Pop Tabs for Charity Raising Awareness & Funds in Montana

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , ,

Morningside Elementary in Great Falls, Montana understands how to motivate students and how to teach them about charity work.  When Melody Stevens, a popular kindergarten teacher, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, the school decided to show its support by joining Pop Tabs for Charity through the National Institutes of Health Charities.

The idea is for the children to bring pop tabs to school (those little tabs you find on the top of your soda can). Fourth grade teacher Jennifer Westermeyer is in charge of the collection. She explained that the school is about a third of the way towards its goal of having one million tabs.  Once they’ve reached their goal they’ll take the tabs to a recycling center where they’ll receive money.  With the money, they plan to donate to NIH Charities, putting money towards health charities and cancer research.

Westermeyer explained, “We have a contest going on right now. The classroom that collects the most will get a pop party with us at the end of the year.” Beyond the excitement of the pop party, the children are learning about compassion. As Melody Stevens said, “classrooms are getting together, children, staff, people outside of the school are donating. Cancer affects everyone.”

The school is certainly teaching its student amazing lessons.  As Mrs. Stevens gets stronger each day, she recounts an example of the support that she has been receiving.  “We decide to all wear hats the day I was coming in with a hat and no hair, so {the principal}heard of it and he had the entire school wear hats, so when I walked out and saw that, it was amazing”.

Anyone who has a desire to help can bring in or mail tabs to the Morningside Elementary School.

58 Year Old to Cycle for Bee Population

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By DouglasPosted In: Animals and NatureTagged: , , , ,

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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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , ,

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.

Laura Bush Keynote Speaker for the Star Executive Summit

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By M. MarksPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , , ,
Laura Bush

Laura Bush

Laura Bush is coming out of the woodwork to be the keynote speaker at the third Star Executive Summit on May 24th at the Embassy Suites Frisco Conference Center.  Star Children’s Charity financially supports non-profit organizations in Collin County, Texas that focus on the wellbeing of children. It was founded by Michelle Brennan Hall and Linda S. Paulk in 2007 to focus on assisting children medically, educationally and more.

As of January of 2012, Star Children’s Charity has distributed more than one million dollars in funds to support many worthy organizations including: the Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County, City House, Children’s Medical Center Legacy, Plano Children’s Medical Clinic and the Samaritan Inn and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano.

Now, Laura Bush will speak at the Star Executive Summit, a yearly fundraising event that brings together business executives, fundraisers, leaders and individuals who will work together to support Star’s mission of raising the level of philanthropy in the community.  For the past two summits, Newt Gingrich and Lee & Bob Woodruff came to share their stories of service.  This year, The Honorable Senator Florence Shapiro will introduce former First Lady Laura Bush while Shelley Slater, WFAA-TV news team member and Plano native, will be the Star Summit emcee.

A co-chair of the event, Cheryl Massey of Michael W. Massey & Associates, said,

“We are honored to represent Star Children’s Charity as we bring one of America's most inspirational leaders to Collin County, First Lady Laura Bush.  Her dedication to advancing education and promoting the well-being of children and families worldwide will definitely be motivating to all who hear her speak."

Fellow co-chair Sandy Golgart of Bentley Premier Homes continued, “The theme, “Be Inspired, Be Inspiring!” is perfect as we know guests will leave encouraged to contribute in making Collin County a place where children come first.”

All proceeds from the evening will go to City House, a location that offers emergency shelter and transitional residential services for both children and young adults who have experienced abuse, neglect and homelessness.

Becca’s Closet Provides Prom Dresses for Teens

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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , ,

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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By DouglasPosted In: FamilyTagged: , , ,

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.”

Golfing for Cancer Research with Jack Wagner

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , ,

Just a few days ago, Jack Wagner hosted the 6th Annual Jack Wagner Celebrity Classic golf tournament which benefited The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.  On April 16th, 2012, the Emmy Award nominated actor, recording artist and committed philanthropist showed how committed he is to charitable causes and to cancer research.

As Jack Wagner explained his inspiration for the celebrity classic:

"I lost my father in 1990 to multiple myeloma and in 1999 my brother Dennis was diagnosed with leukemia. He has relapsed four separate times, enduring many rounds of chemotherapy and the challenges that come along with recovery. In 2007, Dennis received a complete bone marrow transplant and is still fighting a daily battle against complications associated with this procedure. Despite several hospitalizations over the past year, Dennis remains positive and thankful for the support of this tournament and his family. Let Dennis be an example to us all that our efforts are truly making a difference. Dennis is still with us today because of new life saving treatments but we must push forward for a cure. Remember your contribution goes far beyond my family and this golf event. Thank you for your support."

Wagner was originally inspired to create the celebrity classic after winning $142,550 in 2006 on the Wheel of Fortune.  As the most ever won by a celebrity on the show, Wagner approached LLS to see if they wanted to use the money to create a golf event to raise money for cancer research and cancer patients.  In combination, his Wheel of Fortune winnings, the LLS Light the Night Walk and the Wagner celebrity golf classics have, so far, raised close to $1 million for cancer research and patient services.

Past participants at the golf tournament have included: Marcus Allen, Tim Allen, Vince Coleman, John Elway, Kevin Frazier, Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Bruce Jenner, Janet Jones, Heather Locklear, Jack McGee, Sean McNabb, Joe Pesci, Jerry Rice, Mike Shanahan, Grant Show, and Kevin Sorbo.

Wagner today serves as an official LLS Celebrity Ambassador, and he continues to work tirelessly to raise money for this much needed health charity.

Charlize Theron Donates Gowns to Children Charity

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By DouglasPosted In: EducationTagged: , , , ,

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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By DouglasPosted In: MilitaryTagged: , , , ,

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.

Chris Rogers Organizes Paintball Charity Event

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By M. MarksPosted In: HealthTagged: , , , ,

Sometimes you just have to get down and dirty for a good cause.  At least Terrence Cody, Chris Rogers and others believe so.  Former University of Alabama defensive back Chris Rogers recently organized a charity paintball tournament to raise money for breast cancer research.

In August of 2007, Rogers’ mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. He was inspired by her courage and said that her struggle actually fueled his performance when he played.  In 2009, Rogers said, “There is a need for us athletes to give back, and how do we do that?”

With the help of a professor in graduate school, Sue Parker, Rogers devised a plan.  His charity, Together Assisting People, worked with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama to create the recent fundraiser.

Many of Chris Rogers’ football friends came out for the event. As Brad Smelley said, “We try to rally behind our players when they try to do something like this.” In attendance were: Terrence Cody, Marcell Dareus, Marquis Maze, Glen Coffee, Roy Upchurch, Eryk Anders, Brad Smelley, Brandon Gibson and Will Lowery. Professional boxer and Tuscaloosa native Deontay Wilder was there as well.

As 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram said, “It just shows how much of a family-oriented program we are. Some of us played with each other, some of us didn’t. But at the same time, we all come back here and support each other.”

Some who had made it to the big leagues were there as well. As Terrence Cody, a former offensive lineman for Alabama and a current NFL player said, “My position coach with the Baltimore Ravens, his wife survived breast cancer, so he likes the fact that I support it, and I’ve got breast cancer license plates on both of my vehicles.”

In total, 13 teams of three competed at the Splatzone Paintball field to benefit the two charities.