Charity Wine to Water Making a Difference

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By M. MarksPosted In: Education, UncategorizedTagged: , , ,
Doc Hendley

Doc Hendley

People’s individual stories can be incredibly inspirational. Doc Hendley was raised by Christian missionaries and soon became a rebel and party-goer.  As he said, “Everything was just about me and what I was doing that night.”

Then, a close friend pushed him to do something meaningful with his life, and he came upon the idea for a charity in 2004.  Wine to Water.org was started in Boone, North Carolina and today has a budget of $500,000 with programs that repair wells and offer water filtration in countries like Uganda, India, Cambodia, Peru and Haiti.

He’s recently published a book called “Wine to Water: A Bartender’s Quest to Bring Clean Water to the World.”

After visiting the Sudan’s Darfur region and seeing how emaciated the women and children were, Hendley enrolled in a well-repair training program that was run by the United Nations Children’s Fund.

As Hendley explained, “That began the evolution of my nonprofit. I want all the projects I do to have local involvement, to have the local people getting their hands dirty and doing the work. That way, it’s more sustainable.”

While he faces many uphill battles, Hendley feels good about the nonprofit he’s created and the work that he is doing.  As he said, “I kept asking: ‘Is this work worth it? And I said, ‘Yes.’ To see what happens when you give mothers an opportunity to give their children clean water so that they don’t have to bury any more of their babies from diarrheal disease, is so life-changing to me.”

Indy 500 Soiree & Garth Brooks Raising Funds for Child Life Zone

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Child Life Zone at Denver Health

Child Life Zone at Denver Health

Anyone who enjoys the Indy 500 will want to be present at the Indy 500 Soiree presented by Lucas Oil taking place at the Lucas Estate on Friday, May 25th at 7pm. This is an annual event that raises money for important charities in Indianapolis and the surrounding area.  The party this year will include entertainment, gourmet food, cocktails, live music, dancing and more exciting surprises, and all of the money raised during it will go to the Garth Brooks’ Teammates for Kids Foundation and its Riley Hospital for Children Child Life Zone project.

As Randy Bernard, the CEO of INDYCAR said in a recent press release, “We wanted to give Indianapolis a spectacular event that residents could look forward to each year and also support the community that has loyally followed Indy car racing and the ‘500’ for decades. With each annual soiree, we plan to celebrate the Indy 500 and champion a cause worthwhile to our community. Teammates for Kids’ Child Life Zone at Riley Hospital for Children is the first of many causes we hope to benefit.”

The Teammates for Kids Foundation was co-founded in 1999 by Brooks.  They partnered with the Troy Aikman Foundation to build Child Life Zones in hospitals throughout the country. These amazing zones have state-of-the-art therapy offerings and educational environments for children and their families.  The zones include high-tech electronic games, a theater, a performance stage, a broadcast studio and more.  So far, this partnership is created seven Child Life Zones throughout the US and Riley Hospital is slated to be one of the next recipients.

As Garth Brooks said, “Teammates is honored to team with Riley Hospital for Children in bringing the Child Life Zone to the great city of Indianapolis. Not only will the Zone improve the lives of Indiana’s children, it will also improve the lives of children around the globe. Teammates is a large believer in Child Life programming, and we look forward to the many great opportunities the Zone at Riley Hospital for Children will create.”

The event on the 25th will include a VIP reception from 6-7pm for special guests to mingle with Brooks, Indy 500-qualified drivers and other celebrities. The doors open for general admission at 7. Sponsorships and donations can be made at: www.lucasoil.com/indy500soiree or call Detail & Design at 317 423 3590.

Feeding the Hungry

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By M. MarksPosted In: Poverty, UncategorizedTagged: , ,

As more and more individuals battle against poverty, those charitable organizations giving out food to the hungry are working increasingly harder.  In addition, their operations are expanding to deal with this demand.  For example, looking at statistics from Joseph’s Storehouse, when it first opened three years ago, it helped just over 10 people; now it gives out around 25,000 food parcels every year.

Increased Poverty: Why?

