Learn about the Uncommon Giving Community

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

The Uncommon Giving Community is one you’ll want to know about in the charity space. This is a Scottsdale, Arizona based company that has an online platform for people to give charity. So far, they have over one million charities available to give to. Their Chief Generosity Officer, Nick Vujicic, is one to know about as well. Born without arms or legs, he was bullied as a child and tried to take his life at the young age of 10. Having found his calling, he now works to enhance the giving experience that people have.

Uncommon Giving offers both individual and workplace opportunities for giving and for having all of your giving under one umbrella. It’s certainly an organization worth knowing about and seeing if it can help you to make a personal or professional impact in the charitable world.

Green (Eggs) and Ham Walking Across America

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

Here is a feel good story and a worthy cause. Sam Green and his dog, Taylor Ham, are walking across America. Taylor Ham isn’t just any companion – he’s an 8.5 year old pit bull/collie mix who is keeping Green company on the quest to walk all the way to Los Angeles.

The goal is to raise $25,000 when he pulls into LA around mid-October. So far on his GoFundMe site he has about $8000. He’s raising the money for Just Believe Inc. This is a charity based on New Jersey that operates local shelters for the homeless. Green’s goal is to raise money to build Jeff’s Camp, a shelter for homeless veterans. Learn more about Sam’s goals here.

Cigars for Charity

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

Here’s an unusual fundraiser that was held recently for a great cause. Kevin Kurland is the co-owner of Smoky Quartz Distillery in Seabrook, New Hampshire. He actually decided to become a distiller while he was serving in Iraq in 2008. While waiting out an attack in Baghdad, he was reading a Wall Street Journal article and decided that this would be his path forward.

Fast forward to 2014 when he opened the distillery after retiring with 26 years of distinguished military service behind him. He enjoys giving back to veterans and created a fundraiser through his distillery to do so. He explained that his Vouchers for Veterans program allowed former military members to purchase food.

The private event was the first of its kind for Kurland and included only 50 tickets. Ticketholders were privy to three premium cigars, wood-fired pizza and spirt samples from 6-9pm one recent evening. They also enjoyed raffles, prizes and a live podcast by Cigar Hacks at the time of the event. It certainly sounded like a unique and meaningful event and a great way to enjoy a night out, while giving back to those who serve.

If you’re in New Hampshire or driving through, a stop at Smoky Quartz Distillery sounds like a great idea.

Walking to Raise Money for Cancer Research

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund InternationalTagged: ,

Here is a fun pick-me-up story. Joe McHugh of Westfield, Maine walked from Maine to Boston for charity. What makes the story even more inspiring is that he did so recently with three friends – and their fathers did the same walk in 1973. The walk in 1973 raised money for the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber center for cancer research. The current walk was intended to raise money for the same causes, and had already raised more than $20,000 when they started walking.

In 1973, it all started because David McHugh, now 85, had a hernia operation and was told to walk more. He decided that if he was going to start walking, he would do so for charity. Together with three friends, they walked from Maine to Fenway Park in four days while raising $18,000 for Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund.

Certainly, their children are hoping to double what the dads raised all those years ago.

New Cookbook Helps Immigrants

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund InternationalTagged:

Here is a nice idea to get behind – while also enjoying some delicious food. Immigrant Pathways Colorado has created a new cookbook called Together at the Table. It has recipes from around the world, and includes some recipes from immigrants they have already helped in the past. The charity was founded by Susan Thornton who says, “Yes, many of our foods are different, many of our recipes are different, but when we make them and we sit down to eat together the world comes together. People start to understand each other.”

The money that they raise from the book will be put towards the One-Immigrant-At-A-Time program. This provides self-development grants to legal immigrants and to refugees and asylum seekers. Learn more about the cookbooks and get your copy today!

Which States Give Most?

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

It’s interesting to think about which states are more generous than others. If you had to make a list of states that are generous – which ones would be on the list? And why would those states be more generous than others? According to a WalletHub study that was done late in 2020, the three most generous states are….Utah, Minnesota and Maryland. These three were followed by: Oregon, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Dakota, Maine and Colorado.

States that led in terms of volunteering? Utah, Minnesota and Oregon.

The states that settled at the bottom of these rankings included Louisiana, New Mexico and Arizona. And California, a states that has the highest GDP per state in the country, was the state with the least amount of volunteering time and service.

Learn more and see more detailed results to see how your state did.

Donor Lists – Public or Private?

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

This article helps to shed light on a fascinating court case that will soon come before the Supreme Court. Does it make sense that states should be able to demand donor lists? States argue that they need donor lists because “They say states should be able to demand donor lists if doing so helps them root out fraud.” But many people and organizations argue that it should be kept completely private if you donate to someone or to an organization and that it should not be used against you, should it become public.

As the article explains, “The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Monday. Its eventual ruling, expected before the end of June, could redefine donor relations and even one day lead to new rules for election campaigns, legal experts say.”

This is certainly a topic that has an impact on many people and organizations and is one worth following.

Helping Others around Mother’s Day

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund InternationalTagged:

Mother’s Day is a time to wish the women in our lives well, but it’s also a great time to do something for others. Here are two examples of people doing just that.

Children’s book author Marianne Richmond is getting together with the charity Miracle Flights for a Mother’s Day story time event that will take place on Saturday, May 8. Her reading will take place during a larger event called the Miracle Flights “Smiles with Miles” virtual kids club. As Richmond explained her desire to give,

“I have much empathy and admiration for the families facing medical challenges. I experienced much alone-ness in my own journey, so watching Miracle Flights come alongside families touches me deeply. As a mom now to four kids myself, I think I speak for many parents and caregivers who want our kids to know, ‘Come what may, I’m here and available.'”

Another lovely initiative is being driven by award-winning pastry chef Antonio Bachour. He is currently having a month-long fundraiser where all pastry and dessert sales from his two restaurants will donate 10% of the sales for the month to the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of South Florida.

Chef Antonio knows about the many people the Ronald McDonald House helps first-hand. He was sick with cancer as a child and experienced the benefits offered by their warm, caring environment.

Giving Increases with COVID-19

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By JohnPosted In: Charity Activity, ChildFund InternationalTagged: , , ,

A recent survey has shed some interesting light on the type of giving that Americans did during the COVID pandemic in 2020. Smile Train, the largest cleft charity in the world, examined how Americans prioritized their giving during 2020 in a report called Caring Amid Crisis: How COVID-19 Influenced American Donations. There were many interesting takeaways from their research, including that they found that 91% of those surveyed felt it was more important now than pre-COVID to support charities and fundraising.

Here are some other interesting findings. 56% of Americans made some type of a monetary donation during the COVID pandemic. Older people are more likely to give money, while younger people give more of their time. Finally, the majority of donations that are being made are to organizations that help children or the homeless.

See more of the details from the survey to learn more interesting details and findings.

Helping in Texas

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

As Texas tries to dig out of the massive storm they’ve just experienced, there is ample opportunity for so many to be helpful. Many locations in Texas experiences the worst storms that they’ve had in decades, with so many being without power and water for days on end.

Here is a list, from Houstonia Magazine of many places that are helping those in need – and that could definitely use your assistance at this time.

American Red Cross:  redcross.org/local/texas/gulf-coast.

CrowdSource Rescue: Check out crowdsourcerescue.com for more information. 

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center:  Find a spot to donate at giveblood.org.

Houston Area Women’s Center:  Learn more about what it does and how to donate at hawc.org.

Houston Food Bank: Go to houstonfoodbank.org to find out more. 

Here is a similar list of ways to help for those in Dallas.

Being part of the solution matters and every little bit helps.