Million Meals Mission June 23, 2010

Hello volunteer enthusiasts! Sorry I have been so M.IA. from this blog. I have been busy trying to get in shape for the summer and after volunteering at Racefest 2010 it totally inspired me to sign up for my own half marathon! I will be running the Dowyd Y Half Marathon in November and it’s proven to already be a struggle, but I will push through! Since I will already be running the race, I’m searching for organizations I can help while I run. If anyone has a any good suggestions, feel free to let me know!

A recent event caught my eye and I wanted to share the opportunity with you.  In partnership with Samaritans International and the “Feed My Starving Children” organization, the congregation of Charlotte, NC area churches supported by local businesses and civic organizations have taken the challenge to provide meals for 1,000,000 starving children!

For more than 10 years, “Feed My Starving Children” has worked with mission partners in Haiti in establishing relationships with nearly 200 Haiti-based programs. With several of the programs currently providing aid to those victimized by the earthquakes of January 2010, this organization strives to provide an additional 6 million meals to the 3 million meals already on the ground when the earthquake hit Haiti.

In order to pack one million meals, the organization needs two things: volunteers and donations to pay for the meals.  As of right now, here is the progress that  supporting hope can accomplish:

Donations to date: $68,200

The Goal: $170,000

Meals Packed – 720,000

If you would like to donate or lend a helping hand, visit the website:

http://www.millionmealmission.org

I will be lending a hand by volunteering tonight for a few hours and will make sure to let you guys know how it went! Last night my friend Phil went and said they were able to pack 30,000 meals, which would feed around 84 children at least one meal a day for a year. That is what 2 hours of your time can do! If you live in Charlotte, I urge you to go to the website and pick a time that is convenient for you to help.

Earth Day April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day! Today is the fortieth celebration of Earth Day and while more and more people are getting on board to help take care of our planet, the world is in greater need for change than ever.  While climate change and conditions is one of the biggest challenges of our time, it also poses as a great opportunity to build a thriving and healthy atmosphere for generations to come.

Earth Day 2010 is hoping to propel people into caring about the core issues at hand which include, climate policy, energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Treat every day as it was Earth Day and plan to make a conscious decision to be more active and aware of individual, corporate and government decisions regarding our planet.  

Join the more than one billion people in 190 countries that are taking action for Earth Day!!!

On a personal note, I was lucky enough to visit Asheville for their Earth Day festival last weekend. There were many organic and environmentally friendly vendors there as well as some volunteer organizations that were trying to recruit support and gain awareness. Selfishly I went for the great live music but nonetheless had a wonderful time appreciating the beauty of the outdoors!

Some lifestyle changes that Chris and I started in our daily lives are simple. Hopefully it will motivate you to adopt or expand on what you and your families can do to create a cleaner environment for all of us:

• Turn off all Equipment when you aren’t using it (computers, coffeemaker, etc.) This can reduce the energy used by 25 percent; turning off the computers at the end of the day can save an additional 50 percent.
• Sign-up for paperless billing. We do most of our billing online and get our statements sent to our email.
• Turn off water that is running when you are brushing your teeth, washing your face, and when you are washing dishes.
• RECYCLE. It’s easy, period.
• Use Green cleaning products
• Buy efficient lightbulbs. Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) use 70% less energy and last 10 times longer than standard bulbs.
• Adjust your thermostat. Set your programmable thermostat two degrees warmer than usual in summer and two degrees cooler in winter—then watch your energy use drop.
  Buy local when you can. Most food is shipped more than 1,500 miles to get to your plate—locally grown food saves fuel and tastes better.

To read more about what you can do for Earth Day visit the link:

http://www.earthday.org/take-action 

Racefest 2010 April 11, 2010

Well this weekend has been a pretty fun one and it all began with my 5 o’clock wake up call to volunteer at Southpark’s Racefest. Luckily I was able to recruit my mom to volunteer with me and it was much more fun than going it alone. We were there by 6:00 am and received our t-shirts and  our assigned posts (we were course monitors).  I was really excited to participate in this race not only to help out Team-in-Training, an organization I adore, but also because two of my girlfriends were participating in the half marathon (Go Carissa and Kristin!!) I was surprised how fast the half-marathoners finished up. My mom and I were out of there by 9:30. I went home and immediately took a nap. After that I spent some quality time with the girls with a wine-night and Sunday Chris and I have spent cleaning. I bought a new Southern Living Magazine  and enjoyed reading it outside in the sunshine 🙂 The windows are open and the smell of “clean” is in the air! After finishing this post I hope to get in an hour at the gym (I”ve been really bad this week) and then relax to some Sunday night TV. Hope everyone had great weekends!

