April 7 - Time Out...Stay Tuned!

Time Out!  Hi Everyone... thank you for stopping in regularly over the last 13 months.  I hope this site has been helpful in your philanthropic journey.   I am changing the hosting service for this blog and because of that I will be offline for approximately one week while I make the changes. 

I plan to be live again by Monday, April 18th.  I apologize for this brief interruption and hope you will check back in often. I promise to continue highlighting awesome and deserving causes and charities!  Thank you for your support.  

You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter! 





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April 6 - 88 Bikes...You Can Go Anywhere

It doesn't always take a massive relief organization to tip the scales for joy in places where children and young adults are challenged to be their own heroes. 88bikes provides a simple and direct opportunity to make a difference for a young person in the world: buy a child a bike!

The 88bikes Foundation has a very simple goal: to provide a sustainable, joyful, empowering form of transportation to young people in developing countries, in situations where these children lives have been directly affected by war, conflict, poverty, disease, or other regional hardships.


88bikes was started in 2006 by Dan Austin, Nicolas Arauz, and Jared Austin. In November 2006, 88Bikes started its first project in partnership with the Friends of Cambodian Children, to raise funds for 88 bikes. After exceeding its fundraising goal in just two weeks, the organization gave 88 bikes to 88 kids at the Palm Tree Orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in January 2007.


88bikes has since added endowment locations in Uganda, Peru, Vietnam, Nepal, India and Ghana. In addition, 88bikes is developing programs to provide the kids with bike-based job training skills.  88bikes is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and your donations are fully tax deductable. 88bikes does not maintain a staff or an office, so that 100% of your contributions go towards their projects.



Get Involved:

Donate to 88 Bikes

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Source:  www.88bikes.org

April 5 - One Day Without Shoes

April 5, 2011  -  Tom's Shoes 4th Annual
  

"One Day Without Shoes."

One Day Without Shoes is the day we spread awareness about the impact a simple pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. On April 5th, we ask people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes, barefoot, to experience a life without shoes first-hand, and inspire others at the same time.


It’s Hard Without Shoes
Through everyday encounters with domestic poverty, we are reminded to appreciate having food and shelter, but most of us all but forget about our feet. Food, shelter, AND shoes facilitate life’s fundamentals. Imagine a life without shoes; constantly aware of the ground in front of you, suffering regular cuts and scrapes, tending to infection after each walk, and enduring not only terrain, but heat and cold.


The problem is large, but the solution is simple. Wearing shoes and practicing basic hygiene can prevent both infection and disease due to unsafe roads and contaminated soil. By imagining a life barefoot, we can all contribute to the awareness of these conditions. On April 5th, communities, campuses, organizations, and individuals are banding together to walk barefoot for One Day Without Shoes.








Facts:

-In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.
-Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
-Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
-In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring   disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
-Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.


This movement started by the vision of one young person...

In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanting to help, he created TOMS Shoes, a company that would match every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. One for One. Blake returned to Argentina with a group of family, friends and staff later that year with 10,000 pairs of shoes made possible by caring TOMS customers.


Since their beginning in May 2006, TOMS has given over 400,000 pairs of shoes to children in need, through the purchases of caring customers.



Resources: One Day Without Shoes
                 Tom's Shoes

April 4 - World Stray animal day

World Stray Animal Day.  Starting in 2011, April 4 will  be the day to give special attention to the 1 BILLION stray animals in the world.  Dogs, cats, horses and donkeys should have a home. But stray dogs, stray cats, stray horses and stray donkeys don't. They lead poor and miserable lives on the streets, often illfed, suffering extreme heat, cold, and diseases, even more often being chased around by hostile and violent civilians and authorities.  But we, as people who care about animals, can and must do something.

April 4. The Day to show Compassion, deploy initiatives to Care, and get into Action for stray animals all over our planet.  Help spread the word. Tell, tweet, link, recommend, post, blog, like and share the cause with as many people as you can.  Educating people about the problem is part of the solution. 

Click here to learn more about World Stray Animal Day.


Get Involved:

Other Ways You Can Help Animals...

