What's with all the voting?

More and more sites are offering money to groups who get the most votes.  There are different companies and organizations getting in on the newest way to garner publicity, and PepsiCo is no exception.  They are giving away $1.3 MILLION dollars each month to various organizations.  That's a lot of money!  I don't really see anything wrong with this - I'd rather they gave a portion of their marketing budget directly to the organizations in need instead of to the radio and TV stations and marketing companies.  But I also usually don't share these types of voting requests because it is just one worthy organization competing against another... and in the end, whether the animals in Texas or Missouri are helped, its still animals being helped. 

However in this case I'm making an exception, because in this case the animals are competing against things like providing motivation for high school students to improve in school, or producing and publishing 10 minute plays written by young writers, or driving drunk people and their cars home.  I'm not saying these aren't worthy causes, but I would rather that Pepsi give their money to an animal welfare organization. 

Especially one like North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue in North Carolina.  Their old location was wiped out by a flood, and they need funds to build a new permanent shelter for the dogs.  From everything I've heard and read about this rescue, they do a great job, and really deserve our votes.  So please, join me in voting every day for NMAR to win a $50,000 grant from Pepsi.  They have to be in the top 10 by the end of the month (right now they are in 24th place).  You do have to register once with Pepsi, but they won't send you junk mail unless you ask them to.  And then you can vote every day until April 30th to help them win.  You can also tell others through a widget on your blog, or through Facebook.  And if you're busy, you can give your e-mail address to NMAR and let them create the account and vote for you by proxy.  See how convenient it is to be a part of changing the world?  If every doggie and kitty reader out there would ask their mom and dad to go vote, and tell their dog and cat friends, we could really make a difference for a lot of dogs who need our help.  Check out the links below for more information.

Vote Here: http://www.refresheverything.com/northmecklenburganimalrescue  (You have to click "Vote for this Idea", then sign in, then make sure to click "Vote for this Idea" AGAIN or you won't have actually voted!)  You can vote once each day. 

Read about NMAR on the PBRC (Pit Bull Rescue Central) blog: http://pitbullrescuecentral.blogspot.com/2010/04/have-you-voted-for-gubbys-rescue-today.html

NMAR's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-For-North-Mecklenburg-Animal-Rescue-to-win-50K-for-Homeless-Dogs/108356965862632?v=wall