March 10 - Sports Gift

There are 2.2 billion children in the world, 1billion live in poverty. Poverty encompasses all people who are deprived of basic human needs due to economic and social factors. Although poverty is defined differently around the world, these basic human needs include clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing, and shelter. The effects of poverty lead to health issues, violence, drug use, and increased negative performance in school. Children born into poverty have a daunting challenge to lift themselves out of poverty.


Sports Gift believes that sports can be a powerful influence to lift these children out of poverty.  Sports Gift is focused on providing sports to impoverished and disadvantaged children throughout the world and promoting sports related community service among our youth.  They work to improve the lives and give hope to impoverished and disadvantaged children through a variety of programs designed to engage these children in organized sports and education through sports. Sports promote health and exercise, provide important life skills in such things as goal setting, hard work, discipline, fair play and teamwork and give us a safe arena to experience the thrills and challenges of competition. Unfortunately, many children in poverty stricken areas will never have the opportunity to enjoy sports without the support of Sports Gift.



Sports Gift refurbishes the sports equipment donated and then distributes it to underprivileged children and organizations that serve these children. Sports Gift has collected over 170,000 items of sports equipment for distribution to deserving children all over the world including communities in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Pacific, Eastern and Central Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. A typical donation location is an orphanage in a third world country such as Uganda where the children have never owned a sports ball or uniform.  The stories of these children are truly amazing, both in terms of the challenges and hardships these children must overcome and the immense joy and appreciation they experience upon receiving the gift of sports.



Get Involved:

Donate to Sports Gift. 

Other ways to give to Sports Gift.

Organize an equipment collection drive to recycle sports equipment in your community.

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Source:  http://www.sportsgift.org/

March 9 - Camp Get-A-Well-A

The inspiration to start an in-hospital summer camp for kids first hit Kate Bach Davis in 1998, when she met a sick young girl named Willow. Willow was an angry 8-year-old girl undergoing cancer treatments. She refused to participate in the group activity that volunteer Kate was leading at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
Willow told Kate, "I want to be at camp, but they MADE me come back to the hospital!" The little girl explained how she missed the swimming, camp crafts, marshmallow roasting, and time spent playing with her new camp friends.


Willow's blood cell counts had dipped to dangerously low levels just 3 days before, so she had been airlifted from camp. Kate knew it wasn't possible for the girl to go back to summer camp, but she vowed to find another solution.  It was with that vow that the idea of an In-Hospital Summer Camp was born. Kate met Camp Get-A-Well-A co-founder, JoLanne Hanson, at St. Jude's in the year 2000, and together they developed an outline for the first-of-its-kind sterile summer camp for hospitalized children.


Camp Get-A-Well-A brings a camp experience right inside the hospital, so kids confined to a medical facility can still experience the thrills of summer camp. This in-hospital summer camp in a sterile setting is the first of its kind in the United States. Five-day camps as well as single event or single day "outreach" camps are available. Since 1998, Camp Get-A-Well-A has served over 10,000 kids, benefiting children's hospitals and patients across the country from Philadelphia, PA to Phoenix, AZ.


Volunteers work hand-in-hand with trained hospital personnel to serve as Camp Counselors for a variety of events including indoor campfire sing-a-longs, handmade crafts, tie-dye projects, camp bingo, scavenger hunts and much more!


Camp Get-A-Well-A focuses not only on meeting the physical and medical needs of the kids, but also on meeting their social and emotional needs. Camp Get-A-Well-A serves all children in the hospital at the time of our visit, encompassing a wide range of injuries and illnesses. All family members are also welcome to attend the camps free of charge. They believe healing the spirit can help heal the body, and sometimes the best medicine doesn't come from a bottle... their Camp History proves that.


Read some inspiring Camp Stories. 


Get Involved:

Donate to Camp Get-A-Well-A.

Provide requested items from the Wishlist. 

Volunteer opportunities with Camp Get-A-Well-A.

