Today I learned about something gives me more hope for the future of mankind than I've had in a very long time.

Having lived for many years in Louisiana, I was very affected by the this year's Gulf oil spill disaster. My obsession with news about the spill led to the discovery of a lot of disturbing revelations about the oil industry, which quite frankly disgusted and depressed me on a very deep level.  

Considering the tragedy of the spill, and now the explosion of another offshore rig in the Gulf today, I've been frustrated by a lack of clean energy alternatives available to average consumers. I know that if the option to purchase cleaner and safer energy were avaiable, millions of people like me would choose it. 

Green is good. But for most of us, we've got too much going on to really help the environment. Well, there’s good news. With the help of the Odwalla juice company, you can now make a difference from the comfort of your own home!

Odwalla is sponsoring its popular “Plant a Tree” contest, making it possible for states to buy new trees for their state parks and recreation areas.  For every Michigan vote received, Odwalla will donate $1 toward tree purchases for Michigan.  There is no contribution required.  According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Michigan received more than $50,000 from Odwalla in 2009. 

Today is Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen! What does that mean?

From the Miracle Treat Day site:

One thing's for sure, Dairy Queen loves kids and kids love DQ®. That's why $1 or more from every Blizzard® treat sale on Miracle Treat Day, August 5, 2010 will help sick and injured children in your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. Since 1984, DQ has raised over $81 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Let's make 2010 a record-breaking year! Join DQ  and help make miracles happen.

Totally joining in on this one. I think I'll get an Oreo Cheesequake Blizzard. What will you get?

I love Canine to Five, a dog boarding and daycare facility near downtown Detroit.

I've used them to board my dogs and attended their dog park events and even took my youngest dog to training they offer.

So when Liz, Canine to Five's owner, made the incredible offer for Quicken Loans team members moving downtown (1,700 of us in the next few weeks) to attend dog daycare for free for one month, I HAD to share that here.

That's an incredible offer and I hope many of my fellow Quicken Loans team mates take advantage of it and support Canine to Five once the free offer expires.

Liz has done a great thing with Canine to Five, taking a previously abandoned building in the Cass Corridor neighborhood (just north of downtown) and turned it into a viable, clean and overall wonderful business. It's businesses like Canine to Five that are helping Detroit turn the corner and become a better place.

The neighborhood has a lot of meaning for me. I went to high school down there (at Cass Tech) and I have to say that after years of watching the area decay, it's finally turning the corner.

A post by guest blogger Jill Scapelliti

If you have a pet, then you know how fulfilling it is to get that perfect picture of him/her doing something cute or goofy or literally just sleeping (you just can’t help yourself because it’s so darn adorable). You show off the photo to your friends, post it on Facebook, even frame it and put it on your desk at work. These photos make you smile during your longest days.

If any of the above hits home with you, then please take a second to read about our great Calendar Contest where you can show off your “Hollywood” kitty or pooch and also give back to homeless furry pets in need of love and help this summer.

I am a dedicated volunteer at Almost Home Animal Rescue League in Southfield. The economy has really hit us hard over the past year, and the number of homeless cats and dogs has skyrocketed. We are a true 100% No-Kill shelter, meaning we keep our animals until we find them a new forever home. We are overflowing with cats and dogs, and our volunteers are exhausted. Just when we start to feel great about finding two little kittens a new home, another litter is dumped at our doorstep. It’s never-ending, but our volunteers are tireless and determined to make a difference in each and every animal’s life.

Yesterday, FOX TV in Detroit put a very cool time lapse video of the Quicken Loans billboard going up on the side of the Cadillac building in downtown Detroit.

We're proud of the billboard and we love the video. You can watch it here.

We'll be downtown soon. We hope to play a big part in Detroit's economic revival.

Stop by and say hello when we get down there!

I was lucky enough to attend Detroit Startup Weekend and I’d have to say there’s a ton of entrepreneurial talent in the Motor City. These bright and motivated people were looking to come up with the next startup business while striving to make a difference.  From some sweet charity ideas like CauseCrazy.com to the future in mobile marketing in Salt Codes, there was no shortage of creativity on display.

On April 21, David Carroll, Vice President of Administration at Quicken Loans attended the Michigan’s Next Great Companies 2010 Summit in Bath, Mich. and spoke about the company’s culture.

