Gifts With An Impact

I love receiving a gift that has an extended reach and makes an impact in our communities. I've noticed this year in particular that more people have been posting gift ideas that benefit charity and was thrilled to see that more folks are looking to extend the impact of their giving.

Many artists and crafters have chosen to partner with charities by allowing a portion of the sale proceeds to benefit the organizations. It's always interesting to me to see which charities they choose. Not only does the charity benefit monetarily, but the additional exposure is tremendously beneficial to them.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that one of my cherished Christmas gifts benefits a worthy cause. My beautiful little Santa figurine created by folk artist, Jim Shore, supports The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's efforts of preservation, research, and educational programs for the world's largest living history museum in Williamsburg, VA. I'll be delighted to pull out that figurine every year and be reminded of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation's fine efforts.

There are thousands of opportunities to purchase a gift that benefits a charitable organization. I follow a wonderful organization on facebook called Made By Survivors that fights human trafficking and slavery. Their beautiful fair trade jewelry items, handbags and gifts are made by survivors of slavery at shelters around the world, offering them sustainable income, dignity and a bright future.

For a fun and unique shopping experience, check out Breadpig.com. The mission of this clever establishment is to "help make the world suck less by selling you the geeky things you love and giving all the profits to good causes." Carrying t-shirts, books, posters and more, proceeds benefit organizations such as Mercy Corps, SPCA, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Nature Conservancy and smaller literacy, housing and cancer organizations.

Another unique organization is called Baking for Good. They sell "irresistible cookie gifts" that benefit the charity of your choice.

Of course, the World Wildlife Fund has all those cute little stuffed animals that you can adopt and give as gifts. Through Heifer International you can give the gift of chicks, goats, sheep and the like to families in struggling countries. And, St. Jude's Childrens Research Hospital has lots of unique gifts for kids.

Selecting an item that benefits a worthy cause shows a heightened level of thoughtfulness and compassion. Your recipient is sure to be pleased with the gift and the charity selected will undoubtedly be grateful for the support.

Happy 2012 giving!
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Addendum: Right after I posted this, I received a tip from The Hunger Site about fair trade gifts.  You can also link to stores benefiting breast cancer, animals, veterans, autism, child health, literacy and the rain forest!  Cute stuff, too!

May & June Charities - For the Birds...

Several weeks ago, we went on a camping trip with some friends to Falls Lake State Recreation Park. The shaded spot we chose was right on the water, surrounded by tall pines and maples with birds chirping and fish splashing in the lake. The park offered a free migratory bird program and we had the chance to wander along the beach and through the forests spotting ospreys, eagles, hawks, songbirds and gulls. It was fascinating to learn about their migration patterns and seasonal activities.

So, having just been so absorbed in the lives of birds and blissfully entrenched in natural environs, it's been more than disturbing for us to hear about the terrible conditions of wildlife habitats in the Gulf due to the BP Oil Spill. Recently, we caught a story on NPR about the plight of the brown pelicans on the nesting islands near Grand Isle Louisiana. One biologist, who has been helping to catch the birds so that they can be cleaned and released off the coast of Florida, was choking back tears while she was interviewed; which made me choke back tears of course. A few simple Google searches will bring up photos that will break your heart.

As we've been researching the oil spill online, it's heartwarming to see all the public response to helping the wildlife in the Gulf: kids holding lemonade stands fundraisers and teens organizing garage sales. I was especially intrigued by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Wildlife Triage Center through which hundreds of birds have been processed.

Of course, there are lots of invaluable charities that are helping these habitats and all of them are worthy organizations doing great work. We decided that we not only wanted to help birds, but also help the other natural resources in the gulf. So, for the months of May & June, we have selected The Audubon Society and The Envronmental Defense Fund.

The Audubon Society responded to the oil spill almost immediately, sending volunteers from the Louisiana Coastal Restoration and Mississippi River Initiative. They opened a volunteer response center in Mississippi for the rescue of birds and are working on long-term recovery efforts. Thousands of volunteers are still in the trenches, making nets and cages to help.

The Environmental Defense Fund is not only helping on the ground with recovery efforts, but they are also restoring the coast, establishing clean-energy regulations, and establishing scientific research to track the ongoing impact of oil on the environment. We appreciate and applaud this multi-faceted approach to the disaster.

Learn more about these two tremendous organizations! You can follow the Environmental Defense Fund on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund and the Audubon Society @audubonsociety.

Additional Resources:
BP Oil Gulf Response Home Page
Deepwater Horizon Response Website

March Charity Selected!

Ignite Raleigh is a series of interesting, unusual and inspiring 5-minute presentations made by local professionals, techies and folks from all walks of life crammed together in one 3 hour event. We attended the most recent gathering that was free but they asked that everyone make a contribution to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity that connects donors to classrooms in need.

When our family sat down to discuss our charitable options for this month, of course, DonorsChoose.org was one of them. We considered health organizations like Operation Smile, humanitarian agencies like the Salvation Army, groups like the SPCA of Wake County and other global poverty organizations like The Hunger Project.

We decided to take a closer look at DonorsChoose and found one high poverty classroom in particular that was looking for science kits. The teacher shared that "We are a rural Title I school in North Carolina. 97% of our students receive free or reduced lunch on a daily basis. Many of them do not have televisions, take vacations or even have a chance to leave this town. I want to bring the world to their fingertips through these experiments and realistic pictures." That bit of information sealed the deal.

Our charity for the month of March is DonorsChoose.org. We've selected Ms. B's Classroom in North Carolina and chose her project "Bringing Science Vocabulary to Life" for the purchase of science kits.

Talk about designating your gift! That is one very specific contribution and we are so happy to help!

Donate Without Spending a Dime

Stick to your budget and still support great organizations all over the world. In fact, these suggestions don't require a dime... just a little time and coordination!

"Click to Give" websites use advertising money to fund charities. Through GreaterGood.com, you can choose your favorite: hunger, breast cancer, child health, animal rescue, rainforest or literacy! Just a click a day will support some very worthy causes!

If you want something a little more challenging, try FreeRice.com. Simply answer trivia or vocabulary questions. For every answer you get right, sponsors donate 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme. Learn art, history, math or a foreign language!

How about donating to your favorite cause while surfing the web? GoodSearch.com and iGive.com will donate every time you use their search engine. Select your charity and browse away!

Have furniture or clothing to donate, but no time to drive to the nearest thrift store or church? Call for a pickup from Vietnam Veterans of America. Log on, schedule time and leave your items by the street. Now that's convenient!

New Eyes for the Needy will take your old eyeglasses and redistribute them to poor children and adults in the US and in developing nations worldwide.

What to do with all those old cell phones? Donate them to a good cause, of course, and there are plenty out there. Two national organizations make it easy: National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Cell Phones for Soldiers.

Tired of making hair appointments? Take a hiatus for a good cause. Grow your hair and give to Locks of Love, an organization that provides wigs to kids with cancer and other medical long-term hair loss.

If you're not squeamish about needles, donate blood through the American Red Cross. Only 3 out of 100 Americans donate blood and the need is tremendous.

Hop on board and help make a difference!