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Source:  http://www.campgetawella.org/

March 8 - One Day's Wages

According to UNICEF, approximately 3 billion people live on less than US $2. day and 1.4 billion people live on less than US $1.25 day - the definition of those living in extreme poverty. The numbers are staggering but are absolutely real. Behind each number is a human being: a mother, father, sister or brother.  In the midst of these staggering statistics, what can one person do? What can a person's "one day's wages" do in the face of such staggering statistics? 


While we might not be able to save the world, we can absolutely make a difference. We can help change the world and in turn, be changed. While the issues are complex, experts and global organizations are in agreement: We have the capacity to end extreme global poverty.


One Day's Wages was started by an average family that chose to donate their entire 2009 salary - in hopes of inspiring people to simply donate their one day's wages (0.4% of one's annual salary) at least once/year.  We don't have to be rock stars, billionaires, or famous. We can all make an impact. ODW is you, me, us, and them: giving, dreaming, and working together.


In response to the overwhelming statistics about extreme global poverty, we often have more questions than answers:

• What can one person do?
• What is the impact of one day's wages?
• Can I really make a difference?

The answers are an emphatic "Yes."

Yes, one person can make a difference. Imagine when many individuals work together to change the world - and be changed in that process. We not only have much to give but we actually have much to receive and learn.

Yes, a person's "one day's wages" can make a difference. An average working person's daily wage is approximately 0.4% of their annual salary. Consider the impact we can make for another person, a family, a village, or an organization that is on the ground working to uplift people out of poverty:

• Malaria Net: $10
• Clean Water for one person for 20 years: $20
• Child's Tuition for Education: $45
• Teacher's Salary in jungles in Burma: $60/year
• Training & Sewing Machine for one woman: $125
• Machine Drilled Well for a Village: $1400 

While compassion is an important aspect of our humanity, The goal of One Day's Wages is not only to distribute funds, but rather, to partner with organizations already working to allow people to lift themselves out of poverty.  The good news is, there are already individuals and organizations around the world doing amazing work to end extreme global poverty. ODW is not trying to re-invent the wheel but rather to collaborate and partner with those out on the field doing the work.


How about it?  Are you willing to make a difference by donating ONE DAY'S WAGES to help others?



Get Involved:

Donate to ODW or one of the partner charities.

Start your own Campaign for a Cause.

Shop online at the ODW Store.

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Source:  http://www.onewayswages.org/

March 7 - American Red Cross Month

March is AMERICAN RED CROSS month, and the American Red Cross is asking people to join them in helping those in need by volunteering their time, making a donation, taking a class, or giving blood.

The Red Cross has been helping people for 130 years, responding to disasters, assisting members of the military, teaching lifesaving skills, and serving as one of the largest blood suppliers in the United States.
Nationally, the Red Cross responds to an average of nearly 200 disasters every day. The organization provides a round-the-clock link between those in the military and their families, and supplies blood and blood products to approximately 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country.

 I wanted to highlight a great opportunity to save lives at no cost!     The only cost to you is a little bit of your time.

WHY GIVE BLOOD?

You don’t need a special reason to give blood. You just need your own reason... 

• Some of us give blood because we were asked by a friend. 
• Some know that a family member or a friend might need blood some day. 
• Some believe it is the right thing we do.

Whatever your reason, the need is constant and your contribution is important for a healthy and reliable blood supply. And you’ll feel good knowing you've helped change a life or save a life. 

Benefits of Donating Blood:

• It feels great to donate.
• There are certain health benefits that come from donating blood.
• It is something you can spare - most people have blood to spare...yet, there is still not enough to go around.
• You will help ensure blood is on the shelf when needed - most people don't thing they'll ever need blood, but many do.
• You will be someone's hero - in fact, you may help as many as three people with just one donation.

"Be a blood and organ donor. All it costs is a little love." ~Author Unknown


Get Involved:

Donate to The Red Cross.

Find a Blood Drive in your area.

Find volunteer opportunities in your area.  (I entered my zip code and there were several opportunities in my area.)