So why has there been so much increased poverty over the years?  There has been a huge increase in the price of food (as well as fuel).  As well, the economic situation globally has caused a lot of job losses and all of these factors have pushed people to poverty levels.

So what is being done to help these individuals?  There is one organization, FareShare which distributes excess food that would have been trashed. As such, in Leicestershire, over the last quarter alone, it delivered 120 tons of produce throughout the area.

More Tasks for Food Charities

But the work of Joseph’s Storehouse does not stop here.  And thankfully, it has been recognized and appreciated for its huge efforts.  Just last month, the organization provided food for free to anyone who could prove their income and address in Lebanon, TN.  Most of the food is given out on the last weekend, monthly.  Every family is assessed for eligibility based on employment, health, emergency and other such issues. Those with extenuating circumstances (such as disabilities etc.) receive additional assistance.  The organization is always looking for volunteers and the next monthly food giveaway is set for February 23rd and 25th.

How To Help

Organizations and individuals can always find ways to offer help.  For example, members of ULSTER Farmers’ Union can send excess produce to needy communities through the FareShare Island of Ireland Community Food Network.  FareShare does a lot in this regard.  Not only does it ensure that substantial amounts of food that would otherwise go to waste do not, it also provides immense support to those who would otherwise go hungry.  It is able to achieve its goals of helping the poverty-stricken through the support it receives from the Public Health Agency, FSA NI and DOE.

Armed Services YMCA

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By M. MarksPosted In: Military, UncategorizedTagged: , ,

The Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA), was set up by the National Council of Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States of America.  Its goal back then – a century-and-a-half ago – is the same as it is now; to help all military personnel and their families, in an attempt at providing them with a higher quality of life.  The organization seeks to do this via Christian principles that are manifested in the “educational, recreational, social and religious programs” it creates for them.

Working with the military in this endeavor, the ASYMCA, has, over the years, been highly successful.  Our soldiers and their families have benefitted greatly from its work.  The idea has very much been to provide all our soldiers with “a quality of life commensurate with their service to the Nation.”  However, while the ASYMCA indeed seeks to improve conditions for all soldiers, there has, in recent years, been a special focus on the services on the young, Junior Enlisted Troops and Families, since it is those soldiers who are at highest risk and thus have the greatest needs.

Helping Women Achieve

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Today, there are many ways to give back to others.  Some people enjoy focusing their charitable attention on children’s causes and others emphasize issues of poverty; a lesser known resource for charitable energy is to help women to achieve their professional goals and to help them to raise themselves up economically and professionally.

There are quite a few women’s organizations today that do just this.  While offering financial contributions and donations to women in need, they also offer women the tools to create their own financial stability.

The National Association for Women Business Owners, for instance, formed the NAWBO Institute for Entrepreneurial Development in 2003.  Donations offered to the Institute help them to develop programs and initiatives that will propel women entrepreneurs further along towards their success. This non-profit educational foundation, and an arm of the NAWBO, tries to strengthen the wealth creating capacity for women business owners and to help them to further their entrepreneurial goals.

Another organization, W.O.M.E.N. in America, has created a highly-regarded mentoring program to help women who are early in their careers to build leadership skills and to create an invaluable support network for their future achievement.  Their three year mentorship program enables women to learn from the experience of others while reaching for their professional goals. In addition, after women complete the first two years of the three year program, W.O.M.E.N. in America emphasizes the idea of “Pay It Forward.” As W.O.M.E.N. in America explains, during the third year participants will “be invited at the end of the year to present updates on their “Pay It Forward” projects to the Board or at a Quad Cluster meeting.” At the end of their “Pay It Forward” year, mentees are then inducted into the W.O.M.E.N. in America Alumnae Network.

A third organization, Forte Foundation, is a collection of major corporations and top business schools that have come together to help direct talented women to become business leaders. Founded in 2001 to address the results of the landmark research study, “Women and the MGBA: Gateway to Opportunity,” they help women to gain a strong footing in the business world.  They motivate young women to explore business as a career choice, increase women’s access to educational and business opportunities, support women financially in their business education pursuits, and support cutting-edge research on women and business.  Forte Foundation depends on its many sponsors and collaborators which include business schools, corporations and nonprofit organizations to help today’s women to succeed in the business environment.

