Firefighter Challenge 2022

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity Activity, Family

This year’s annual Firefighter Challenge event took place over the weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The fundraiser began with a relay on Friday night, and continued with individual competitions on Saturday, attracting over 250 people. Team competitions were scheduled for Sunday. Over $85,000 has already been raised for the Grand Rapids Fire Department Fire Prevention Foundation, which will go toward smoke detectors and other safety measures to keep locals safe.

The event brought in firefighters from over 1,300 miles away. Organizers reported that the Firefighter Challenge is also an opportunity for people to learn more about the work firefighters do, and even recruit interest. By the end of Saturday, over a dozen attendees were considering the line of work.

What do the competitions at the event actually look like? The purpose is to simulate real life scenarios. In one timed course, the participants carried a bunch of heavy hoses while climbing up five flights of stairs. They then returned downstairs to the street, broke through a door, and lugged a water hose through the doorway, spraying at the target. In the last stage, the firefighters simulated the rescue of a trapped person, pulling a 175-pound man to the finish line 100 feet away.

In addition to the competitions aimed at firefighters, the Firefighter Challenge is also designed to attract families. There are a variety of fun activities for children, such as the Kid’s Challenge Course and others which promote fire safety. An array of dining options are offered, including food trucks and a beer tent.

If you missed this year’s Firefighter Challenge, be sure to check back in a few months to see where next year’s event will be held!

Bill Gates Donates $20 Billion to Foundation

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, Charity in BusinessTagged: ,

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is one of the world’s largest and most impactful philanthropies. Even after the divorce of the couple in May 2021, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates agreed to continue to co-chair the foundation together for a two-year trial period. Both of them have also publicized their intentions to give over the majority of their wealth to the philanthropy.

On Wednesday, Bill Gates announced in a blog post that he is transferring $20 billion to the endowment of the foundation. He explained that the foundation will increase its spending from $6 billion per year prior to the pandemic to $9 billion by the end of 2026. The movement of funds and extra expenditure is due to increased needs in many areas, despite the worst of COVID being over. The foundation supports a wide range of causes, including global health, education, climate change, gender quality, and more.

According to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index, Bill Gates currently ranks as the world’s fourth-richest person, with a net worth of about $114 billion. In his blog post, he wrote: “I have an obligation to return my resources to society in ways that have the greatest impact for improving lives.” He asserted that, with time, he will move down on the list of the world’s richest people until he is eventually off the list altogether.

The dedication of Bill Gates, and of the foundation he and his ex-wife started over 20 years ago, is encouraging and important in current times. As Gates concluded in his blog post, “I hope others in positions of great wealth and privilege will step up in this moment too.”

Walking for a Purpose

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity, Childrens Charities

Tony Cunningham has a mission. He has pledged to walk 10 miles a day throughout the year 2022. He is also a 72-year-old great-grandfather who has recovered from a quadruple heart bypass. Being the determined man that he is, the Coventry, England native is walking to raise funds for Molly Ollys, a children’s charity based in Warwickshire.

With 2,500 miles already under his belt, Cunningham is currently 450 miles beyond his halfway target. He has been starting his laps in Memorial Park at 5:00 AM daily, without fail. To this date, he has raised over £4500 for Molly Ollys to be used to support kids suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

According to Cunningham, the toughest part of this endeavor has been getting through the winter months. With floods hitting the city hard in January, he was cold and wet. There were days he questioned his ability to achieve his goal but always gathered the strength to continue. He explained: “It suddenly dawned on me what a mammoth challenge I’d set myself, but a guy who was jogging the opposite way suddenly stopped in his tracks and just started applauding me. I felt quite emotional at that moment and it gave me a mental boost to carry on.”

Tony Cunningham is scheduled to complete his final walk on New Year’s Eve.

Neil Cole and The Candie’s Foundation

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

It’s obviously important and impactful when anyone creates a charitable organization that aims to help others. It’s even more impactful when it’s a well known branding executive and founder of Iconix Brand Group, Neil Cole. Neil Cole, as the founder, and former Chairman and CEO of Iconix Brand Group understands working with licensing, branding and public relations. He understands how to get ideas from infancy to action, and he knows how to bring a message to people that will be impactful.

Neil Cole
Neil Cole

For these reasons, his creation of The Candie’s Foundation in 2001 managed to reach millions of teenagers and to have a lasting impact. This foundation, started by Neil Cole formerly of Iconix Brand Group, worked with well-known celebrities to get messages about teen pregnancy to the right audience. With participation from such heavy-hitters as Hilary Duff, Hayden Panettiere, Ciara, Bristol Palin and many others, The Candie’s Foundation has influenced teen culture and behavior through education. They have been able to explain the consequences of teenage pregnancy.

And the research has shown that Neil Cole’s vision is making a difference. Teen girls who were exposed to The Candie’s Foundation have been more likely to view teen pregnancy and parenthood as stressful and negative and believe that their peers should wait longer to have sex than those who haven’t been exposed to the foundation.

