Beyond the Coffee Beans

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By JohnPosted In: Charity in BusinessTagged: , , , ,

As part of its Origin Grants program, Starbucks Corporation has invested over $14 million in nonprofits that help women and girls around the world. The company has just announced its goal to support an additional one million by 2030, largely focusing on communities that grow coffee, tea, and cocoa. One of its pilot programs includes working with women entrepreneurs in rural areas of Guatemala, in conjunction with the Wakami Foundation. The goal is to guide them to recruit their peers and produce top-notch marketable items that could potentially be sold globally. They are also developing plans which will use their agricultural backgrounds to raise and export new products.

Michelle Burns, Starbucks Executive Vice President of Global Coffee, Tea, and Cocoa and nonprofit Board Member, explains the rationale behind the project: “We have a vision to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all…[that] goes beyond farmers and farm workers to also supporting the well-being of all those in coffee communities, helping everyone thrive.” She and the Starbucks team are proud of the opportunities women and girls are being given to engage in leadership within their communities which can significantly impact their futures.

A Bear of a Walk for Charity

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged:

It’s hard to believe we didn’t hear about this when it happened – but at least we can bring you the story now. In April 2021, a young man named Jesse Larios decided to dress up in a massive bear suit and to walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco for charity.

By the time he arrived in San Francisco, he had quite a following, he had walked 482 miles and he had collected money for charity.

Larios first had the idea of donning the suit for a marathon, which he did in 2016. He then got the idea to go even farther, and ended up camping outside in the bear suit and wearing it for the entire walk from LA to SF. By the end of the journey he had collected about $17,000 for charitable causes.

Many videos of his escapades can be enjoyed online!

Each Thread Counts

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged: ,

This video offers an amazing example of how every person really can make a difference. There is an old saying about the power of giving a person a fish, versus teaching them to fish. Here, this 17 year old is truly teaching immigrant women how to fish for themselves and to make a living through sewing. Learn more about this incredible program called All Sorts Clothing and see how you can get involved.

Jewelry That Gives Back

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By JohnPosted In: Charity in BusinessTagged: ,

Sometimes you just want to purchase something because it’s pretty, or inexpensive, or goes with an outfit you already own. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, however, if we all considered how environmentally conscious and how charitable our purchases were?

One great example is a jewelry company called Awe Inspired. Founded in 2018 by cancer survivor Jill Johnson and her son Max, the company is one worth knowing. Their jewelry is made with the finest materials and uses only fair labor and sustainability.

One of the most impressive parts of Awe Inspired is their charitable efforts. They have, to date, given over $700,000 to organizations, donating 20% of all proceeds to their charitable partners. Each of their partners focuses on directly impacting the lives of women who have overcome adversity. This includes CancerCare, The American Nurses Foundation’s Coronavirus Fund for Nurses, Emily’s List, the NAACP, NAMI and RAINN.

It’s companies like Awe Inspired that allow people to make meaningful purchases that both benefit the purchaser and so many others in need. You can make a difference just by checking on the companies that you purchase from and seeing if they give generously from their profits. Everyone wins when they do.

Elton John and Ed Sheeran Bring Holiday Cheer

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

The holiday season can be a joyous, wonderful time but it can also be a very hard one for many people. This year, some big names in the music industry are using their talent to bring cheer to others, and to raise money for important charities.

Elton John and Ed Sheeran have recently teamed up with a charity single called “Merry Christmas” that was just released by Asylum/Atlantic. Jason Koenig has directed the accompanying video.

The song was written by many superstars and was produced by Steve Mac.

All publishing royalties and sales will be donated equally to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Fashion Forward Clothing for Kids with Medical Needs

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By JohnPosted In: Charity ActivityTagged:

This is an incredible story about making lemonade when life gives you lemons. In a freak accident more than a year ago, Laila Susini nearly lost her life. She was swinging on a porch swing, when the eyebolt that holds the swing together detached from the ceiling and went through her skull.

Doctors and nurses at Cedars Sinai Medical Center saved her life during a five hour operation. Today, Laila’s left arm is paralyzed, but she is forging ahead with a full life and a new fashion line. Her fashionable and comfortable clothing, called LATE Clothing LA, is intended to help other children who live with medical devices and need slightly reimagined clothing.

The clothing line is worth checking out, and the story of inspiration is worth reading.

Helping with Food Scarcity in Vermont

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

Here is a really nice story of giving. We all know that Vermont is a very cold place in the winter, and this is obviously an issue for people who are homeless. In Northfield, Vermont there is a sock company doing something about it. Darn Tough Vermont has been partnering with the Vermont Foodbank for many years. During COVID-19, they started making a special pair of socks with the sales from those socks going directly to the food bank. So far, they’ve been able to provide 925,000 meals to hungry people in Vermont with those sales.

Read more about their foodbank giving program and the amazing things they’ve done to help people.

Charitable Giving Among Affluent Americans

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By JohnPosted In: ChildFund International

A fascinating study looking at the differences in giving for affluent Americans over 40, versus Millennial and Gen Z donors has found some really interesting changes. The study, the 2021 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy: charitable Giving by Affluent Households, looked at more than 1600 American homes.

The major shift they noticed is one away from giving to organizations and towards issues. Younger people are looking at issues of climate change, race relations and other issues and are putting their money into fixing these crises, rather than to giving to organizations, as older people to to do. Researchers also discovered that givers are using Venmo and GoFundMe for their charitable gifts and engaging in much more direct giving. They also found that women, in particular, give to crowdfunding campaigns more than men.

They also found that approximately 90% of affluent Americans gave to charity in 2020. Volunteering was definitely down in 2020 because of the pandemic; however, interestingly, Americans who did give their time gave twice as much money to charitable causes than did those who did not volunteer.

The study is certainly worth seeing and understanding in more depth.

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.