The summit brought business leaders from across the state together to help Michigan companies grow by focusing on culture and how their working environments can fuel innovation and creativity.

Michigan’s First Gentleman, Dan Mulhern, spoke about the importance of corporate culture and the keynote address was delivered by Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big.

David Carroll’s presentation was part of an informal panel in which several companies had the opportunity to discuss how they make their organization a “great place to work.”  David explained that the Quicken Loans culture is a combination of a million little things and that our ISMs (18 guiding principles) enable all team members to live the culture each day.  Quicken Loans has been named to Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for seven consecutive years.

To learn more about resources to help your business receive recognition for a positive work environment, check out the Michigan Advantage web site.

There's something about spring in Detroit.

Snow melts and everything around you turns from gray to green. When I was young, I never noticed. Nowadays, I get excited about the first tulip bud and hint of color in the trees.

It's also the time that our beloved Detroit Tigers pick up their bats for the season. Opening Day is the greatest holiday between my friends and I - a day to get downtown and soak it all up. We rarely ever go to the game - being downtown around other fans is enough for us.

But when I was younger, I knew nothing of the parties and Friday night fireworks. Instead, we had the radio and a soothing, southern voice to narrate our summer nights.

It was always so warm, so relaxed and with just a faint static of radio. Perhaps you would otherwise occupied, but then you'd hear a loud "crack"  and then the familiar voice who'd make your head turn when he said, "It's loooooooooooooong gone!"

His name was Ernie, but he is Detroit. He may have grown up in Atlanta, but he's ours. Sorry, Atlanta.

Ernie Harwell coached Detroit Tigers fans through 40+ seasons of ups and downs. He was let go for about a year in the early 90s, but brought back by heavy fan demand. He retired in 2002 on his own terms and really....who were we to stop him? Ernie called the shots. 

He announced he had incurable cancer in September of 2009. Just a few short weeks later, he gave a sort of farewell address before a game at Comerica Park. Watch the video of that below.

Also, here's 3 tips for a greener home from Quicken Loans Mortgage News.

The auctions featured items donated by local businesses, craftspeople, and artists, as well as some specialty experiences, such a private breakfast with the giraffes in the Detroit Zoo, and also a thrilling ride with GM's Vice Chairman Bob Lutz aboard his private J-39 Soviet jet.

I have a dog from MHS, who was surrendered to the Huron Valley branch at the age of 3 weeks, barely responsive and suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and urine burns on his paws from unclean conditions. A foster care provider working with the shelter nursed him back to health with lots of care and attention from her family. When I took him home at 9 weeks, he was happy and healthy and loving, and instantly fit right in with my other pets. He's been a loved and valued member of my household ever since. Because of him - and because every animal in my home was once in the care of a Humane Society - I feel indebted to MHS. (See comment in epilogue for correction! MHS is NOT affiliated with HVHS.) I was very happy to be able to attend and contribute, and was very pleased with what I heard during presentations at the brunch.

Change is happening in Detroit, are you a part of it?

That was the theme of the first annual Future Midwest conference, held this past weekend in Royal Oak, Mich. Headlined by former Digg CEO and native Detroiter Jay Adelson, the conference focused on growing businesses and spurring local entrepreneurs by bringing together the best and brightest digital minds from across the country.

From digital marketing to PR and social media, Future Midwest addressed how technology can be used to lift Detroit and pave the way for its future. As the conference’s keynote speaker, Adelson framed a positive vision for Detroit and urged young creatives to seize their opportunity.

Sometimes words are best left to the experts. That's why I'm going to re-blog a bit of information I feel our DIFF readers need about World Water Day from their website:

What is World Water Day?

Water affects every aspect of our lives, yet nearly one billion people around the world don't have clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion still lack basic sanitation. World Water Day, celebrated annually on March 22, was established by the United Nations in 1992 and focuses attention on the world's water crisis, as well as the solutions to address it.

This year, a collaborative of US-based organizations have joined to raise awareness and call for stronger commitments from governments, the private sector, and US citizens for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives in low-income countries.

After waiting for 8 weeks for my puppy to be old enough to fly, last Friday, I finally picked her up from the airport. I was excited to see her after waiting for so long. She was flown to my boyfriend and me from a Keeshond breeder in Tennessee, Nancy Hopkins.

