of starting his own consulting biz and without his laptop, well...

Dave was given a special card from a magician in honour of his 8,000 tweet (or message) on twitter. As you may remember, Dave is a creative guy so last night he started an auction on eBay to raise money for a new MacBook.

Not one to stand by on the sidelines, Keith Burtis decided to help out. Tomorrow night, he will be doing some woodturning and auctioning his wares on BlogTV at 9 p.m. EST sharp. All money raised will be handed over to Dave for his new MacBook. You can read all about it on Keith’s blog.

What would you do to help out a friend?

Help fight breast cancer and be part of another social media miracle

If you didn’t catch my earlier post about Keith Burtis’ social miracle, you really should read it … now.

Since then, Keith proposed to Michelle and he said “Yes”.

I met them both the next day and they are as lovely as their legend. Keith made a beautiful sushi set for my sister. He called it “The Prosperity Set” and wrote a wonderful story describing his inspiration.

And now he’s at it again. Keith has partnered with Tommy Vallier and Dave Fleet to help Dave raise money to fight breast cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital. Dave is running the Boston Marathon next month and trying to raise at least $3,000.

Keith is creating a special work of art to be auctioned off on Thursday, March 27, to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to Dave Fleet’s fundraising efforts.

So there you have it, you can be part of another social miracle either by participating in the auction or sponsoring Dave Fleet directly.

Note: The auction begins on Tuesday, March 25 at 9 a.m. EST and ends on Thursday, March 27 at 9 p.m. EST. I’ll add a link to the auction webpage as soon as it’s available.

Keith Burtis’ social miracle will melt your heart

Keith Burtis is a professional wood turner and cabinetmaker with a big heart. He is an old-world craftsman who has embraced the new world technology by using twitter and his blog to create awareness for his wood-turning creations.

I “met” Keith on twitter. He lives in Snyder, NY. I’m looking forward to meeting him and his soon-to-be financée, Michelle, in person at PodCamp Toronto.

Keith was planning to make a final payment on his sweetheart Michelle’s engagement. He’s been planning on proposing to her on February 22 – the night before PodCamp Toronto. Unfortunately, he ran into some financial challenges. He’s not letting them get in the way.

On Valentine’s Day, Keith reached out to his twitter community asking for help. He asked his “friends” to consider purchasing one his bowls so he could earn $700 in a hurry for what he calls: “My Social Miracle”. Since then, Keith has been working practically round the clock and even customizing his creations. He’s adding each new item to his blog and keeping everyone up-to-date on his progress, including sales.

Everyone who has heard Keith’s story has been deeply touched. I’m betting he’ll surpass his goal – maybe even raise enough for a romantic dinner with Michelle at one of Toronto’s finest restaurants during their weekend getaway.

If this story touches you, consider buying one of his handmade bowls. Each one comes with it’s own photo documentary, two of his hand-turned exotic wood bottle stoppers and a $10 gift certificate for his future Etsy storefront. My sushi set is on order. ;)