I always find it inspiring when busy people go out of their way to do good things. Mike Rowe is one of those guys.

Mike Rowe has had more jobs than you. In fact, Mike has had more jobs than anyone.

As the creator and executive producer of Discovery Channel’s Emmy-nominated series Dirty Jobs With Mike Rowe, Mike has spent years traveling the country, working as an apprentice on more than 200 jobs that most people would go out of their way to avoid. From coal mining to roustabouting, maggot farming to sheep castrating, Mike has worked in just about every industry and filmed the show in almost every state, celebrating the hard-working Americans who make civilized life possible for the rest of us.

No one is better suited to the role of good-natured guinea pig than Mike — mainly because it’s not a role. Dirty Jobs is entirely unscripted, and Mike doesn’t cheat; he actually does the work, with a sense of humor rarely portrayed in such professions. In fact, the notion of depicting hard work as noble and fun is central to his personal mission. On Labor Day 2008, Mike launched a Web site called mikeroweWORKS.com, where skilled labor and hard work are celebrated in the hope of calling attention to the steady decline in the trades and bolstering enrollment in trade schools and technical colleges. Mike is also the voice of one of my favorite shows, Deadliest Catch.

Despite all of this, Mike still finds the time to do the important stuff … like serving as the voiceover for a series of public service announcements for Believe in Tomorrow.

So the next time you see Mike, give him a big hug and say, “Thanks.” Or better yet, donate to one of the charities Mike cares deeply about … The Believe In Tomorrow Children’s Foundation.

PS       I’ve served on the board of Believe In Tomorrow for over 15 years, so I can tell you personally that this organization is incredibly efficient (93% of every dollar goes to supporting the programs). They’ve served thousands of kids with amazingly important hospital housing like The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins and The Children’s House at St. Casimir, just to name a few. Here’s how you can help.

PPS    Now, if only we could get Mike to be a GNA for a day.