Bernadette Peters Announces Michael Wittenberg Center for Imagination

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bernadetteThe Michael Wittenberg Center for Imagination at the Center for Discovery was just announced by Bernadette Peters, The Center for Discovery and The Monderer Foundation. With CEO Patrick Dollard, Center for Discovery provides individuals with varying disabilities with educational, clinical, residential and social outlets and experiences.

As Bernadette Peters said,“The Center for Discovery has created a remarkable program–unique in the area–that supports the most severely disabled children and adults. Michael was deeply connected to the environment, good health, and the protection of all living creatures. With its focus on promoting wellness and health to expand life’s possibilities for a very vulnerable group of people, The Center for Discovery is the embodiment of Michael’s life passions.”

Carol Turchin Monderer, the CEO of The Monderer Foundation, said, “The Center for Discovery has one of the most current and innovative educational approaches distinguished by a philosophy that celebrates each individual’s abilities rather than his or her disabilities. The Monderer Foundation’s mission is to support multiply challenged children and adults. We are delighted to be involved in supporting The Center for Discovery.”

Patrick Dollard, Center for Discovery CEO, said, “We commend Bernadette Peters for her passion, and we thank her for lending her voice to support The Center for Discovery. Adults and children come here to learn of our responsibility to respect and care for ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our animals, and nature in all its forms. It is for these reasons that we name the heart of The Center for Discovery the ‘Michael Wittenberg Center for Imagination.’ The entire center gratefully acknowledges Bernadette Peters and The Monderer Foundation for their support of The Center for Discovery.”

 

Take Some, Give Some at the ATM

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In a brilliant new move in the UK, people who are at the cash machine can now donate money to charities while they are withdrawing for their own purposes.  More than 8000 cash machines on the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) group network are now able to accept donations. These donations can be as small as £1 and as large as £150 for eight specific charities.

RBS has put the figures in context, explaining that if only 1% of the people who make withdrawals included a £1 donation, they would be able to raise £6.5m a year.

This is actually just the first phase of what will be a massive government drive in the UK to boost charitable giving. The UK cash machine network plans to enable a hundred million cards to eventually be able to make donations through ATMs.

As Steve Lamshire, RBS senior community affairs manager explained, “Over 2bn ATM transactions were made in the UK last year; and 25% of those are made through our network, so it’s pretty obvious it is a regular part of most people’s daily lives. We know that finances are tight for many people, but if our customers do want to make a donation, we want to make the process as easy as possible for them.”

Making a donation will not get in the way of those who simply want to get to an ATM machine for cash and get out. The donations will either be a separate menu item at the ATM, or they will be a post-transaction option.

A Night at the Park with Ryan Zimmerman

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For a special night on the baseball field, nothing beat’s Ryan Zimmerman’s “A Night at the Park” charity. His third annual “A Night at the Park” event is coming soon on June 14th.  The event includes music, entertainment, food, drink and auctions and all proceeds benefit the ziMS Foundation, founded by Zimmerman in 2006.

In 1995, Ryan’s mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease that affects the central nervous system and impacts nearly 400,000 Americans.  Understanding the impact of the disease in his own personal situation, Ryan founded the ziMS Foundation. Today, through public appearances and generous giving, he has worked tirelessly to “bring home a cure” for MS and to raise over $500,000 since 2006.

The “A Night at the Park” event includes a stage set-up behind home plate and a performance by Guster. Enjoy a great night for a great cause on June 14th from 6-10 pm at Nationals Park.

Charlie Sheen Tweets for Charity

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It’s hard to take anything that Charlie Sheen has to say these days too seriously, but the man does have 7 million followers on Twitter. So, when he tweets something out – people do seem to be listening. That’s why it was big news when he tweeted recently to his fans that he would be taking part in the charity event called DASH FOR DETECTION 5K Walk/Run for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Chicago. The event is intended to raise money for pancreatic cancer research and it will take place at Grant Park in Chicago this June.

Organized by the Rolfe Foundation, an organization which supports scientific research to improve the early detection tests for pancreatic cancer, the non-profit will be hosting the fundraiser with the Lustgarten Foundation.

In his support of the cause and the event on June 2, Charlie Sheen tweeted, “Hello Chicago!! I’ll be there to scoot… Walk or Run! Dash for detection for pancreatic cancer research…”

Perhaps Sheen can actually do some good for a change with his tweets for charity.

Delaware County Community Market Makes a Difference…One Egg at a Time

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Delaware County Community Market

It’s a match made in heaven that Delaware County Community Market has created.  Located at 222 E. William Street, the market owned by Rick Dinovo will offer patrons a way to buy their groceries and give back to their favorite charities at the same time.  When people come to the market to purchase their groceries, 75% of the money will go to the vendor; 5% will go to the market; and 20% will be given to a charity of the shopper’s choice.

As Bob Sullivan-Neer, the store manager said,

“You can buy your eggs and help out a charity at the same time.”

