“Service to others is the rent you pay for living on this
planet.”
―
Marian Wright Edelman
Building empathy and teaching children to give back is an
important part of developing character and bringing
families together in a positive manner. We look
forward to adding more charities and stories of families
who give their time, energy and ideas.
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A Place at the Table
A Place at the Tablea Magnolia Pictures
documentary opens in selected theatres starting March 1.
Fifty million people in the U.S.—one in four children—don’t
know where their next meal is coming from. Directors Kristi
Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine the issue of hunger in
America through the lens of three people struggling with
food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who
grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life
for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado fifth-grader who often
has to depend on friends and neighbors to feed her and has
trouble concentrating in school; and Tremonica, a
Mississippi second-grader whose asthma and health issues
are exacerbated by the largely empty calories her
hardworking mother can afford.
Ultimately, A Place at the Table shows us how hunger poses
serious economic, social and cultural implications for our
nation, and that it could be solved once and for all, if
the American public decides — as they have in the past —
that making healthy food available and affordable is in the
best interest of us all.
For the first 100,000 tickets, downloads or book purchased
during March 1-3, Plum Organics will donate one essential
nutrition pouch to a baby or toddler.
To find a theatre near you visitA Place at the Table.
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Hurricane Relief
Here
are a few resources to help families in need after Sandy.
Please pass on the information: New York Food Trucks Associationhas set up sites to
provide meals for families in New York and New Jersey.
Check site for more informationand
locationshttp://www.nycfoodtrucks.org. Food
and water distribution centers- Official distribution sessions staffed
by the National Guard will occur daily; check the nyc.gov
home page for the latest list.
Brooklyn:
West 25th Street and Surf Ave, Coney Island (3–6pm)
Manhattan:
West 27th St between Ninth and Tenth Aves (4–6pm)
East 10th St between Aves C and D (4–6pm)
Catherine St between Cherry and Monroe Sts (4–6pm)
Pitt St at E Houston St (4–6pm)
Central Plaza at Division St (4–6pm)
Pitt St at Stanton St (water only; 4–6pm)
Queens:
Beach 51st St at Rockaway Beach Blvd, The Rockaways (3–6pm)
Redfern Ave at Beach 12th St, Far Rockway (4–6pm)
Beach 84th St at Rockaway Beach Blvd, The Rockaways (4–6pm)
Staten
Island: Mill Rd at New
Dorp Ln (3–6pm)
Yetman Ave at Hylan Blvd (3–6pm)
Crisis response resources
Office of Emergency
Management Disaster Mental Health
Support: 347-396-7952
Mental Health
Information and Referral Line,with access to Mobile Crisis Team:
1-800-LIFENET: 1-800-543-3638
HITE(free online resource
directory for mental health services; enter address for
service in your neighborhood):hitesite.org Sesame Street
Hurricane Toolkit:www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/toolkits/hurricane Save the Children- find out how to help the littlest
victims
FromNew York One News:
Ways To Help Sandy Relief Efforts In NYC
By: NY1 News
Here is a partial list of where to get help for hurricane
relief in New York City.
Immediate
Help:
Call 311 if you or someone you know is in immediate need of
food, water, or other emergency assistance.
• Federal Emergency Management: Call 1-800-621-3362 or
visitFEMA.gov
• nyc.gov http://www.fema.gov/
•NYC Blood Center
•Aidmatrix Network for Humanitarian
Relief
•American Red Cross
• Volunteer for NYC Parks:http://www.nycgovparks.org/opportunities/volunteer
•Food Bank Of New York
City
•New York Cares
•
Community/Faith-Based
Groups: Salvation
Army
• For corporations, organizations, restaurants and others
able to donate food, water or supplies, please send an
email to logistics@GNYSalvationArmy.com.•
For financial donations:o
Online: Visitwww.salvationarmyusa.org.o
By Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
(1-800-725-2769)o
Text-to-Give: Text the word STORM to 80888, and confirm the
donation with the word “Yes”o
By Mail: Checks may be designated and made payable to The
Salvation Army Disaster Services Center, PO Box 1959,
Atlanta, GA, 30301
•The Church of the
Covenant, 310 East
42nd Street between First and Second Avenues: Currently
seeking canned food, bottled water, toilet tissue, feminine
products, diapers, baby wipes, batteries, plates, forks.
