Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Gates Foundation Battle Recession – But Not For Long

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16th International AIDS Conference Held In Toronto

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has established itself as the world’s biggest charity and even as hard times hit the world, it continues to do its work the best it can. In fact, Bill Gates, the co-chairman, has released a statement to the effect that they are going to increase spending during the recession. The rationale is that it can make a stronger impact on the world by doing so. However, he also gave a disclaimer – that they cannot keep up this kind of spending for more than a year, unless the economy improves.

MSNBC featured the foundation and quote Gates:

“I believe that the wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity,” Gates said in his letter. “This is especially true when the constraints on others are so great. Otherwise, we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives.”

“We’re seeing just impact after impact as that rolls through the economy,” he said, blaming “pension liabilities, absurd assumptions and bad accounting.”

“I’m still optimistic that things will get back on track” within five to 10 years, Gates said, but he acknowledged that the financial crunch was likely to put a squeeze on the foundation’s spending in coming years.

We might not be as wealthy as Bill Gates. We may not have the world’s biggest philanthropic organization. But we can adopt the same idea as Bill Gates has – we can perhaps spare a bit more here and there to help in our own little way. What do you think?

Originally posted on January 28, 2009 @ 4:52 am

Giving Through Red Nose Day

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Comic Relief Red Nose Day 2009 - Press Launch

Charity need not be all serious. Ask the people behind Red Nose Day and they will agree with you wholeheartedly. This event is part of BBC’s programming and happens biennially, on a Friday. From their web site, we have a lighthearted (and yet meaningful) description:

Red Nose Day is, quite simply, a day like no other! We take some fantastic fundraising in schools, offices and homes across the land, mix it with the nation’s favourite celebrities getting up to all kinds of mischief, sprinkle a new Red Nose (or three!) across the entire UK and add a cracking night of comedy on BBC One to make Red Nose Day the phenomenon it is.

All this funny business unites the nation in trying to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people – and the best thing is – it works!

The idea is to “do something funny for money.” This year, Red Nose Day was held on the 13 March and they were able to raise a whopping $79.6 million! Among the notable names that participated in the event are Tom Jones, and England’s football squad. The good news is that despite the economic crisis that the country (and the rest of the world) is facing, the turnout for the charity was still very impressive. This only goes to show that people who are willing to give will give no matter what the economic situation is. That is encouraging news, isn’t it?

Originally posted on March 18, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

ThoughtsFurPaws

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thoughtsfurpaws2
The blog is a collection of pet charities and concerned individuals, which combines posts from pet lovers from all over who are tasked into improving the lives of neglected and abandoned pets. The many charities that deal with pets have been wrecked by intrigue and drama that you don’t know which is which. The pages contain warming stories straight from the people who do the rescue work themselves as well as pet lovers who are passionate about our furry friends.
Not just for furry but all types of animals and pets are subject with many links to several blogs that also aim to raise awareness regarding the plight of dogs, cats, birds and even farm animals that are being raised for the pet trade. Hear the warming stories of adopted animals as far as Baghdad that have been brought home to the States, helping their adopted owners deal with the turmoil that is war.

Originally posted on October 21, 2010 @ 9:38 am

Prince William Roughs It Out For A Good Cause

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prince-william-youngHe may be third in line for the British throne, but Prince William is not afraid to get down and dirty – as long as it’s for a good cause. Tuesday night, Prince William slept on the streets of London despite the weather conditions. The temperatures that night went down to as low as negative four degrees Celsius and yet the Prince took it all in good stride – he used cardboard boxes as bedding.

So why did he do this? The Prince slept on the street as part of promoting awareness of homeless people. He supports charitable group Centrepoint, which focuses on those who do not have homes. Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of the organization tells of Prince William’s experience:

“There was no shielding from the bitter cold or the hard concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking. One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”

Obakin spent the night with Prince William and also shared just how determined he was to get an understanding of what homeless people go through. After that night, the Prince probably has a whole new perspective.

What does this mean for the charity? They just might get financial support from the Royal Family. At the very least, more people will pay attention to their cause.

Originally posted on December 30, 2009 @ 11:51 am

Buy Christmas Cards for a Cause

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Each year, there has to be something, a product to which can be associated with groups for a worthy cause. Normally we would see orphanages or housed disabled people trying to produce something useful for the normal person. Aside from the produced bags and consumer goods, one thing that they would familiarly offer are personally made Christmas cards to which each card bought would mean helping out their cause.

There are also some groups that produce seasonal cards to which each card sold would be given to charity. Other than a good cause, one may be surprised at the quality of these cards or the messages that come with them. Christmas is all about giving but it is also about remembering. Certainly, a Christmas card may seem to be cheaper to give but like everything else in acts of generosity, it is really the thought that counts.

Word of this spread and some parents decided that they would do the same. Instead of spending a fortune on cards that would end up in the bin, we sent an email with Christmas greetings and news to friends and family and gave the cash to the same charity.

This year staff have suggested that the children do not give their friends individual Christmas cards, but that each class makes a large card that they all agree on a message for, sign and read out in assembly. Parents are then asked to donate the money they have saved by not buying the cards.

Source

So if you are thinking of a good gift to give this holiday season, consider these products for a good cause. They may not seem much as far as cost is concerned, but it is really about making a person happy and the cause to which it was meant to help.

