“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
William James
Have a great weekend! And remember….
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
Ok, so I mentioned that you might be sick of the pink ribbons by the end of the month? I do get it because the Pink Ribbon and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure have re-invented cause marketing for our society and our world.
Nancy Brinker, the founder and Susan G. Komen’s sister has written a book, which tells both her sister’s story as well as her journey in founding one of our countries greatest non-profits that began with a promise.
I thought you might want to see the face behind and the cause and learn more about her personal mission to end breast cancer.
Here it is:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DarUhjOSSM]
Whether you know someone who has been affected by breast cancer or just someone who supports the cause
“The purpose of life is not to be happy – but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all. “
Leo Rosten
As we begin our busy weeks let us be mindful to make some difference with our gifts of time and talent.
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
Mark Twain
Education Matters. Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
“Giving frees us from the familiar territory of our own needs by opening our mind to the unexplained worlds occupied by the needs of others.”
– Barbara Bush
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”
Edward Everett Hale
What a difference a week makes! Last friday I asked each of you to Stand Up 2 Cancer and it seems that you did because friday night alone over $81 million dollars was pledged towards cancer research! When someone says one person can’t make a difference, they are simply wrong. Every drop makes a full bucket.
This week we marked the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks and then saw yet another attack on our Embassy in Libya. The noise we hear each day can be deafening. The bigger the event the smaller we feel. So lets choose to continue to focus on the good and those who inspire, lift us up and make our world a better one.
Remember you can do something, even if its simply a smile. Happy Friday everyone!
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
I am writing this on September 11th and yes I know you are reading this on Sept 12th. This however is not old news, this is about who we are and what defines us. Every year September 11th rolls around and the band aid is ripped off the old wound. New stories arise, the tears flow that you thought had all but dried up. The stories are always about people who made a difference and who inspired on that fateful day eleven years ago.
Each year we mourn for those we lost and yet forget to acknowledge those who were left behind and what they created from their loss. Each week I write about that common thread of tragedy occurring and the defining moment that follows. What do you do? Do you turn to anger, lawsuits and propel the hurt? Or do you use that moment to create a lasting legacy of goodness?
There are so many inspiring non-profits that were created in that horrible aftermath and sadly more than you have time to read but one in particular that amazed me is Beyond the 11th.Org
It’s the story of two widows, Patti Quigley and Susan Retik, who met because they both lost their husbands on United Flight 175 and American Flight 11. Susan and Patti were both pregnant.
Besides being overwhelmed with grief and shock, they were also overwhelmed with people’s generosity. Susan believed that the generosity she had received brought with it a responsibility and wanted to use her voice to make a difference. She and Patti decided in 2003 that they wanted to help the “enemy” the Afghan widows that were also victims in all this. They believed that if they could change the life of just one Afghan widow then they would encourage a dialog and friendship that could somehow guide them through understanding their own loss.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grGCaSdr3eA]
I think the quote on their website from Patti’s brother Jim best sums it up, ” When given a choice between violence and love — they chose love. When given a choice between retribution and restoration of harmony — they chose restoring harmony. When given a choice between death and life — they’ve chosen life. That’s just who they are. It’s who they’ve come to be. It’s who they’ve chosen to be. And because of that, their children are learning to choose life as well.”
So today is Sept 12th. We try to forget until next year rolls around and we then post on our Facebook pages once again “We will never forget.” Lets not forget the Pattis and Susans, lets honor these amazing people who take their sorrow and create lasting goodness. If today was the last day of your life how would you be defined? What is your legacy?
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
If you have been anywhere near a radio or a television you have probably heard about tonight’s StandUp2Cancer broadcast, which will air on all major networks to raise funds for cancer research.
Where did this come from? Who started all this? I certainly didn’t grow up with a show like this. Only the president went across networks. The answer is a woman named Laura Ziskin.
Laura was a Hollywood producer who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She told Variety that year, “When you’re diagnosed with cancer, the last thing you want to do is join a movement. You kind of just want to crawl in a hole.”
However, she didn’t crawl into a hole she created a non-profit, Stand Up 2 Cancer, that turned into an amazing movement. In 2008, after watching former Vice President Al Gore’s documentary she realized, “the power of the medium in which I work to affect how people think.” She used that and all her celebrity pull to create powerful change.
Janet Champ wrote this on the Stand Up 2 Cancer’s web-site and I thought it summed up the one woman force that created this change. She said, “When you or someone you love hears the word ‘cancer’, the air is sucked out of the room. Inside your body a door closes, you can hear it, physically feel it. But Laura took that door and opened it. She refused to be intimidated or bullied or destroyed and she wanted to give others the strength to refuse, as well.
Fredrick Nietsche said ‘If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.’ Cancer is the abyss. What did it see when it gazed into Laura Ziskin? It must have been terrified. Scared shitless, really, by her bravery, courage, utter determination to never blink, never run. Now we have to do the same in her honor. Open the door, look at cancer for the thief it is, and refuse to let it steal any other life, any love. In her name it’s the least we can do.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-nybSklJWk&feature=relmfu]
Laura Ziskin lost her battle last year but tonight you too can Stand Up or I suppose sit up and watch what one amazing woman created that has generated over $180 million dollars for cancer research.
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
With Labor Day and summer sadly behind us and the reality of back to school as well as the demands of life that come with it, this time of year can be bittersweet. While we may secretly crave the routine of the school year we quietly mourn the freedom of long summer days and the relaxed lifestyle that fades as fall approaches.
For 65 million American caregivers, the long days of summer and a carefree life are no longer their reality. Everyday, regardless of the season, means caring for a loved one. whether it is an elderly parent or a sick spouse…which is exactly what happened to Barry Katz, the founder of Lotsa Helping Hands.Com
Like most non-profits, this one started with a life throwing a real curve ball. Barry Katz’s wife, Carole, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and during the four years of her illness their life was turned upside down. Barry juggled caring for his wife, 2 young daughters, his job and the overwhelming offers from friends and family to help. Sadly, when Carole lost her battle with cancer Barry realized the enormous burden that caregivers face and their challenges. He was determined to do something about it.
In 2005 Barry called his friend, Hal Chapel, a technology entrepreneur and asked for his help in launching Lotsa Helping Hands. Barry and Hal were motivated by “their belief that the power of community empowers the individual, and the growing acceptance of social entrepreneurship to link both business and social change.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zBMlBRYKro&feature=relmfu]
So whether you are taking care of an elderly parent, want to help a local military family or a friend that is sick, Lotsa Helping Hands believes that you can create community to help one another in times of need. Barry Katz lost his wife but her legacy of kindness and compassion for others endures. Caring for a caregiver or just one another is a beautiful legacy for us all.
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.
Its Labor Day and I hope this finds you enjoying those last precious moments of rest and relaxation as we celebrate the opposite today, hard work and labor.
I saw these notes from Katie Couric and thought they were well put. So enjoy your holiday and here is to our great nation and all of us who have worked so hard to make it that way.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYSU2fkTitA&feature=fvst]
Happy Labor Day!
Charity Matters.
Copyright © 2012 Charity Matters. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this in your newsreader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright. We would be grateful if you contact us.