Oprah is famous for being rich, but she's also famous for being generous in her efforts to give back and make the world a better place. Oprah has her hands in a lot of charitable causes, but one of the most successful is Oprah's Angel Network. Started in 1997 as part of a smaller project that took off somewhat unexpectedly, today Oprah's Angel Network has raised more than $70 million dollars towards improving access to education, protecting people's basic rights, building communities, and creating the leaders of tomorrow.

The world depends on honeybees to pollinate the flowers of many favorite foods, flowers, and plant life, thereby continuing the circle of life. As much as 1/3 of our food supply counts on the work of honeybees! Honeybees are in jeopardy, though, so we all need to pay attention and do what we can to help bring them back. Premium ice cream maker Häagen Dazs has launched a "Help the Honeybees" campaign that aims to educate and inspire people by showing them how to spread the message and make a difference in their own area, and also Häagen Dazs will commit funds to the cause every time somebody buys one of their "bee dependent" flavors. The website has a lot going on (plus I think it's beautiful to look at!) so be sure to check it out and maybe enjoy some ice cream for dessert tonight.

Partners in Preservation is an alliance between American Express and The National Trust for Historic Preservation and is geared towards the preservation of historic sites all across the US. The initiative involves over $5 million in funds and is spread out over a 5 year period, with the first two years' efforts focusing on Chicago and San Francisco and this year New Orleans.

Nine sites in New Orleans have been nominated for the project and include everything from churches and cemeteries to the building known as "The Birthplace of Jazz." Want to learn more and get involved? Click here.



Thanks Chris!

We constantly hear about big givers, but today's charity One Buck for the Planet focuses on small giving, and lots of it. Based on the simple principal that if millions of people each give a dollar, huge change is possible. One Buck works with only the best green earth charities; the Surfrider Foundation, Trees for the Future, Conservation International and many more. They distribute all donations received to one of the groups they trust to get things done! They take the guess work out of donating for you, no need to spend time trying to figure out which charity to give to. So simple and easy...I love this charity. Who can't afford to give a dollar to help keep the earth healthy for generations to come. Pass the word on about this cool charity!

Adopt-A-Minefield (AAM) is a charity that helps clear some of the tens of millions of land mines that contaminate our world, as well as providing medical care and support to victims of land mines and their families. Landmines are brutal weapons that maim or kill 15,000 to 20,000 civilians every year! Adopt-A-Minefield currently provides mine clearance in six countries: Afghanistan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cambodia, Croatia, Mozambique and Vietnam. AAM is always in search of generous sponsors to adopt minefields that the United Nations has identified as being in desperate need of clearance. Every dollar raised is forwarded to the United Nations for mine clearance. To learn more about how your donation can help the urgent global landmine crisis visit their website.

Goods for Good has a simple goal, to redistribute excess goods that sit unused in the US, to needy children in Africa. They provide much needed school supplies, clothing, and health and hygiene products to children in crisis, while at the same time reducing waste and overstock at home. Donations are received from a wide range of companies and the sorting and shipping is done by volunteers. If your company has outdated or unused inventory (office supplies, fabric, teaching or marketing tools...) that you wish to discard in an environmentally friendly way, contact this worthwhile organization today!

Today's charity is Kiva! Have you heard of it? It's genius! Kiva's mission is to alleviate poverty by allowing individuals to loan money to people in need in the developing world. It's the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website. You simply browse the profiles and choose which entrepreneur you want to lend to, business ideas vary widely, as do the amounts that people are requesting. Some people only need a few hundred dollars to start their dream business! You can loan as little as $25, or you can loan thousands. I plan on loaning to a woman who needs to purchase yam seeds, corn, palm oil, bananas, and peppers for her small business. I am so excited about this innovative charity, check it out!

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) was founded on the core belief that veterans are our nations greatest citizens. WWP's goal is to raise awareness and enlist the public's help for severely injured service men and women. Some of the wonderful services provided by this amazing organization include medical care and stress counseling for the wounded as well as financial support for families of the wounded, including housing, food, child care, and transportation costs to the hospital so the service member does not have to recover alone. They offer a variety of ways you can help through fundraisers and corporate donations. A donation of $99 or more purchases a backpack for one soldier, filled with much-needed comfort items such as toiletries and other personal goods. They also have a great online store, with clothing and other cool WWP goods. I love this charity!