Originally posted on October 9, 2008 @ 10:50 am

Colleges Benefit From Anonymous Donor

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This is what I was talking about in my last post: people who give away what they have in order to help others who need it more. You have perhaps heard of this anonymous donor who has been giving away humongous sums of money to colleges all over the United States. I just saw it on FOX News last night, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

According to the New York Times, this is how the giving goes:

The call typically comes from a banker, bringing word of a fairy godmother. This is followed quickly by a check arriving in the mail — or two checks, the larger earmarked for scholarships for women and minority students, the smaller to be spent at the recipient’s discretion.

Take note of the gender – it is a woman who is giving away this money. While that should not really matter, it provides an interesting topic for conversation. Who could this woman be?

In any case, it does not seem that we are going to find out anytime soon. Even the recipients of the moneys are not allowed to find out who the donor is; not the school board, not the president, no one!

So which schools have been blessed with these donations? Binghamton University in New York, Montclair State University in New Jersey, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Michigan State University to name a few. And just in case you have no idea about the sums involved, reports say that the donor has given away a total of $70 million to date.

Originally posted on April 26, 2009 @ 4:22 pm

Colleges Benefit From Anonymous Donor

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This is what I was talking about in my last post: people who give away what they have in order to help others who need it more. You have perhaps heard of this anonymous donor who has been giving away humongous sums of money to colleges all over the United States. I just saw it on FOX News last night, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

According to the New York Times, this is how the giving goes:

The call typically comes from a banker, bringing word of a fairy godmother. This is followed quickly by a check arriving in the mail — or two checks, the larger earmarked for scholarships for women and minority students, the smaller to be spent at the recipient’s discretion.

Take note of the gender – it is a woman who is giving away this money. While that should not really matter, it provides an interesting topic for conversation. Who could this woman be?

In any case, it does not seem that we are going to find out anytime soon. Even the recipients of the moneys are not allowed to find out who the donor is; not the school board, not the president, no one!

So which schools have been blessed with these donations? Binghamton University in New York, Montclair State University in New Jersey, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Michigan State University to name a few. And just in case you have no idea about the sums involved, reports say that the donor has given away a total of $70 million to date.

Originally posted on April 26, 2009 @ 4:22 pm

Colleges Benefit From Anonymous Donor

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This is what I was talking about in my last post: people who give away what they have in order to help others who need it more. You have perhaps heard of this anonymous donor who has been giving away humongous sums of money to colleges all over the United States. I just saw it on FOX News last night, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

According to the New York Times, this is how the giving goes:

The call typically comes from a banker, bringing word of a fairy godmother. This is followed quickly by a check arriving in the mail — or two checks, the larger earmarked for scholarships for women and minority students, the smaller to be spent at the recipient’s discretion.

Take note of the gender – it is a woman who is giving away this money. While that should not really matter, it provides an interesting topic for conversation. Who could this woman be?

In any case, it does not seem that we are going to find out anytime soon. Even the recipients of the moneys are not allowed to find out who the donor is; not the school board, not the president, no one!

So which schools have been blessed with these donations? Binghamton University in New York, Montclair State University in New Jersey, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Michigan State University to name a few. And just in case you have no idea about the sums involved, reports say that the donor has given away a total of $70 million to date.

Originally posted on April 26, 2009 @ 4:22 pm

Putin Paints For Charity

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r330606_1490102Who would have thought that the former Russian president and current Prime Minister has such a soft side to him? Many of us know him for being a tough politician but this piece of news goes to show that even the toughest of people have hearts and compassion for the less fortunate.

A charity auction is going to be held today in Saint Petersburg, Putin’s hometown. The charity auction is going to feature 28 works of art made by well known celebrities and politicians. The theme is based loosely on Nikolai Gogol’s The Night Before Christmas. As for Putin’s handiwork, it is a painting featuring a yellow window with embroidered curtains flapping in the wind. The scene outside the window is a winter landscape. Putin’s work is titled Uzor (Embroidery).

According to Nadezhda Anfalova, the curator of the exhibit and a painter as well, Putin painted the picture within 15 minutes, without anyone else’s assistance. The proceeds from the sale of the painting – and the other paintings to be auctioned off – will be given to two local children’s hospitals as well as a church that needs to be restored.

We may not be Putins or other celebrities but this is a prime example of the fact that we can all do little things to help those who are less fortunate around us. Perhaps painting and the arts is not your thing but I am sure that if you look hard enough, you will find some way by which you can help out.

Originally posted on January 17, 2009 @ 8:04 am

Sleeping for a Cause

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There are a lot of homeless people out there and perhaps one issue that has to be addressed is the place they sleep. We would normally see them in dark alleys or abandoned buildings but would that be sufficient for us to let go?

These days, it is an issue that many would not consider. But for humanitarian issues, causes that can be likewise addressed by the government need a little push. It is indeed unfortunate to see these people suffering and the credit crunch and global crisis we now find ourselves in is sure to pry is away from trying to help out these people. But we can make a difference with small causes.

There are people who take note of these issues. In fact, getting together for a cause can be something that can call the attention of groups concerned in doing something about it. We often drive them away from public places since it is entirely degrading as far as society is concerned. But maybe we can also take into consideration on finding ways to help them out.

A group of concerned Lubbock citizens got together a few months ago to organize an event called Lie Down to Stand Up. It started with a prayer vigil Saturday Night, and participants actually spend the night outside with the homeless. They hope it will bring attention to the problems homeless people face in Lubbock, people like Walter Paschal, or “Red” to those who know him. “They call me red here on the street. I’ve been living up here on the streets a long time,” said Paschal.

Source

Originally posted on October 20, 2008 @ 7:44 pm