1. Spay and neuter. Each year, millions of dogs and cats are put to death in animal shelters. Spaying and neutering eases the overpopulation problem and prolongs the life of your dog or cat.
2. Never buy an animal from a pet shop. Adopt your companion animals from shelters. Pet shops buy from puppy mills and large-scale breeders who contribute to the population crisis and whose over-bred animals are often very unhealthy.
3. Never give an animal as a gift. Many an animal has been abandoned because people aren't prepared to care for it. Discuss it with your friends and family first.
4. Take notice and take action. Never ignore stray animals on the street, where they can become victims of disease, starvation, and human cruelty.
5. Help lost animals find their way home. Pay attention to flyers posted in your neighborhood. If you find a lost animal with no tag, post it in the newspaper, but be vague in your description. Animal guardians should be able to describe their animals in detail.
6. Support your local animal shelter. Animal shelters and SPCAs always need help socializing cats and walking dogs, fostering animals, and cleaning cages and pens. If you cannot volunteer, send a contribution.
7. Report abuse. Call your local humane society if you witness any type of cruely or abuse. It is common knowledge that violence towards non-human animals is a precursor of violence towards human animals.
8. Teach respect for animals. We instinctively grasp the natural bond between children and animals. We fill babies' cribs with stuffed animals, put floating rubber ducks in their baths, and enjoy animals as the main characters in many children's books. This natural connection, the child-animal relationship, provides a great opportunity for parents and teachers to instill the core value of leading a compassionate life.

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Source: http://www.strayanimalday.org/
              http://www.justgive.org/

April 3 - Encouraging Words

No kind action ever stops with itself.  One kind action leads to another. 

A good example is followed.   A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions and the roots spring up and make new trees.  The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.    -Amelia Earhart

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April 2 - Encouraging Words

"We make a living by what we get,

we make a life by what we give."

-Sir Winston Churchill

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April 1 - Autism Awareness

April is Autism Awareness Month...  April 2 is the fourth annual World Autism Awareness Day.  Every year, Autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness raising events. 



Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges.  Today, it is estimated that one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. An estimated 1.5 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide are affected by autism.


Government statistics suggest the prevalence rate of autism is increasing 10-17 percent annually. There is not established explanation for this increase, although improved diagnosis and environmental influences are two reasons often considered. Studies suggest boys are more likely than girls to develop autism and receive the diagnosis three to four times more frequently. Current estimates are that in the United States alone, one out of 70 boys is diagnosed with autism. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.


Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. 



Get Involved:

Ways to Donate to Autism Speaks.

Here are some fun ways you can help Autism Speaks:

Bid on an Easter Bunny!  Porcelain versions of the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny autographed by celebrities in the entertainment, food, music and sports communities will be up for auction on ebay from premium Swiss chocolatier Lindt from March 30-April 9. - 100 percent of the proceeds from the auction will benefit Autism Speaks.  If you need any candy to fill your Easter Baskets for the third year, chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli is donating 10 cents for every Lindt Gold Bunny sold in leading grocery stores and its own retail stores in advance of Easter for up to a $100,000 donation.

Autism Speaks and retailer T.J.Maxx will once again partner in April on a fundraising and awareness effort. For three weeks, beginning April 3rd at 900 T.J.Maxx stores nationwide, customers will be invited to purchase an Autism Speaks puzzle piece at checkout for a donation of $1. All proceeds will benefit Autism Speaks and customers will be able to pick up information about autism. Last year, their efforts raised over $1 million.

All 57 Dave & Buster's restaurant and arcade locations will give customers an opportunity to donate to Autism Speaks when they pay their bills throughout the month of April. Customers will receive a coupon in return for use at a later date.

Zale Corporation will donate $5 for every piece of jewelry sold from its exclusive Shared Heart^®collection at Zales Jewelers, Zales Outlet and Gordon's Jewelers stores throughout April and the rest of the year. This collection features different designs evoking the special love shared by two hearts beating as one. Zale has committed to a minimum donation of $200,000 as a part of the second year of this partnership.

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Source: http://www.autismspeaks.org/

March 31 - First Book

"A teacher told us that when she asked her class to bring in a book from home, three of the students brought in a phone book because that was the only book they had."

 Kyle Zimmer -President,   First Book.



In homes in middle income neighborhoods, the ratio of books to children is 13 books for every child.  In low income neighborhoods the ratio is 1 book for every 300 children.


