Red Bull Racing to Support Wings for Life Charity

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Red Bull has committed to a new project in support of Wings for Life, a charity working to help people suffering from spinal cord injuries.

The project will cover two RB8s with the faces of more than 25,000 fans at the British Grand Prix this coming July. In order to participate, fans simply send a photo and 15 euros in support of the charity. Official confirmation will be delivered, verifying that the photo was indeed added to the collage. Red Bull will match every donation made by its fans, as well.

Mark Webber, a driver, said: “I hope as many people as possible take part in this awesome event. Whoever you want to upload onto our cars- your mum, your dog- it doesn’t matter just upload a photo now and join us.”

Sebastian Vettel, a fellow teammate, said: “This is a great way for fans to be able to join Mark, me and the team at the British Grand Prix and become part of history, while supporting a fantastic charity. So, go to facesforcharity.com now and join us at this year’s race!”

Wings for Life is an organization that believes that “spinal cord injury must become curable.” As a means to achieve this goal, Wings for Life “supports and finances the most promising research projects worldwide aimed at healing the injured spinal cord.”

 

58 Year Old to Cycle for Bee Population

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Quentin Given, 58, plans to ride his bicycle from London to Edinburgh in an effort to support bees.

The bee population has fallen dramatically, and Given, working full time for Tottenham and Wood Green Friends of the Earth, hopes to make a difference by cycling 510 miles next week.

The campaign, known as the Bee Cause, is one of the many Tottenham and Wood Green Friends of the Earth projects which will benefit from the journey. The organization’s other goals include promoting solar energy and preventing climate change.

Given said: “Cycling is part of the solution to some of the problems for health and environment and people doing things like this is demonstrating alternatives to the current way of doing things.

“It is not like saying to the government ‘we must do this’- there are so many things we need to do to bring the bees back, and we need to come up with an action plan.”

Mr. Given believes that the community is obligated to combine their efforts to save the bees. Though the exact cause is unknown, the honey bee population in the UK has fallen 54% in the last two decades. Some theories suggest that pesticide or parasites may be responsible.

As of April 25th, Given raised $2,504 for the cause.

Bees are an important member of ecology, and human society benefits from them greatly. The bee population is responsible for pollinating flowers, which are important for their beauty and fresh scents, as well as for producing fruit. Many areas depend on their produce in order to live, and the entire region’s economy can be affected by fruit production in the long run as well.

Topper’s Pizza Teams Up With SickKids Foundation

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Topper’s Pizza, a Foodservice and Hospitality Top 100 Company, recently announced its new partnership with the SickKids Foundation in an effort to support children’s health. According to Keith Toppazzini, president and CEO of the company, the new relationship fits into their corporate social responsibility program.

The new program will have several different branches, including in-store donations, corporate matching and promotions. In-store donations will be dedicated to family education resource AboutKidsHealth, while other campaigns will benefit the Possibility Fund for the Hospital for Sick Children.

“We’re proud to select SickKids Foundation as our corporate charity,” Keith said. “As a family-run business with strong family values, it makes perfect sense to support a charitable organization that does so much for so many families across our province, Canada, and around the world.”

Kelly Toppazzini, also of Topper’s, added: “By partnering with SickKids, we are making a considerable commitment to support children’s health and we couldn’t be happier to do it.

Adrian Horwood of SickKids Foundation also expressed excitement. “Topper’s Pizza has a wonderful, loyal following of families as customers and we’re looking forward to having them on board as one of our newest corporate partners to help promote awareness about children’s health, as well as to provide us with another way to raise critical funds,” he said.

Becca’s Closet Provides Prom Dresses for Teens

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Prom season is arriving and with it the excitement, dreams and stress involving the perfect, often too expensive, dress. Becca’s Closet, a charity organization working to provide teens with their ultimate dress at a lower budget, helps thousands of women every year.

The organization was established in memory of Rebecca Kirtman, who started a community dress drive in her freshman year. Her motto was “Little things can make a big difference.” The foundation now “provides formal attire to high school students who otherwise would not be able to attend their prom/homecoming.”

Ever since the tragic accident in 2003, Becca’s Closet works to continue her mission and fulfill her dream of letting teens have the best prom experience.

This past Saturday, Becca’s Closet provided numerous girls with their dream dresses for this year’s proms.

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Derek Jeter Awarded Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree

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A recent press release revealed that Siena College is awarding baseball wizard Derek Jeter with a Doctorate of Humane Letters degree. Jeter has long been devoted to youth development and service work, and his charity Turn 2 Foundation has helped hundreds of adolescents stay on the right track.

Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Richardson, Ph.D., said: “We all know that Derek Jeter is a tremendous athlete, but this is an opportunity for the Siena community to honor and share in his commitment to young men and women.”

She added, “Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation encourages our youth to remain in school and to stay healthy. Siena will support out joint mission of academic excellence by providing two full grants to academically-qualified students who have participated in one of the many Turn 2 Foundation Signature Programs.”

Jeter is thrilled to gain additional support for his efforts. Though he will be playing against the Marlins on the day of his award, his sister will replace him at the ceremony.

Jeter said, “It means a lot to me. It means a lot to my family.”

Charlize Theron Donates Gowns to Children Charity

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Celebrities are teaming up once again to support children and the battle against AIDS in Africa.

One of the top participants, Charlize Theron, happens to have founded the benefitting organization, called the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program, or CTAOP.

