Today's Charity of the Day is co-owned by none other than Madonna herself. When Michael Berg and Madonna founded Raising Malawi (RM), their goal was to help over one million orphaned children in Malawi that suffer from deadly diseases, extreme poverty and the effects of severe drought. Raising Malawi volunteers are hard at work, fund-raising, conducting research, and raising awareness. Check out this organization's website, there is a heartwarming and educational letter that Madonna wrote about Malawi and the children that reside there.Posts with tag donation
Raising Malawi, Charity of the Day
Today's Charity of the Day is co-owned by none other than Madonna herself. When Michael Berg and Madonna founded Raising Malawi (RM), their goal was to help over one million orphaned children in Malawi that suffer from deadly diseases, extreme poverty and the effects of severe drought. Raising Malawi volunteers are hard at work, fund-raising, conducting research, and raising awareness. Check out this organization's website, there is a heartwarming and educational letter that Madonna wrote about Malawi and the children that reside there.Adopt-A-Minefield, Charity of the Day
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.Scottish Millionaire To Give Fortune to Charity
We love the stories of big donations, this one comes from Scotland. Duncan Bannatyne, a panellist on BBC One's Dragons' Den, has announced that he is setting up a foundation to give his money away. He has promised to leave most of his £200 million fortune, made through nursing homes and health clubs, to charity. The Scotsman quotes Bannatyne as saying that he believes giving away the money you make is the best reason for making it in the first place.Bannatyne, who has six children, has also made a documentary called Britain's Rich List: Giving It Away which will show him meeting other wealthy people, finding out what they are doing with their money and persuading them to give more money to charity.
Cosmetics Chairman Gives Big Museum Gift
Cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies, has made New York's Whitney Museum of American Art feel pretty this week. He has donated $131 million which is the largest donation ever received by the museum in its 77-year history.Lauder is also the museum's chairman and donated the money through his arts foundation, The American Contemporary Art Foundation Inc. The money was given partially to ensure that museum will keep the Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue at 75th Street even though it plans to open a satellite museum in the meatpacking district. The Whitney specializes in 20th and 21st- century American art and has the largest body of work by Alexander Calder in any museum. Lauder had a net worth of $3.2 billion in 2007 according to Forbes.
Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC), Charity of the Day
By now we've all heard about the devastating effects of global warming, (I picture a polar bear trying to find his favorite ice berg that just isn't there anymore). The Alaska Marine Conservation Council (AMCC) is based in Anchorage, and it's members include marine scientists and conservationists, as well as concerned citizens from across the globe. While the rapid loss of ice in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean is a main concerns of the AMCC, they also focus on helping the local economy and preserving coastal traditions. Protecting local bays from certain types of damaging fishing practices are also among their efforts to preserve the beautiful coastal area. The AMCC receives much praise for their work and they rely on the growing concern of the general public to help them further their achievements. Visit the website to sign up for their quarterly newsletter, Sea Change to learn more. Simple practices like turning off lights around your house or buying products that have earned the "energy star" are easy ways you can help preserve Alaskas fragile costal environment.
Food Gatherers, Charity Of The Day
Oprah recently had a episode about a movement of people that live solely on goods they can obtain for free. They call themselves Freegans, and consume a diet based primarily on foods that have been thrown away by grocery stores and restaurants. The amount of fresh, packaged and not expired food that is thrown away everyday in the US, is shocking! The Food Gatherers charity operates on the same principal. Food Gatherers goal is to alleviate hunger and eliminate its cause by reducing food waste through the rescue and distribution of perishable and non perishable food. Food Gatherers currently supplies the Salvation Army and other organizations that feed the hungry, with enough goods for 7,700 meals A DAY! Food that would have otherwise been thrown away!