March is National Reading Month so what better way to end the month then by highlighting a great charity working to provide new books to children in need.  First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 80 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada.



First Book President, Kyle Zimmer, founded First Book with two friends in 1992 to create an organization dedicated to providing new books to children in need. In that first year, First Book distributed 12,000 books in three communities – they are now proud to deliver more than 18,000 new books on average per day.



With the help of their partners, donors and dedicated volunteers First Book has provided more than 80 million new books to schools and programs serving children in need. Yet millions of children are still waiting for our help. First Book is determined to see that all children, regardless of their economic conditions, can achieve more in school and in life through access to an ongoing supply of new books.


Together we can make a difference in children’s lives. Together we can provide new books and critical resources that elevate the quality of education for children in low-income families.


Get Involved:

Donate to First Book.

Volunteer opportunities with First Book.

Create your own Fundraising Page.

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Source:  First Book

March 30 - The Toy Society

March is National Craft Month! So, before March ends (and I am ready for it to end because our March has been really cold) I wanted to post about this happy little project I came across. It is a fun way to spread a little good cheer, or as it has been called...random acts of crafting.


The Toy Society spreads love throughout the streets of the world. Nothing to it really just a bunch of handmade toys looking for a nice home. What started as a small street art project in Australia is slowly spreading around the world.


The Toy Society is a world-wide collective of toy makers – of varying skill levels– who make toys and leave them as gifts for perfect strangers. The project was started in Australia in June 2008 by a local crafter, Bianca, as an attempt to create a ‘something for nothing’ experience for anyone who discovered a toy.


What started as a small personal project has now spread around the world and become known as a Random Act of Craft. There are more than 3200 members throughout the world who have collectively gifted more than 1800 lovingly handmade toys to perfect strangers since the project began.


When a member leaves a toy gift it’s called a “Toy Drop” and is posted on The Toy Society blog and assigned a drop number. Each toy is safely sealed, with a note to the finder, inside a ziploc bag – to protect from the elements. The toy is then left to be found with a tag attached inviting the finder to “Take Me Home I’m Yours.”


Finders are invited, but not expected, to let The Toy Society know they have found a toy, and these notes are also posted here on the blog. But it’s not expected to hear back from finders; The Toy Society is about giving someone something and expecting absolutely nothing in return, which is a real rarity these days.


Drops and finds can be tracked on the blog, either in numerical order as they are posted, or by country tags, or by themes. The blog is maintained by a team of volunteers from around the world.


Crafters of all levels are welcome to participate – even beginners and kids.


Get Involved:

The process is fairly simple and sounds like a lot of fun! Anyone wishing to participate will need to sign up for the Toy Society, create a handmade toy, place it inside a Ziploc bag with a form downloaded from the site and leave it in a random location. Each crafter also registers their "drop" on the Toy Society site and hopefully the "finders" will visit the site as per the instructions on the form and talk about finding the toy. This is about giving for giving's sake.

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Source: The Toy Society Blog

March 29 - Free Wheelchair Mission...

Free Wheelchair Mission is an international, humanitarian, faith-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wheelchairs for people with disabilities living in poverty in developing countries.  Working in partnership with a network of like-minded organizations, Free Wheelchair Mission has sent wheelchairs to hundreds of thousands of people around the world, providing not only the gift of mobility, but those of dignity, independence, and hope.  Take a minute to watch this short video... let it inspire you to help.





In the United States, the majority of disabled citizens will find access to a wheelchair and a life of independence. Public and private health care, government organizations, charitable groups and a variety of social services provide a safety net that grant coverage for many Americans.

However, in developing nations where poverty and economic isolation are the norm, the physically disabled must crawl on the ground or wait to be carried by loved ones to reach their most basic of needs. They are subjected to danger, disease and hopelessness. Their families strain to care for their loved one within an already overburdened existence. For most of these people, a wheelchair is a dream far beyond their wildest imagination.


Read the stories of how Free Wheelchair Mission is making a difference.


Get Involved:

Ways to Get involved and help lift someone up ! 

Donate to Free Wheelchair Mission

Send an E-card and help spread the word about FWM.


How about it?  Is this a cause you can get behind and help             make a difference?