Baby food is especially needed. Will also take gently used
coats and sweaters.
UJA-Federation of New York
--------------------------------------------------------------
Help Us Adopt The cost of
adoption can be very high for would be parents and
sometimes very discouraging, but Becky Fawcett and her
organization, "Help Us to Adopt" have made the path to
adoption a little easier for some families. Here is her
story fromCNN
"Becky Fawcett considers her infertility a blessing. But it
wasn't always that way.
Desperate to be a mother, Fawcett endured five rounds of in
vitro fertilization and three miscarriages before she and
her husband Kipp adopted their first child in 2005.
Now the proud mother of 5-year-old Jake and 18-month old
Brooke says that no matter how one becomes a mother, "it's
a miracle."
But the costs for adopting in the United States can be
steep. While foster care adoptions are often under $2,500,
licensed private agency adoptions or independent adoptions
can total more than $40,000.
After Fawcett and her husband experienced those high costs
firsthand, they dedicated themselves to alleviating some of
the expenses for other adoptive parents.
In 2005, the couple was sitting in their lawyer's office
going over the paperwork for Jake's adoption, which cost
about $40,000. It struck Fawcett that many loving and fit
parents couldn't adopt a child if they didn't have a lump
sum of cash at their disposal.
"I sat there and thought if ... I was told that I was not
going to be a mother because I couldn't afford adoption, I
don't even know what I would have done," said Fawcett, 40.
"I don't know who I would have turned to for help. It just
hit me. I knew how lucky we were."
With their own savings and support from family and friends,
Fawcett and her husband created Helpusadopt.org. Since
2007, the group has awarded more than $300,000 in financial
assistance toward adoption expenses.
Couples and individuals who submit applications toHelpusadopt.orgcome from
all walks of life and are already in the process of
adopting a child.
For Fawcett, it was important that her organization help
all families regardless of race, religion, sexual
orientation or marital status.
"Our applicants ... are amazing. They are hardworking,
educated Americans who just don't have $30,000, $40,000,
$50,000 sitting in the bank at the time they go to have
children," Fawcett said. "Some have graduate degrees. They
have great jobs. They are in some cases fighting to protect
our country. They are public school teachers. They are
doing whatever it takes to pay for this adoption on their
own, but they're coming up short. And that's whereHelpusadopt.orgcomes in."
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September 11, 2011 - Keep the Light Bright
Today we
remember September 11, 2001. To honor all who were touched
by this tragedy, many people are working to rebuild a new
community. They are keeping the spirit of peace and love
alive and here are a few of their stories.
FromCNN Heroeshere is the
story of Jeff Parness
Jeff Parness
still remembers the pain of September 11, 2001, when his
friend and business partner, Hagay Shefi, was among the
thousands killed in the World Trade Center attacks.
But Parness, a native New Yorker, also hasn't forgotten the
support that his hometown received from other communities
in the immediate aftermath. Many cities -- in the United
States and around the world -- sent volunteers and supplies
to aid the rescue and recovery effort.
"9/11 changed all of us forever, but 9/12 changed us just
as much," said Parness, 45. "That outpouring of kindness
and generosity, to me, was more powerful than the terror
that happened the day before."
That spirit of goodwill inspired Parness to createNew York Says Thank You, an
organization that sends volunteers from New York City to
disaster-stricken communities every year -- normally
around the 9/11 anniversary. To date, more than 7,000
people have participated in the group's rebuilding
projects.
Here
is a letter I received from the CEO ofMeet-Up
on how 911 inspired his organization:
Fellow Meetuppers,
I don't write to our whole community often, but this week
is
special because it's the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and many
people don't know that Meetup is a 9/11 baby.