These three organizations, the NAWBO, W.O.M.E.N. in America and Forte Foundation, are a few examples of the many organizations out there that are helping women to achieve.  As the expression goes, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  These organizations are, indeed, offering to teach women so that they will be able to feed themselves for a lifetime.

 

Living Beyond Breast Cancer

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By JohnPosted In: UncategorizedTagged: ,

The LBBC (Living Beyond Breast Cancer) charity was established back in 1991 as a response to the need for support and information on the subject of breast cancer and its treatment for women.  The charity has, today, really come a long way since then.  It now has the capacity to provide help and support to women at any stage of breast cancer – be it the initial diagnosis, or parts of treatment, recovery and anything else they might need or could help them navigate the breast cancer journey and its aftermath.

The LBBC’s mission is to “offer specialized programs and services for the newly diagnosed, young women, women with advanced breast cancer, women at high risk for developing the disease, and African-American and Latina women.”

In addition to the support the LBBC gives to its female patients, the organization provides assistance to those healthcare professionals who are helping these women.  This achieves two things:  it gives much needed support to the supporters; and it provides them with useful information which makes their job more effective.

One of the LBBC’s annual programs is called Yoga on the Steps, which will take place later this month on October 16.  It is the organization’s “signature annual fundraiser [that] provides a way for individuals and teams to join their communities in supporting women affected by breast cancer while experiencing the healing benefits of yoga.”

Australian K.I.D.S. Foundation: Port To Port Challenge

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In order to raise money for K.I.D.S., the Australian K.I.D.S. Foundation is organizing the Port to Port 1200 kilometer challenge. The participants will be riding 1200 kilometers (about 720) miles in 7 days. The cyclists will depart from Port Melbourne on Friday, 22nd April, 2011, and will arrive in Port Macquarie in time for the 2011 Australian IronMan Challenge.

Interestingly, some of athletes who participate in Port to Port will complete their journeys by participating in the Australian IronMan event on Sunday, 1st May.

In order to sign up participants must pay $500 and raise donations of $5,000 for K.I.D.S. Only 30 riders are permitted and if each one brings in $5,500 that makes $165,000 to help kids.

The Australian K.I.D.S. Foundation

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The Australian K.I.D.S. Foundation is dedicated to lowering the amount of childhood injury and death. Australian K.I.D.S. spreading injury prevention education and provides programs in pre-schools, elementary and high schools. They run interactive education programs and give resources to 7, 500 schools.

In their recovery program K.I.D.S. helps hundreds of children and their families who have suffered trauma, terrible burns and other injuries that have changed their lives.

Children In Poverty In U.S. And Other Countries Express Similar Needs

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Children who live in poverty in the United States express similar needs and wishes to poverty stricken children in other parts of the world, according to a survey conducted by ChildFund Alliance.

In developing nations, 57% of 10 to 12-year-olds indicated that education would be their top priority if they were leading their country. In the United States 31% of poverty stricken children said that improving education also was the most important issue. The second most popular choice overall and for U.S. residents (19 %) was providing more food.

The Small Voices, Big Dreams survey polled almost 3,000 children between ages 10-12 in 30 countries throughout the Americas, Africa, and Asia. ChildFund Alliance, an international group of child-oriented organizations, sponsored the survey. The U.S. member of the alliance of ChildFund International.

In developing countries, one third of the children told pollsters that they go to bed hungry at least once a week. A third of the children said that food was the most needed priority. When asked what they would spend a dollar on, 45 percent overall and 55 percent in the U.S said that they would purchase food or water.

Outside the U.S., children spent much more time on household chores or other work. 26% answered that they worked at least half a day every day. In the U.S., only 11 % work half a day or more.

As children do so well, they deliver an honest and clear picture of what it is like to be young and live in poverty said Katherine Calos