Kalen Delaney has called out to the altruist in each of us to help out a former student's mission trip to San Ramon, Nicaragua:
Did You Know : SQL Geeks for Good
I think it is a great idea, and I'm 100% on board. I also have commitments from the rest of my team here at SQL Sentry to collect their room toiletries every day, and I challenge each of you to get your colleagues and roommates to do the same. We can all bring our own soap & shampoo, right?
In addition to all of my hotel toiletries, I am planning to visit a drug store when I get to Seattle, and buy as much toothpaste / toothbrushes / dental floss as I can carry - this is an important part of hygiene that is not typically supplied by the hotels, and I think will be in short supply if we get enough momentum with the items that the hotels do provide.
I hope that all of you going to PASS can join me in collecting and donating your hotel room toiletries, and if you'd like to help me out with the drug store run, that would be fantastic too. If you're not going to PASS, I am more than willing to buy extra supplies on your behalf - if I have to make extra trips, c'est la vie. Just let me know how much you'd like to give, and if you're okay with dental care or if you'd like your donation to be spent elsewhere. Just be warned: I will chase you down for your contribution! :-)
If you'd like a better description of the items requested by the mission, you can view the full list here:
http://www.corneroflove.org/asp/col_collect_items.asp