Theron will be donating some of her most expensive and sought-after gowns to an auction supporting the cause. The auction will take place via Charity Buzz, and the South African beauty will contribute dresses including the black Versace worn at the Spike Video Game Awards, as well as the purple Lanvin gown Theron wore at the Cannes Film Festival.

Other celebrity items to be included in the auction are a personal tour of Jay Leno’s car collection, as well as four tickets to a live “The Tonight Show” performance. There will be a Sixers jersey signed by Allen Iverson, and a raised organic bed by GreenTree Landscaping.

Since its inception, CTAOP has helped provide more than 50,000 children with education and health support.

 

Budweiser to Donate to Military Charity With Every Walk-Off Home Run

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The St. Louis Cardinals are prepping for their first home game of 2012, and this year their mission, along with that of all other MLB players, extends beyond the entertainment with which they provide their fans.

Budweiser recently broadcasted its pledge to donate money in support of military charities throughout this year’s baseball season. The beloved beer company will provide $5,000 to the Folds of Honor Foundation for every walk-off home run during the regular season.

Other Budweiser efforts include a donation of some of the sales made between May 20th and July 7th, with hopes of raising as much as $2.5 million for the charity. Last year, Budweiser provided the Folds of Honor Foundation with nearly $2 million thanks to a portion of sales and a $100 donation for every home run hit during last year’s season.

The Folds of Honor Foundation, or FHF, was established in 2007 with a goal of providing post-secondary educational scholarships to family members of U.S. servicemen and women who were lost of disabled while protecting our country.

Baseball fans, Budweiser fans and of course military charity supporters can donate $5 to FHF by texting “HERO” to the number 80888.

Tim Tebow Holds Weekend Event and Charity Auction

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This weekend featured the Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic, including a Friday night gala and an auction to benefit the Tim Tebow Foundation.

One bidder put $100, 000 towards a personal meeting with the Jets’ new quarterback.

“It was incredible,” Tebow said. “It’s humbling. You don’t feel worthy, but when people care about your cause and know that you’re trying to do something for other people it’s amazing to see what can happen.”

According to the official website, The Time Tebow Foundation exists “to bring faith, hope and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.”

The organization has four main outreach programs, including the W15H program, partnerships with CURE, Timmy’s Playrooms, and support of Uncle Dick’s Orphanage.

This weekend’s event and auction proceeds were aimed at supporting the foundation. Still, Tebow’s recent draft to the New York Jets was a popular topic of discussion as well.

Tebow mentioned his excitement to working alongside QB Mark Sanchez next week. “I’ve been in contact with Mark and he’s a great guy, we’ve got a great relationship. We look forward to seeing each other on Monday,” he said.

He also addressed the Jets fans, after noticing that many had attended his charity event. “Obviously the Jets fans are very passionate,” he said. “and then to also have some of my fans out here who were incredibly supportive was just great.”

 

Billy Gilman Organizes Song for Soles4Souls Charity

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Billy Gilman from Nashville, Tennessee, was famous for his voice at only 12 years old. As he grew older, however, he took a break from his music career to focus on volunteer work and charity.

His first album “One Voice” sold over two million copies, and now he has co-written a song called “The Choice” as he eases back into the industry at age 23. All proceeds from the song, which features top artists such as LeAnn Rimes, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban and Reba McEntire, will be donated to Soles4Souls. This non-profit organization works to provide shoes for both children and adults in need across the globe.

Gilman explained the importance of this organization, saying “I couldn’t imagine not having a pair of shoes, not just for the sake of being comfortable and looking cool, but I never thought until I got really involved that shoes enable you to get a job.” He added that it is forbidden to walk into a school, restaurant or other building without shoes. “It really is more than giving a pair of shoes so that kid can look hip and cool. It’s a way of life.”

Gilman said music celebrities were enthusiastic to participate in the project. He wrote to Rimes on Twitter and received a reply immediately, and Urban and Reba both said “Tell me when.”

“It’s amazing to see the camaraderie,” Gilman said.

Gilman explained that the project hopes to provide 500,000 pairs of shoes to people in need through sales of the track. He also expressed his excitement of getting back into the industry.

“Singing is what I am, so when it was gone, it was very hard. But it was a good time to go back home and rekindle friendships, be with my family and get my head straight, and figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life,” he said. “As my voice started to come back, I said, ‘this is what I am.’ Coming back to Nashville and writing, doing projects like this, it’s what I am.”

Blue Star Families Launches Milkidz Club

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Military family nonprofit Blue Star Families recently launched its newest program called Milkidz Club, with help from Onsite Health. The club works to support military children by connecting them, as well as providing mentoring, resources and opportunities to help them grow within their communities.

The inception of MilKidz Club took place at an outdoor event at the Sierra Club’s Celebration of the Military Child in Virginia. The Club aims to "connect military children with the outdoors by helping them enjoy and explore the lands they and their parents sacrifice to protect." The Club's partners include the Sierra Club, Mission Outdoors; Armed Services YMCA; National Military Family Association and Outdoors Alliance for Kids.

"Onsite Health is very excited work with Blue Star Families and their upcoming MilKidz Club launch,” said Onsite Health CEO Ernest A. Blackwelder. "We recognize the difficulties military families have, especially when a parent is deployed. We believe MilKidz Club is a wonderful way to support these amazing families. We look forward to the upcoming launch and hope the families have a great time with it as well!”

“Our military children face many challenges right now,” said Mark Smith of Blue Star Families. “Between moves, school and deployments, military kids really need a chance to get outside, play, and explore. That’s why we’re excited to launch MilKidz Club at this great event, with these military-serving organizations celebrating military children outdoors.”