Habitat for Humanity

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund InternationalTagged: ,

Habitat for Humanity is an organization that builds homes for people…for free!

Habitat for Humanity builds homes by relying on manpower from volunteers, future homeowners, and professionals.  Together, this team builds a free home for homeowners, who are then responsible for an affordable mortgage.

Remarkably, Habitat for Humanity operates in 1400 communities in the US and in 70 countries around the world. Regardless of location, their mission remains the same: to provide shelter and opportunities for people.

For many people, owning a home and putting down roots is an impossible dream. Habitat for Humanity, which was founded in 1973, turns this dream into a reality. In doing so, it provides families with shelter, hope, and opportunity.

Bridle up Hope

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Rachel Covey was a talented equestrian who passed away at the age of 21 after battling with severe depression for many years.

Rachel, who was Stephen Covey’s granddaughter (author of several books, including “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”), left behind a strong legacy. Since she loved horses and often took her friends riding, Rachel’s family started a charity organization, “Bridle up Hope” to honor her memory.

“Bridle up Hope” is a 14-week program that teaches girls how to ride horses while gaining life skills such as confidence and resilience. Volunteering is built into the program; participants earn free lessons for the time they volunteer in the barn.

A similar program is offered to women, who are later given the opportunity to mentor girls. Built into both these programs are lessons on the “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” habits that can help bolster coping skills.

“Bridle up Hope” was started in 2013 by Rachel’s parents. It is located at the foot of the alpine mountains in Alpine, Utah. The program is geared towards girls and women who are struggling with anxiety, depression or have experienced trauma.

PatriotPaws: Helping Veterans with Service Dogs

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By JohnPosted In: Animals and Nature, PatriotPaws, Service dogsTagged: , ,

PatriotPaws is a unique charity that supports veterans through the use of service dogs.

PatriotPaws trains dogs and provides them at no cost to veterans who require physical or emotional support. Veterans with mobility issues or post-traumatic-stress-disorder often find that a service dog increases their independence while simultaneously decreasing loneliness.

PatriotPaws was founded by Lori Stevens in 2006. She founded the charity with a belief in the healing power of animal therapy.

Incredibly, it’s not only the recipients of service dogs that are helped. PatriotPaws has partnered with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to allow inmates to be part of the dog training process. Three prison facilities have successfully partnered with this innovative program.

Volunteers, especially other veterans, are welcome to pitch in for this wonderful cause.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

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Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is a charity that raises money to help cure childhood cancer.

Its main focus is on funding research. Although 700 children worldwide are diagnosed with childhood cancer, childhood cancer research receives less than 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute’s annual budget.

Alex’s Lemonade Stand was founded by Alexandra Scott, who passed away from cancer in 2004. When she was just four years old, Alex set up a lemonade stand in her front yard and raised over $2,000. Alex raised one million dollars before her death in 2004.

Best of all, setting up a lemonade stand and donating the proceeds can be done by anyone, adults and children alike.

100 Women Who Care

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

100 Women Who Care recently donated $5000 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention charity. As Doreen Bourassa, one of the founders of the 100 Women Who Care for Greater Nashua said,

“There’s just a lot of women who really care about the community, would like to give back, but they have a lot of commitments with their family, with jobs, with life and they just don’t have the time to do it. I thought this would be such a great way for women who are busy to congregate together and make a collective donation and find out about their community and make an impact on the community.”

The way that it works is that each member contributes $100 to four charities a year. 100% of the donations go to the charities.

Learn more about the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and see how you can get involved.

 

Helping Sick Moms to Make Memories

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

If you live in the Texas area, you should know about Ally’s Wish. This is a non-profit in Dallas that provides a last wish for young, terminally ill moms with small children. Their goal is to help each family to create a lasting memory.

On November 3 they are having a 5K Family Fun Day at 2300 Lakeside Parkway in Flower Mound, Texas.

Here are some of the moms’ stories. It’s worth the read and definitely worthwhile to read more about this organization and what they do for moms.

“Shannon was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2016. She had to quit her job as a bus driver due to the tumor in her spine. According to Shannon, her wish was an easy decision. She picked the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to spend some quality time with her husband and 2 children. They stayed in a beautiful cabin in Pigeon Forge and planned some fun days at Dollywood.”

“Doralee is a wife and mother of 7! She was diagnosed in 2015 with renal cell carcinoma. She lost one of her kidneys and the cancer has since spread to her lungs. We worked with Doralee for over a year trying to find the best wish for her family. She has 4 children still at home and some other health problems in the family. Her family also moved, and once they got settled she decided that it would be great to have a pool in their backyard so they could make happy memories this summer, and she can just relax in the pool. They got an above ground swimming pool they all get to enjoy! Her wish was granted in June 2018.”

Yassin’s Falafel House Gives Back

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

Here is a great story about immigrants, giving back and hope. It’s well worth the read and here are a few quotes to read about Yassin Terou and Yassin’s Falafel House.

“Terou, who now employs 30 people at his two locations, has also hired ex-convicts, people struggling with drug addiction, and women fleeing dangerous situations. The local YWCA, which provides shelter for 58 women who are overcoming addiction and other difficult situations, is right across the street. One of the biggest obstacles to recovery and independence is having a job that provides dignity and an income.”

“Yassin’s Falafel House has also held fundraisers for community causes, donating a percentage of the profits of each falafel sold. When fundraising for Bridge Refugee Services, the line was out the door and around the block; Yassin’s ran out of pita but didn’t stop selling food for the cause until everyone had been served.”

Read the whole article and see how one person can make such a difference.

The Bucks for Bras Charity Getting Underway

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity

The Bucks for Bras charity event at Borrowed Bucks Roadhouse in Bismarck, North Dakota is worth checking out. This will be the 8th annual event on October 24th at 5:30pm. Last year’s fundraiser brought in $50,000 for the American Cancer Society and the Bismarck Cancer Center Foundation. They are hoping to bring in $55,000 this year.

The event started when Borrowed Bucks manager Brad Erickson wanted to honor his breast-cancer survivor wife, Cammy. The event is a wonderfully creative night that includes a silent auction, games, appetizers, desserts and drinks. It also includes a live bra auction that includes local models showing off one-of-a-kind bras that have been custom-made by artists in the community.

There will be an online auction as well and tickets can be purchased for $20 (or for $25 at the door).

Check it out and get excited today!

Turning $1 Into Thousands for Charity

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

Here is a feel-good story for the day. Angie Slinger of Harrison, Wisconsin was given a challenge. She had a $1 bill in her hand and her son’s friend said to her, “This dollar is for you and if you use it the right way, you could feed the entire world.’

As a result, she created a fundraising page on Facebook for Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin. She hoped to have people match the dollar and to raise $200. Only a week later, 450 people had donated – and the fund was up to $8000. And the donations are still coming.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin is a not-for-profit food bank that helps those in need around the state. The fundraiser is continuing until September 30th.

AFCA Teams up with SIDS to Educate

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The American Football Coaches Association has chosen its charity of the year – and it’s the American Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Institute. Their goal this year will be to bring awareness of sudden infant death syndrome to their members. They will work with coaches around the country to promote safe infant sleep patters such as sleeping on the back in an uncluttered environment.

Certainly, with their large reach and their resources they can have an impact on the rate of SIDS and on helping to prevent these tragedies.