Taylor Swifts Donates to Community Food Banks in Eras Tour Cities

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity, Feeding America, Poverty

Taylor Swift is delighting the country with her 2023 Eras Tour – but it’s not just her music that is bringing joy to fans. Swift has been making generous donations to food banks in every city where she performs.

During a two-night stint in Detroit, Swift, age 33, made a large donation to Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. Gleaners representative, Kristin Sokul, said, “Taylor Swift’s support of food banks across the country comes at such a critical time for so many emergency food providers — when resources are down, and need is up… The space in her heart will empower households across Southeast Michigan to live happier, healthier lives and elevate the important issue of food security so others who have the ability to help can be inspired by her example. The entire Gleaners team is so grateful for this incredible gift.”.

Swift’s donation to Denver’s Food Bank of the Rockies was enough to purchase 75,000 meals. Donations such as these are crucial – Feeding America claims that 34 million people in the US are currently dealing with food insecurity. Chief marketing officer for Food Bank of the Rockies, Aditi Desai, said, “We’ve been able to meet the increased demand thanks to the generosity of individuals like Taylor Swift. Her gift will help fuel our work across the Rockies and allow us to distribute more food to our communities. I was shocked and then thrilled by the news! We are grateful for her inspired support in answering the challenge of hunger.”

Miranda Family Fund Supports Diversity in the Theater

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity

Lin Manuel Miranda, creator of the Broadway hit, “Hamilton” is on a mission to increase diversity in theaters across the United States.

The Miranda Family Fund has donated money to build the R.I.S.E. Theater Network. R.I.S.E stands for Representation, Inclusion and Support for Employment, and its goal is to help theater professionals from diverse backgrounds find jobs as producers, managers, and stagehands.

 

According to Miranda, “R.I.S.E. is really about making sure that the beautiful mosaic of people you see — if you see a production of ‘Hamilton’ or you see a production of ‘MJ (The Musical)’ or ‘Fat Ham’ on Broadway — is also reflected backstage, that it’s not just the folks in front of the footlights, because there are incredibly talented practitioners and carpenters and makeup designers and wardrobe folks who also deserve that shot.”

A study by the Asian American Performers Action Coalition revealed that in 2018-2019, 100% of general managers and 94% of the producers on Broadway were white, as were 90% of the lead roles in plays, and 80% of the lead roles in musicals.

R.I.S.E. is set to publish a directory of 1,000 diverse theater professionals, helping them to gain visibility by those doing the hiring. The directory will be available for free to the theater community.

Set and production designer Wilson Chin, is hopeful that R.I.S.E. will succeed. “People keep saying, ‘We can’t find anyone,’ but we’re out there, we just have to be found. Having us all in one place is great for us to be seen.”

Damar Hamlin to Donate $10 Million to Foundation

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity Activity, Charity in Sports

In January of 2023, Buffalo Bills safety, Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Monday Night Football game. Viewers watched as he was rushed to the hospital, and concerned football players, fans, and well-wishers immediately began donating money online to assist Hamlin and his family. Fortunately, Hamlin was released from the hospital 9 days later, and his recovery continues to progress. Nearly 5 months after the incident, Hamlin has announced that he will use the $10 million he received in donations to fund his own non-profit, the Chasing M’s Foundation.

Hamlin created the Chasing M’s Foundation in 2020 when he was playing college football at the University of Pittsburgh. According to the Chasing M’s website, the “Charitable fund is dedicated to the development, health, & safety of youth sports, engagement activities, & programming.” The Foundation’s articles of incorporation have recently been updated to include sports education, including CPR and AED training.

Hamlin told the press, ““We have been very deliberate and intentional about taking our time to set my charity up properly, … I’m excited to begin sharing news about programs we are creating to impact a generation of youth and give back to others.”

