You never stop learning about people

I think I know my best friend well. One of the most endearing things about him is that his daughters are the centerpiece of his life. The older one -- the one who is more like him, the one he has the more natural relationship with -- is a budding beauty and a dedicated soccer player. The younger one -- the one who fascinates him because she's so naturally artistic and outgoing and he wonders where that came from -- is showing talent in ballet.

He recently learned that her ballet school is having financial trouble. HUGE financial trouble. He can't stand the thought of their going under, which would mean an interruption in something his little girl loves. So he asked me if I had any ideas of how he can help her school raise money ... by July 31.

There's no time to organize and promote a bake sale or car wash. I recommended collection jars at local businesses. And I told him that he and his wife had to hit up all their friends and relatives. To show my support, I contributed $25 myself.

He kept saying, "I'd never ask you to help that way."

I am surprised how reluctant he is to beg for money.

As you all know, I beg for money by including charitable links on this blog all the time. I bully coworkers regularly when it comes to toy drives and even baby and bridal showers. While ballet classes for rich little girls is not high on my list of causes, my friend always is, and so of course I didn't think twice about kicking in $25.

I bet his friends and coworkers wouldn't mind contributing, either. He so adores his girls! And just think about all the boxes of Girl Scout cookies and tins of Boy Scout popcorn you've purchases recently. It's not that big a deal. I wish he understood that.