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Source:  http://www.redcross.org/

March 6 - Sunday's "Encouraging Words"

We all have the opportunity to make a difference... don't waste yours! 

March 5 - Saturday's Encouraging Words

Many 'little' acts add up to make a huge difference! 



Reminder:  Going forward, weekend posts will be "Encouraging Words."   I have signed up to do additional volunteer work -  I will be posting on my experiences in the near future.

Update:  I put out a challenge for the month of February promising to donate an amount equal to 1 lb. of food to Feeding America for each "like" on Facebook.  I ended the month with 159 "likes" so I rounded it up to 16 lbs.  Thanks to all who participated.

March 4 - Changing lives one little dress at a time…

Little Dresses for Africa is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide relief to children in Central Africa. People from all over the United States join together to make little dresses out of simple patterns. Some sew. Some donate. Some go to Africa and some send others. Little Dresses for Africa makes all the arrangements to get the dresses to the children. Simple dresses are made out of pillow cases and distributed through the orphanages, churches and schools in  Africa to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy!


Because of the widespread AIDS pandemic, little girls are often left to be the primary care givers of their young siblings. It is the hope of Little Dresses for Africa that in delivering dresses to these young girls, that a seed will be planted in the name of Jesus in their hearts that they are worthy.  Along with being something that they all need, distributing the little dresses gives Little Dresses an opportunity to hold camps and informal teaching sessions to increase their knowledge in nutrition and sanitation  and promote good  health and family skills knowledge.  They also visit the patients who are suffering from  AIDS and offer them encouragement and hope.

Knowing the history of the girls in Africa and the difficult road that lay ahead, a small group of ladies returning from a short term mission trip to Malawi began to sew simple little dresses made out of pillow cases to be distributed to young girls through the orphanages in  Africa. The vision continues to grow as groups of all sizes spring up across America.  These groups cross age, gender and denominational lines to serve the most vulnerable of God’s children: little girls.  To date Little Dresses for Africa has received dresses and donations from all 50 states across the USA and received well over 130,000 little dresses that have been distributed in 22 countries of Africa!  They have also been able to distribute dresses to countries in crisis, when requested such as Honduras, Guatamala, Philippines, Mexico and Haiti, as well as right here in the US in the Appalachian Mountains and South Dakota.

Little Dresses for Africa also takes care of the little boys with "Britches for Boys."  Feel free to help with either project or both.  Boy's shorts are needed in any size.  Due to space limitations, LDFA does not accept previously worn clothing.  Together we can make a difference.


Get Involved:

Donate to Little Dresses for Africa.

Pillow case dress sewing instructions.
Finished items can be sent to:   24614 Curtis Drive, Brownstown, MI 48134

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Source:  http://www.littledressesforafrica.org/

March 3 - Animal Rescue - A Sanctuary for Life

Take a look at another great group out there making a difference in the lives of companion animals.  I love rescue groups and those who are dedicated to helping animals!  Please help if you are able! 


Animal Rescue, Inc.  was founded in 1976, by Grace Froelich as a result of being given the alternative to either give up her beloved cat or face eviction. Grace's philosophy is that an animal is a companion pet that is a member of the family, and deserves the same respect and considerations.

So, faced with that decision, Grace went to look for a new home, one where she would not have to make a choice to give up her pet. She bought a place, now affectionately nicknamed the "farm". After she bought her new home, the strays started showing up. A dog here, a cat there. She would feed them and let them stay. She felt strongly that they should never be homeless again. She eventually moved to adopting out some of them if she knew a good home looking for a new pet. And that is how it started. Animal Rescue, Inc is set up to a forever home for the homeless. Grace stands by her initial mission that they will never be homeless again. There will always be a home at the farm for them. Hopefully, they will find a conventional home to be a part of a loving family but if they never find a home, they can live as part of the Animal Rescue family.  Animal Rescue is dedicated to these animals that are waiting for a home or never find a home.