Let me tell you the Meetup story. I was living a couple
miles
from the Twin Towers, and I was the kind of person who
thought
local community doesn't matter much if we've got the
internet
and tv. The only time I thought about my neighbors was when
I
hoped they wouldn't bother me.
When the towers fell, I found myself talking to more
neighbors
in the days after 9/11 than ever before. People said hello
to
neighbors (next-door and across the city) who they'd
normally
ignore. People were looking after each other, helping each
other, and meeting up with each other. You know, being
neighborly.
A lot of people were thinking that maybe 9/11 could bring
people together in a lasting way. So the idea for Meetup
was
born: Could we use the internet to get off the internet --
and
grow local communities?
We didn't know if it would work. Most people thought it was
a
crazy idea -- especially because terrorism is designed to
make
people distrust one another.
A small team came together, and we launched Meetup 9 months
after 9/11. Today, almost 10 years and 10 million
Meetuppers later, it's
working. Every day, thousands of Meetups happen. Moms
Meetups,
Small Business Meetups, Fitness Meetups... a wild variety
of
100,000 Meetup Groups with not much in common -- except one
thing.
Every Meetup starts with people simply saying hello to
neighbors. And what often happens next is still amazing to
me.
They grow businesses and bands together, they teach and
motivate each other, they babysit each other's kids and
find
other ways to work together. They have fun and find solace
together. They make friends and form powerful community.
It's
powerful stuff.
It's a wonderful revolution in local community, and it's
thanks
to everyone who shows up. Meetups aren't about 9/11, but
they may not be
happening if it weren't for 9/11. 9/11 didn't make us too
scared to go outside or talk to
strangers. 9/11 didn't rip us apart. No, we're building new
community together!!!!
The towers fell, but we rise up. And we're just getting
started with these Meetups.
Scott Heiferman (on behalf of 80 people at Meetup HQ)
Co-Founder & CEO, Meetup
New York City
September 2011
Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami Relief
After a
devastating 8.9 earthquake, 33 foot tsunami, and the threat
of nuclear melt down, the people of Japan are now faced
with the overwhelming task of recovering from the
aftermath. Our hearts and prayers go out to all those
touched by this recent tragedy. Although they may feel too
overwhelmed to reach out for assistance, the world
community is ready to help them through this crisis. Here
are some of the organizations already assisting that we can
support with donations. The list will be updated as we
learn more.
Japan Society -is organizing
relief efforts and raised funds on their sitehttp://www.japansociety.org/earthquake Red
Cross -http://www.redcross.org/ UNICEF
-http://www.unicef.org/
Save the Children -http://www.savethechildren.org Doctors
Without Borders -http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/(this
organization is presently working in Japan but only
taking general donations at their
site)
Salvation Army -To donate US
$10 for earthquake relief, text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 or
visit SalvationArmyUSA.org.
Global
Giving -To donate to
the Global Giving Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund,
visithttp://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/
Charity Watch -offers listing
of organizations assisting in Japan Quake Relief which they
rate for effectiveness visitwww.charitywatch.org.
Need Help Finding Individuals:
Google People Finder- For
finding/disseminating information about those in Japan
check Google Person finder 2011 Japan Earthquake -http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en For
inquiries concerning American citizens living in Japan
-U.S. Department
of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services at
+1.888.407.4747 or +1.202.647.5225
For
inquiries concerning UK citizens living in Japan-
UK Foreign Office Helpline number at +44(0) 20.7008.000 or
japan.earthquake@fco.gov.uk
___________________________________________________________________
Special
Activties To Particpate in: Save
the Children
Have Started Their Campaign "Caps for Newborn"
Find out how you can host an event for a birthday, Girl
Scout troop, school project or book club,
www.milkandbookies.org.
_______________________________________________________________________
We have
featured a few organizations that have contacted us. For a
more extensive list of organizations visitwww.charitywatch.organdwww.childrenforchildren.org. Haiti
Relief– please
continue giving to the organizations working in Haiti. This
is going to be a long process of rebuilding but out of the
destruction will rise a new Haiti. Let us all be a part of
making this happening. Reach out to help with prayers
and donations.