Nancy was amazing! She checked in every step of the way to walk me through the entire process and didn’t complain when I asked for pictures or when I consistently emailed her to make sure the puppy was doing okay. She even sent me a video of the puppy so that I could watch her play with her siblings. When I picked the puppy up from the airport, her crate was nicely set up with a drinking cup stabilized inside for the puppy’s use, a bag of food attached to the roof of the crate for us to feed her with, and a cute stuffed bunny was inside for her to draw comfort from and entertain herself. Nancy had even made sure to attach all the puppy's vet papers and additional information to the outside of the crate. The night we picked our puppy up Nancy called to make sure that everything went okay and the she arrived safely.

The puppy, which we consequently named Griffey (although she is a girl), was named after my boyfriends favorite baseball player Ken Griffey Jr. To our satisfaction, our other dog a Golden Retriever named Kenze, is absolutely in love with her and they play constantly every day. I would recommend anyone looking for a Keeshond to get in contact with Nancy Hopkins by emailing her at Hopkins_Nancy@yahoo.com.

For more information on Keeshonds click HERE.

I love it when I hear about great Quicken Loans customer satisfaction.

It's a nice feeling to know that our clients are happy and I take it personally. After all, I spend a big portion of my waking hours working for Quicken Loans. Obviously, I want my work to mean something and I want the company to which I devote so much of my time and energy to be perceived in a good fashion and to help people.

It means something to me to see a review or testimonial where a client is "wowed" by the customer service they received from their mortgage banker and the many other mortgage professionals that touch their home loan during the mortgage process.

So we decided to share some of these mortgage success stories and happy clients with the world. We call it our Quicken Loans customer satisfaction page, and it's here that you'll find the latest and best reviews of Quicken Loans from a variety of sites across the web. Viewpoints, Epinions, Twitter, FiLife, YouTube and our own Quicken Loans Reviews site, to be exact.

Let us know what you think. I also wanted to share one of my favorite video testimonials we've receieved in a while, from Tony and Amy of New Jersey. They refinanced and took the money they saved from their payment and did some really cool things around their very cute house. My favorite quote? "Our bathroom is no longer from the 60s."

Love it!

Last month Quicken Loans hosted their 1st Annual Wellness Fair. The fair brought together various vendors and benefit providers such as Cigna Medical, Vision Service, Metlife Dental, Compuware, Powerhouse Gym, Botsford Hospital, and YMCA.

In addition to the multiple venders who were at the Wellness Fair there were free biometrics screenings where employees could get readings of their cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and height, plus numerous healthy give-away prizes such as free frozen yogurt from Swirlberry, multiple Wii Fits, yoga mats, weights, stretch bands, Wii consoles, healthy recipe books, back massages and more.

Check out the video below where Quicken Loans Benefit Analyst, Erin Eiseman, discusses the happenings of the Wellness Fair.

By Bilal Saeed

We all have our own idea about the meaning of "making a difference" but making a difference really comes down to one thing: positive impact.

Since officially entering the exciting world of entrepreneurship in January of 2008, I immediately realized the freedom and flexibility that came along with the great deal of responsibilities.  At first, I assumed this freedom meant that I could work when I wanted to, wear what I wanted to work, and basically do whatever I wanted to!

But it wasn't long before I realized that the true meaning of being an entrepreneur is being able to control your own destiny.  Among the great deal of responsibilities that come with launching a new product, or penetrating a new market, comes the responsibility to be a leader in your community, both local and globally.  Whether times are tough, or revenues are record setting, making a difference found its way to the top of my priority list. 
 
In 2009 we were able to launch two successful and charitable events like the Ford Lake Frozen Leap benefiting the American Heart Association, and the Discilanti Open benefiting SOS Community Services.  We immediately began seeing the impact in our community, but more so within ourselves and our business.  Even though these events had little or nothing to do with our business, it definitely helped us as entrepreneurs, in terms of controlling our own destiny.  Making a difference is a privilege and that's why I continue to involve myself in efforts that have a positive impact. 

On January 12th, at 5:22 p.m., a series of earthquakes ranging in magnitude of 6.5 to 7.3 brought Haiti to its knees. We can’t overlook the very real fact that the Haitians need our help.

So we, at Quicken Loans,are supporting two great organizations to help the people of Haiti. The first is the American Red Cross, who has already sent supplies from their warehouse in Panama and has committed over $1 million dollars of support to meet emergency needs. Funds raised by Quicken Loans team members through a payroll deduct campaign, jeans days, other fundraisers will be matched by Quicken Loans to support the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief efforts for Haiti.