The food is gathered from local markets and restaurants in the Michigan area where the program is run. Food Gatherers is growing by the day, expanding through the purchase of more vehicles which allows them to deliver more food, to more places. Food Gatherers is the top food bank in the Nation, and was recently recognized as a top-performing charity by Charity Navigator. The organization also sits in the number one spot on the Nation's best "food banks, food pantries and food distribution" category. Hopefully one day every city will have a similar program! Check out foodgatheres.org for ways you can help.
International Exotic Animal Sanctuary
The International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, or IEAS, was founded in 1988 in Boyd Texas and is currently home to 58 felines (bobcats, cougars, jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers) and 7 bears. The goal of IEAS is to care for exotic animals that have been confiscated from places (circuses, animal shows, zoos) where they were being abused, exploited, neglected or otherwise mistreated. With a highly trained staff comprised of animal behaviorists and veterinarians, many sick and injured lions and tigers receive the expensive care they require at this amazing facility. The sanctuary is green and as cage free as possible with every effort being made to make these magnificent animals feel at home. Due to the high cost of caring for the animals the facility has to turn down animals each day! Programs are available for individuals or groups to sponsor an animal that desperately needs to live at the sanctuary.
I researched this charity to make sure it is spending it's funds properly, and it is! In fact it comes highly recommended by the charity navigator (your guide to intelligent giving) website, which rates charities. Always verify a charity's history before giving, sadly some organizations take advantage of peoples generosity.
Please check out the sanctuary's website here (bigcat.org) and see for yourself the second chance at life the animals are being given.
Eli Broad Puts His Name On a Museum But Pulls His Art
Bad news for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and other institutions, billionaire Eli Broad has announced that he is not giving away any of his 2,000 art works to them. Instead Broad has decided that his art will be retained by his Broad Art Foundation. His foundation, which was established in 1984 and has made 7,000 loans of art to institutions around the world. Broad, who is 74 and a founder and former chief executive officer of the homebuilder KB Home and insurer SunAmerica Inc., sees his foundation as an art lending library which could be a model for other collectors who are worried that their pieces, once donated, will end up in storage rather than taking pride of place in a museum. Broad's foundation in Santa Monica currently has 20,000 square feet for showing the art that is not loaned out.Broad's status as a collector (he is one of the world's top ten collectors) means that his decision will have an impact on how other aging collectors think about their future plans for art, wondering if they too should find an option that will make sure that their accrued works don't end up in a museum's storage. What makes Broad's decision particularly interesting is the timing, next month the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is opening the $56 million Broad Contemporary Art Museum, a building designed by Renzo Piano and financed by Broad, ostensibly for the purpose of showcasing his art. The new museum will still have favored nation status so much of the art will hang there but there is a big differenc between loaned art and owned art, especially in terms of the leverage that a large and important collection provides. Museums often go through elaborate courting processes with big fish donors spending a great deal of time and money in the hopes of getting a valuable donation.
One thing I wonder is whether or not Broad will get the same tax breaks for leaving the art in his own foundation versus donation.
The Elephant Sanctuary, Charity of the Day
Established in 1995 and existing on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary is devoted to providing a safe refuge for endangered Asian and African elephants that are old, needy, and sick after being retired from zoos and circuses. It is also passionate about educating others on the crisis facing these large and gentle creatures, and working to stop the capture and training of elephants from their natural habitats to perform in circuses and safaris. They have 23 elephants total in the sanctuary, and you can meet them all by name and picture and either send a general donation or sponsor a specific "girl" after reading each of their bios and getting to know them in photo albums.Make-A-Wish Foundation, Charity of the Day
The holiday season is all about wishes. One charity that grants wishes all year long is the Make-A-Wish Foundation which, since 1980, has helped children with life-threatening medical conditions make their dreams come true. Wishes vary from wanting to take a special trip, exploring a future career that they would like to be for a day (firefighter, model etc.), meeting a celebrity or a famous athlete or receiving a gift like a computer.
