WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jesus "Papoleto" Meléndez, a gifted urban poet and recipient of a 2001 New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, may have his future saved as a result of "neighbors" from opposite sides of the country who are helping him through mobile technology.
Melendez is three months behind in rent for his Spanish Harlem apartment, and the unemployment he'd counted on to keep him afloat has dried up. A blogger from across the country (Oakland, CA to be exact), with a love of the arts, read about the poet's struggle and with the help of mobile technology, is rallying support for Melendez and public poetry.
"I read about Papoleto in the New York Times and had to do something to save him, and support poetry," said Elise Ackerman, a Forbes blogger and marketing content provider for Twilio. "I am overwhelmed by how warm and caring anyone in the U.S. can be to a poet in New York through something considered so cold—mobile technology."
The NYT article inspired Ackerman to leap into action. She quickly contacted Papoleto and offered to help. Within hours, she'd bought a phone number (1-630-4-A-Rhyme) where callers could listen to Papoleto's poetry. But she needed a way to securely and transparently collect funds on Papoleto's behalf. The mGive Foundation provided the solution.
The mGive Foundation is the leader in mobile philanthropy, processing 85 percent of all mobile donations made in the U.S. mGive has partnerships with over 500 nonprofit organizations that have been carefully vetted to meet stringent government and industry standards. Wish Upon a Hero Foundation, a top performer using mGive's text-to-donate platform for crowd activation, was the right mGive client to create a mobile campaign that would quickly and securely collect donations for Papoleto.
"The Wish Upon a Hero Foundation's mission is to help individuals with specific needs," said Dave Girgenti, founder of Wish Upon A Hero. "We are the largest social helping network, created to help people like Papoleto."
To help Papoleto, anyone can donate $5 by texting the word POETRY to 80077.
"When love and mobile connect, we can make our own kind of poetry to help people like Papoleto," said Jen Snyder, executive director of The mGive Foundation. "Studies show there are more mobile devices used in the U.S. than there are people. Also, that we all want to be everyday philanthropists, but it needs to be easy. Our text donation campaigns are four clicks—to help make the difference in someone's life—like Papoleto's."
*$5.00 donation to Wish Upon A Hero Foundation Inc. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 80077 to STOP. Text HELP to 80077 for HELP. Full Terms: mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy: mGive.org/P
The mGive Foundation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=17190