The second charity is Samaritan Feet. Quicken Loans is making a $5,000 donation to assist in helping them deliver shoes to the people in Haiti. The debris and devastation is so dreadful that the Haitian people that are trying to help others or move to different locations are having difficulties because they do not have shoes to protect their feet. Samaritan Feet will be shipping up to 10,000 pairs of new shoes to provide relief to the children.

Our hearts and prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by this devastation. To find out how you can help with disaster relief efforts, click on the following link which will take you to the American Red Cross page.

By now you've all heard about the terrible earthquake in Haiti. CNN is reporting this morning that hundreds of thousands have died in the catastrophe.

Our faithful Red Cross is helping in the area and has made it easier than ever for you to kick in a little assistance too. Text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. More details on the text donations can be found on the US Department of State site.

As always, you can also visit the Red Cross site to donate that way.

A text to make a DIFF? Seems like not only an easy thing to do - it's the right thing to do.

A couple of months ago, one of Quicken Loans own team members, Linda Evans, was told that she needed Gall Bladder surgery. Linda ended up going in for surgery at Botsford Hospital in Farmington Hills, MI. She had been to different hospitals in the area before, but she had never been to Botsford Hospital before this surgery.

Linda was surprised at the level of service she received at the hospital. Her surgeon, Dr. S Pastor, always greeted her with a smile on his face or a hug and made certain she didn’t worry about her upcoming surgery. Even after her surgery, her check-ups at the hospital were just as pleasant.

The most surprising part of the service Linda received happened last week on December 21st, months after her surgery took place. Linda received a phone call from a nurse at Botsford Hospital (Jan Shimmel). The nurse was calling to follow up on how Linda was feeling after the surgery, asked if she had any concerns and wished her well.

A big round of applause goes out to Botsford Hospital for taking great care of your clients. In the words of Linda Evans herself, “There is a hospital out there that doesn’t just treat you as a ‘patient’ but as a person and cares about you. Four stars from me.”

Pictured above is Linda Evans.

Google is celebrating the 2009 Holiday Season by donating $20 million to charities around the world. I know I've pat Google on the back before, but I just see it as giving credit where credit is due. Sure Google is a huge company that I'm sure makes huge profits. And really there are a bunch of other things they could've done with this money. But instead of adding to their empire or throwing an epic party, they decided to be The DIFF and do the most good by donating to those in need.

So hats off to Google again. They've put their money in the right place and done a world of good in the process.

More than 1,500 Quicken Loans team members and their loved ones took to the streets of Detroit on Sunday, December 13, to participate in the companys annual Frosty Fest celebration. The event, which was previously hosted at Quicken Loans' Livonia headquarters, was moved to our future home in Detroit. 

Frosty Fest featured complimentary ice skating and skate rental at the Campus Martius rink, live reindeer, a dog sled team, photos with Santa Claus, a craft tent where kids created holiday gifts for their parents and a warming center inside the Compuware building that had snacks, crafts and a Nintendo Wii for families to enjoy. The event was intended to help our team members spend a fun-filled memorable day in our new home city, while also familiarizing themselves with the area and visiting local businesses.

A special thanks to everyone who helped make Frosty Fest 2009 happen. We can't wait until next year!

Click here for more information on Frosty Fest from the Detroit Free Press.

Crain's Detroit Business has an article, written by Dan Mulhern (Michigan’s First Gentleman), "Other Voices: Tough Times Test Corporate Culture"  which talks about the culture of some of the great companies in Michigan and mentions Quicken Loans as one of those:

The best companies identify what they want their ideal culture to be and define what that means and how to live it every day. In Southeast Michigan, we can look to business leaders such as Google, Valassis, Quicken Loans and Plante & Moran. Each of these companies has achieved national recognition for their commitment to their workforce.

Thanks, Dan, for your recognition of Quicken Loans pursuit of creating one of the best cultures to work in.

But yesterday, just before lunch, I got an email from one of my favorite project managers saying that she was was doing something slightly less self-serving on her lunch. Courtney wanted to hit some stores to support the new coat drive that Quicken Loans is doing.

