Bobby Allen. 21 Days. $21.

Calder has all kinds of friends: School Friends, Camp Friends, Sports Friends, etc. Today I want to introduce you to one of his Bus Stop Friends. It’s a whole new category.

For me, the race to the bus stop (do you have your homework? where is your hat? oh my god is that gum in your hair?) brightens significantly when I get a good dose of the 8-year-old spitfire that is Bobby Allen. Bobby is a second-grader, just like Calder, and over the past two years, I’ve spent time chatting with him (and his fabulous little sister Ainsley) about baseball, skiing, football, whether math is hard (it’s not), how to say hello in Mandarin (nǐhǎo), and whether or not No Ordinary Family is the most awesome show ever (not sure yet). Bobby has a killer smile, a mop of blonde hair, and an extremely rare disease called Glut1 DS.

Glut1 is so rare that only 300 children worldwide have been diagnosed. Bobby’s parents, Shelly and Chris Allen, have teamed up with Milestones for Children (you can like their facebook page here) to launch a fund-raising campaign called 21 Days. $21. It started on Facebook, moved to Twitter, and is getting some real traction thanks to the generous donations of those people who have clicked on the site, watched the video, and shared it with their friends. February 28th is Rare Disease Day 2011 and I want to help the Allens, and all of the children living with this disorder to reach their goal.

In addition to my personal contribution, I will add $2 for every comment left on this blog post. Say hi, tell a story, complain about the snow, tell me how cute Bobby is, say ANYTHING, but just say it, and help me help this fantastic kid.

Please watch the video below and make your own contribution if you’re able. The more attention we can call to this extremely rare disease, the more likely a cure can be found quickly.

Share this with your friends, blog it if you have a blog, post it on your Facebook page, email it to everyone at work. It only takes a minute, but it can mean a lifetime. Thank you!