I think it is a great idea. Hiring or being a great PR person would probably be the best catalyst for it - someone who understands free press. There was a phone company - Nextel I think - they set up calling centers in Iraq and locally so that soldiers could talk to their families. In the process they got a bunch of press. I believe they did the same thing with a Santa Claus phone line around christmas. The idea though is to get free advertising by doing something the community would be interested in.

If an association with your company would do this automatically, I think it would work. It would also allow smaller companies to get in on the love, because of time and money constraints, it would be easier to "outsource" this. It kind of seems that is what you are doing - outsourcing goodwill. The question is - why should companies give money to you, so that you can decide where it should go? Somewhere along the way, I think you have to find a way to add value and avoid becoming "The Empororer's New Charity".

I wish you the best - Great Idea