Animal Rescue, Inc. consists of two locations: A cattery in the Putty Hill area of Baltimore MD, and a 33 acre farm located in PA.  At any one time they have approximately one hundred dogs and several hundred cats between their locations; most of which are available for adoption. Animal Rescue services the greater Baltimore MD - York PA area. Animal Rescue is a "shelter for life" for stray and abandoned animals. One of the major objectives of Animal Rescue is to find loving, responsible homes for its residents.

Animal Rescue also promotes spay/neuter programs (they also run our own low cost program for those in need), and operates a Crisis Intervention Program which keeps the human/animal bond intact by providing assistance to the elderly, sick, and the infirm.



Get Involved:

Donate to Animal Rescue, Inc. 
(Click on the Donate button to make a donation through Paypal)

Animal Rescue, Inc.'s Wish list.

Become a sponsor for one of ARI's permenant residents. For a sponsorship pledge of $10.00 a month, you will receive a picture and background (if known) of your pet.  For most pets, their history starts at Animal Rescue, Inc.

Donate a Kuranda Dog Bed. The dogs love to sleep on Kuranda Dog beds, but we do not have enough for everyone.  If you would like to donate a bed at a special wholesale price and allow another dog to sleep in comfort , please click here.   

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Source:  http://www.animalrescueinc.org

March 2 - Guitars For Vets

Dan Van Buskirk, a Vietnam Veteran, has always been passionate about helping Vets. While Dan was taking guitar lessons from Patrick Nettesheim, he began to recognize a significant improvement with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That is when the idea was born. Together they started Guitars For Vets (G4V), an organization that enhances the lives of ailing and injured Vets by providing them with free guitars and music instruction.


The first classes started at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI in 2007, with the intent that self-expression through music would help restore the feelings of joy and purpose that can be lost after suffering trauma. G4V is expanding to other VA Medical Centers, with program requests coming in from across America. There are currently 50 requests from VA Medical centers for chapters.  G4V is only able to expand as funding allows.  Your support of this mission will bring joy and peace to many.


Guitars For Vets (G4V) provides six free private lessons and a new acoustic guitar to military Veterans at VA medical and community based Vet centers. All veterans are referred by the VA medical team in order to integrate the Guitars For Vets program into their treatment regimen. The private lessons are taught by volunteer instructors and are then followed by group sessions that provide a forum for the veterans to talk and play music with like minded individuals, many of whom have had the same experiences, emotions and traumas. The music sessions provide a communal atmosphere. This has proven to be a catalyst that helps the Vets continue on their road to recovery and well being.


Upon graduation, each Vet in the program is presented a guitar, gig bag, strap, tuner, method book, stand and a certificate of completion. The testimonials throughout the website capture what it has meant to some of the Vets participating in the program.  Check it out! 


Get Involved:

Donate to Guitars for Vets.
(Monetary donations or used guitar donations  - donated guitars are either used as practice guitars or sold in order to raise funds for the program. Unrepairable guitars are turned into visual art through the G4V's Art Strings program and sold at events.)

Shop the G4V online store.

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Source:  http://www.guitars4vets.org

March 1 - One Way Every Day... for One Year!

Wow... it has been a year since I started this project!  My original intention was to spend 1 year highlighting worthy causes and charities.  Mission accomplished...sort of!  I did spend the year highlighting some great charities and sharing with you some awesome everyday people who are making a difference.  That was part of the mission.  The other part of the mission was to inspire others to get involved and make a difference!  That is a little harder to quantify, but I believe from some of the emails I have received that is the case. 


I started this journey to honor my sister Sherry, who we lost to Breast Cancer.  During her struggle, I watched Sherry as she raised money for Cancer charities and crafted handmade bracelets for other breast cancer patients to let them know someone was thinking and praying for them.  I was inspired by her desire to help others even as she was ill and in considerable pain.  Sherry embodied the philosophy,  Do what you can...where you are...with what you have.   I wanted to be like my sister... I wanted to make a difference!


