Todd Simon of Omaha Steaks Hands Out $40,000 to Charities

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By JohnPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , , ,

Omaha Steaks Ultimate Burger Experience.

It may have been a rather odd gimmick to gain attention for the Omaha Steaks, but the National Multiple Sclerosis Society probably doesn’t care if it was odd or not. That’s because they’ve just received a $25,000 check from Omaha Steaks.

It all began on January 9th, when Omaha Steaks started a competition called the Omaha Steaks Ultimate Burger Experience.  From January 9th through February 29th, they offered users on Facebook the opportunity to build the ultimate burger. Users had 50 ingredients at their disposal and could build their burger and then designate the charity to which they wanted to donate.  Participants were able to increase the number of votes they got for their charity by getting family and friends involved in voting for their burger.

In the end, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society will receive $25,000; three other cahrities each received $5000. These included charity: water; Disabled American Veterans and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

As Senior Vice President and fifth-generation family owner Todd Simon of Omaha Steaks said,

"Omaha Steaks has long supported health and human service organizations including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The Ultimate Burger Experience Facebook application allowed our family of customers a unique opportunity to become actively involved in directing portions of our charitable giving and we are proud to honor their wishes with our gifts to these four worthy charities."

Joe Anderson’s Donation Tips the Balance

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2012 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest

We should all have friends like Joe Anderson of Benovia Winery in Florida.  On February 24th and 25th, the 2012 Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest raised money to donate to three charities that benefit children’s health care in the Southwest Florida area.  In total, the event brought in $2 million net.

Anderson Pledge

Joe Anderson pledged $100,000 and inspired many other bidders to continue making donations.  The event itself, in addition to the astronomical sums that it raised, was a place to enjoy.  The NFL Baltimore Ravens cheerleaders were there, dancing and encouraging auction goers; Cliff Williams of AC/DC was in attendance; and a Danica Patrick look-a-like was making the rounds.  The event, which took place at the Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club included professional auctioneer Scott Robertson, voiceover artist Chris Corley and NBC-2’s Kellie Burns.

As Steve Machiz, M.D., the Southwest Florida Wine & Food Fest founding chairman, said

“We exceeded our expectations again this year, thanks to our very philanthropic supporters. We netted $1.6 million last year. The trustees, dinner hosts, wineries, chefs and donors really stepped up to take this event truly over the top. I am always amazed by the generosity of the wonderful people attending Wine Fest.”

Helping Those in Need

Most of the proceeds from the event this year will go to the Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Their neonatal intensive care unit will get nine new incubators called the GE Giraffe baby incubators.  These incubators mimic the mother’s womb and are vital for babies in intensive care.

The Edison State College will receive funds for its pediatric nursing program and the Florida Gulf Coast University will receive for its music therapy program.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Makes Huge Impact

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Ronald McDonald House Charities

The Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) has recently awarded nine grants that total $2.3 million to other nonprofits that work with children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the US. The list of the organizations that received the funds, and the amounts that they received include: $627,637 to ReSurge International; $454,312 to Curamericas Global; $450,000 to IVUmed; $302,400 to The State University of Iowa; $200,000 to East Meets West Foundation; $179,800 to Lwala Community Alliance; $50,000 to Wyman Center; $43,600 to INMED Partnership for Children; and $23,000 to Surgeons of Hope Foundation

The funds that are being donated will positively impact on the health of mothers and children in a vast range of locations from Peru and Kenya to Nepal and Nicaragua.

As Alan A. Harris, M.D. professor of medicine, hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease, Rush University Medical Center and RMHC Board of Trustees member said, “Today, children face a range of health problems, from malnutrition to malaria, to HIV/AIDS, to surgical conditions and physiological issues stemming from peer pressure or abuse. While the barriers and problems vary by region, one thing remains clear: the need to help vulnerable children and create lasting change for them must continue to be a priority for those who can afford to help. RMHC grants help families by moving donation dollars quickly through to programs serving children around the world.”

RMHC has been helping other charities since 1974, trying to assist families and children in getting the care that they need.  They invest in longstanding non-profit organizations and assist with organizations that make large impacts.