The granting of the wishes is often done by volunteers. I have a friend who has been volunteering with Make-A-Wish for years and he has as much fun helping kids fulfill their dreams as they do carrying them out. The donations provide the volunteers with the funds necessary to create the wishes. The Make-A-Wish Foundation has a wide variety of cards, e-cards and certificates that are great for last-minute holiday giving.They have also partnered with a variety of retailers so that you can shop for a good cause.
Habitat for Humanity, Charity of the Day
Need a last minute gift that will last a lifetime? Consider a Gift from the Heart supporting Habitat for Humanity. With a minimum donation of $10 your gift to honor or memorialize another will provide a decent, safe home for someone in need. This purchase which supports the supplies, materials and time to make a home for a family is definitely money well spent. This holiday season consider your own blessings and put a roof over another's head.
The Global Fund, Charity of the Day
You are probably familiar with (RED) the charity which has raised millions of dollars for HIV/AIDs treatment through a variety of commerce-related tie-ins such as sneakers, watches, clothing and gadgets from retailers that include Armani, the Gap and Motorola. Much of the money from Project (RED) has been given to The Global Fund which saves lives by providing resources for countries struggling against the spread of disease. The latest (RED) project is designed to tempt well-heeled art collectors. Artist Damien Hirst has put his considerable skills of promotion to good use by inviting more than 100 artists to contribute to an auction to benefit (RED), The auction will be held on Valentine's Day next year in New York. The pieces are inspired by the color red and dedicated to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. Contributing artists include Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Matthew Barney, Georg Baselitz, Cecily Brown, Douglas Gordon and of course Hirst himself who has contributed seven works including a red heart-shaped butterfly painting entitled All You Need is Love.
Money raised by the auction will go directly to The Global Fund. You may not be able to buy a Hirst original but any donation to The Global Fund is worthwhile. The Global Fund has might great strides in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. All of your donation will go to the Global Fund and its programs with no portion being diverted for administrative costs by the United Nations Foundation.
[via AP]
A preview of some of the works was held on December 5. Pictures are below in the gallery.
Gallery: Auction (RED)
The Nature Conservancy, Charity of the Day
Today is the fourth entry in our month-long series that looks at end-of-the-year gift giving. The Nature Conservancy has some very interesting options for your holiday giving. The charity, which helps protect ecologically important lands and waters for both nature and people, has gift options in a variety of price tiers. For $50,000 you can sponsor a scientific expedition that will bear your recipient's name. For $32,000 you can protect a mile of land in Costa Rica. You can also donate to help to protect coral reefs and sponsor land by the acre in the U.S. The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide and they are involved in over 100 marine conservation projects globally. The easiest way to give is to donate a gift membership. The membership will include a Nature Gift Card announcing your present and all membership materials including a Conservancy membership card. This includes the Nature Conservancy magazine and invitations to participate in local events at Nature Conservancy preserves, which can be a fun and educational experience.The Humane Society, Charity of the Day
Most people have heard of The Humane Society of the United States and know that it helps to protect dogs and cats but the Humane Society is also involved with wildlife and habitat protection and much, much more. They also have a Veterinarians Without Borders program that helps to provide animal care in other nations. The Humane Society also advocates for animals by endorsing sensible public policies, investigating cruelty and working to enforce existing laws. They also work with corporations on behalf of animal-friendly policies and are lead disaster relief agency for animals. The Humane Society makes a great donation gift for any animal lover. For the holiday season they have created a 2007 collectible ornament which can be given as a gift for $50. Donate $90 and they will send one to your recipient and one to you as well. All gift recipients of $25 also receive a subscription to The Humane Society's Magazine, All Animals, and a holiday greeting card.
Charles Criticized for Auction Donation
Prince Charles is being heavily criticized for his choice of donation to a charitable auction. After meeting some members of the Ballater Charitable Chiels in Scotland, he donated a hunting trip for four on the Balmoral Estate, complete with professional trackers, to their silent auction, which benefits breast cancer and other charities. The value of the package is about £2,000, but the fact that the money would go to charity is no consolation to animal rights activists, who are questioning whether this is an appropriate gift because it supports the suffering of animals.