The Nancy Davis Foundation was created in 1993, after Nancy learned she had multiple sclerosis. She was told by her doctor she would be lucky to even be able to perform simple tasks for much longer. Determined to prove her doctors dismal diagnosis wrong, she vowed to keep a positive attitude, an active lifestyle, and search for a cure. Today, the Race to Erase MS has grown into a spectacular celebrity gala benefit held annually, with over $30 million raised for multiple sclerosis research to date! All earnings go directly to one of the nation's top MS research centers. Here's a fashionable and easy way you can help, by purchasing a Nancy Davis MS T-Shirt. Cute and affordable, (only $25) that's a purchase you can feel good about!

Invisible Children is a charity that helps the impoverished children of Northern Uganda, in 2005 they started the Bracelet Campaign. Each bracelet is handmade in Uganda from reed and recycled wire and comes with a short film that tells the story of a child who has been affected by the war . After decades of war and upheaval, northern Uganda's economy has been decimated. Millions have been relocated to camps where they must depend on rations from international aid. The bracelet program provides work to the displaced families, and provides them with much needed income. Bracelets come in four different styles, and cost $20. What a great conversation piece, you can educate people by wearing one, and feel fabulous about helping a person in need.

For over 40 years, Friends of the Orphans has been helping orphaned children throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Every day, Friends of the Orphans supports over 3,500 children in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru. Children become orphans a number of ways, many lose parents to HIV/AIDS, many impoverished parents simply cannot afford to care for their children so they abandon them. Orphaned children are at high risk of being exploited, either through child labor or the sex industry. Friends of The Orphans has orphanages in nine countries, the one shown above is in Nicaragua and houses 324 children. The homes have no set age limits or time restrictions, children and teens can stay as long as they want! In return they serve one year as volunteers, helping new children who arrive daily. Thankfully there are organizations like Friends of the Orphans, that refuse to turn their back on those who need help. To learn how your donation can sponsor a deserving children visit their website.

Conservation International has been protecting our earth creatures for the last two decades. They operate on the simple principal that when human beings live harmoniously with nature instead of exploiting it, both will thrive. Their website lists a shocking statistic that I wasn't aware of, every twenty seconds one species becomes extinct!! That's a pace a thousand times faster than has ever been seen during Earth's history! How can this be happening? Climate change and habitat destruction are to blame. Conservation International is on the front line of the battle to save creatures that are in peril. They conducted the first ever Global Amphibian Assessment, a study which provided vital information on the state of every amphibian species on earth! They are currently doing similar groundbreaking research on sharks. This is one of the hardest working and most exceptional charities I've read about, visit their fabulous website (tons of amazing video and pictures) to sign petitions and see the many ways you can donate.

The Global Campaign For Education (GCE) is a movement of people worldwide who share the common belief that education should be a basic human right. Quality public education is key in ending the cycle of poverty and in reducing inequality. Sadly all over the globe millions of children don't attend school. GCE brings public awareness to this problem and pressures government to make changes. Latin singing sensation Shakira recently went before congress on behalf of GCE, seeking US aid for education programs in poor nations. I love when celebrities help raise awareness for important issues and I can't think of a better one than this. Education shouldn't be a privilege, it's a basic human need and should be available free of charge to ALL. Join the millions who support GCE!

Vitamin Angles is a charity devoted to ending childhood diseases caused by micronutrient deficiencies worldwide, their primary focus being childhood blindness as a result of Vitamin A defiency. Their Operation 20/20 vows to achieve this goal by the year 2020. This year alone, Vitamin Angels expansive reach will provide 4.5 million children in 18 countries, the necessary nutrients to save their eyesight. The amazing part is that it costs only $1 to save a child's vision! Recently LA Ink's Kat Von D, raised enough money for Vitamin Angels to save 32,000 children from going blind, what a huge accomplishment! To learn how she did it and how you too can help visit vitaminangels.org.

Girls Inc: Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Aiming their efforts to all girls, but especially focusing on girls living in high-risk underserved areas, Girls Inc. can be traced back as far as 1864 and was initially started during the Industrial Revolution for the women who were just starting to seek jobs in the textile mills and factories. In todays world the programs aim to help girls and young women triumph over violence and drug issues, and to master important life skills like literacy and personal health.