Honestly, it has been my honor and pleasure... This journey has changed me,  I am not the same person that I was a year ago and so I want to continue the journey.  I hope you will continue to check in on me and check out the charities highlighted on this blog.   There will be some slight changes to the blog.  I am spending more time this year volunteering, so I will be posting inspirational quotes on Saturdays and Sundays.  I will also post "Best of" posts from time to time.  I am hoping to free up a little time allowing me to volunteer with a couple organizations I am interested in.   Please continue to check back everyday! 

I am reposting the original post from March 1st of Last Year in Honor of Sherry... We love and miss you!

Since this is my first post, I thought I would start out with something simple.  Please visit the Breast Cancer Site at http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/  and make sure you click on the "click here to give" button to help fund mammogram screenings for women in need.  This is paid for by the advertisers who display ads on the page. This is such a simple way to help... Let's make sure we visit this site everyday and click the give button.  You can see a breakdown of where women were helped (by state) on the results page. 

Some facts about breast cancer:

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, after skin cancer. Today, approximately 1 in almost every 8 women (13.4%) will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in women after lung cancer -- and is the leading cause of cancer death among women ages 35 to 54. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009, approximately 192,370 women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and approximately 40,610 will die. Although these numbers may sound frightening, research reveals that the mortality rate could decrease by 30% if all women age 50 and older who need a mammogram had one.

From the site:

Your clicks count! Last year, visitor clicks funded 2,808 mammograms (down from 2008, which was 3,315). Purchases at The Breast Cancer Site store funded an additional 4,178 mammograms for women in need (down from 4,262 in 2008). Let's get those click numbers back up in 2010! Please click every day and tell others about The Breast Cancer Site! Since The Breast Cancer Site began in 2000, together we have funded free mammograms for more than 18,000 women in need through clicks alone!

Don't forget to come back everyday to see additional ways to help.

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Source:  http://www.thebreastcancersite.com

February 28 - Kid Flicks

More amazing young people  making a difference!



Kid Flicks was founded by sisters Lexi, Romi, Marni, and Berni Barta in the Spring of 2002. While doing some “Spring cleaning” the Barta sisters realized they had a number of DVDs they had either outgrown or no longer watched. Knowing how watching movies helped a friend who had battled Leukemia inspired the girls to take action. They packed up their movies and delivered them to the Pediatric Oncology Department of the Los Angeles hospital where their friend had been treated. When they dropped off the donations, the Child Life Specialist told them that “movies are the first things kids ask for when they are in the hospital.”


That afternoon the sisters decided to collect as many DVDs as possible to donate to as many hospitals as possible. They wrote solicitation letters to family and friends, and within the first week,  had collected over 100 movies. Donations continued to pour in. They decided that each hospital would receive a “movie library” of 100 assorted films that appeal to boys and girls, toddlers through teenagers. Whenever they had another 100 movies, they found another hospital to donate them to.


Initially, they delivered the “movie libraries” to hospitals in Southern California. When Kid Flicks had covered every hospital within a five-hour round-trip driving radius, they began applying for grants and awards to help cover the costs of shipping the “libraries” to other cities and states. As of February 11, 2011 Kid Flicks has donated 57,000 movies to 570 different hospitals throughout the United States and South Africa.


Our goal is to provide every Children’s Hospital and Pediatric Department in the country with a Kid Flicks “movie library.”   So, why not start your spring cleaning and see if you have any CD's you can donate, or maybe you can help with other costs by making a donation to Kid Flicks


Click here to see all of the Children's Hospitals who have received a video library courtesy of Kid Flicks.  Barta sisters...YOU ARE AMAZING!  


Get Involved:

Donate to Kid Flicks.

How to Donate DVDs
DVD donations may be shipped to:
Kid Flicks/Barta
11755 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025 #1450

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Source:  http://www.kidflicks.org

February 27 - Teaching Kids about Giving Back

Today I want to share with you an email that I received from Lisa, a reader from Columbus, Ohio.  Lisa has a unique and fun way that she and her family give back.  I was inspired by this wonderful idea and I wanted to pass it on.  This may be a way that you and your family are able to make a difference too! 