Such organizations, and the efforts put in by people like Neil Cole, can really make a difference in the lives and the futures of American teens.

Balloon Wonderland Facilitates Charity Funds

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged:

During the Covid-19 pandemic, people were forced to find creative ways to celebrate events and each other. One method that became quite popular was decorating yards with balloons and other festive adornments.

In Vincennes, Indiana, balloon décor was recently used to spread joy in a larger capacity. Sixty-five professional balloon artists from five countries and 22 different states worked for days to create a “Candy Wonderland” to support United Way of Knox County. This was the first Big Balloon Build to take place in the US, with all previous events of its kind hosted within the UK. Big Balloon Build offers a fun and unique platform for local charitable organizations to promote their causes and raise awareness.

Jennifer Nyikos, owner of Fun by the Yard, was one of the local professionals asked to participate in the Big Balloon Build in Vincennes. She and her colleagues used more than 125,000 balloons to create a utopia of ice cream cones, candy clouds, and sweet treats across two full-size gyms. She reminisced, explaining that it took the team 10 hours of work over three days to construct the magical Candyland of inflatables. “It was exhausting but great memories,” she confirmed.

Thanks to sponsors and events, the United Way of Knox County successfully raised over $130,000. Funds collected from various aspects of the event will be used to match donations from the Lilly Corporation, supporting some its impact projects, including Kindergarten Jump Start, Bedtime in a Box, Charity Tracker Network, Homeless Task Force, and more.

Riding the Waves for Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , ,

Two experienced New Zealand surfers have decided to use their talent to raise funds for a local surf therapy charity. Felix Hirling and David Seidel have set out on their surfboards on March 25, with plans to paddle their way from Mayor Island to Mount Maunganui Main Beach over two weeks.  They hope to meet their fundraising target of $6,000 for Live for More, a surf therapy program that works to free adolescent men of detrimental past experiences and empower them to live fulfilling lives.

The idea came about after David had ventured out on a similar mission last year, only the goal then was to test his personal limits. He paddled across Cook Straight on his long board surfboard. Felix was very inspired by David’s ability to push his physical and mental limits, and suggested undertaking a similar challenge for charity.

Over some time, the idea grew on David and the pair searched for an appropriate organization to support. “Live for More fits in perfectly with our values,” David said. Felix added, “We’ve been surfing together for about 20 years, so it is really cool to be able to give back promoting something we are so passionate about.”

Shortly after their scheduled return sometime before April 8, Felix and David will also host a raffle to benefit Live for More. There will be over $1500 worth of prizes donated by Maunganui businesses, with the drawings planned to take place on April 15.

To follow Felix and David’s journey, follow their Facebook page, A Mayor Paddle.

A Bear of a Walk for Charity

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged:

It’s hard to believe we didn’t hear about this when it happened – but at least we can bring you the story now. In April 2021, a young man named Jesse Larios decided to dress up in a massive bear suit and to walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco for charity.

By the time he arrived in San Francisco, he had quite a following, he had walked 482 miles and he had collected money for charity.

Larios first had the idea of donning the suit for a marathon, which he did in 2016. He then got the idea to go even farther, and ended up camping outside in the bear suit and wearing it for the entire walk from LA to SF. By the end of the journey he had collected about $17,000 for charitable causes.

Many videos of his escapades can be enjoyed online!

Each Thread Counts

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: ,

This video offers an amazing example of how every person really can make a difference. There is an old saying about the power of giving a person a fish, versus teaching them to fish. Here, this 17 year old is truly teaching immigrant women how to fish for themselves and to make a living through sewing. Learn more about this incredible program called All Sorts Clothing and see how you can get involved.

Fashion Forward Clothing for Kids with Medical Needs

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged:

This is an incredible story about making lemonade when life gives you lemons. In a freak accident more than a year ago, Laila Susini nearly lost her life. She was swinging on a porch swing, when the eyebolt that holds the swing together detached from the ceiling and went through her skull.

Doctors and nurses at Cedars Sinai Medical Center saved her life during a five hour operation. Today, Laila’s left arm is paralyzed, but she is forging ahead with a full life and a new fashion line. Her fashionable and comfortable clothing, called LATE Clothing LA, is intended to help other children who live with medical devices and need slightly reimagined clothing.

The clothing line is worth checking out, and the story of inspiration is worth reading.

Giving Increases with COVID-19

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, ChildFund InternationalTagged: , , ,

A recent survey has shed some interesting light on the type of giving that Americans did during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Smile Train, the largest cleft charity in the world, examined how Americans prioritized their giving during 2020 in a report called Caring Amid Crisis: How COVID-19 Influenced American Donations. There were many interesting takeaways from their research, including that they found that 91% of those surveyed felt it was more important now than pre-COVID to support charities and fundraising.

Here are some other interesting findings. 56% of Americans made some type of a monetary donation during the COVID pandemic. Older people are more likely to give money, while younger people give more of their time. Finally, the majority of donations that are being made are to organizations that help children or the homeless.

See more of the details from the survey to learn more interesting details and findings.