Courtney sent out a 2 sentence email to some of the people around the area that we sit in and in less than 10 minutes, had over $100 to go spend on coats. So Courtney, me and one of our awesome BA's, Lisa, hit the road just after noon. Through some thrifty moves and a lovely Kohl's employee who hooked us up, we managed to get 11 coats. 11! A little bit of money, a few people, an hour of time and we'll keep 11 kids warm this winter.

I know, I JUST KNOW that Quicken Loans is going to collect so many more coats, but it was just crazy to me how with just a little bit of time and a little bit of money we could do that much. Trust me, we're not done. The entire company is on this mission. We'd like to invite you, too - we are collecting NEW coats on behalf of Capuchin Soup Kitchen and the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation. The coats should be for high school-age children or younger. You can bring them to any of our Michigan locations until December 15. Questions? Kelly@QuickenLoans.com

The Today Show discusses a new helmet designed to reduce football related head injuries.

Concussions go drastically unreported at High Schools because many believe you have to be unconscious to have one. There are a number of symptoms that can be a sign of a concussion. According to the Journal of Athletic Training approximately 55,000 concussions are experienced in High School football each year.

Xenith has created a new specialized helmet that is being used to minimize these risks of concussion. These helmets are equipped with compression shock absorbers that cushion much like an airbag in a car. Watch the video to learn more about the new helmet design and what schools are doing to get the helmets for their teams.

Remember when we wrote about Tweet for ALS?

On Saturday, October 3rd the ALS (Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Association held its annual Walk to Defeat ALS on Belle Isle and more than 500 people showed up to raise awareness for the disease. Bill Emerson, CEO for Quicken Loans challenged Quicken and its family of companies to raise over $75,000 to defeat ALS. Through individual team member contributions, internal auctions for unique prizes, creative team competitions such as raffles, themed lunches, the launch of a one-day online national Tweet-for-ALS campaign on the social media site Twitter and even valet parking for a day, the goal was surpassed and more than $120,000 was raised.

Now THAT is the DIFF. Good job, Quicken Loans!

Just over 10 years, ago Quicken Loans team member Adam Niskar had a day that changed his life forever.

A day and a 10 year journey that is best explained in the words of his brother, Ross: 

It was an extremely hot summer and Adam attended a lake party with friends. He decided to go swimming and, like he’d done many times before, Adam went running off the dock.

This dive was different.

Water levels were dangerously low. Adam hit his head on the bottom of the lake. What he thought was a safe level was only 30 inches of water. After he hit the lake floor, he immediately knew something was wrong.

Adam could not move his limbs. He was laying face down and in danger of drowning. At first, his friends thought he was joking. But this was no joke.

Know why you haven't heard from us here on the DIFF lately? Because we've been BUSY! But here it is, friends....this is the big thing we've been working on.

And because I'm still busy (raising $10k is a task!) I'm paraphrasing from our press release about our project here:

Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest online retail mortgage lender, has joined the fight against ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s Disease). To do this, Quicken Loans has created a Web site, Tweet for ALS, where people can easily donate and spread the word by promoting the site on personal Twitter and Facebook statuses.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As neurons degenerate, the brain loses ability to initiate and control muscle movement. Patients suffering from ALS remain mentally strong, yet have symptoms of increasing muscle weakness, including speech, swallowing or breathing, which eventually leads to paralysis and death.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009, Quicken Loans will launch a one-day, 10 hour online and global Tweet-for-ALS campaign. The goal is to use social media such as MySpace, Facebook, blogs and Twitter to spread the word and raise $10,000 in donations in just 10 hours from all over the world. All donations will be made directly to the Michigan chapter of the ALS Association.

This campaign is aimed at utilizing and unleashing the power and influence of social media for a worthwhile cause. Facebook and Twitter networks add up to more than 300 contacts per person, and this is a way to spread the message quickly using social media as a tool to save lives.

People only need to make small donations, and if each individual can do this and spread the word with their social media account, over 10,000 people can easily be reached. People interested in helping support this cause can view the Web site at www.tweetforals.com, donate and also find valuable information on the effects of this disease.

The Tweet-A-Thon will begin Thursday morning at 8am and run until 6 pm. Participants can donate early through the Web site, or wait until Thursday to make their contribution. Quicken Loans will be updating the progress in real-time all day on Thursday. Proceeds from this campaign go toward research and finding a cure for ALS, as well as supporting victims of this disease.