Hi Folks at One Way Every Day,

I have been checking in and reading your blog regularly for many months now.  Thank you for sharing the work of so many awesome organizations out there who are trying to make the world a better place.  I have been teaching my 3 young children about "giving back" and I wanted to share my idea with you and your readers and hopefully inspire others to do the same. 

Inspired by some of the new reality shows about "couponing," I decided to give it a try, but with a twist! I am couponing for charity! 

Here's how we work it -  We do our grocery shopping on Saturday morning, so each Sunday we begin the process of gathering  our coupons.  The Sunday Newspaper and Internet coupon sites are great sources for coupons.  This is one of the parts the kids are really involved in -  they now love to find me coupons to use. Our local store doubles coupons so that really makes a difference!  We generally save between $18.-$25. weekly so it adds up to a nice monthly donation.  Whatever money I save through the use of coupons is banked in a jar in the kitchen.  We call it our M.A.D. (Making a Difference) Money jar. 

At the end of every month, we meet as a family and we discuss which charities we would like to donate to.  Each family member nominates a charity and shares why they think this charity should receive the money.  This accomplishes a couple things, the family learns about many great causes and it teaches the kids to articulate an idea or concept in which they believe.

We vote as a family and whichever cause is selected is the recipient of our M.A.D. Money for that month.  We have been couponing for 3 months now and it has been a huge success.  So far we have been able to donate to a local animal rescue, Ronald McDonald House and Make a Wish Foundation.

I have been able to take this idea and turn it into a meaningful opportunity to teach my children about giving.  The children think it is fun and have really taken to finding coupons to use.  My family and I are very fortunate.  In this tough economy, my husband and I are both working and financially we are doing well.  I realize that for many families using coupons helps to stretch the family food dollar and is a necessary part of making ends meet.  I would like to encourage those who are able to do something like this to consider trying this with your family.  It has been an AWESOME experience for our family! 

-Lisa J.



What a great idea Lisa, thanks for sharing it with us !  We love to hear how others are 'making a difference.' We also invite anyone who has an idea to share to send it to us through our contact page.  Who knows, your ideas may show up on our site to inspire others! 

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February 26 - Get Drenched!

I try to post the easy opportunities to make a difference on Saturday... probably because if you are like me, Saturday is your busy day.  Running errands and trying to get things done.  Many of us spend the weekend  with family and friends. 

Todays post offers a way to make a difference that is SO SIMPLE!  Now through March 31, YOU can make a difference in the lives of hungry children and families by becoming a Sun Shower fan. For every new Facebook fan, Sun Shower is donating one bottle of juice to Second Harvest-supported food banks across the country. Do it now. Do it for a kid.


You can double your impact and become a fan of Drenchers too!  So go ahead and "LIKE" Sunshower and Drenchers and for each page you LIKE NBI Juiceworks will donate a bottle of juice.

NBI Juiceworks produces an array of healthy, delicious juices to fit your personal tastes and nutritional interests. The  Drenchers and Sun Shower brands offer nectarine-based juices that are rich in proteins, vitamins and nutrients necessary for a balanced diet. 

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Source:  NBI Juiceworks

February 25 - Baby's Bounty

Baby’s Bounty is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization devoted to providing essential clothing and gear to babies born into families at risk. Recipients include teen mothers, the homeless and those living in poverty. Each newborn will receive a collection of new and gently used baby clothing, receiving blankets, bottles and any vital equipment, such as strollers, portacribs and car seats as needed to ensure that they thrive.


Volunteers collect, sort and clean the items and prepare giveaways for the families in need.   Through collaboration with social service agencies, hospitals, homeless shelters, safe havens, schools and family court, new mothers at risk are identified. Those agencies request the essential items and, upon receipt, distribute to their clients.


