The business world knows Alexandria Brown as "The E-zine Queen." We at The HSUS know her as Ali, a generous friend who celebrated her 34th birthday last year by collecting $10,000 to help protect animals. Ali asked the 150 friends and clients who joined her birthday celebration to forgo gifts and instead pool donations into one large contribution to The HSUS. She presented a check to us during her birthday party aboard a boat that cruised off the Marina Del Rey harbor just south of Los Angeles.
Giving this $10,000 check to The HSUS was "the most amazing thing in my life," says Ali. "Anyone can do what I did. Usually you get things you don't want as birthday gifts anyway," she says. "I paid for the party and the rest came from my guests. Anyone can turn a wedding or other special event into a gift for a cause. My guests, many of whom are clients, were so impressed that they are still talking about it," she explains. "You don't have to be wealthy to make a difference; you just have to realize you have that power."
The E-zine Queen's philosophy of self-empowerment extends beyond her charitable giving and has served her well professionally—she is a highly successful business woman acclaimed in the world of Internet marketing. She uses her experience as a marketing consultant to show small business owners how they can market their products and services around the world via email newsletters, also called e-zines. Ali is also a popular international public speaker, trainer and writer of numerous articles. She is proud that she helps her clients stop going into the office, work fewer hours and make a lot more money.
Ali chose The HSUS to receive the donations from her party because she likes our action-oriented approach to animal protection. "A lot of charities are doing good work, but HSUS really pushes forward," says Ali. She credits her love for animals now to the many pets her family adopted while she was growing up in Connecticut, including turtles, cats, a horse, a parrot, hamsters and gerbils, a snake, and even a hedgehog rescued from a local shelter. Ali now shares her home with her nearly 19-year-old cat. "Francine has been with me through four moves and one divorce. She has such a soul and we communicate very well," says Ali.
She knows The HSUS is working hard to reduce tolerance for animal abuses and to increase penalties for animal cruelty across the nation. "Increasing people's awareness is the first step, and The HSUS is doing a great job," says Ali. "I look forward to contributing for a long time."
Posted Aug. 10, 2006