Loyal DIFF readers, we don't ask for much. If you can spare four quarters or more with us, we would truly appreciate it. And if you can't do that, consider spreading the word for our cause. We appreciate that too. Thank you!

Yesterday I reported on bad news regarding the economy in our (metro Detroit) area.  Today, I've got good news.

Quicken Loans/Rock Financial is joining with the Detroit Pistons to help 400 Detroit families with food and personal supplies to help deal with the upcoming winter (rumor is it's gonna be a cold one).

Here's the story from today's Detroit Free Press:

With so much bad news lately, it's nice to be associated with something good.

The bad economy has taken its toll once again on the Detroit area.

Two mainstays of art and culture in the Detroit area have met their demise and it's a shame.

The Detroit Festival of the Arts, a 22-year tradition in Detroit's Cultural Center (home of Wayne State University, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Science Center, the Detroit African American Museum, the Detroit Historical Museum, the grand and beautiful Detroit Main Library, and the renowned College for Creative Studies), has been cancelled indefinitely. Consider it another victim of the demise of the U.S. Auto Industry, whose generous support made this and lots of other cultural events in the area possible.

Also, this was the last year of the Michigan State Fair, which has a history dating back 160 years. I grew up going to the Michigan State Fair, checking out the livestock, riding the rickty and more scary than they should have been rides, eating candied apples and enjoyiing stuff that was "Michigan." I even saw my first concert there (the Bay City Rollers - wow, that was a long time ago, folks). I'm not really sure why the State Fair ran out of money, but it did and now it's gone.

I suppose this type of thing is happening everywhere and it's not something unique to Detroit. Hopefully, when things turn around, these events will return, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm just sad and I hope the days of losing things that I think make life better are over soon.

To me, this is the stuff that makes life fun. That makes it interesting. When it goes away, something is lost and that's, well, just kind of sad.

Have a cruddy old freezer or refrigerator taking up space in your basement or garage? Well, now is the time to surrender.

Straight from Detroit's Model D, read what DTE Energy is doing to save the earth and fill your pockets:

DTE Energy is tearing apart more than 1,000 old refrigerators it has collected this summer as a way of making Metro Detroit more energy efficient.

The downtown Detroit-based utility started its own version of Cash for Clunkers earlier this summer but focused it on old appliances instead of cars. Old appliances, especially those old refrigerators keeping beers cold in the garage, are lacking when it comes to energy efficiency -- to put it nicely. Older refrigerators often use three times as much electricity compared to newer models.

The appliance recycling program offers DTE Energy's customers $50 for their old refrigerators and freezers. DTE even hauls them away for free. The check arrives in the mail 4-6 weeks later.

"If you call us to pick up one of those and have a working airconditioner or dehumidifer, you can give it to us and we'll give you $20," says Eileen Dixon, spokeswoman for DTE Energy.

These appliances are shipped to DTE Energy's new facility in Livonia where they are dismantled and properly disposed. About 30,000 old refrigerators and freezers are expected to be taken apart there, creating 20 new jobs over the next three years.

To schedule pick up of a refrigerator or freezer, call (866) 796-0512 or click here. visit the company's Web site.

Alright loyal DIFF readers - this is probably the only time we'll tell you that you can eat ice cream and still feel really good about it.

Sometime today, head up to your local Dairy Queen and indulge in one of their many Blizzard options. The sweet blend of ice cream and treats will not only taste delicious, but a portion of your money ($1 or more) will go straight to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Proof of the awesomeness at Dairy Queen? Since 1984, DQ has donated over $77 million to the Children's Miracle Network. DIFFabulous.

Visit www.MiracleTreatDay.com for more details.

Quicken Loans is proud to announce the launch of Guffly.com - one of the brightest and boldest businesses from our Bizdom U students.

(If you're all, "Hold up, what's Bizdom U?" go learn more about the Detroit school for entrepreneurs from Quicken Loans Chairman Dan Gilbert here.) 

Here is more about Guffly from their press release:

Guffly founders, Jordan Contreras and Chanell Scott, are graduates of Bizdom U, the Detroit based entrepreneurial academy founded by Dan Gilbert. In February 2008, Contreras and Scott began an eco-friendly blog and quickly garnered a following of hip, eco-friendly consumers with a conscious. Through listening to their audience and other research, they discovered that while the eco-friendly product market is growing, many items are not appealing to the young, stylish, and urban demographic - Guffly plans to change this. Each day, Guffly will feature a new stylish, eco-friendly product. During that time, visitors to the site can view the product, read comments about it, talk about it, and buy it.

