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?

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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/

March 16 - Student Powered Hunger Relief

The Campus Kitchens Project is an emerging leader in community service for students and resourceful anti-hunger programs for communities around the country.  What they do is kind of a no-brainer. They know there are people in every community who need nourishing meals. And, they know that every college campus has unserved food in its dining halls and brilliant students in its classrooms. So they put them all together.

The Campus Kitchens Project empowers thousands of students each year to recycle food from their cafeterias, turn these donations into nourishing meals, and deliver those meals to those who need it most. So far, Campus Kitchens Project is at 28 schools around the country: big schools and small schools; rural and urban; colleges and high schools (well, one high school).


The best part is that students run the whole show. They plan the menus, get the food, run the cooking shifts, organize the drivers, and teach culinary skills to unemployed adults. Then, they keep track of all of the paperwork (so we know everything’s being done safely), organize fundraisers, develop curriculum, and recruit new students to get involved. They accomplish an incredible amount of work every day. And then, they take those skills into their jobs when they graduate from school.



Get Involved:

Donate to The Campus Kitchens Project.

Find a location for Campus Kitchens Project. 
Come volunteer with us, or help get a Campus Kitchen started at your school!

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Source:  http://www.campuskitchens.org/

March 15 - Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week

MOVE IT!   Join the Movement to End Multiple Sclerosis !!  

MS Awareness Week   
March 14 - 20

MS Awareness Week is the time for the nation to go orange and move it to end multiple sclerosis, a disease where someone is newly diagnosed every hour of every day.  Move it to create a world free of MS!

Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and the body. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.1 million worldwide.


Get Involved:

Donate to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

eBay Giving Works:
Buy and sell all types of items and services, with a percentage of proceeds going back to the Society. This co-venture with MissionFish.org, a nonprofit eBay partner, will simultaneously list all items on eBay.

Fundraising Events and Volunteer Opportunities.
Christopher & Banks MS Jewelry Collection 2011: 
50% of net profits from The MS Collection will benefit the National MS Society.

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SOURCE National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Related Links:  http://www.nmss.org/

March 14 - Mobile Giving to Help Japan

The images from the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan have been unbelievably sad!  Seeing the images of the water rushing through the streets, carrying away cars and homes.  It is so hard to wrap your mind around all that is happening.  They are now saying that 2000 bodies have washed up on a Japanese shore and no one knows how many more Are you looking for a way to help?  Is there something you can do to make a difference?  Many charities have established mobile donation campaigns to help the victims of the earthquake that devastated Japan early Friday morning.

Similar to the campaigns that benefited Haiti, donations for the Japanese earthquake victims can be sent via cellphone text messages. Each pledge is for $10 and will be routed to nonprofits providing disaster relief. The charge will appear on the giver’s cellphone bill.

Listed below are several mobile giving campaigns that have been organized by the mGive Foundation, a Denver-based charity that manages mobile donation programs. MGive says it vets and certifies the organizations it works with. Some campaigns are being managed by the the Mobile Giving Foundation, another nonprofit that helps other nonprofits raise funds through mobile technology.

• Donate to ADRA Relief, the humanitarian organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, text SUPPORT to 85944
• Donate to American Red Cross Relief, text REDCROSS to 90999
• Donate to Convoy of Hope, a faith-based organization that does community outreach and disaster response, text TSUNAMI to 50555
• Donate to GlobalGiving, which focuses on “grassroots projects in the developing world,” text JAPAN to 5055
• Donate to International Medical Corps, a nonprofit focused on health care training, relief and development programs, text MED to 80888
• Donate to Mercy Corps, a global aid agency that works on disaster response, sustainable economic development and health services, text MERCY to 25383
• Donate to Save the Children, an independent organization dedicated to helping children in need, text JAPAN to 20222
• Donate to The Salvation Army, text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888
• Donate to World Relief Corp., the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, text WAVE to 50555
• Donate to World Vision, a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization, text 4JAPAN or 4TSUNAMI to 20222

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Source:  http://www.forbes.com/

March 13 - Sunday's Encouraging Words

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, It's not.

March 12 - Saturday's Encouraging Words

The purpose of life is not to be happy -  but to matter, to be productive, to be useful,

to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.   -Leo Rosten

March 11 - Bears on Patrol

Imagine that you are driving with your family when you are suddenly involved in an accident, possibly with injuries. That's a scary situation, right? Now, imagine that same situation through the eyes of a small child. Seeing his or her parents injured and police officers at the scene can be frightening for a child. Or imagine a situation where a child's parents have been fighting and the police are there, maybe taking one of the parents with them. This is definitely an emotionally traumatizing event, and one that can lead to fear of police officers. If one of the officers present in either of the scenarios were carrying a teddy bear, they could share it with the child involved to help calm and distract them, and also to help the child realize that the police are not the "bad guys". The teddy bears obviously do not ease all of the trauma of the situation, but they help.


Bears on Patrol provides police officers with free teddy bears to use in cases involving small children. Psychological studies have proven that stuffed animals have a significant calming effect on children in a stressful or traumatic circumstances.

Bears on Patrol can work with individuals or groups to help get a Bears on Patrol program set up in your area and to give you tips and guidelines for talking to your local police and getting media exposure.  Bears on Patrol are now supporting 24 police departments in 19 states. 

If you would like to donate teddy bears to your local police department, contact Bears on Patrol and let them know your location and the name of your local department.  BOP will contact them to make sure that they would like to receive the bears and get the name of a contact at the department for you.  If you already have the bears you would like to donate, BOP will talk to the department to find out where they should be sent.  If you would like BOP to provide the bears, they will gladly work out those details with your police department and send bears.




Get Involved:

Donate to Bears on Patrol.

Donate to a Specific Police Department's Bear Fund.

If you would like to donate bears, the bears must be new, and must be 6 to 15 inches.  Bears may be shipped to:

Bears on Patrol
566 Preston Place Court
Carrollton, GA 30117

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Source:  http://www.bearsonpatrol.org/