May 9 (Day 70) A Grandmother's Love inspires a Granddaughter

Today's Post is written by Jennifer Sommerio-Bodoh. Jen blogs about her life experiences in a witty, irreverant manner. Jen's blog is not for the faint of heart, as Jen has been known to turn a 'salty' phrase or two. Jen is a creative and giving person... I love that she has a swear jar (every time she swears, she has to put money in the jar) and all money is being donated to the Ronald McDonald House. Jen has another special cause that is near and dear to her heart and she agreed to guest blog today to highlight her cause. Thanks Jen! Happy Mother's Day to Grandma Bonnie and Jen!  And to mothers and grandmothers everywhere! 

Alzheimer’s Disease – Memory Loss is Not a Normal Part of Aging

Isn’t Alzheimer’s just a disease of forgetful old people? Many people think as you get older it’s normal to become increasingly forgetful. And you do – some forgetfulness is normal and expected. But, when is forgetfulness normal and memory loss excessive? What happens when your loved one starts to forget important information – like their birthday? Their address? Their spouse?

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a brain disorder named for German physician Alois Alzheimer, who first described it in 1906. Today we know that Alzheimer’s:

• Is a progressive and fatal brain disease. As many as 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. Learn more: Warning Signs and Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease.

• Is the most common form of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, mixed dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.

• Has no current cure. But treatments for symptoms, combined with the right services and support, can make life better for the millions of Americans living with Alzheimer’s. There is an accelerating worldwide effort under way to find better ways to treat the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it from developing. Learn more about recent progress in Alzheimer research funded by the Alzheimer’s Association in the Research section.

How Can You Help?  (click on the links to find out how)

Donate to Alzheimer's Association.

Raising Awareness / Money

Give to the Alzheimer's Association May 14 & 15 Weekend.   Look for volunteers sprouting up on your local street corners. They're collecting donations to help fight Alzheimer's disease during Bankers Life and Casualty Company's Forget Me Not Days®. And as thanks for your donation, you'll receive Forget-Me-Not flower seeds to plant in honor of the estimated 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer's.

Action

Shop for the Cause:

Buy "Coach Broyles' Playbook for Alzheimer's Caregivers"

Alzheimer’s disease is NOT just a disease for old people! Alzheimer's can strike people in their 30s, 40s and even 50s. This is called younger-onset Alzheimer's. It is estimated that there are as many as 5.3 million people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States. This includes 5.1 million people age 65 and over and 200,000 people under age 65 with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

I didn’t know anything about Alzheimer’s Disease until my Grandma, Bonnie, was diagnosed in April 2009 at 68-years-old. She is currently in Stage 4 – Moderate Cognitive Decline (mild or early stage AD). She is being cared for by her husband, my Papa. Our family has come together in many different ways to help my Papa and to raise awareness of AD.

I am 30-years-old and my grandparents’ oldest granddaughter. Last September my family and I participated in the 2009 Memory Walk as Team Bonnie’s Braves. I am proud to announce that our team raised over $4,000.00 for Alzheimer’s Research!

I am incredibly honored to have been asked to be a guest blogger for 1 Way Every Day. Thank you for reading about a cause near and dear to my heart. And thank you to Don for starting this inspirational website.

Jennifer Sommerio-Bodoh

Source: http://www.alz.org

May 8 (Day 69) Dress For Success

The mission of Dress for Success is to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life.  Founded in New York City in 1997, Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit organization offering services designed to help our clients find jobs and remain employed. Each Dress for Success client receives one suit when she has a job interview and can return for a second suit or separates when she finds work.

Since 1997, Dress for Success has served more than 500,000 women around the world. Each year we reach more than 50,000 women in the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Mexico, Poland and the West Indies. Dress for Success serves clients by referral only, and women must have an interview scheduled before receiving clothing. Our clients come to us from a continually expanding and diverse group of non-profit and government agencies including homeless shelters, immigration services, job training programs, educational institutions and domestic violence shelters, among many other organizations. More than 3,000 organizations throughout the world send women to Dress for Success for professional apparel and career development services.

On her initial visit a woman receives a suit appropriate for the industry in which she is interviewing and, if available, accessories. After a woman finds a job she returns to Dress for Success for additional clothing that can be mixed and matched to make several outfits, providing her with the foundation for a professional wardrobe.

While we may be best known for providing suits to women, it is our employment retention programs that are the cornerstone of the organization. Soon after Dress for Success was founded we came to recognize that finding work is only one step in a woman's journey towards economic independence; remaining employed and building a rewarding career are essential if a woman is to become self-sufficient.