Share

Source: Free Wheelchair Mission

March 28 - Detroit Dog Rescue

Many of you who are reading this may have heard this story before, it has garnered national media attention, but if you live in the Detroit Metropolitan area the problem really hits home.   The Discovery Channel was putting together a documentary series titled, "A Dog's Life" focusing on the HUGE stray dog problem in the city of Detroit. 

There are 50,000 stray dogs running loose in the streets of Detroit, and only 23 animal care workers to rescue them. Over 90% of dogs picked up in Detroit are euthanized.  There are simply not enough resources, funding, rescue workers, or people who are willing to adopt.

Detroit Dog Rescue was born after the City of Detroit refused to allow access to television cameras which would document the stray dog situation. There is a stray dog epidemic in the city, just as there is in many cities across the United States which have had to deal with economic decline, dwindling populations and abandoned buildings.

Detroit Dog Rescue specializes in the rescue and placement of abused, unwanted and abandoned companion dogs. By involving and educating the community, Detroit Dog Rescue works to raise the public's awareness of the plight of stray dogs.

Monica Martino is an  Emmy-nominated Executive Producer began following the stray dogs in Detroit in 2010, and created the Discovery Channel series “A Dog’s Life.” When the project was shut down by the city, she and Hush, A Rapper who was born and raised in Detroit, founded Detroit Dog Rescue. 

Ms. Martino had this to say on why she decided to get involved,  "Pretending a problem doesn’t exist is not the way to solve that problem.  I was really affected by what I saw and I could not in good conscience walk away from those animals that needed help. I’m hoping to work with the city and Mayor Bing to combine forces and bring about positive change. I’ve produced a lot of shows that have brought about incredible, long-term positive change (“Whale Wars,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Oprah’s Big Give”) so I know first-hand that pretending a problem doesn’t exist is not the way to solve that problem. I was really affected by what I saw and I could not in good conscience walk away from those animals that needed help. I know that if the rest of the country could see what I’ve seen after a year of intensively researching the stray dog issue in Detroit that they would respond."

Bless You Monica Martino and HUSH for all your work on behalf of Detroit's stray dog population! 


Take a look at this video created by DDR.   Be forewarned, it is graphic.





Get Involved:

Detroit Dog Rescue is trying to raise $50,000 to set up the City's First NO-KILL Animal Shelter.  You can make a donation by clicking on the Donate button on their homepage. 

Pass on this information to all of your family and friends!

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Source:  Detroit Dog Rescue 

March 27 - Encouraging Words

"My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people; those who do the

work and those who take the credit.  He told me to try to be in the first group;

there was much less competition."           -Indira Ghandi

What a wise grandfather Indira Ghandi had!

March 26 - Encouraging Words

I really don't think life is about the I-could-have-beens.  Life is only about the I tried-to-do. 

I don't mind the failure but I can't imagine that I'd forgive myself if I didn't try.  
-   Nikki Giovonni

Life is lived best with no regrets.

March 25 - Got A Minute? Change the World!

60 seconds... one minute... not much time to make a difference. You really can't accomplish much in one minute, can you?  Think all you can do in one minute is order a pizza or brush your teeth?  What if you could help change the world in one minute? What if, in only 60 seconds, you could help animals or children, fight hunger, or promote breast cancer awareness?


If you have one minute, you can change the world.


What You Can Do is a video documentary series of one minute videos, Each episode illuminates a pressing social issue and shows what viewers can do if they only have one minute to give.   What You Can Do gives viewers the power to take small steps to solve big problems. Each episode illuminates a pressing social issue and then shows what viewers can do about it, even if they only have one minute of time to give.


Get Involved:

Check out the videos and see how you can get involved.  You may not be able to do everything... but you can do something!   There is something for everyone.

Donate to What You Can Do. 
Think this is a worthwhile project? Help bring WYCD back to PBS.

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Source:  So What You Can Do

March 24 - Great Futures Start Here

It's National Boys & Girls Club Week and Clubs all over are celebrating -- get involved at a Club near you: volunteer, become a mentor, participate in a day of service activity or simply visit their website to learn more about their impact in your community.


Boys & Girls Clubs of America had its beginnings in 1860 with several women in Hartford, Conn. Believing that boys who roamed the streets should have a positive alternative, they organized the first Club. A cause was born.  Boys & Girls Clubs impact the lives of young people in vital areas such as academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. These Club programs and activities help kids thrive.