"We have created an online store and community where it is easy for people to find eco-friendly products that actually look cool and fit into a modern lifestyle," says Scott, Guffly's CEO. "We have created relationships with people that create simply amazing eco-friendly products that we are excited to bring to the daily lives of the modern user."

To reduce its environmental impact and provide fast service to customers, Guffly uses drop shipping directly from suppliers. This concept is integral to a green business model and offers lower shipping costs, which benefit the customer, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions, which benefits the environment. Additionally, Guffly checks all suppliers to ensure their eco-friendly products are truly green, sustainable, or fair trade.

Totally the DIFF, right? We think so too. So go check them out (everyday if you can, there's something spankin' new all the time!) and not only will you be more environmentally-friendly, you'll be stylish and trendy as well.

So I was perusing the lovely World Wide Web and came across this site that in the current state of the economy appears to be genius: Favorpals, a world without money.  It’s a website that allows people across the country or across town to trade their skills.  Instead of paying for things you need with cash, you can pay with a favor. 

Right now a guy in Massachusetts without health insurance needs a dentist.  So he’s offering his skills as an organic landscaper as payment. 

An avid reader and internet usability pro (someone who tests how functional websites are) in San Francisco traded skills for books.

Need a handyman?  Well, can you clean or cut hair or teach someone computer skills?  Then offer up a trade!  And if you think that there’s nothing you can offer for the things you want, Favorpals offers a great list of ideas.  Help move furniture, set up for a party, drop someone off at the airport, or offer a sympathetic ear.

You can browse favors by location, category or how recently they were posted.  The site also has a section where you can trade your skills with charity organizations for “good karma”.   

So the next time you start thinking about the things you might need and how you’re going to pay for them, think about offering up a trade instead and imagine a DIFFerent kind of world, one without money. 

I'm no gardener. But I'm darn good at clicking a mouse. I can even plant a tree with it! No, I'm not crazy. Well, sort of. But that's besides the point.

Check out this very DIFF-tastic movement from the juicy people at Odwalla - by just visiting their site and clicking a button, you can plant a tree!

More from the Odwalla tree planting page:

Planting a tree on your behalf is our way of saying thank you for choosing Odwalla!

The Odwalla Plant a Tree program is available May 27, 2009 through December 31, 2009. When you choose a participating park system for your tree (CA, CO, FL, MI, MD, NY, OH, PA, TX, UT, VA), Odwalla will donate $1.00 towards the purchase of a tree to the state parks in that state on your behalf. Only one click allowed per person. Participants pay no money under this program. The cost of the donated trees will be paid solely by Odwalla, Inc., up to $100,000 worth of trees. Tree costs generally range from $.25 to $1.20.

Awesome! So go check it out, pick your state of choice and plant a tree! It's http://www.parkvisitor.com/odwalla/

The Great Lakes Urban Exchange (GLUE) recently did a campaign around the streets of Detroit. They walked around with dry-erase boards encouraging passersby to express their ideas about the future of the city. Everyone was asked to use the board to write what could keep them in Detroit by completing the sentence: “I will stay if…”

Responses ranged from reliable regional transportation to improved education within the city. Everyone had great ideas and I’d guess people are very passionate about what they wrote. It just goes to show you that regular old citizens have plenty of ideas about how to make the city better and that they have faith that it can happen. 

Check out all of the project images,  I Will Stay If…

Inspired by the GLUE project, we decided to recreate it with a few members of The Diff team. While we don’t all currently live in Detroit, we all have strong ties to the city, so we wrote our statements accordingly.

What would make you stay in/ go back to Detroit?

Kelly: ...Mass Transit

CBS spreads more good news about Detroit!

Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert's intends to revitalize metro Detroit with his Bizdom U program through innovative training and support of fledgling entrepreneurs. Check out the video below and also check out the great article about Bizdom U in USA Today. And pay it forward by spreading the good news!

Watch CBS Videos Online

I read the Detroit Free Press online everyday. In a city where so much happens every day, I am rarely caught off guard anymore. Today, I was pleasantly surprised.

