Posted: Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:01 AM - 8,347 Readers

By: Austin-American Statesman

Round Rock resident Josh Rogers lost his BlackBerry in Lake Travis last month and figured he'd never see it again.


photo by Kelly West

So when a Cedar Park scuba diver found and returned it, Rogers showed his gratitude by posting a public thank you on recognizegood.com, a Web site devoted to honoring acts of kindness.

"I think it's a neat idea," said Rogers, 31. "In this age of litigiousness and negativeness, it's nice to do something positive."

Now posting on recognizegood.com is more than nice; it can be profitable.

The Samaritan Center for Counseling and Pastoral Care — an Austin nonprofit that launched the site in April — is hosting a six-week contest. Everyone who posts on the site through Sept. 30 will be entered in a drawing to win an iMac computer, an iPhone and other Apple Inc. products. The prize package is worth about $5,000.

Users can also win prizes for making videos and posting pictures with recognitions. There also will be weekly drawings for gift certificates to H-E-B.

"Our goal is to create a movement, a culture shift that recognizes kindness," said Samaritan Center Executive Director Nancy Blaich.

Recognizegood.com was created by the Samaritan Center and high-tech services and products supplier TyRex Group Ltd. earlier this year to raise money for local charities. The site is free to use, but for each recognition of a good deed, TyRex gives the Samaritan Center $1.

Donations can be made on the site to the Samaritan Center or several other partner charities, including Communities in Schools of Central Texas and the Austin Children's Shelter. Gifts to the other charities are split 50-50 with the Samaritan Center, and TyRex matches all donations made on the site.

Since April, about 1,000 acts of kindness have been listed on the site. More than $12,000 has been raised for local nonprofits, Blaich said.

The contest is designed to get more attention for the site, she said. And it's not just about making money for her nonprofit, she said. It's about noticing the good in the world.

"It's all around us," Blaich said. "We just don't recognize it."

Brian Bayliss, the diver who found Rogers' phone, was surprised to see himself thanked on recognizegood.com.

Bayliss, 33, was scuba diving with his wife about 50 feet beneath the surface of Lake Travis when he saw the phone. He took it home, dried it out and found Rogers' information in it.

Being honored on the Web site was an unexpected pleasure, Bayliss said.

"It was nice that he actually went and took the extra step to do something like that."

*  Story Contributed by: Austin-American Statesman