The market has registered with 90 charities for patrons, or patrons can submit a suggestion for a charity that isn’t on the list. Some of the more popular charities that people have contributed to so far include: the Common Ground Free Store, the Stratford Ecological Center and the Special Olympics.

Certainly, the plan is a lovely one for the community; but it also happens to be brilliant for business.  They’ve found that, since they started the charity initiative, sales at the market have been up 65% since last year.

To keep shoppers appraised of their fundraising efforts, the market has a website where customers can select their charitable organizations and watch how much shoppers have donated to date.  Shoppers can also indicate their charitable donations for tax return purposes.

Now that’s a way to keep shoppers coming back – and to do something great for those around you.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

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Established in 2000, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research was a way for famous actor Michael J. Fox to put his fortune to good use.  Having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s himself, the actor wanted to help others who were suffering from this disease.  Ultimately, its main aim is to find a cure for Parkinson’s through “an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today.”  In addition, the foundation aims to provide patients with improved treatments as well as long-term, a cure for the disease.

Since its founding, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has put nearly $150 m into research for Parkinson’s as well as finding a cure and in the meantime, developing improved therapies for those with the disease.  The foundation believes its goal really is in reach if it gains enough support.

 

PAWS Chicago

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PAWS Chicago’s mission is to “end the killing of homeless pets.”  Founded nearly 15 years ago, it has led to the reduction of homeless pets being killed by half.  Indeed, in 1997 the figure for killing homeless pets was 42,000 and in 2006, it was already down to less than 20,000.  Clearly these statistics show that what PAWS Chicago is doing is working.  That is why its aim to create a city in which no homeless pets are killed seems realistic.   The organization finds homes for thousands of pets, through the Lincoln Park Adoption and Humane Center. In addition, it offers a clinic for free spaying and neutering for those families on low-incomes who have pets.

Pedro Zaragoza Fuentes Helps Rehabilitate Community Center

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The Francisco I. Modero Community Center has recently been rehabilitated in Juarez, Mexico with three million square feet of construction and an area of one thousand meters square.  The center was redone with an investment of 29 million pesos for infrastructure and 19 million for equipment.

The new center was inaugurated on Friday with a long list of important government officials.  The opening saw Secretary of Social Development Heriberto Felix Guerra, Governor Cesar Duarte, Mayor Hector Murguia, businessman Pedro Zaragoza and Magdy Martinez of the United Nations Organization present.

The center teaches more than 30 workshops such as carpentry, cooking, sewing and pastries, computer classes, English, sports and more.  There are also art workshops sponsored by the Federal Government that include drama, music and dance.  This is the only community center in Juarez of the 41 that has a pool, two soccer fields, two basketball courts and a dome.

Here is an example of the many charitable activities that the Pedro Zaragoza Vizcarra Foundation does.

 

Cellphones for Soldiers

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Connecting to Soldiers to Their Loved Ones

In 2004, Brittany and Robbie Bergquist set up Cellphones for Soldiers using a mere $21 from their own pockets.  At the time, the siblings were 13 and 12 respectively.  Today, the worthy charitable organization has raised more than $7m in donations.  As a result, more than 500,000 pre-paid calling cards have been sent to American soldiers overseas, which equals 114 million minutes of free talk time.  Now the plan is to convert old cellular phones into around 12 million minutes of prepaid calling cards for these soldiers.  To make this happen, the charity needs to collect 50,000 old cellphones every month.

Through its incredible work, Cell Phones for Soldiers has enhanced the lives of soldiers and their loved ones, by facilitating their communication connectivity through otherwise impossible circumstances. These soldiers – working for all of America – receive free communication tools wherever they are stationed.  Anything that is donated that equals $5 (a used phone or a monetary contribution) results in 2.5 hours of free talk time for soldiers.

According to Bob Bergquist, Brittany and Robbie’s father, “Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family's appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces.  Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.”

 

Giving Hope to Cancer Patients

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All cancer patients need hope. No matter what their prognosis, feeling some kind of hope is the only way they can carry on.  Thus the City of Hope – nearly 100 years old – is a phenomenal charitable organization that helps these patients live with a little hope.  The organization is recognized around the globe for how compassionate it is toward patient care.  As well City of Hope is a leader in biomedical research and treatment and education institution, engaging in innovative scientific projects, and developing breakthroughs in the world of cancer research that ultimately result in new therapies, which have led to the improvement of the patients’ quality of life and have thus again given more hope to these patients.  Indeed, some of the biggest advances in modern medicine have come from the organization’s physicians and scientists who have “offered insights that have reshaped the world's understanding of diseases.”

The City of Hope is located near LA, California.  Director of the Beckman Research Institute of the organization is Dr. Richard Jove, who is also a professor of Molecular Medicine.  He studied at Columbia University, Rockefeller University and the State University of New York, Buffalo.