Missions International of America in Savanette, Haiti

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By DouglasPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , , , ,

Four or five times a year, Missions International of America brings a team of doctors and nurses from Ohio to treat the residents of Savanette, Haiti.

Over the course of the four-day visit, more than 350 people were seen and treated by Dr. Sue Leatherman and Dr. Barry Cash, while over one hundred patients were examined by the volunteer dentist Dr. Ted Barnett as well. The program has several volunteers, including Cathy Breen.

According to the volunteers, this year’s patients were much healthier then those seen on previous visits, and many believe this is directly related to the fresh, clean drinking water that is now provided in the area.

Founded by Dr. Jay and Mrs. Jan Nielsen in 2002, Missions International of America works to improve the quality of life of both children and adults in Savanette, Haiti. In addition to providing medical and dental care, the organization established and manages the Brad Reddick School. The program provides 300 children in K-6 with a free education.

Here is a video from the volunteer crew’s latest visit:

 

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."

Celebrities Karaoke for UNICEF’s Schools for Africa

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By DouglasPosted In: EducationTagged: , , , , , ,

A recent celebrity karaoke night contributed more than just entertainment by raising funds and promoting awareness for UNICEF and its Schools for Africa project.

Tom Bergeron hosted the event, with the Ricky Minor Band performing backup for stars like Heidi Klum, Molly Sims, Tom Hanks and many others.

Lakers powerhouse Pau Gasol performed an emotional rendition of “How to Save a Life” by The Fray, while James Denton, Kyle Maclachlan and Doug Savant sang “R.O.C.K. in the USA.” Heidi Klum, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson sang “YMCA”, and Molly Sims gave Madonna’s “Papa Don’t Preach” a whirl. Other performances included “Easy Lover” by Kristen Bell and Don Cheadle, “Regulate” by Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas.

UNICEF’s Schools for Africa is a philanthropic organization working to provide sub-Saharan children with an education despite the lack of schools as well as conflict, discrimination and poverty.

Along with its partners, UNICEF works to “build, rehabilitate and furnish schools; provide access to clean water and separate latrines for boys and girls; train teachers in child-friendly methods to improve education and basic life skill mentoring; supply students with school materials and recreation equipment.”

As of 2011, UNICEF is one of the most successful humanitarian foundations when it comes to saving the lives of children in more than 150 countries.

Military Wives Choir Tops Albums Chart

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By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , , , ,

Military Wives, the all-women choir of wives and girlfriends of Afghanistan troops, have made the top spot on this week’s UK Albums Chart, surpassing Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Wrecking Ball’ which made Number 1 release last week.

Military Wives’ ‘In My Dreams’ overtook ‘Wrecking Ball’ by nearly 8,000 copies. The Official Charts Company stated that the sales burst was most likely a result of Mother’s Day Weekend in the UK.

The Military Wives’ track record has been remarkable, with their single ‘Wherever You Are’ topping the charts at Christmastime, later becoming the quickest selling charity single after ‘Candle In the Wind’ by Elton John. It raised 500,000 euro for a philanthropic organization, which was administered by SSAFA Forces Help.

Paul Mealor, the ‘Wherever You Are’ composer, said “it’s unbelievably magical to have achieved this-again! The legacy of this is the creation of Military Wives Choirs all over the country. It was brilliant to work again with the Military Wives Choir on ‘In My Dreams’, and how poignant to bring a serving soldier into the music with Jonjo Kerr. I feel proud and humble to be a part of this.”

Other top albums included Emeli Sande’s ‘Our Version of Events,’ and Adele’s ‘21’. Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ held the number 1 Single spot, followed by ‘Starships’ by Nicki Minaj and ‘Elephant’ by Alexandra Burke.

 

Car and Truck Show Benefits Walk for the Fallen & Food Bank

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By JohnPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , ,

Concerns of the Police Survivors

On St. Patrick’s Day the Southwest Florida Corvette Club Benefit Car and Truck Show took place at Victory Layne Chevrolet. Admission was free and it was $25 to register a car. As Graham Reedy, the president of the Southwest Florida Corvette Club explained, they host this event twice a year.

Organizers expected to have 125-150 entries which included cars of all types, years and models.  Entrants all got a goodie bag and a plaque and more than 100 trophies were expected to be handed out for Best of Show, Best Overall Show, Most Original and more. There was even a trophy for the car that showed the most St. Patrick’s Day spirit.

In addition to the fun of the event, it’s a chance to support two very worthy causes: the Harry Chapin Food Bank and Walk for the Fallen.

As Reedy said,

"Everything we do, we do for charity. We enjoy our Corvettes, but everything we do goes to charity."

Part of the money from the event would be going to Walk for the Fallen, a fund-raiser created by Sgt. David Drum, of the Lee County Sheriff's Office. Drum has plans to walk 390 miles in May to raise money for C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors). This national non-profit helps survivors of officers who are killed in the line of duty.  The Benefit Car and Truck Show looked forward to helping Drum and Walk for the Fallen in their efforts.

The Harry Chapin Food Bank would be a recipient of part of the money raised as well.  As Mark Baldassarre, general sales manager at Victory Layne Chevrolet, said,

"When times got tough here a few years back, we started thinking about ways we could help families that were around. We've just continued on with that and the public seems to absolutely like that idea."

