#30before31: 2 Good Ideas in Chicago

Apologies for already falling behind... family time during the holiday sometimes trumps blog posts. ;) 

So for yesterday & today's post are two really simple ideas that solved a problem in Chicago and made me say, "why didn't I think of that?" 

Idea Post 2

Chicago Parking Meter App

2-hour parking in Chicago was always such a joke because it practically takes two hours to get to your destination. But for most Chicago parking meters, that's how long they allow you to pay for at one time, or if you are lucky you might find one for 3 hours. Or if you parked after 10pm (for free) you would have to refill the meter or move your car promptly at 8am. 

But with the parking meter app, long gone are the days of running out in the middle of dinner or drinks to pay the meter or trudging through the snow in your PJ's on Sunday morning to prevent getting a ticket. 

With the ParkChicago app (available at the AppStore or through GooglePlay) you can pay for your spot and/or extend your time through your phone. Just remember to record the zone number on the Pay Box sign and your license plate number so you have that off hand when. 

And there is no transaction charge for renewing or paying for parking for 2 or more hours. And only a 35 cent transaction fee for less than 2 hours, a much cheaper choice than your alternative - the $40+ parking ticket. 

Idea Post 3

Turning Vacant News Stands into Healthy Food Kiosks And Giving Jobs to Less Fortunate

If you are a Chicagoan, I'm sure you've seen the old yellow newsstands nearby the "L" in the loop that have sat vacant over the past several years due to the decline of physical newspaper sales. A few of these vacant spots are now being transformed into healthy, hip food stands thanks to a local entrepreneur, Ken Waagner. 

Waagner's "eat spots" are an extension of his e.a.t. (education, agriculture, technology) non-profit organization. Not only is the food healthy and designed by former Frontera Grill chef, Shaw Lash, but the stands are operated through Streetwise, an organization that enables the homeless of Chicago get jobs. 

I personally haven't stumbled upon one of these "eat spots", but (as soon as the weather gets a bit warmer) I'll definitely have to check them out! 

#30before31 Charity Idea

One of my #30before31 challenges was to "Write 10 things I'm thankful for every day for one month." After a bit of contemplation, I've decided that while that's important for me to be thankful, that could come off as a bit selfish and not as interesting to read (or write about). And honestly over the past year, I've spent a lot of timing realizing the good in my life. 

So instead, I've changed my challenge to "Every day for 30 days, write about an idea. One that 1) I think would make a positive impact or could be successful, 2) one that I think has been successful, 3) someone I know who has turned an idea into a success." This was inspired by Imitation Game, a movie about Alan Turing genius mathematician and scientist who helped crack the Enigma code during World War II. Not I think I can do something as big as cracking a code that would save millions of people and end a war, but that movie really started me to think about how much one person or one idea can make an impact and be a "success". Which got me thinking about how many people I know who are successful and how many things can be impacted with one idea.

There are a lot of things I want to do, or I wish I could do, or I think would be good to do to solve a problem, but somehow I always find an excuse about why I can't. When I was married, all decisions were joint decisions. But now I can make my own decisions. I don't a family holding me back. I have a great education. I have support from my friends and family. So maybe one of these solutions. 

I figure to make this possible, the ideas or problems can be simple or broad. Something impacting my everyday life, something I observe happening or something that I have to do some research on. 

So, for my first post: 

Idea Post 1: 
What if there was an app or resource that would somehow connect charities/auctions with people or companies who were willing to donate auction items or money?  

I've very involved in the American Cancer Society events that raise money through silent auctions. And sometimes the events would be lacking key auction items or we weren't able to get as many as we'd liked. Most of the securing of the auction items would fall on the committee members, who if they didn't have the means or connections, were at a disadvantage. 

So what if there was a tool that 

1) listed all the local charity events, what they supported, what the charity was looking for and 

2) allowed individuals and companies to list what they were willing to donate and (if they'd like) select the charity or organization they would like to donate to. 

There are companies who are offering services to help make this happen, like Like Charity Connect in the UK. But what if your charity can't afford that type of support? What if there was something open source by area? 

This is an idea that I'd like to think about a little more. Does anyone know something like this out there?