Boys & Girls Clubs believe every child has the potential to BE GREAT. In support of this strong conviction, Clubs strive to build caring, responsible citizens. The Boys & Girls Club family – a community of staff, volunteers, parents, youth and supporters – work together to create a positive place, full of hope and opportunity, for every child.

Low graduation rates contribute to increases in unemployment, poor health, crime and drug use. It lowers America’s tax revenue and increases its public assistance expenses.  Our young people are future workers, voters and community members. They are our neighbors. When we fail kids, we fail our communities and ourselves.  It’s time to give our children and our country a better and brighter future.  That's what Boys & Girls Clubs do... offer a path to a brighter future for our young people. 



Get Involved:

Donate to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Volunteer at a club near you.

Other ways to make a difference.

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Source:  http://www.bgca.org/

March 23 - The Veterans Site

In the past I have posted about The Greater Good Network and their click to give sites.  You can make a difference with the click of your mouse!  You can click to help a variety of different causes and they have recently added another... now you can click to help Veterans in Need.   In less than five seconds. visitors to The Veterans Site can click on the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button and provide meals for homeless and hungry veterans and their families.  How? Each click — free to the visitor — generates funds paid by site sponsors. The funding goes to The Veteran Site's charity partners who use it specifically to provide meals for veterans.

The Veterans Site provides simple, effective, feel-good ways to address hunger for veterans in need and their families: providing nutritious meals. Although veterans make up 8% of the overall population in the United States, according to a recent Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) study, 12% of the homeless population are veterans — 16% if you're counting adults only. The Veterans Site has partnered with charities across the nation to fund nutritious meals for these veterans, who selflessly served our country and have earned our respect and gratitude, and their families.


A recent study conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reports that on any given night there may be over 75,600 homeless veterans in shelters and on the streets across the country. Over the course of one year (October 2008-September 2009), 136,334 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter or transitional housing program, more than 5,000 of them alongside their families.


While veterans represent 8% of the total population in the United States, they are disproportionately represented among our homeless: a startling 12% of the homeless population are veterans, or 16% of homeless adults. Most homeless veterans — over 90% — are male. About half of homeless veterans are disabled.


The Veterans Site is more than a simple, free way to give a homeless and hungry veteran a meal. It is also a vehicle to spread the word that homeless veterans are out there and that they need our help. Together, we have an opportunity to honor and assist our country's homeless veterans and their families.  These men and women were here for us when we needed them. Now it is our turn to reach out to help them.


The Veterans Site is part of the GreaterGood Network, a family of click-to-give sites. When you click on the blue "Click Here to Give - it's FREE!" button, you are shown advertisements from their sponsors. Sponsors pay an advertising fee, and 100% of that fee goes to the charity partners to provide meals for veterans in need.


Please remember to click every day to help veterans in need, and spread the word!


Click here to see the daily results. 

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Source:  http://www.theveteranssite.org/

March 22 - Water is Life.

March 22nd is World Water Day.  A day to bring attention to the importance of fresh drinking water for all humans, and to educate everyone about the need for sustainable clean water resources. Though we use it constantly, we think very little about water and its place in our lives.



Here are some water facts to ponder:

• More than half of Africa's people lack access to safe drinking water (UN)
• Of all the renewable water available in Africa each year, only 4% is used -- because most Africans lack the wells, canals, pumps, reservoirs and other irrigation systems. (Africare)
• In developing countries, one person uses an average of ten liters of water per day. In the United States, one person uses an average of 75-80 gallons in the same time period (www.epa.gov)
• Each flush of the toilet uses the same amount of water that one person in the Third World uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking. (http://www.whrnet.org/).  
• In the past ten years, diarrhea has killed more children worldwide than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II. (Water Aid)
• Twelve million people die each year from lack of safe drinking water, including more than 3 million who die from waterborne diseases. (WHO)
• Over 80% of the disease in developing countries is related to poor drinking water and sanitation. (WHO)
• 1.5 billion people in the world are suffering from parasite infections, which can cause malnutrition, anemia and delayed growth, due to the presence of solid human waste in the environment. Many of these infections could be controlled with improved hygiene, clean water and sanitation. (http://www.whrnet.org/)
• The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to collect water is 6 km (3.75 miles)(www.whrnet.org)
• The weight of water that women in Asia and Africa carry on their heads is equivalent to the maximum baggage weight allowed by airlines 20 kg, or 44lbs (www.whrnet.org)
• Women are the primary caretakers for those who fall ill from water-related diseases, reducing their time available for education and productive economic efforts. (www.unfpa.org)
• One-third of women in Egypt walk more than an hour a day for water; in other parts of Africa, the task can consume as much as eight hours. (www.unfpa.org)
• Medical research has documented cases of permanent damage to women's health as a result of carrying water, such as chronic fatigue, spinal and pelvic deformities, and effects on reproductive health including spontaneous abortion. (www.unhabitat.org)
• In some parts of Africa, women expend as much as 85% of their daily energy intake on getting water, increasing incidences of anemia and other health problems. (http://www.unhabitat.org/)