Lego Foundation Awards Nearly $20 million to Foster Playful Learning

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By DouglasPosted In: Childrens Charities, Education, The Children

The Lego Foundation believes that children learn through play. To foster classroom play and learning, the Lego Foundation has awarded $19,980,000 to Temple University Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and her team, as they implement a playful and socially interactive learning model in pre-k through 4th grade classrooms. This five-year grant will allow Hirsh-Pasek to take her ‘playful learning to teaching’ model, which she piloted in schools in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Hampshire, and expand it to California, Illinois, Texas, and Virginia.

Based on the philosophy that playing facilitates learning, which enables children to thrive and develop the skills they need to engage with the world, this project will work closely with under-privileged schools to promote a teaching approach that is based on the science of how the human brain learns. Hirsh-Pasek explains that cultural inclusivity is also a major tenet of this program, “The first step is to respect cultural values and find out where the community values lie—what is important to parents, what do people care about? In our research, and in the method that we’re using for education, we bring parents and the community in as partners”.

Solarpunk Simulator – Playing Video Games for Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity, Family, Poverty

In March 2023, Roblox unveiled its latest idea to help promote giving in the youth community. This online, social gaming platform has partnered with ComicRelief US to create the “Kids Relief Presents: Solarpunk Simulator” in an effort to help kids have fun while fighting poverty.

Solarpunk Simulator takes place in a peaceful future world. It features Jack Black as well as a host of Roblox influencers who encourage players to work towards the common goal of building a spaceship. When participants buy virtual items in the Solarpunk Simulator virtual store, money from their purchases goes to charity.

Kids Relief was built by Wonder Works Studio. CEO Zach Letter explained that the concept for the simulator is similar to that of the popular school fundraiser “Penny Wars”, which awards prizes to the classes that bring in the most pennies for charity. Solarpunk has teams of kids competing to collect parts of a spaceship, and the winners are awarded prizes, such as tickets to a virtual concert by singer BoyWithUke.

Letter explains that the game itself is fun and exciting, “It’s really satisfying to play and you always feel this sense of power over collecting the materials. You don’t want to be shoving charity in someone’s face and make it feel overwhelming and that it’s all about the donations. We really want kids to have a great time here and educate themselves.”

The Kids Relief campaign aims to raise $10 million over the next three years directed towards ending intergenerational poverty.

Creating Hope – Make-A-Wish Foundation Launches New Campaign

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity, Charity in Business, Childrens Charities, HealthTagged: ,

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is launching a new fundraising campaign in advance of World Wish Day. Occurring every year on April 29th, World Wish Day commemorates the wish of Chris Grecious, a 7-year-old with leukemia, who dreamed of being a police officer. Chris’ wish in 1980 inspired the creation of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which has gone on to grant more than 500,000 wishes to children with critical illnesses all over the world.

Throughout April, the Make-A-Wish Foundation will run a fundraising campaign entitled “Don’t Wait for Hope. Create it.” This campaign acknowledges that the pandemic has been a devastating time for the families of children with critical illnesses, increasing their loneliness and isolation. Granting wishes to these children is more important than ever before, as it can restore their hope and joy at a particularly dark time.

President and CEO of Make-A-Wish America, Richard K. Davis explains, “With our new campaign, we are focused on conveying urgency and driving action because Make-A-Wish is uniquely qualified to deliver hope to children with critical illnesses and their families at a time when they need it most”.

Leading up to World Wish Day, national sponsors of Make-A-Wish such as Macy’s, Avis, and Keebler will demonstrate their support for the Foundation.

The 2023 PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge Is Underway!

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity in Sports, Childrens CharitiesTagged:

Staffing provider PeopleReady is once again partnering with Indycar to sponsor the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge.

Throughout the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series, the first driver and race team to win a race on all three types of circuits (road course, street circuit, and oval) will earn $500,000 to divide amongst themselves, and an additional $500,000 to give to the charity of their choice. 

But that’s not all! Winners of each of the 17 individual races in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will receive $5,000 for themselves, and $5,000 for their chosen charity.