To find reputable organization
visit www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/Haiti.html.
Here are a few organizations listed:
·American
Red Cross ·CARE ·Catholic
Relief Services ·Doctors
Without Borders – USA ·Habitat
for Humanity International – N.O. ·Lutheran
World Relief ·Save
the Children ·William
J. Clinton Foundation ·YMCA
of the United States – N.O. Harlem
School of the Arts– provided
music, dance, drama and art to children in the Harlem
community for over 45 years. Then earlier this year, the
newspapers were reporting the closing of this special art
school. Fortunately, parents and community advocates were
determined that this venerable organization should not go
down. Now with new leadership the Harlem Schools of the
Arts is on a new track.We support them in creating a new
vision for this wonderful institution. Your tax-deductible
contribution in any amount will help provide opportunities
for tomorrow's leading musicians, actors, dancers and
artists. HSA depends upon financial support from
individuals, foundations and corporations to make arts
education and training available to over 1,700 young people
from Harlem, Upper Manhattan and the greater NY Metro area.
Your donation helps HSA cover critical general operating
costs and supports programs such as HSA Prep, ARTScape
Summer Camp and their Teen Arts Summer Program.
Visit their websitehttp://www.harlemschoolofthearts.org/giving.php.
Great
News for the Henry Street Settlement - New York Magazine
has chosen them as a top charity pick for the Year!
Congratulations! see the articlehttp://nymag.com/urban/articles/charityguide/toppicks.htm
The Abrons Arts Centerat 466 Grand
Street, at the corner of Pitt Street, part of Henry Street
Settlement on Manhattan’s Lower East Side brings innovative
artistic excellence to Manhattan’s Lower East Side through
diverse, cutting-edge performances; exhibitions/artist
residencies; classes and workshops for all ages, including
pre-professional training for youth; and arts-in-education
programming at public schools. Some of the most
adventurous artists of the past century have trained,
taught, or performed at Henry Street, including John Cage,
Aaron Copland, Dizzy Gillespie, Martha Graham, Alicia
Keyes, Alwin Nikolais, Jackson Pollack, Denzel Washington,
and Orson Welles.
Your support will make a difference: $25 can help cover the
cost of a free Sunday afternoon arts workshop for local
families. $50 can help give a low-income student a
scholarship for a semester of music classes. $100 can offer
an emerging Artist-in-Residence a stipend for art supplies.
$250 can help bring a professional dance company to a local
school for a week of workshops and an all-school assembly
performance. $500 can help achieve all of the above — and
more. Call 212.598.0400 or visithttp://www.henrystreet.org.
Room
to Grow'smissionis
to provide parents raising babies in poverty with
one-on-one parenting support and essential baby items
through first three years of life. Parents expecting a baby
are referred to Room to Grow by selected prenatal programs
assisting low-income families. Upon their referral, parents
receive developmental information, customized support, and
all of the needed baby items to ensure a healthy and secure
start for their child. You can help by: donating your own
baby items directly to Room to Grow, organizing a
collection drive, hosting a baby shower or celebrating by
giving. Celebrate your child's birthday or other
family event by donating a gift to another child in need.!
For information In New York, contactinfony@roomtogrow.orgcall
212.620.7800. In Boston, contactinfoboston@roomtogrow.orgor call
617.859.4545
The
Shop Lucky Finds 2010Fall\Winter
Children’s Consignment Sale and Trunk Show. features top
designers and manufacturers selling new items at sample
sale prices. In addition, shoppers will find a great
selection of gently used children’s designer clothing and
brand name gear and toys. Shop Lucky Finds supports Room To
Grow by donating a percentage of its sales. In
addition, all Shop Lucky Finds sellers have the opportunity
to donate any unsold items to Room To Grow and in return
will receive a tax form.Their next event will be Saturday,
October 23, 2010 from 12:00PM to 4:00PM at St. Jean
Baptiste Community Center 184 East 76th Street (Between 3rd
Ave. and Lexington Ave.)