Drop in the Bucket  (DITB) is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2006 by a group of ordinary, everyday people. After learning about the deadly water crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, DITB set out to learn as much as possible about the situation and join in to help find solutions.

Currently, Drop in the Bucket (DITB) has constructed close to 100 wells and a number of sanitation systems at locations in Tanzania, Mozambique, South Sudan, Chad and Uganda. DITB hand picks local African contractors and works directly with them on the projects. DITB is involved in everything from targeting locations and mobilizing communities, to approving budgets, monitoring schedules, and tracking success rates. They are also dedicated to contracting labor and purchasing materials from within the communities they are working to help stimulate the local economy, whenever possible. 


In most cases the water is literally under the feet of the villagers who so desperately need it. They just have no means of accessing it.  Drop In The Bucket provides everything from hand-dug shallow wells, drilled borehole wells and rain water harvesting tanks, to an advanced sanitation system that includes the most environmentally sustainable, permanent septic system available in rural sub-Saharan Africa.

A cornerstone of their approach is low overhead and minimal operating costs. Drop in the Bucket is dedicated to guaranteeing their donors that as much of their hard-earned money goes into the program as possible. Much of the funding for DITB projects comes from regular people (schools, families, individuals). If someone sponsors a water-well or funds a complete water and sanitation system, DITB will place a tile with the inscription of their choice on the project. This gives donors tangible proof of their humanitarian impact.

Get Involved:

Donate to Drop in the Bucket.

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Source:  http://www.dropinthebucket.org/

March 21 - Sponsor A Family

In the fall of 2002 The New York Times ran a series of articles on poverty in the U.S. One of those articles described the township of Pembroke, Illinois, a community so poor that many houses had dirt floors and there were tires on the roofs to keep them from blowing away.  After reading that article, Pam Koner, a Westchester, New York mom and entrepreneur knew she had to do something to help.


With the simple idea of linking families with more to families with less, Koner contacted an outreach worker in Pembroke and asked what was needed most. The answer was food. So Koner wrote down the names of 17 of the neediest Pembroke families, convinced 16 friends and neighbors to join her, and Family-to-Family was born.  Each donating family began sending monthly boxes of food (and letters) to “their” families. 17 families soon grew to 60 . . . and after a flurry of media exposure 60 families grew to over 700 families linked to each other.  Family-to-Family now serves 13 mostly forgotten, impoverished rural communities throughout the U.S.


Community based, Family-to-Family links families with "more" to families with much less. Once a month each sponsor family either prepares a box of non-perishable foods for shipment to "their" needy family, or makes a donation that allows F-to-F to buy and deliver the groceries for them.


Family-to-Family has many great programs and I have highlighted a couple of those programs in previous posts.  Recently on their facebook wall, FTF posted that they have 42 families waiting for sponsors.  Won't you consider sponsoring a family?


Get Involved:

Join the Family-to-Family Hunger Relief Registry and sponsor a family in need today… with their online cyber-sponsorship program.

With a monthly donation of $31.21*, F-to-F will:

Purchase groceries to provide 7 dinner-type meals (including fresh fruit and vegetables) and have them delivered to an outreach center for your sponsored family to pick up, or,

Provide your family with a food coupon they can use to shop at a local grocery store.

On a budget but eager to help? Join 2-for-1.

Two donors help one family in need…an affordable option.  The 2-for-1 option matches two online donors (contributing $15.69 per month each) willing to help one family in need. Combined, your automatic monthly donation will provide your assigned family with enough groceries to get them through the end of the month.