To meet the need for services that would help women both find and keep jobs, we established the Professional Women's Group (PWG) program, which offers women ongoing support as they successfully transition into the workforce, build thriving careers and prosper in the mainstream workplace. Dress for Success also has developed Career Center, an initiative that promotes confidence and professionalism by providing women career guidance, the chance to acquire technology skills and assistance in their job searches.

Dress for Success relies on the financial contributions, in-kind donations and volunteer efforts of individuals and companies around the world who are committed to helping women take charge of their lives. There are many ways you can help;  Host a suit drive, donate your professional clothes or volunteer at a chapter near you. Visit our Support Dress for Success page to learn how you can get involved with Dress for Success.

Click here to find a Dress for Success chapter near you.
Find Dress for Success on Facebook.


Source:  Dress For Success

May 7 (Day 68) - Stamp Out Hunger

Oh, this one is so easy.... Run up to the grocery store and pick up a few extra cans of food to donate to a very worthy cause!  Then tomorrow (Saturday, May 8th) leave the cans at your mailbox and your work is done!  You can spend the rest of the day feeling good, knowing you have helped someone in need! 

This year Stamp Out Hunger, the nation’s largest single-day food drive, will look to surpass one billion pounds of food collected since its inception in 1993. Last year, letter carriers across the country collected a record total of more than 73.4 million pounds of food. But with hunger impacting 49.1 million Americans, including 16.7 million children, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States; help is needed now more than ever before.

"In these trying times it’s important for Americans to rally behind causes like the Letter Carriers Food Drive to help their neighbors struggling with hunger," said Fredric V. Rolando, NALC president. "While we’re very proud of our success over the years in the battle against hunger, the fact remains that more Americans than ever are in need, which is why we remain committed to this drive."

The Face of Hunger…

Despite the generosity of millions of Americans who have supported efforts like the Stamp Out Hunger food drive; the need for food assistance has never been greater. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, Household Food Security in the United States, 2008, the number of Americans living in food insecure homes increased from 36.2 million in 2007 to 49.1 million in 2008, with approximately one in every three food insecure Americans being a child (16.7 million). 

A recent survey conducted by Feeding America of its 205 food bank members reported universal increases in demand for emergency food assistance, ranging from five percent to 150 percent, as well as a growing inability to meet the surging needs of their clients.

• More than 90 percent of the food banks reported surges in demand being driven by more first-time users of the food assistance system and more newly unemployed.

• 72 percent reported existing clients needing assistance more frequently now than in the past.

• 56 percent reported seeing more children as clients.

• 55 percent reported that they or the agencies that help distribute the food they provide have had to turn people away in the last year.

• Nearly 80 percent reported that they or their partner agencies have had to reduce the amount of food provided or the frequency of food distributions in their area.

You Can Help...

Helping Stamp Out Hunger is as easy as checking your mailbox.  Just leave a bag of non-perishable food where your letter carrier normally delivers your mail on Saturday, May 8.  Your letter carrier will then pick up and deliver the food to a local food bank.  Examples of non-perishable items include: 

• 
  
  Canned soup
• 
  
  Canned meats and fish
• 
  
  Canned vegetables, fruits and juices
• 
  
  Boxed goods (such as cereal)
• 
  
  Pasta and rice

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger effort in your community, ask your letter carrier or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com, or follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.

 "The commitment and dedication of thousands of letter carriers, rural letter carriers, and postal and community volunteers, plus the involvement of corporate partners will make a difference in helping to feed America's hungry as we seek to surpass the record of 73.4 million pounds of food collected," added Postmaster General John Potter. "The generosity of our customers and the determination of our employees have never been stronger."

In a recent survey conducted by Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic-hunger-relief organization, its 203 food bank members consistently reported increased demand for emergency food assistance, ranging from five to 150 percent. Food banks are also notoriously empty during summer months, having exhausted the supply of donations received from food drives conducted during the holidays that are then distributed during spring.  Summer donations are even more critical since many children in need no longer have the benefit of their school lunch program.

A HELPING HAND...

As part of its support for the drive, Campbell will donate one can of soup to Feeding America (up to one million cans) for each Facebook fan that joins the fight against hunger at www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger. The company also sponsors, along with the U.S. Postal Service, a reminder postcard being mailed to more than 120 million homes the week of the drive.

 Source:  Stamp Out Hunger 2010

May 6 (Day 67) Moving is the Best Medicine

May is Arthritis Awareness Month! 

 

The Arthritis Foundation is the only national not-for-profit organization that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions. Founded in 1948, with headquarters in Atlanta, the Arthritis Foundation has multiple service points located throughout the country. The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, funding more than $380 million in research grants since 1948. The foundation helps people take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis.

 

The Arthritis Foundation offers information and tools to help people live a better life with arthritis. Whether it’s advice from medical experts to specialized arthritis self-management or exercise classes, the Arthritis Foundation has your solution.

 

There are a number of ways to become involved with the Arthritis Foundation. Whether you become a member, make a donation or remember us in your will, your contribution goes to support cutting-edge research and scientifically proven programs designed to help people with arthritis. For every dollar donated to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 76 cents goes directly to fund research and activities for people with arthritis.

You can help by serving or leading an Arthritis Foundation committee, lending a hand at an event or sharing your professional skills as a volunteer.

However, getting involved doesn’t require a major donation or major time commitment. Attending a fundraising event – be it a fun run, breakfast or gala, or the Arthritis Walk, our signature event – is another way to help.

 

 

 

 

Arthritis Walks are taking place across the country this month. A great way to get moving for a great cause.

 

• Learn more about Arthritis Walk.
• Form a team today
• Learn ways to Get Moving to fight arthritis pain.

Source:  Arthritis Foundation

 

 

May 5 (Day 66) Helping the Gulf Shore

We have all read or heard news stories about the Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill... The effects of this disaster will be HUGE, but there are ways we can be involved in making a difference. Today's post is about highlighting ways we can all get involved in the clean up effort....





What an Awesome Idea!   Get Your Local Salons Involved...

Matter of Trust, a non-profit organization that invites salons, pet groomers and the folically blessed to send discarded hair trimmings to be used in highly absorbent hair mats and booms. According to their website, "Hair is very efficient at collecting oil out of the air, off surfaces like your skin and out of the water, even petroleum oil."   Hair is adsorbant (as in "clings to" unlike absorbant which is to "soak up.") There are over 370,000 hair salons in the US and each collects about 1 pound of hair a day. Right now, most of that goes into the waste stream, but it should all be made into hairmats." - Phil McCrory, inventor and stylist

Stylists and barbers are generously mailing in hair clippings to us and excited about this program and cleanup of oil spills. For more information and Salon sign up, please click here. Salons are sweeping up their hair clippings into plastic garbage bags, reusing the large boxes they get from shampoo deliveries and mailing us the hair. As well as for emergency oil spills, the mats are extremely efficient for drip pans during oil changes or under leaky cars, machinery, pipelines, even as booms for storm drains. Hair can also be stuffed into tubes (booms) made from recycled nylons, tied together to surround and contain a spill.

There is currently a great need for nylons... Click here for instructions on how to sign up to donate hair, fur or nylons.


Here are other ways to get involved:

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is looking for volunteers to “fill a variety of needs.” Pre-veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and anyone with HAZWOPER training (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard) are “strongly encouraged” to register.

The National Audubon Society is recruiting volunteers in the fight to save “ecologically sensitive areas.” Visit their website to fill out a volunteer registration form.


These are great opportunities to help... Please consider what you can do to make a difference!

Sources:  Matter Of Trust
               MSNBC

May 4 (Day 65) Every Baby Deserves a First Birthday!

First Candle is a national health organization uniting parents, caregivers and researchers nationwide with government, business and community service groups to advance infant health and survival. Together with our national network of members and partners, we are working to ensure that every baby is given the best possible chance to reach not only his or her first birthday, but many happy birthdays beyond.

Our mission is to promote safe pregnancies and the survival of babies through the first years of life. With programs of research, education and advocacy, our goal is to continue to have a significant impact on our nation’s high stillbirth and infant mortality rates. Working toward this mission, we remain committed to providing compassionate grief support to all those affected by the death of a baby.

Started in the early 1960s as the National SIDS Foundation, the organization’s primary focus was to support families who had experienced the death of a baby from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Through the foundation, grassroots advocacy efforts were successful at securing the first national funding available specifically for SIDS research. Resources for grieving families available here.

In 1987, forged through the merger of several national and regional SIDS groups from across the country, the SIDS Alliance was created as an umbrella organization to provide a single, focused entity dedicated to the elimination of SIDS. As a key partner in the national Back to Sleep campaign, the organization has been credited with helping to save more than 25,000 babies’ lives during the past decade alone, amounting to a drop of nearly 60 percent in the U.S. SIDS rate.

In 2002, the SIDS Alliance Board of Directors voted to expand the organization’s mission to include stillbirth and other sudden, unexpected infant deaths (SUID). The organization has committed its resources – both human and financial – in hopes of having a similar impact on stillbirth as it has had on SIDS, in the belief that every baby should live. Fittingly, the organization also voted to change its name to First Candle, Helping Babies Survive & Thrive, to reflect its broader mission and hope for the future.

Because every baby deserves a safe place to sleep

Every year more than 4,500 otherwise healthy American babies die suddenly and unexpectedly. Of these, statistics show that as many as 80 to 90 percent happen when a baby is sleeping with a parent or other adult. It is critical, if we are to save as many infant lives as possible, that every parent is aware of and prepared to adopt lifesaving safe sleep practices and that every baby has a safe place to sleep, especially if the family cannot afford one.

With your donation to the Bedtime Basics for Babies campaign, First Candle will provide a crib, wearable blanket and pacifier to babies in need all across our country. Your support will also help our efforts to educate new and expectant parents on First Candle’s lifesaving Safe Sleep Tips – working to ensure that parents across our great nation all understand how they can help their babies sleep more safely.

Help us reach our $10,000 goal by donating now.


Ways to Get Involved:
 
Whether a donation of time, money or expertise, we hope you will consider supporting our efforts, in the belief that every baby should live.

     Donate
     Volunteer   - blog, twitter, online fundraising or online support group moderator.
     Facebook Page


Source:  First Candle

May 3 (Day 64) Join My Village

Join My Village channels the power of online communities to help real communities in Malawi ignite hope, inspire action, and create lasting change. General Mills is ready to donate up to $500,000 to empower women and girls through CARE’s work – and your actions and donations will make it happen. $300,000 is already working hard in approximately 75 villages in the Kasungu region of Malawi. The remaining $200,000 is waiting to be unlocked by you!

By taking part in a variety of simple online activities, you can help ensure that the full investment is made. Joining a village team, answering a quiz question, and inviting friends to be part of Join My Village are all ways that you can unlock General Mills donation dollars, up to a total of $250,000 across all ten village teams. You can also make a direct donation and double your impact because General Mills will match personal donations, dollar-for-dollar, up to another $50,000 in total.

All funds raised go straight to Malawi to support CARE’s proven approaches to fighting poverty, including the establishment of village savings and loan associations (VSLAs) and increasing access to education for girls.

Join My Village features 10 different Malawi villages on its web site. Basic facts, from population to key challenges and goals, are displayed to provide a snapshot of what life is like in each village. You have the opportunity to align with one of the featured Malawi villages and track its progress by joining a village team.

Each village team has a Contribution Goal of $30,000. General Mills donation dollars may be “unlocked” by engaging in simple online activities, such as:

• Answering a quiz question $1
• Joining a village team $1
• Inviting friends to join $1

Up to $5 per person, per day can be unlocked, and you can return each day to unlock more dollars until your village team’s Contribution Goal is reached. You can double your impact - until May 15, each activity is worth $2. for your chosen village! 

Take a few minutes to watch the video and visit the website.  This is a fun and easy way to be part of the ripple effect of change.  You help someone and then they help someone and so on and so on! 

Source: Join My Village

May 2 (Day 63) ALS - "Lou Gehrig's Disease"

The ALS Association is the only national not-for-profit health organization dedicated solely to the fight against ALS. As the preeminent ALS organization, The Association leads the way in research, patient and community services, public education, and advocacy — giving help and hope to those facing the disease. The Association’s nationwide network of chapters provides comprehensive patient services and support to the ALS community. The mission of The ALS Association is to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through global cutting-edge research, and to empower people with Lou Gehrig’s Disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support.

Quick Facts about ALS:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. When these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement dies with them. Patients in the later stages of the disease are totally paralyzed, yet in most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert.

Every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS — more than 5,600 people per year. As many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. Annually, ALS is responsible for two deaths per 100,000 people.

The average life expectancy of a person with ALS is two to five years from time of diagnosis. With recent advances in research and improved medical care, many patients are living longer, more productive lives. Half of all those affected live at least three years or more after diagnosis. About 20 percent live five years or more, and up to ten percent will survive more than ten years.

ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries. ALS can strike anyone. Every single American is threatened by this disease.

Click here to donate to the ALS Association.
Click here to find an ALS walk in your area.
Click here to find volunteer opportunities in your area.


Source:  www.alsa.org

May 1 (Day 62) Change A Lifetime!

May is National Foster Care Month...You Can Change a Lifetime!

All children — including the 463,000 American children and youth in foster care — deserve a safe, happy life. Young people in foster care especially need nurturing adults on their side because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them.

Each May, we salute the compassionate people who make a difference by serving as foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families.

But some children in foster care are less fortunate. Most communities across the country are urgently seeking more everyday people to help these youth overcome their troubled childhoods and realize their full potential. Take a look at a recent article from The Detroit Free Press, highlighting the need for more foster families. No matter what their age, every young person in foster care benefits from a meaningful connection to a caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in his or her life.

THE MAGNITUDE: Currently, 463,000 children in the United States are in foster care because their own families are in crisis and unable to provide for their essential well-being. Many children in care are unable to return home safely because their parents lack access to services that could help strengthen families. In addition, there are an estimated 12 million alumni of foster care in the U.S. representing all walks of life.
THE NEED: No matter their age, all youth in foster care need a meaningful connection to at least one caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in their lives. Without families or stable relationships, too many of these formerly neglected and/or abused children and teens will end up facing life’s challenges all alone.

THE FACES OF FOSTER CARE: Child welfare issues arise in families of every race, ethnicity, culture, and age group. A disproportionate percentage of youth in foster care are children of color, particularly American Indian and African American children. In addition, children of color in the child welfare system experience poorer outcomes.

THE CONSEQUENCES: Research shows that young people who age out of foster care are far more likely than their peers in the general population to endure homelessness, poverty, compromised health, insufficient education, unemployment, incarceration, early pregnancy and parenthood.
THE PRIORITY: Older youth are in most urgent need of attention. Nearly half of the young people in foster care are over the age of 10. During the last several years, the numbers of young people aging out of foster care have increased to nearly 30,000. These youths exit foster care without the appropriate family connections, resources, skills or options they need to live independently.

THE SOLUTION: Children and youth in foster care are capable of overcoming the repercussions of previous neglect and/or abuse. Across the country, people just like you are raising their voices and engaging in efforts to educate federal and state public policy leaders on the issues facing children and families. They are serving as their foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will either reunite safely with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted by loving families. Even better, many will not have to enter foster care if more states provide support and services to help families cope with crises early on.

THE CALL TO ACTION: Most communities are urgently seeking many more everyday people to come forward to help these young people realize their full potential. No matter how much time you have to give, you have the power to do something positive that will CHANGE A LIFETIME for a young person in foster care. Check it out and see what you can do, the projects are broken down amounts of time; a few minutes, a few hours, etc.

May is National Foster Care Month. Every state in our country has children in foster care. They belong to all of us. Now is the time to show we care. Visit www.fostercaremonth.org to find out more about the many ways you can get involved and make a lasting difference for America’s children.


Source: fostercaremonth.org

April 30 (Day 61) National Arbor Day

Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care. Founded by J. Sterling Morton in 1872, it's celebrated on the last Friday in April.

The first Arbor Day took place on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. It was the brainchild of Julius Sterling Morton (1832-1902), a Nebraska journalist and politician originally from Michigan. Throughout his long and productive career, Morton worked to improve agricultural techniques in his adopted state and throughout the United States when he served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. But his most important legacy is Arbor Day.

Morton felt that Nebraska's landscape and economy would benefit from the wide-scale planting of trees. He set an example himself planting orchards, shade trees and wind breaks on his own farm and he urged his neighbours to follow suit. Morton's real opportunity, though, arrived when he became a member of Nebraska's state board of agriculture. He proposed that a special day be set aside dedicated to tree planting and increasing awareness of the importance of trees. Nebraska's first Arbor Day was an amazing success. More than one million trees were planted. A second Arbor Day took place in 1884 and the young state made it an annual legal holiday in 1885, using April 22nd to coincide with Morton's birthday.

In the years following that first Arbor Day, Morton's idea spread beyond Nebraska with Kansas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Ohio all proclaiming their own Arbor Days. Today all 50 states celebrate Arbor Day although the dates may vary in keeping with the local climate. (State Arbor Days) At the federal level, in 1970, President Richard Nixon proclaimed the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day. Arbor Day is also now celebrated in other countries including Australia. Variations are celebrated as 'Greening Week' of Japan, 'The New Year's Days of Trees' in Israel, 'The Tree-loving Week' of Korea, 'The Reforestation Week' of Yugoslavia, 'The Students' Afforestation Day' of Iceland and 'The National Festival of Tree Planting' in India. Julius Sterling Morton would be proud. Sometimes one good idea can make a real difference.



How can I become involved? Check out the Arbor Day Foundation website.

Click here to find out how you can help.

There are organizations throughout the country that utilize volunteers to help with tree planting projects.  Click here to find the organization(s) in your state.
 
 
Sources: www.arbor-day.net/

April 29 (Day 60) Be A Trailblazer...

Today's opportunity is really awesome!  Summer is just around the corner and it's time to start thinking about vacations!!   Here is an opportunity to release the inner explorer in you!  Volunteer while taking in some of the most beautiful scenery in America! 

The most satisfying way to experience the Continental Divide Trail might just be as a volunteer. With the Trail still incomplete, what could be more empowering than turning this magical route into a complete well-signed reality? It’s a rare chance to recharge your spirit in a spectacular setting while you do something that truly matters.

There are as many ways to help as there are ways to enjoy the Trail…pick up a shovel and join a Trail crew, put your leadership skills to work as a crew leader, cook meals, adopt a section of the Trail, explore areas for optimum rerouting, or even work in the office.

Don’t stand on the sidelines…hit the Trail and be a part of the legacy. It’s too important and too beautiful to miss.Come experience the grandeur of the Divide. Take part in this historic undertaking by signing up for one of our exciting volunteer opportunities today!

Click here to see volunteer projects for 2010 Season.
Family & Youth opportunities can be viewed here. 
If you are unable to volunteer your time, but would like to make a donation, click here.

April 28 (Day 59) Giving Circles

“In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us.”   - Flora Edwards

I read that a "Giving Circle" is a cross between a book club and an investment group.  That is a pretty good definition...Giving Circles are quickly gaining in popularity as a way for individuals to manage and pool their resources to increase their philanthropic impact.  Giving circles can be small and informal, like a group of friends getting together for dinner to pool their resources to support causes of their choosing,  or they can be larger and highly organized groups requiring a larger donation and greater participation:

“Marsha Wallace, a labor and delivery nurse in Greenville, SC, often volunteered at a health care clinic and donated to local charities, but she felt that she wasn’t doing enough. So three years ago she invited some friends to a potluck dinner. They were asked to bring an appetizer, a main course or a dessert—and their checkbooks.

More than 25 women attended, and they contributed $760 to Women for Women International, a nonprofit organization based in Washington that helps female war survivors. The dinner group gave itself a name, Dining for Women, and agreed to meet monthly, with each member donating the $30 she would have spent at a restaurant. (Eventually, Ms. Wallace scrapped the minimum donation because she worried that some women could not afford to attend.)
Now, every month, the donations, usually amounting to $400 to $500, are given to a variety of international nonprofit groups that help women and children. The club has grown to 115 members, with perhaps 15 or 20 showing up at each meeting. It has contributed a total of $19,000 to various charities, including the American Leprosy Missions and Habitat for Humanity. Donations have paid for two years of nursing school for an East African woman and started a $1,400 medical fund in Ethiopia.” 

-Kristina Shevory, “Giving: When Charity Begins In a Circle of Friends,” New York Time, October 9, 2005

Giving circles are a fairly new concept in philanthropy where small groups make a big difference. The idea is that if you already have a group that gets together on a regular basis, why not do something to give back in the process? If you don't already have a group getting together... You Can Start One!!   A small donation of $10, $20 or $50 at a meeting of a small group of people can add up quickly and turn a small individual donation into a large result.

Click on the resources below to learn more about Giving Circles and how you can start or participate in one:

Giving Circles FAQ's
Giving Circles Knowledge Center


So, how about it?  Does a Giving Circle sound interesting to you?  Get together with your family and friends and make a difference in the causes that you care about! 

Sources:  About.com
         

April 27 (Day 58) Let's Say Thanks

From time to time I will include opportunities to help that do not cost a cent.  Let's Say Thanks is one such opportunity.  Please take a minute to visit the site and send a thank you card to the Troops!  This is a great way to make a difference! 
The mission of Let's Say Thanks is to provide a way for individuals across the country to recognize U.S. troops stationed overseas. By submitting a message through this site you have the opportunity to send a free personalized postcard greeting to deployed servicemen and women.

The postcards, depicting patriotic scenes and hometown images, were selected from a pool of entries from children across the country.


All you have to do is click on your favorite design and either select the message that best expresses your sentiment or draft a personal note. The postcards are then printed on the Xerox iGen3® Digital Production Press and mailed in care packages by military support organization Give2TheTroops®.




Xerox is committed to helping people across the nation express their gratitude to our troops overseas. The launch of this program is aimed at reminding them how much Americans appreciate their service.

Below is one of the messages received from the troops:

To the folks of Let's Say Thanks,


First off let me say a personal thank you. I was out of the office when the package arrived and it was placed on my chair. Just to see a package waiting for me made my day! I speak on behalf of other Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that receiving a package stuffed with goodies is a great feeling - knowing that the folks back home are very appreciative and supporting of their defenders.


I myself have children ages 7 (girl) and 4 (boy) whom I miss so dearly! Seeing the artwork and the messages "praying and wishing for your safe return" that others write really brings a tear to my eye. It is very touching to know that the kids back home know why we are here defending our country and that they are very active in the supporting us.
Again, I would like to say thank you and keep doing what you are doing as many out here don't have family members to lean on.


- An Air Force Staff Sergeant

Source:  Let's Say Thanks

April 26 (Day 57) Operation Jack & Train 4 Autism

 April is National Autism Awareness Month

What is Operation Jack & Train 4 Autism? 

Sam Felsenfeld has committed to running a marathon every week to raise money for autism awareness. Operation Jack, named for Felsenfeld’s son who is Autistic, is Sam's  grass-roots effort to create awareness about autism and, at the same time, spread the word about Train 4 Autism. Train 4 Autism, a national group that helps athletes train while raising money for the autism charity of their choice, helped Sam with his plans.


Read the original article: Father of Autistic Child Launches 'Operation Jack'


Sam, with his wife of 10 years, Tiffany, is raising three children — Benjamin (8 1/2), Jack (6 1/2) and Ava (4). Jack, born September 16, 2003, was diagnosed with autism shortly after he turned 3, although he has been in constant therapy and treatment since before his second birthday. He is showing signs of progress, but has very limited speech and struggles with communication and social interaction.  After watching his son struggle day after day with his condition, Sam decided he wanted to do something to make a difference in his honor.

His plan is Operation Jack. Operation Jack will be an attempt by Sam Felsenfeld to race at least one marathon a week in 2010 (60 total for the year) to generate attention that will raise funds and nationwide awareness for Train 4 Autism, an organization that works tirelessly to raise money for Autism charities.If Operation Jack succeeds, Train 4 Autism will grow and countless people living with autism — along with their relatives and friends — will benefit for years to come.

Achieving the unthinkable would be nothing new for Sam. After breaking his neck in a swimming-pool accident when he was 16, he was lucky to have use of his legs. Later, after taking terrible care of himself in college, his weight soared to 261 pounds. A former smoker, Sam started walking less than five years ago. Walking turned into slow jogging, and eventually, slow jogging turned into his first marathon.

Now, he’s completed 47 marathons and two ultramarathons, and has 18 Boston qualifiers and a personal-best time of 3:00:05. He knows that if he was able to work hard enough to complete this transformation, he can work hard enough to run 60 marathons in Jack’s honor. And he knows that as tough as Operation Jack might be, it’s nothing compared to the daily grind Jack suffers through as he battles the nasty neurological disorder he was born with. While Sam trains and runs, Jack spends his days in a special education first grade, occupational therapy, and for fun, gymnastics. Because Jack is working hard 50 hours a week, Sam figured he could let people know about Jack and all the other kids like him.
 
You don’t have to run 60 marathons in one year to make a difference – every participant increases awareness of Train 4 Autism and there’s no contribution required. So, pick a race — there’s 60 of them — and join Sam to take part in Operation Jack!

Follow Operation Jack on Facebook & Twitter.
What is 10 X 10?  Spread the Word and earn free Operation Jack gear. 

Source:  Train 4 Autism
              Operation Jack

April 25 (Day 56) World Malaria Day

Wow!  This is hard to wrap your mind around... Every 30 seconds a child is lost to Malaria. In just about the time you spent watching this video, a child lost his/her life to Malaria.  This is something we have the power to stop... are you willing?

Malaria No More was born of a simple, startling insight: that ending malaria's death grip on Africa is the best humanitarian investment we can make in the world today. Nothing else can have the same impact on as many people's lives and livelihoods as quickly or cheaply. (For a $10. donation, you can provide one net)

Malaria No More needs your support to reach our goal of providing a mosquito net for every man, woman and child at risk of malaria in Africa by December 31, 2010. Our vision is to see a world without malaria deaths by 2015; your donation supports our entire effort to protect every family at risk. With your help, we will be relentless in our work to make this vision a reality.

Malaria Facts:

Malaria is a disease of the blood that is caused by a parasite transmitted from person to person by certain types of mosquitoes. Malaria symptoms, which appear about 9 to 14 days after the infectious mosquito bite, include fever, headache, vomiting and other flu-like symptoms. If drugs are not available for treatment or if the parasites are resistant to them, the infection can lead to coma, severe life-threatening anemia, and death by infecting and destroying red blood cells and by clogging the capillaries that carry blood to the brain (cerebral malaria) or other vital organs. Worldwide, malaria causes almost 250 million illnesses and more than one million deaths annually.