Last year’s grand prize winner was Josef Newgarden and Team Penske. After finishing first at the Texas Motor Speedway, in Long Beach, California, and on the course at Road America, the victors split their winnings between two charities, SeriousFun Children’s Network, which offers free camp experiences to children living with chronic health problems, and Wags and Walks of Nashville, a rescue center for dogs.

The first race of the 2023 season, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersberg, took place in early March. Winner Marcus Ericsson split $5,000 with the Chip Ganassi Racing team, and presented $5,000 to the Riley Children’s Foundation, which funds pediatric research and care in Indiana. 

According to Indycar.com, Newgarden explained that the charity money provides extra motivation to win the race, “I just know how impactful (the money) is, so I get really competitive and want to make it happen.” 

Dak Prescott is 2022’s Walter Payton Man of the Year

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By M. MarksPosted In: Charity Activity, Charity in Sports, HealthTagged: , ,

Every year, NFL teams are invited to nominate their players for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, which is given to a player who shows excellence on and off the field. 

This year’s winner is Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Dak Prescott, who’s charity work for the Faith Fight Finish Foundation focuses on cancer research and suicide prevention. 

As reported in People Magazine, Prescott’s mother, Peggy, died of colon cancer in 2013. At the NFL Honors ceremony in early February, Prescott spoke lovingly of his mother,

“My mother was, and still is, my moral compass. And through my own charitable contributions, I seek to share her strength and courage with the world.”

Following his brother Jace’s suicide in 2020, Prescott expanded the work of the Faith Fight Finish Foundation to include suicide prevention. He made a promise to himself “that that would be one life taken to save millions.”

Winners of the Man of the Year award are granted $250,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. Nominees are granted up to $40,000 to donate to charity through the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.

Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was also nominated for the award in 2022, as was Saquon Barley of the New York Giants. Last year’s winner was Los Angeles Rams tackle, Andrew Whitworth.

Local Teen Creates Philanthropic Organization

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

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, 13-year-old Liem Kaplan recognized an immediate need to help the homeless population. Kaplan, who lives in Sammamish, Washington, initiated The GivingHope Project to collect donations for the underprivileged.

Kaplan reached out to various local organizations, including family members, schools, community members, and local youth movements and the response was overwhelming. Kaplan describes delivering his first donations: “The streets were quiet and abandoned. I was excited and anxious and didn’t know if people would want masks. But seeing how grateful everyone was and how excited they were to see us made me realize how important it was for me figure out how to get enough supplies to everyone.”

Since the fall of 2020, Kaplan and his team of volunteers have distributed thousands of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hand sanitizer, bagged lunches, pairs of socks and more than 20,000 masks to the homeless population in his area. They receive donations from Florida, Pennsylvania, and the greater Washington area. The GivingHope Project also continues to donate kits containing necessary food and hygiene items for both the winter and summer. 

Kayaking to Commemorate WWII Operation

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By DouglasPosted In: Charity Activity, MilitaryTagged: , , ,

Eighty years ago, Operation Frankton was underway during World War Two. During the mission, ten British soldiers paddled their way to Bordeaux, France on kayaks. The goal was to plant mines on German ships while it was dark at night. Unfortunately, six of the soldiers were killed by the Germans and two others died of hypothermia.

In commemoration of the operation and the fallen heroes, ten Royal Marines recreated the mission. The undertaking, dubbed Cockleshell 22, is reminiscent of the limpet mines carried by the soldiers and the commemorative 1955 film, The Cockleshell Heroes. The marines set out on the French coast, continued up on the Gironde estuary, and reached Bordeaux after four days.

At Bordeaux, there was an anniversary event upon the arrival of the ten Royal Marines. Mike Heard, the grandson of Bill Sparks, one of the commandos who survived the mission, was honored to be present at the commemoration. He exclaimed: “It’s tremendous that the legacy of the original Cockleshell raid lives on. It’s a great opportunity to showcase the original mission and raise money at the same time.”

The funds raised through the event will go to Help for Heroes, an organization that supports veterans and their families. The Royal Marines have already collected over £25,000 toward causes benefiting veterans’ mental health.