As Susan W. Hayes, the president and CEO of ReSurge International said,

“More women are severely burned each year than are diagnosed with HIV and tuberculosis combined. Through this partnership, we look forward to providing sustainable medical care, resources and education regarding burns to communities worldwide.”

Kinerase’s ‘Change Your Skin, Change Your Life’ Donates to HealthyWomen

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Last year, skincare product company Kinerase launched a new “Change Your Skin, Change Your Life” campaign, which entails quarterly donations to four charities every year. Each quarter, 20% of sales proceeds from a specific Kinerase product are donated.

This year marks the company’s second campaign, and the first quarter’s contribution will go to HealthyWomen in recognition of American Heart Month. HealthyWomen’s organization works to promote awareness as well as empower women to make educated and practical health decisions. 20% of the proceeds from Kinerase C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment will be given to the program this month.

“’Change Your Skin, Change Your Life’ is not just about bringing the consumer closer to our brand but also drawing attention to the HealthyWomen campaign,” explained Jill Wittenberg of Valeant Pharmaceuticals, the parent company of Kinerase. “We chose HealthyWomen because it shares our goal of keeping women healthy from the inside out. While Kinerase helps protect the outside, HealthyWomen encourages women to protect the inside by giving them the necessary tools to lead healthy lifestyles. Starting with protecting their skin, a simple purchase enables consumers to help protect the lives of women.”

The three remaining charities for the campaign will be announced throughout the year.

Could Komen Cave?

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Controversy over Komen Care’s Financial Withdrawal

When the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation decided to pull the plug on financial support for Planned Parenthood (PP), there was a huge outcry.  Being America’s leading abortion service – providing an estimated 330,000 women with abortions annually – Komen withdrew its funding arguing from PP that it didn’t want to be involved with an organization that was under federal investigation by a congressman.  This outraged PP which the media made the most of; 26 US senators signed a condemnation document and up to $1m was pledged to Planned Parenthood to make up for the financial loss it endured from Komen.  Thus a couple of weeks ago, Komen reinstated its grant.

But what should have happened?  Why was there such a noise?  Is there anything suspect about Komen the public should have been made aware of before this came to light? And what other issues as a result have been brought to a head now?

Komen’s Chaos

It seems that Komen – the organization fighting breast cancer – may have some questions to answer.  According to a report in Reuters, “in 2011, the foundation spent 15 percent, or $63 million, of its donations on research awards that fund studies on everything from hard-core molecular biology to the quality of breast-cancer care for Medicaid patients.”  That means that a huge amount of financial resources was going toward administrative, fundraising and other costs.  So while one may be giving their monies to “kill cancer” what they really need to focus on is “killing greed,” since too much money was not going towards the organization’s goal – to find a cure for breast cancer, as Rev Vincent Kunicki said on Facebook.

Then we get back to Planned Parenthood; the organization that doesn’t even offer mammograms, and merely sends its clients elsewhere – perhaps to Komen – to get these necessary anti-breast cancer check-ups.  Perhaps one can thus be a bit more sympathetic to the withdrawal of Komen’s finances to PP.  But there again, is Komen really committed to helping detect breast cancer, or make money, given its 2011 expenses?  Perhaps this is why Komen retracted its decision and pledged to continue funding.  Maybe this was more due to all the media noise that was created.

Komen’s Commentators

So what does the man – or woman – on the street think about this? Debra Kerr Hofland on Facebook wrote: “There is a KNOWN, established and proven link between having an abortion before a full-term pregnancy AND getting breast cancer for young women with a family history of breast cancer in a near relative. That possibility is something like 100%! People can ignore this if they want, but that doesn’t change the facts!”

 

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

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Established in 2000, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was a way for famous actor Michael J. Fox to put his fortune to good use.  Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s himself, the actor wanted to help others who were suffering from this disease.  Ultimately, its main aim is to find a cure for Parkinson’s through “an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today.”  In addition, the foundation aims to provide patients with improved treatments as well as long-term, a cure for the disease.

Since its founding, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has put nearly $150 m into research for Parkinson’s as well as finding a cure and in the meantime, developing improved therapies for those with the disease.  The foundation believes its goal really is in reach if it gains enough support.