Founder, Kim Amato, started Baby's Bounty in July of 2008 to address the rise in homelessness among families with young children.  After learning about the increase in homeless families, Kim began investigating how often newborn children were being released from the hospital without the proper clothing and supplies to ensure that they thrived.  Hospital and Clark County officials confirmed that many families were leaving the hospital without any supplies whatsoever for their newborn children.  The infants had no safe place to sleep and no clothing or diapers.


Once Kim started collecting clothing and gear by reaching out to family, friends, churches, schools and anyone else who was able to help, Baby's Bounty was "born."  Now, each baby in need receives a diaper bag filled with new and gently used infant clothing, receiving blankets, bottles, toiletries and any vital equipment, such as a stroller, pack 'n' play (portable crib), car seat and bathtub.  Every baby needs a safe place to sleep.  The "Good Night, Sleep Tight" program is devoted to providing each new baby in need with a portable crib to call their own.  Click on the "Donation Suggestions" to find out more about purchasing a safe sleep environment for a baby in need.



Get Involved:

Donate to Baby's Bounty.

Donate items from the Baby's Bounty Wish List.

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Source:  http://babysbounty.org/

February 24 - The Detroit Area Diaper Bank

Today's post highlights another inspiring individual who has taken it upon themselves to change the world...at least her little corner of it!  I've said it over and over again.  FIND A NEED...AND FILL IT!   I want to spark a little change, to inspire others to make a difference by highlighting ordinary (extraordinary) people and how they have taken a need and created a solution. 

Marybeth Levine had a goal - TO CHANGE THE WORLD!  She became disillusioned while working as a Congressional assistant and lobbyist and she left Washington D.C., she now calls Canton, MI home.  Marybeth Levine is still out TO CHANGE THE WORLD -  one diaper at a time!  Marybeth is the unpaid executive director of the Detroit Area Diaper Bank- a charity she started out of her home. 

The mission of the Detroit Area Diaper Bank is to help meet the unmet need for diapers in the community's most vulnerable populations -- babies from low-income households, the elderly and people with disabilities. There is no assistance for diapers, they're not paid for or provided by WIC, Food Stamps or Medicare. Diapers are a huge hole in the "safety net."

People and families who need diapers most likely need other social services as well. Instead of creating a separate social service delivery system, the Diaper Bank partners with other nonprofits who are already qualifying people for need and working with them toward "whole" solutions. We partner with family services agencies, homeless shelters, crisis nurseries, domestic abuse shelters, food pantries, senior agencies, faith-based organizations, disability networks and state human services agencies -- we become their diaper resource, increasing their capacity to more fully support individuals and families in need.

Since April 2009, the Detroit Area Diaper Bank has donated over 375,000 diapers to 45 organizations that help jobless, single mothers, struggling families and disabled and elderly people, who have become incontinent.  Please consider what you are able to do to assist DADB and Marybeth in their mission to CHANGE THE WORLD, one diaper at a time.

Facts about Diaper Need:

Babies-

• A healthy change of diapers for the average infant is up to 12 per day, a toddler up to 8 per day. But in low-income households,a baby may be in a single diaper all day or longer risking health problems ranging from severe diaper rash to staph infection.
• Uncomfortable babies cry and don't sleep well at night -- this leads to poorly-rested and higher-stressed parents and siblings and can contribute to illnesses, absences and reduced performance levels at work and school. A baby crying non-stop from being in a soiled diaper for a prolonged period of time or suffering from a severe diaper rash is more susceptible to abuse, especially in an already-stressed household.
• In low-income families without insurance, health issues like severe diaper rashes often go untreated until they require a trip to the ER, creating added pressure on community hospitals that provide free emergency care.

The Elderly -

• 15-20% of all adults over age 65 suffer some degree of incontinence.
• Elder abuse is more likely in a multi-generational household facing the added stress of incontinence.
• Healthy but incontinent seniors often become homebound if they can't afford supplies.  This can lead to isolation, depression and increased need for assistance programs like Meals on Wheels.
• Incontinence is among the most common reasons for seniors to be put in nursing homes

Get Involved:

Donate to the Detroit Area Diaper Bank.