Delaware County Community Market Makes a Difference…One Egg at a Time

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: , , ,

Delaware County Community Market

It’s a match made in heaven that Delaware County Community Market has created.  Located at 222 E. William Street, the market owned by Rick Dinovo will offer patrons a way to buy their groceries and give back to their favorite charities at the same time.  When people come to the market to purchase their groceries, 75% of the money will go to the vendor; 5% will go to the market; and 20% will be given to a charity of the shopper’s choice.

As Bob Sullivan-Neer, the store manager said,

“You can buy your eggs and help out a charity at the same time.”

The market has registered with 90 charities for patrons, or patrons can submit a suggestion for a charity that isn’t on the list. Some of the more popular charities that people have contributed to so far include: the Common Ground Free Store, the Stratford Ecological Center and the Special Olympics.

Certainly, the plan is a lovely one for the community; but it also happens to be brilliant for business.  They’ve found that, since they started the charity initiative, sales at the market have been up 65% since last year.

To keep shoppers appraised of their fundraising efforts, the market has a website where customers can select their charitable organizations and watch how much shoppers have donated to date.  Shoppers can also indicate their charitable donations for tax return purposes.

Now that’s a way to keep shoppers coming back – and to do something great for those around you.

Hugh Jackman Launches Coffee Company for Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , ,

Dukale's Dream

In a recent interview, Hugh Jackman, a self-proclaimed “coffee snob,” discussed both his love for coffee and admiration for Paul Newman and his company Newman’s Own, which donates millions of dollars to charity.

Perhaps Newman’s Own served as an inspiration of Jackman’s new coffee and tea company, which raises money for charities in support of families, children and education. Throughout the interview, Jackman listed several reasons for his new project, including the importance of a good cup o’ Joe.

“If I’m buying it, I want a great cup of coffee,” he explained. “If you can have a great cup of coffee and the profits of that company are actually going back to different charities, I think it’s a win-win for everybody.”

He admitted that his interest in the field was not only a result of coffee indulgence. While on tour as an ambassador for World Vision, Jackman met an Ethiopian coffee farmer named Dukale. The man’s hard work struck a chord in the X-Men actor, and he began to picture simple projects that could greatly improve the lives of coffee farmers.

When he returned home, he teamed up with a Barry Steingard, a friend with more than two decades in the coffee and restaurant industries, to create a Laughing Man Worldwide subsidiary; Laughing Man Coffee & Tea. 50% of Coffee & Tea’s are sent to Laughing Man Worldwide, which donates 100% of its funds to charity.

Joe Anderson’s Donation Tips the Balance

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , ,

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.

Famous Dave’s Rib Tasting Benefits Veteran Museum and Heritage Center

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By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , , ,

Famous Dave’s BBQ has teamed up with the Northern California Veterans Museum and Heritage Center (NCVM) to launch a charity rib-tasting affair in Redding, California. The barbecue restaurant and caterer’s Rib Team has won awards in over 500 competitions throughout the United States.

The event, which was held in the Trader Joe’s shopping center, featured the barbecue’s famous hickory smoked St. Louis spare ribs, Texas beef brisket, Georgia Chopped Pork and numerous signature sauces and flavors from Famous Dave’s. There were also barbecue and country roasted chicken dishes, BBQ sandwiches, burgers, salads and side dishes.

The event began mid-afternoon and ended when the ribs ran out, which a five-bone limit per guest. Famous Dave’s requested a $1.00 donation for each rib, or a ‘Buck-a-Bone’, and all the proceeds were donated to the NCVM.

“We always look forward to hosting these events where we are able to talk to our guests face to face while they enjoy our slow-smoked and flame-kissed ribs,” Famous Dave’s Chris Hazeleur said before the event. “This is a great opportunity not only for us to get to know our guests better, but for our guests to have the chance to taste our signature barbecue. We invite everyone to get sauced!”

Denver Bronco Safety Quinton Carter Making a Difference

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By M. MarksPosted In: PovertyTagged: , , ,
Quinton Carter

Quinton Carter

It’s always heartwarming to see famous people who are doing good deeds.  Denver Bronco safety Quinton Carter is one of these.  Last Friday, he joined other NFL players and celebrities for a two-week charitable trip to Uganda and Tanzania with Pros for Africa.  While there, they will dig water wells and offer hearing aids and food to people in need.

Carter was looking forward to the trip to Africa and expected to be joined by other NF players including Larry Fitzgerald, Vernon Davis, Tommie Harris and Santonio Holmes. In his unassuming manner he said,

“I hear Miley Cyrus is going to be there, so that’s pretty star-studded. I’ll feel like a regular person on the trip.”

Carter has been waiting for two years to be part of this charitable trip; he was unable to participate while in school at that time. Now, he was very excited to be part of something so special.

As he said,

“It’s the smiles. When you see those smiles, you just know you touched people. Seeing people cry because you touch them, it’s an unexplainable feeling.”

He continued, “I’m just doing what I can, the least I can do. It goes to show you the power that athletes and entertainers and people with influence have. Even if you’re not a big star – like I’m not a big star – but it’s crazy the influence I can have in a positive light on people.”

Carter is always amazed by the many opportunities that he has to change lives.  As he said,

“It’s crazy to me because it’s so simple and all it takes is some time. If everybody just puts in a little bit of time – a little bit of time – and a conversation, it goes a long way. You’ve just got to be focused and have some people around you that have that same common goal.”