Tracy Davidson

The humanitarian crisis in Haiti has compelled millions of people to pick up their phones. Not because they want to talk about it, but because they want to help.
In the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake, pictures of hollow-eyed children outside leveled homes triggered an unprecedented number of text-messaged donations from people who were moved [...]

It’s getting easier to donate money to Haitian relief efforts — and to feel certain that your full donation goes to help, rather than being diluted by fees and administrative charges.
The donations will carry special tax breaks, too, should President Obama sign a bill today that would let Americans take a deduction on their 2009 [...]

There’s a new effort to increase volunteerism in cities nationwide.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley joined Judith Rodin, Rockefeller Foundation president (and former University of Pennsylvania president) today to announce grants of $200,000 apiece to 10 cities, including Philadelphia.
The money can be used to hire senior officials dedicated to developing [...]

More Americans are getting help to pay home heating bills, and more are likely to need help as the economy continues to struggle, says the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association.
Almost 8 million U.S. households received federal government help to heat homes in fiscal year 2009, up 33% from the prior year, the association says. Applications [...]

Citigroup announced Thursday that they will suspend foreclosures and evictions for 30 days in a temporary break for about 4,000 borrowers during the holiday season.
The suspension will run from Friday through Jan. 17. It applies only to borrowers whose loans are owned by Citi. Borrowers who make payments to Citi but whose loans are owned [...]