Children for Children- 6 East 43rd
Street, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 programs offers
young people, educators, families, and community groups a
menu of developmentally appropriate programs designed for
use in school, after-school, out of school, community,
family and online settings. No age is too young when
it comes to helping your kids help others. The lessons
learned through volunteering will stick with them for life.
Children for Children wants your family to Grow Involved!
Need help getting started? Use CFC’s Kids for
Community database to find hundreds of volunteer
opportunities for your child or family to make a difference
in New York City. For more information:
E-mail -info@childrenforchildren.org;
Call 212.850.4170 or visitwww.childrenforchildren.org.
Fair
Tradeoffers
individuals the opportunity to earn a living while
providing us with quality products for sale. This is not
charity but a way to help industries in underdeveloped
areas build their local economy.
Last spring at The Coffee and Tea Festival, one of the
distributers talked about “The Agony of the Tea.” This she
explained is the history of the tea leaves from the time
they are planted, picked, dried and shipped miles to reach
our teapot. This is what gives them their flavor, the
effort that goes into making the product. Presently we are
disconnected from the production of the food we eat and the
clothes we wear.
Fortunately, today social conscious companies and
organizations are trying to reconnect us to the agony of
the products we use. Now being a good fashionista also
means being economically savvy and also socially conscious.
Buying Red and Fair Trade are words that pop up often. Good
karma should also be an important part of being a
fashionista. Where do our clothes come from and how were
they made? Were they made in sweatshops? Is the material so
shoddy that it won’t last for a season?
RED Campaign started by singer Bono and Bobby Shriver is
getting companies involved in building the local economies
in Africa. Each time you buy a (RED) product or service, at
no extra cost to you, the company who makes that product
will give up to fifty-percent of its profit to buy and
distribute antriretroviral medicine to our brothers and
sisters dying of AIDS in Africa. Visithttp://www.joinred.com
Here are a few companies that sell fair trade product.
Lem
Lem -Supermodel /
actress and World Health Organisation's Goodwill Ambassador
for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Liya Kebede
discovered that traditional weavers in her native country
of Ethiopia were losing their jobs due to a decline in
local demand for their goods and wanted to do something
about it. Recognizing the beauty, quality and historic
significance of their work, Liya started Lemlem in 2007 as
a way to inspire economic independence in her native
country and to preserve the art of weaving. Today, Lemlem,
which means to flourish or bloom in Amharic, is thriving.
They thank those who support this handcrafted collection of
women’s and children’s clothing, while helping preserve an
ancient art form.http://www.lemlem.com/
Global
Mamasis a non-profit
and fair trade organization assisting women in Africa to
become economically independent. By purchasing Global Mamas
products, you are offering sustainable livelihoods to women
and their families living in poverty. All proceeds go
directly to the women and to the non-profit programs that
assist them with business development. To purchase their
children and women's clothing visithttp://www.tradeforchange.com/.
For wholesale purchases visithttp://www.globalmamas.org/. You can
also contact them through Global Mamas at 1-800-338-3032
or the following mailing address: Trade for Change, P.O.
Box 18323, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418, USA.
HANDS
UP NOT HANDOUTSstarted out as
a family project, which partners with women of the world in
the design, production and marketing of unique,
one-of-a-kind goods using handicraft techniques. Their
first collections feature beautiful hand-embroidered
bracelets with intricate designs from Palestine which were
originally used to make table cloths and home goods and in
Rwanda, they applied the skill of basket-making to create
lush, brightly colored sweet grass earrings. All proceeds
are reinvested into the business, the women and their
communities to make the process sustainable.
To contact them and purchase productshttp://www.handsupnothandouts.org/or learn
more about the Sager Family Foundation atwww.teamsager.com.
Sseko
\say-ko\ Designs- are sandals
created to help bright young women continue their education
in Uganda. Young women earn money for their tuition by
designing sandals. Sseko Designs is a not-just-for-profit
enterprise that recognizes the power of business and
responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic
development, which in turn affects a country's educational,
justice, and health care systems.
http://www.ssekodesigns.com/