One Day Without Shoes! April 8, 2010

For those of you who don’t know about Tom’s shoes, you are in for a trend-setting treat. TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair of shoes you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. While you may think there are many other areas worth concentrating on, consider this:

A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they causey other areas which are more important to concentrate on, consider this…

Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.

Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.

We are all forced to wear shoes in our everyday life, why not purchase a shoe that speaks a message that you helped someone. A simple yet functional way to help a child in need.

Today, April 8th, TOMS Shoes is asking you to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes barefoot, to experience a life without shoes first-hand, and to help spread awareness of the impact a simple pair of shoes can bring to a child’s life.

For more information or to see how you can help even if you can’t go barefoot, follow the link:

http://www.onedaywithoutshoes.com/ 

Team-In-Training Opportunity March 23, 2010

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is looking for volunteers for Charlotte’s 2010 Racefest. Volunteers are needed to help at water stations, packet pick-up and other race support. If you are interested please visit the link and sign up! Urge your friends and family to help out too 🙂

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/vol/1633927047.html

Information regarding Racefest:

Address: Barcly Downs, Charlotte NC 28210

Date: Saturay, April 10, 2010-6:00AM

For more information regarding the reace, please visit their website: http://charlotteracefest.com/

The Aftermath

The devastation that reaked havoc on Haiti weeks ago made headlines and propelled America to reach into their charitable pockets and help the needy. But slowly and surely the headlines are shying away from Haiti and have moved on to Healthcare Reform and the new line-up of Dancing With The Stars. But guess what? Haiti is still in shambles. Haitian’s still need support and the basic necessities that people like you and me take for granted every day. The people of Haiti are finding new struggles every day from the aftermath of the quakes and continue to face enviornmental challenges as floods pose threat to Earthquake relief camps. Recently I stumbled upon what I think is a great idea for Haiti Relief. BCBG is offering a fashionable way to promote or rather, communicate aid to Haiti with a trendy t-shirt. The reason I think this is a great idea is because not only will American’s saddle up $25 dollars for Haiti with more willingness when granted a one of a kind designer t-shirt, but hopefully the walking billboard that they become as they wear their new threads will further alert people that the devastation is not over. 

http://www.bcbg.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4022033&cp=2769071.3503424&view=all&parentPage=family

Just feel like donating the traditional way?

www. WorldVision.org/Haiti

www. RedCross.org/Donations

A Bob Dylan Christmas December 3, 2009

While at work I came across some interesting news about Bob Dylan’s latest effort. His Christmas album entitled, Christmas In The Heart, exists to allow all U.S. royalties of these recordings to be donated to Feeding America, guaranteeing that more than four million meals will be provided to more than 1.4 million people in need in this country during this year’s holiday season. Bob Dylan is also donating all of his future U.S. royalties from this album to Feeding America in perpetuity.

Additionally, the artist is partnering with two international charities to provide meals during the holidays for millions in need in the United Kingdom and the developing world, and will be donating all of his future international royalties from Christmas In The Heart to those organizations in perpetuity.

If nothing else this Christmas, why not invest in Bob Dylan for his music and for his charitable acts.

Tis the Season… December 2, 2009

With the holidays approaching its hard to find time to volunteer your time, much less your money, in this economy. But remembering the spirit behind Christmas will fill you up much more than that cashmere scarf or big screen TV you’ve been eyeing. Plan something on your social calendar to give back to your community. There is a large need for material and financial donations but donating your time is free and can be as easy as spending one weekend out of the month volunteering. Here is a list of organizations in Charlotte that are always doing something helpful year-round but need extra help around the holidays. 

 

 

Alexander Youth Network
6220 Thermal Road
PO Box 220632
Charlotte, NC 28211
Web: www.alexanderyouthnetwork.org
Phone: 704-336-8712
Volunteer Services: 704-362-6760 or
volunteer@alexanderyouthnetwork.org
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Clothing and shoes, recreational needs (sports equipment, arts & crafts supplies, videos, games, etc.), hygiene items (shampoo, brushes, soap, etc.), school supplies (books, flash cards, etc.).