Malaria is particularly devastating in Africa, where it kills an African child every 30 seconds. Many children who survive an episode of severe malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage. Pregnant women and their unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to malaria, which, during pregnancy, is a major cause of mortality, low birth weight and maternal anemia. And while we know malaria is preventable, the lack of resources, coupled with a climate very hospitable to the deadliest strain of malaria, has made the disease a leading cause of death among African children.

Visit Malaria No More and learn ways you can get involved or make a donation.  Are you inspired to help yet? Click here to read stories of how people of all ages have stepped up to make a difference in the fight against malaria. 


Malaria No More is an organization similar to Nothing But Nets, which was highlighted on March 9.  The need is so great and the cause is so worthwhile,  please consider helping these organizations as they work to end Malaria deaths. 

Source: Malaria No More

April 24 (Day 55) Lift Someone Up !!

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, FWM 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?


Source: Free Wheelchair Mission

April 23 (Day 54) Sheltering Books

When Mackenzie Bearup was diagnosed with a condition that caused her chronic pain, the only thing that took her mind off her pain -- the only escape she could find -- was reading.


And when her pediatrician told her that the nearby Murphy-Harpst Children's Center -- a residential treatment center for Georgia's most severely abused children -- had a library but no books for the children to read, Mackenzie had an idea.


She began collecting books, asking everyone she knew for donations. She even stuffed flyers inside mailboxes, placed newspaper ads and started a Web site. Once the library at Murphy-Harpst was full, Mackenzie found other places that desperately needed books, such as children's homes and homeless and domestic violence shelters.

Mackenzie was only 13 years old when she began collecting childrens books for shelters. Her book drive quickly took off. Today she has collected and donated over 38,000 books to shelters in several states. She's so far donated books for libraries and reading rooms in 27 shelters. And with her mother's help, the teenager launched her official nonprofit -- Sheltering Books -- last year. For her work helping to spread the healing power of reading to disadvantaged kids, Mackenzie has been named a CNN Hero.

"If one homeless or abused child finds a love of reading through books that I've given them, then that will help them in school and just turn their life around entirely," she told CNN. "I really think that reading can do that for someone."

Read the CNN Heroes article about Mackenzie here.

Click here for information on how to donate or collect books for Sheltering Books.  Here is a super easy way you can get your kids involved in helping... Go to the post office and pick up a prepaid flat rate box, go buy a few books or hold your own book drive at work or school and send those books to Mackenzie. 

Wow, I am really amazed at another young person who "does what they can, where they are, with what they have!!"  Mackenzie Bearup.... YOU ROCK!! 
Sources:  Sheltering Books
               Good News Now

April 22 (Day 53) Happy 40th Birthday -- Earth Day!

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.    ~Native American Proverb

PICK 5 for the environment and make a difference.  Show your love to Mother Earth by choosing at least

5 actions you’ll commit to. Use less water and electricity, commute without polluting, reuse and recycle, and more.  Pick 5 for the environment is the EPA's global initiative to encourage better stewardship and more earth friendly practices from all of us.  Leaving this planet better off than how we found it takes little steps from all of us. 

It's simple... just pick 1 of the 6 catagories listed on the site, and within each catagory there are several actions you can commit to.  Pick 5 of the actions that are important to you and that you will commit to following in 2010.  A very easy way to make a difference! 

Click here to be taken to the website. 

Click here to find an Earth Day event in your area.

Source:  EPA

April 21 (Day 52) - Do Something Big!!

Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other diseases. First, patients undergo chemotherapy and sometimes radiation to destroy their diseased marrow. Then a donor's healthy blood-forming cells are given directly into the patient's bloodstream, where they can begin to function and multiply.

For a patient's body to accept these healthy cells, the patient needs a donor who is a close match. Seventy percent of patients do not have a donor in their family and depend on the Be The Match Registry to find an unrelated bone marrow donor or umbilical cord blood.

A match for every patient. Hope for every family.

We have a registry of millions. But we still do not have matched bone marrow donors or umbilical cord blood for all patients, especially those from racially and ethnically diverse communities. We need more people to join the registry and expectant parents to donate umbilical cord blood. With your help, more people will receive a transplant. And more families will have a future filled with hope.

April is Donate Life Month.
Get involved. Help save a life.
(click to find out how)

Join the Be The Match Registry.
Make a financial contribution  
Donate umbilical cord blood at your baby's birth.


Source: Be The Match