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Source:  http://www.family-to-family.org/

March 20 - Encouraging Words

You can't do anything about the length of your life,

but you can do something about it's width and depth.

-Shira Tehrani

March 19 - Encouraging Words

Lots of things that couldn't be done have been done.  -  Charles Auston Bates

March 18 - Helping the Animals of Japan

Everyday the news coming out of Japan seems to grow more troubling. There continues to be a dire need to help the people in Japan.  Check out Monday's post, Mobile Giving to Help Japan,  which highlights many easy ways to donate to rescue organizations helping the people of Japan.  There is another group which desparately needs our help... the animals affected by the disaster are also in need of assistance.  Japanese families, like their American counterparts include beloved pets, which can be easily lost in the confusion of a catastrophe. Some shelters don't allow animals, which has left many pet owners without access to much needed services.




Watch this touching video filmed by a Japanese TV crew showing two dogs left stranded, dirty and wet after the earthquakes and tsunami in the Arahama area of Sendai, Japan. A brown and white dog is seen barking at the film crew before sniffing around and seemingly guiding them down to where he has been taking shelter, beside a metal drum.

Half way through the footage, it becomes clear what the dog is doing – minding a fellow injured canine who is lying behind him in shelter. The white dog wakes up and it is then that the bond between the animals becomes clear – as his companion reaches a paw over to hug his ill friend.




The Good News... the two dogs were rescued and are currently in a veterinary clinic, believed to be in Ibaraki. 


Get Involved:
Please consider donating to one of the organizations working to rescue animals in Japan. Please share this page with your friends and family!! 


Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support is a coalition of three animal advocacy groups already working to rescue homeless animals in Japan, HEART-Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata and Japan Cat Network. You can donate on their Chip In page.

Animal Refuge Kansai (ARK)  is working to rescue and care for animals displaced by the Earthquake and Tsunami.   After the 1995 "Great Hanshni-Awaji" earthquake, the Animal Rescue Kansai (ARK) played an integral part in rescuing and assisting abandoned and lost animals. Using helicopters, ARK saved over 600 animals.  During the current catastrophe, they are drawing on that experience to ready resources for what they believe will be an even larger rescue effort.

World Vets is an NGO that works with agencies in 25 countries to provide emergency services and supplies for animals in need. Their efforts in Japan have already made an impact as they immediately established a "base of operations in a safe location outside of the epicenter where animals will be temporarily sheltered and cared for." They have headed to the hardest hit areas providing veterinary supplies.

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Sources:  World Vets, Animal Rescue Kasai, Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support.

March 17 - Donating Life

March is National Kidney Month - the ideal time to learn more and take action.  Many people who need transplants of organs and tissues cannot get them because of a shortage of donations. Every month, more than 2,000 new names are added to the national waiting list for organ transplants, and about 18 people die every day while waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S.


Organ and tissue donation helps others by giving them a second chance at life. “The national transplant waiting list hit 100,000 this year for the first time,” says John Davis, National  Kidney Foundation CEO, “Most of the people on this list will wait too long for an organ and too many will die while waiting."


Identifying yourself as an organ and/or tissue donor is simple. Simply visit the Donate Life America website at donatelife.net and choose your state of residence to learn about the options in your area, which might include:

• Join your state's online registry for donation, if one is available.
• Declare your intentions on your driver's license.
• Sign a donor card, which is available at the bottom of this web page.

Signing a donor card, registry or driver's license is a good first step in designating your wishes about donation, but letting your family or other loved one's know about your decision is vitally important. That's because family members are often asked to give consent for a loved one's donation, so it's important that they know your wishes.


You can also consider being a living kidney donor. Living donation takes place when a living person donates an organ or part of an organ to someone in need of a transplant. The donor is most often a close family member, such as a parent, child, brother or sister. A donor can also be a more distant family member, spouse, friend or co-worker. Non-directed donors - those who donate anonymously and do not know their recipients - are also becoming more common.  Learn more about living donation on NKF's website at www.livingdonors.org.



Get Involved:

Donate to  The National Kidney Foundation.

Sign up for a NKF Kidney Walk in your area.

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Source:  http://www.kidney.org/