Alzheimer’s Association
Western Carolina Chapter
3800 Shamrock Drive
Charlotte, NC 28215
Web: www.alz-nc.org
Phone: 704-532-5421
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Conference room table and chairs, small office table with chairs, artwork, TV/VCR, desktop PC, laptop PC (both Windows 2000 compatible), flatbed scanner, monetary donations and volunteers always welcomed.

Big Brothers/Big Sisters
2424 N. Davidson Street
Suite 110
Charlotte, NC 28205
Web: www.bbbscharlotte.org
Phone: 704-377-3963
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Wish list includes: silverware, b/w and color printer, office supplies (file folders, copy paper, etc), cubicle dividers, paper items (towels, tissue, etc.), VCR/DVD player. Also, currently recruiting “bigs,” especially volunteer big brothers, as most of the waiting list are boys. There are many ways to get involved as a volunteer in either the school-based or community-based programs.

Council for Children
601 East 5th Street
Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28202
Web: www.councilforchildreninc.org
Phone: 704-372-7961
The Council for Children’s mission is to protect, promote, and passionately represent children, their needs, and their issues by advocating for them at local and state levels.
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Financial Contributions

Crisis Assistance Ministry
500-A Spratt Street
Charlotte, NC 28206
Web: www.crisisassistance.org
Phone: 704-371-3001
For volunteer info, contact: 704-371-3001 x114 or bcampbell@crisisassistance.org
Crisis Assistance does incredible work throughout the year, helping low-income families who are facing a financial emergency by offering them resources and programs to help them move toward self-sufficiency.
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Needs list includes financial donations, blankets, x-large men’s and women’s clothing, towels, sheets, pots/pans, dishes/glasses, pillows, cooking utensils, furniture (especially beds, mattresses, kitchen tables/chairs), major appliances (stoves, refrigerators, washers and dryers), office supplies (pens, paper, folders, etc.), printer cartridges and toner, phones. Volunteers are needed in various ways including conducting interviews with clients, picking up donated items, assisting with client pick-ups, and helping the agency in clerical ways as well as public relations opportunities.

Elon Homes for Children
1717 Sharon Road West
Charlotte, NC 28210
Web: www.elonhomes.org
Phone: 704-699-2939
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Elon Homes needs volunteers to be homework buddies and mentors. Volunteers also sponsor special events and bring gifts during the holiday season. Wish list includes construction paper, glue, markers, poster board, new/used magazines, clothes hampers/baskets, pillows, board games, movies (PG13), dictionaries, book bags, novels, plants (real or fake), ziploc bags (gallon sized), toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, deodorant, pens, pencils, combs (no pointed ends), small plastic cups (not disposable). Note: Please call before visiting or sending anything to the school.

Hands On Charlotte
1616 Central Avenue
Suite 200
Charlotte, NC
Web: www.handsoncharlotte.org
Phone: 704-333-7471
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
Always in need of volunteers for various projects. Wish list includes: large boxes or barrels for Coat Drive Collections, raffle items for Funky Coat Party, construction paper, masking tape, paint and paint brushes (for children’s activities), glue/glue sticks, educational games/toys for pre-K through 5th grade, digital camera, flip-chart easel, any kinds of gift certificates, especially to Home Depot (or call the office for a tax deductible donation to go a specific store), stock, new office supplies.

Hope Haven, Inc.
3815 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28206
Web: www.hopehaveninc.org
Phone: 704-372-8809
Hope Haven, Inc. is dedicated to helping people in recovery from substance abuse rebuild their lives by providing them with the support services and life skills needed to achieve long term recovery and self-sufficiency.
Holiday Volunteer Opps/Donation Needs:
More than anything, Hope Haven can use financial contributions.

Thanksgiving “Turkey Trot” 8k December 1, 2009

Come Support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with Charlotte’s 21st annual Turkey Trot. There are a varitey of options to pick from depending on your level of ability and experience. The event is held on Thanksgiving morning and what better way to give Thanks than to donate some time and exercise to a wonderful organization (Team-in-Training). I know first hand, that TIT helps many people with Leukemia and their staff members are not in their roles for the money-they truly care about their cause. Check out the website for times and the various walk/runs that you can be apart of. Grab a family member and do something to make you feel good and help others on Thanksgiving!

One Can Make A Difference

Came across a great book that has original stories by The Dalai Lama, Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Russell Simmons, Martina Navratilova, Stella McCartney and more….

The book tells simple stories from individuals who made simple actions help change the world.

“Inspirational essays about goodness and about helping others.” -Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu