Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Rachael Ray: Pet Champion

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rachael-rayYou will know her by her gawky smile. Or maybe by her raucous laughter. No matter what some people may think of her, Rachael Ray seems to have something going on for herself. She has this tendency to charm people and it seems that her charm extends to animals as well.

Just recently, the celebrity chef cum talk show host was honored by the North Shore Animal League America with the President’s Award for Humanitarian Excellence. What for? The Cat Channel has the story:

NSALA has chosen Ray as the recipient of this award for her efforts on behalf of companion animals, according to the no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. The award will be presented to her at the eighth annual Lewyt Humane Awards Luncheon on June 3.

Ray has helped charities that take care of animals through Rachael’s Rescue, which highlights animal welfare organizations such as NSALA, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls (BAD RAP).

That is not all, though. She has even gotten together with Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to come up with a line of dog food and treats. You may have seen this product line, Rachael Ray Nutrish. Proceeds from the sales of these products are donated to pet charities, by the way. (I am pretty sure she does not serve these up on her cooking shows, unless her guests are dogs.)

So there you have it – even people who cook meat (and she does cook meat) can be animal lovers as well!

Originally posted on May 27, 2009 @ 2:24 pm

Kate Moss Raises $7,500 For Charity

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What’s the big deal, some people have asked. That much money isn’t that much at best essay writing services all if you think about it, especially if you take into consideration what Kate Moss earns on a good day. Then again, if you were the recipient of that money, you would probably think otherwise. Any amount raised for a good cause makes the recipient feel grateful.

The big deal about this piece of news actually lies in how Kate Moss raised the amount. The news is that she kissed a stranger – the highest bidder – for this amount. The supermodel was the “flavor of the day” at the 2010 Mummy Rocks event in the UK. The aim of the event was to raise money for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The bidding was actually held last year, but it was only now that the winner was able to claim his prize.

So, who is the lucky winner? Hosh Ibrahim is the gentleman who paid £5,000 – roughly $7,500 – to lock lips with the supermodel. After a year-long wait, the two players were finally able to get together to claim (and award) the prize.

So what does Kate Moss’ boyfriend have to say about the kiss? If news reports are to be believed, he was pretty game about it. As for Ibrahim, he says his money was well spent. To quote him: “She tastes as good as she looks!” Well, I bet that many a guy is envying him for that!

Now if we could only raise money this way as easily as Kate Moss was…

Originally posted on March 27, 2010 @ 6:30 am

Environmental Cause To Benefit From eBay

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ebayWhere do you go when you want to find things to buy online? We all have our special favorites but I would be willing to bet that a lot of people have eBay at the top of their lists of web sites. And why not? You can find most anything on eBay.

Auctioning off things for a profit is not the only thing that eBay is busy with these days though. One of their projects is to hold a sale – not an auction, mind you – of fashion items for charity. Auction Bytes has this report:

eBay announced a collaboration with fashion designer Yigal Azrouel for Mercedes-Benz Fall Fashion Week. eBay is an online sponsor for Azrouel’s men’s and women’s Fall/Winter 2009 runway shows and will host a charity sale – not auction – from the designer’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection.

eBay said the collaboration represents its continued commitment to support the fashion world. In 2005 and 2007, eBay partnered with the CFDA and Vogue to present 7th on Sale, the largest sample sale on the Internet. eBay has also partnered with leading designers for past charity auctions.

So where does the charity part come in? Read on:

As part of the collaboration, eBay will sell a variety of looks from Azrouel’s Spring/Summer 2009 collection in a sale to benefit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The charity sale, launching on June 4, is unusual in that typically such charity fund-raising events are offered in an auction format. eBay said all pieces would be offered at fixed-prices that are below retail in order to make high-end fashion accessible to eBay’s users while raising money for a charity benefiting environmental causes.

High end fashion pieces for lower prices and the environment benefitting – not such a bad deal, don’t you think?

Originally posted on February 24, 2009 @ 3:00 am

A Charity for Deafness Guidance

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When you organize a charity, even medical science may need a hand. The gift of medicine and helping out people who may have some deficiencies on their health is pretty much a growing concern and considering that many people today are suffering in terms of seeking medication and assistance for various health issues, good causes such as charities are a great way to help them out.

One of these medical problems deals with hearing. The number of people who suffer from deafness is apparent and while there are medical solutions to it, they do not come cheap. Some have to console themselves with the fact that money talks and unless some good soul or program is raised, the inevitable task of enjoying the sense of hearing will only remain a goal for them.

In a move not to really help cure deafness immediately, worthy causes such as the ones being undertaken by the charity Deafness Research UK can do their small part by distributing pamphlets and guiding people suffering from deafness. In the pamphlets, guides and practical advice will be given to help concerned people, something that can really count a lot if people would read on it.

Vivienne Michael, chief executive of Deafness Research UK, commented: “Through the ‘Trouble With your Ears?’ leaflet, we aim to raise awareness of ear problems and give them more prominence on the public health agenda.”

She suggested that the provision of good-quality information could both improve people’s health while at the same time lower the burden placed on doctors by reducing the number of avoidable ear problems.

Source

Originally posted on December 10, 2010 @ 9:50 pm

The Limited Choices of People Seeking Aid

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Hunger in the World of Poverty

Around the world, it cannot be denied that there are a lot of people who are experiencing poverty and issues regarding their manner of living. A lot would depend on where they are situated, the country and of course the manner of living that majority of the region is experiencing. Not all countries are blessed with a good economy to which people can find a way to survive with the available jobs to choose from. Some are just plain unlucky to be situated in them like Vietnam, Africa and so on.

The good thing about the world is that people from other countries do not hesitate to lend a helping hand to the best of their abilities. Help in any form cannot be measured and people in need do not really have much choice. Hence beggars really cannot be choosers in this case.

Help in the form of food, clothing and other materials essential for living is being sent to most parts of the world. Some would even render volunteer work and services just to reach them. In a sense, they can call themselves lucky that there are people who still care for what the world has to deal with today.

Originally posted on August 25, 2010 @ 1:43 pm

Philippine Residents In Need Of Donations

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Remember what happened to Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina hit several years ago? The hurricane dumped more than an inch of rainfall for three hours, and then it dumped 0.5 inches of rain for the next 5 hours or so. We all know what happened.

Now think of a tropical storm dumping an average of 2.24 inches of rain per hour for six hours straight. Think of a metropolis crammed with millions and millions of people – many of them living near swollen rivers in makeshift shanties. You can just imagine the disaster!

This is exactly what happened to Metro Manila and outlying areas on Saturday, September 26. The center of the nation was left helpless under the wrath of nature. Even the business district was flooded, with cars being swept away by the flood waters.

Ordinary people were left stranded in the middle of the highways. Others were stuck on the roofs of their houses. The less fortunate ones were carried away by the raging waters.

One thing is clear: these people need help.

You will be amazed at how quickly the Filipino people are banding together to offer their help. Numerous institutions have opened their arms as hosts to those who have been displaced. Churches, schools, and community centers have risen to the occasion. Others have volunteered to pack relief goods. People have also been using technology non-stop to do their part – spreading information, asking for rescue, even sending donations to the Philippine Red Cross through their mobile phones. Nothing is too small, and nothing too big – the Filipino nation is showing their “bayanihan” spirit and is proud of it.

For those who want to donate or help in whatever way you can, here’s the relevant information.

• Red Cross donation via SMS: text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)
• Relief goods can be sent to Caritas Manila Office at Jesus St., Pandaca Manila near Nagtahan Bridge (tel.no. 5639298/5639308). Relief goods can also be brought Radio Veritas at Veritas Tower West Ave. Corner EDSA (tel no. 9257931-40).
• TeamManila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air and Rockwell shall be accepting relief goods (Canned Goods, Ready-to-drink Milk, Bottled Water and Clothes) for distribution by Veritas to displaced countrymen due to Typhoon Ondoy.
• Generous souls in the US who wish to help in the rescue and relief operations, you may donate through the American Red Cross. Call 1-800-435-7669.

Originally posted on September 27, 2009 @ 4:00 pm

Bob Dylan To Release Christmas Album For Charity

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57660717While charity is certainly not only for the rich and famous, they do tend to focus on charitable activities, especially later on in life, don’t they? Take Bob Dylan, for example. He is an icon in the music world and despite the fact that his career has not been that productive in the recent years, he is still widely regarded as one of the best musicians in the world. And of course, his acts of charity are not to be disregarded as well.

His most recently publicized “do good” campaign is the Christmas album that he will be releasing, well, in the Christmas season. Some may scoff at this – we all know how Christmas albums tend to be so so. Then again, this is Bob Dylan we are talking about. More than that, this is the first ever Christmas album for the legendary songwriter.

The album is titled “Christmas in Your Heart,” and according to reports, it will include Christmas classics such as Here Comes Santa Claus, Winter Wonderland, and Little Drummer Boy. To make things a little more interesting, rumors have been going around that there might be a couple of original Christmas songs written by Dylan himself in the album.

All the sales from Christmas in Your Heart will go to charity. Proceeds from the US version of the album will all go to Feeding America. For the international version, Dylan is still holding talks with a charitable organization that also feeds the needy in the UK and another group that operates in developing countries.

So let’s buy a new Christmas album?

Originally posted on August 29, 2009 @ 6:45 am

Charities Not Getting As Many Goods Donations

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donated-clothesWhen you give to charitable causes, what do you normally give? Do you prefer giving cash? Or maybe you would rather give in kind?

I remember that, as a kid, my mother would much rather give in kind. Not only did we not have that much spare money, she would also say that it is much better that the people who need things can get the things they actually need. This would also lessen the temptation to use the money on other things that may not be urgent needs. I have come to adopt this way of thinking most of the time.

That is why, when I read an article on Penn Live about donated items becoming less, I felt a tinge of sadness and worry. It got even worse when I read the reason behind this. Apparently, instead of people giving old or used items to charity, people now tend to make use of eBay and other similar venues to get rid of their stuff.

But you know, you can’t really blame them. The economic times are crazy, and even those who were relatively well off are finding themselves in trouble. Who would blame people when they try to make some extra money in most any way they can? At least they are not doing illegal stuff, right?

Still, this is an eye-opener for me, and I hope that it will be the same for you. Perhaps it is time to re-examine our spending and giving habits. Perhaps there are some things that we can afford to give to those in need.

Photo courtesy of thaths

Originally posted on April 12, 2009 @ 8:58 am

Hugh Jackman Announces Charity Winners

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hugh-jackmanI love it when high profile people take advantage of their status to help others and donate to charity. While I still find it more impressive when celebrities give without announcing it to the rest of the world, I think that taking advantage of technology and their high profile status is just as good.

I am pretty sure that you have heard about Hugh Jackman’s recent stunt – he announced via Twitter that he would be donating $100,000 to charities. The rule of the game was that people should tweet about their favorite charities, and that the best tweets would be used in determining the winners. The world’s sexiest man of 2008 said on his Twitter that people should name their favorite charity and why – all in 140 words. He also encouraged people to show just how passionate they are about their favorite charity:

“The more passion shown for your charity the better! Get the support of your friends and teach them the importance of giving.”

Yesterday was the big day as the actor many associate with the Xmen character Wolverine announced that he and his wife Deb have chosen the two winning charities. They are Charity Water and Operation of Hope. His tweet is below:

“Thank you for all of your passionate responses. I have chosen www.charitywater.com and www.operationofhope.com Keep your generous spirit flowing!”

While I did not have the chance to join the contest – I know, bad tweeter, bad giver, my conscience is punishing me already – I am happy for these two charities and quite proud of everyone who joined in.

Originally posted on April 25, 2009 @ 4:20 pm

“Friends” Get Together To Help Women In Congo

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041207_aniston_400X400They were the best of friends in the long running TV show Friends, and they are really close friends in real life as well. I am sure you know the people I am talking about – Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox. These girls have taken their friendship to great lengths, and now, they are getting together to extend a helping hand to some women who need it the most.

The friends are currently busy with a project which is aimed at empowering women in Congo. More than giving their verbal and public support, Aniston and Cox are actually spending time to help the cause out. One activity they engaged in was to take part in a dinner which helped raised awareness for their charity. They were joined by Sheryl Crow. The friends are now working on catching the attention of Senator Hilary Clinton.

The organization is called OmiPeace, which is actually a humanitarian fashion brand, and is run by Mary Fanaro, another friend (not a TV “Friend,” as I am sure you know). Courtney Cox is really passionate about what they’re doing. It was quite touching to read what she said: “OmniPeace was created to give back. I can’t think of a better way to support my best friend and all the work that she and OmniPeace do to donate to causes supporting peace, education, human rights and the end of extreme poverty by 2025. Mary’s passion is so contagious and wonderful. It has taught me that anything is possible with enough perseverance and tenacity.”

To find out more about OmniPeace and how you can help, visit www.omnipeace.com/.

Originally posted on November 8, 2009 @ 4:02 pm