This morning, the Freep featured a story about Susan Zayan. She is a nurse with the St. Joseph Mercy Health System. And yesterday she saved a man's life while not on the clock. Scott Parker had gotten out of his car to check his windshield wipers when he was hit by a semi-truck. By the time Susan got to him, he'd already lost a lot of blood from a main artery in his leg that had been severed.

Susan sprung into action and did all she could to minimize the blood loss while the ambulance was en route. She even did double-duty, keeping Scott's wife calm and having her keep her husband alert.

In the end, Scott lived. He was transported to the hospital and is doing much better now. But without the help of Susan, the story could have ended very differently.

So hats off to Susan, who is definitely The DIFF!  She took the time to help a stranger in need and ended up saving his life.

Read this great story in its entirety in this Detroit Free Press article.

As a follow up to why we should all care about GM, I heard some sad news today (that I can't confirm - if anyone knows differently, please let me know).

GM is reportedly ending its 25-year sponsorship of filmmaker Ken Burns. That's a shame, because Ken Burns isn't good. He's great. Incredible. His biographic films are the best I've ever seen.

Some of my favorites are JAZZ, The Civil War, Baseball, and of course, THE WAR.

GM has played such an important role in allowing Ken Burns to share his genuis with the public that it can't be overstated. If they are forced to end support, it is very sad. I hope things turn around quickly and GM can one day again have the resources to support such great causes as Ken Burns.

I'm not sure a lot of people know how generous the Big Three have been in the past and what in impact they've made for decades. I know for sure that they have supported the Detroit Institute of Arts and Michigan Opera Theatre generously, for years.

Again, this is a sad day. Let's hope for better days for GM and the country - soon!

Hey, I got you guys a present for the holidays! Ya know, 'cause I love ya.

Here it is.

What is this, you say? Kelly is giving me a link for Chrismahanukwanzakah? No, silly. I'm giving you carbon neutrality for a day. You gotta click on it. Fancy, huh? Better than that pony you asked for, right?

I first found this lovely little gem from Zeldman.com, who "gave" carbon offsets to all his blog subscribers. That list includes myself, so I signed up and now I can give it to you.

Here's the deets from the company that started all this, Brighter Planet:

The One Day campaign is a small way to show your support to fight climate change. For every participant, Brighter Planet will donate 136 pounds of offsets -- the equivalent of one day's worth of CO2 emissions (based on the estimated average American footprint of 24.78 tons). The more people that give the gift of carbon neutrality for one day, the better. Thousands of gift recipients and givers will know that the climate movement is spreading far beyond the typical “environmental” realm and into the norm. All that Brighter Planet asks in return is that you consider conserving during the holidays.

After you sign up (takes 2 seconds and I have received no spam crap from them at all), you'll get an e-mail and then YOU can give carbon neutrality away to all the people you love too...or maybe just all your blog subscribers.

So, enjoy. I didn't wrap it or anything and I'm barely getting this to you before year end, but it still counts, right?

Ok, what did you get me? A pony??!

Over the past few months, it’s been common to hear news of companies having to charge a little more for the goods, in order to stay viable.

Well, Wayne State University is bucking the trend. As the largest university in the Metro Detroit area, they are taking measures to help students “grappling with financial difficulties."

According to their press release, here are the steps Wayne State is taking to help:

• Establishing a tuition and fee payment grace period
• Conducting financial assessment, outreach and one-on-one assistance
• Establishing a temporary Student Response Center
• Conducting seminars on higher education financial planning and management
• Continuing investment in “economy-driven” educational programs

I know, I know – Wayne State is really looking out for its own interests. This may be true, but in the process, they’re offering assistance to those students who might not be able to enroll next semester because of their financial setbacks.

I’m sure it’s made a lot of students breathe a little easier to know their university is there to support them during the difficult financial times.

Last week, I watched It All Adds Up: WSU Math Corps on Detroit Public Television.

First, my quick endorsement for public television:

Some of the best programming is seen on public television. Whether it’s a documentary or children’s educational show (i.e. Reading Rainbow), they usually do a pretty good job. I’ve volunteered at the call center collecting donations and I think it’s definitely a worthy cause.

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming:

So I watched It All Adds Up: WSU Math Corps. The Math Corps at Wayne State is a program for Detroit middle school and high school students. It runs through the summer and during some weekends during the fall and winter.