Host a Diaper Drive to benefit the Detroit Area Diaper Bank.

Other ways you can help DADB.

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Source:  http://www.detroitareadiaperbank.org/

February 23 - Creating Beauty...Inspiring Change.

Seven days of silence. Can you imagine? She was small for her age, a mere 16 years old but pregnant. For years, her brother and “caring” uncle had repeatedly sexually abused her. One day, she became pregnant.

Medani was sent by court order to Ma-Sevana, a home for mothers aged 10—18 who are the survivors of rape or incest in Sri Lanka. While this place would protect her, she had been taken from her home, friends, education... her childhood. The result was seven days of silence and longing stares that could not be overcome by counseling. However, there was a glimmer of hope, and it came in the form of small glass beads. Medani took an interest in stringing together colorful beads supplied by Emerge Global. After one day of beadwork, she spoke. Three weeks later, she had become a leader in the home, helping other girls create beautiful beadwork.


The Backstory:
During the summer of 2005, MIT student Alia Whitney-Johnson arrived in Sri Lanka as a tsunami-relief volunteer, sponsored by a fellowship from the MIT Public Service Center. During this trip, she encountered a heartbreaking reality: Girls as young as 11 and pregnant from rape or incest had been cast out of their own families, denied the right to formal education, and imprisoned for their own protection.


A jewelry-maker since age seven, Alia decided to host a beading workshop to better acquaint herself with the girls. The act of creating jewelry soon became a tool for transformation, uplifting the girls' spirits and ultimately helping them to overcome the emotional, social, and economic obstacles they faced. The Emerge Bead Program was born as a way to sustain the girls' work, connecting the young women to supplies and training, a global market, and a global community of support.


After incubating her programs through the nonprofit Universal Awakening, Alia founded Emerge Global in 2008 with the goal of empowering girls all over the world who have survived sexual abuse to rediscover a sense of hope and celebrate their personal beauty,build a strong community, and fulfill their own visions of the future.



Emerge Global is a non-profit organization registered in the United States that enables Sri Lankan girls who have survived abuse and sexual violence to become jewelry designers through a curriculum that emphasizes self-esteem, leadership, and business knowledge, while generating savings for their futures. Design and entrepreneurship are combined to develop confidence, teach life skills, and strengthen the community’s capacity to affect change.

Get Involved:

Donate to Emerge Global.

Purchase Emerge Global Products:

Beautiful, handmade jewelry- each piece is 100% unique, just like the girl who made it. Check out their online jewelry boutique: http://emergeglobal.etsy.com/

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Source:  http://emergeglobal.org/

February 22 - Games for Heroes

Games For Heroes is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that sends handheld video games to our United States troops currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. In March 2008, Games for Heroes founders Peter Gallagher and Jack Wilson organized a community service project called Cheer up the Troops. For one week, Peter and Mark, then 15, helped elementary school children write 1000 letters and drawings to send to US troops stationed overseas. This project inspired them to put video game collection boxes in their school, fire stations, and churches in their Westchester County, New York neighborhood.  In addition to video game systems, the organization also actively collects games for systems and batteries. As of mid-2010, the organization has distributed more than $100,000 in goods.


Most soldiers currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are under the age of twenty and one of the most requested items from these soldiers are handheld game devices.  The goal of Games For Heroes is to collect handheld game machines, batteries and games for every soldier who wants one. We need your help. They can be new or used, as long as they are still working. 

Between September, 2010 and December, 2010 drives and donations allowed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive over $7000 in handhelds. Please keep the donations coming.  Games for Heroes have so many more requests from soldiers.


Get Involved:

Donate to Games For Heroes.

Donate your handheld video games (used or new as long as they work) and batteries to:

Games For Heroes, Inc.

97 Secor Rd.

Scarsdale, NY 10583

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Source:  http://www.gamesforheroes.com/