Giving with a Click of My Mouse

Sitting with a laptop in her kitchen as snow fell in Atlanta Tuesday night, Michelle Sollicito saw messages popping up on a Facebook group she runs from worried spouses and parents with loved ones stuck in traffic jams on icy roads. The 45-year-old consultant from suburban Atlanta wanted to help, so she created another group she thought would attract more members. She called it "SnowedOutAtlanta." Attract more members it did. By Friday afternoon, they totaled more than 55,000, compared with about 250 in the old group.

As police and emergency services were overwhelmed by the jams and accidents, tens of thousands of Atlantans used their cellphones to connect with good Samaritans in Ms. Sollicito's new group. "I didn't go to bed for 36 hours," she said. "I felt if I went to bed someone might die."

On Tuesday, Ms. Sollicito's car spun out several times on her way home from her once-a week tech job, but she made it home safely. Her husband picked up their children and got them home before the storm hit. In her kitchen, she checked Facebook and saw messages about people stuck in traffic jams that paralyzed the city, especially the congested northern suburbs. It was then she formed her new group.

Throughout Tuesday night and Wednesday, she sat with a laptop and iPad in her kitchen, fielding messages from pregnant moms, worried parents, and anxious children of the elderly. The group grew so quickly and had so much traffic that Facebook technicians contacted her to figure out ways to divide it into regional sections so computers could handle it. At one point, about 300 people were joining every 15 minutes.

"This was Atlanta's Sept. 11 or [Hurricane] Katrina," Ms. Sollicito said. "People were in need and people were trying to help them."

She invited strangers to stay at her house. One made it.

Through the night, Ms. Sollicito helped coordinate people taking blankets and food to those trapped; found people who took in strangers for the night; and sought information on schoolchildren for anxious parents.

A longtime friend, Elizabeth Cervantes, was worried Tuesday about her 71-year-old mother stuck on roads miles away. She called 911 but they couldn't help. She called tow trucks but they couldn't make it.

"She was going to freeze to death if she was there overnight. I was really freaked out," said Ms. Cervantes, 44. She saw her friend's page on Facebook and posted a request for advice, and offers of help poured in. Several people brought her mother blankets and hot chocolate. A woman sat with her. A man offered to carry her to safety, which she declined. Eventually an ambulance took her home.

Many people don’t have the opportunity to help in a crisis the way that Michelle did. I look at the pile of solicitations we’ve received in the mail. Many times people find there are more leftover bills than leftover money at the end of the month. I found a way to give, without costing me any more than what I was going to purchase anyway.

Today’s gift was purchasing a book on www.smile.amazon.com. This website is just like the regular Amazon website, except .5% of the purchase price is donated to the charity of your choice. I chose the American Red Cross. There are over 1 million charities from which to choose. It only took a click of my computer mouse to know that I was giving back by placing an order.

In Giving,

Robin