Catchin' the Spirit
December 11, 2009 I've jokingly told my friends and family that I'm boycotting Christmas this year, and I bet a lot of you can relate: too much stress, too little time to sit back and remember what it was that you used to love about this time of year, and too many annoying advertisers screeching that you're a bad parent or friend or loved one if you don't BUY STUFF - and lots of it.
But here's the thing: buying the usual run of candles and foot massagers and, yes, even outrageously funny gift books [wink wink] for my loved ones doesn't get me in the holiday spirit. Frankly, most of these gifts don't get them in the spirit, either.
"Gee, you shouldn't have. No, seriously."I found inspiration in the form of Wreckie Collette Yates (no relation) and the Charity Cake-Wreck-a-thon she and some friends recently put together in Brighton. See, they asked friends and community members to bring in horrendously decorated baked goods (and boy, were there some doozies) which they sold at a local train station. In one afternoon they managed to raise 450 pounds for two cancer-fighting charities.
(From the left, that's Rachel, Collette, & Helen)Which got us thinking: If 3 gals can use Cake Wrecks as a springboard to organize something that cool for charity, why can't we? And since Wreckies are some of the most creative, giving, and nattily dressed folks we know....
(You continue to rock, Mary Beth.)So here's the deal: instead of buying gifts or trees or decorations this year, John and I are going to donate a minimum of $200 to a different charity or worthy cause, every day, for the next two weeks.
Which ones?
Well, that's where you come in.
See, we have a few organizations in mind, but certainly not 14. So, I'm asking for your recommendations.What are you passionate about? Where do you volunteer your time, talents, and money? Who do you know that needs help? Tell me in the comments (not e-mail!), so that we all can read and learn and maybe even give a little together.
Oh, and if you're worrying that CW is going to turn into a charity-pushing propaganda site for the next few weeks: don't. I'll just be adding a footnote to each day's post giving you the name of the organization, a one-sentence summary, and a link if you want to learn more.
Now, John and I will be choosing each day's charity based on our own individual passions - which might not match up exactly with your own - but even so I'm going to issue you a little challenge. Ready? Here 'tis:
If you each give one dollar - just one solitary smackeroo - together we can raise over $80,000 each day. BAM. Just like that. Imagine that 14 times over, all for worthy causes. Imagine the number of lives that could impact. Imagine, if you will...the bragging rights.
Yeah, you heard me. When you get involved in something that awesome, you get major bragging rights.
Ok. So. You pumped? You with me? You...ready for this post to be over? Heh, I hear ya.
Today's charity is Charity: Water. These guys use 100% of all donations to drill wells and provide clean drinking water to developing nations. Believe it or not, 1 out of 8 people on the planet lack this basic life-need, and every $5,000 builds a well that serves over 250 people.
Go here to donate your $1. That's the CW campaign page, where you can watch our progress, leave notes, and learn more. (Watch the video: it'll make you do a happy dance.) I've set us an easy goal - just $20K, or 4 wells - so I can't wait to see how far above and beyond that you guys are going to get us.
It's just a dollar, guys. C'mon. Let's do this together.
Note: PayPal *is* an option to donate, if you click here and hit the red donate button. A few caveats, though: PayPal takes $.30 of your dollar in fees, and your donation can't be tracked as part of the CW campaign that way. However, the point here is to give, so if you're only comfortable using PayPal, then please do so!
Reader Comments (1529)
I.N. Network, work to free the Trokosi women of Ghana, West Africa. The Trokosi practice (Trokosi is a Ghanaian word meaning "slaves to the Gods") has been enslaving young virgin girls in ritualistic sexual bondage.
http://www.innetworkusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=45
http://thegreatergoodonline.org/index2.html
The Greater Good Foundation is a charitable organization that helps to bond non-profit organizations together for one goal - The Greater Good. They are working to spread this organization across the nation.
"We will assist the common wealth within all our communities. We will bring joy to the faces of the ill. We will give monetary and spiritual nourishment to those who have lost hope. We will be a modern day vigilante in the face of a dwindling nation."
This is such a brilliant idea! I won`t even suggest any charities -- I`ll go with whatever you guys decide.
Check out City Year (www.cityyear.org). They're an AmeriCorps program that brings together diverse groups of 17-24 year olds for a year of service. These young people work in under-served communities as tutors, mentors, and role models for elementary, middle and high school students during school, after school, and on the weekends. It's an amazing organization that is doing fantastic things for young people around the country.
--Lisa
I know there are lots of animal lovers amongst wreckie readers and instead of supporting the big boys like ASPCA who gets tens of thousands of dollars a year, I am asking for support of my friends non profit animal rescue in TN. She has been struggling to get the funds to finish her shelter while rescuing so many dogs ( and cats) and caring for an ailing husband. She is a nationally known Mixed Media artist and an angel on earth.. her name is Bernie Berlin and her rescue is called a "Place to Bark".
http://www.aplacetobark.com/
I hope you will take the time to read her story.
Thank you for this effort. I will donate as I can!!
Happy Holidays
I've never posted a comment before, though I've been reading CW since close to the beginning! But I felt compelled to suggest a charity that is important to me. Hopeline.com is the Kristen Brooks Hope Center, a suicide prevention hotline. I plan on training to become a line worker at some point in the future (training takes a lot of time and money that I'm not able to devote just yet). I feel like it's an especially suitable charity because depression and suicide rates actually rise during this time of year (aren't we all supposed to be merry?!). Also, according to the site, "Due to the economic state of our country our call volume has increased by over 30%. And our donations conversely for the year are down 47%." I would love to see Hopeline earn a spot as one of your 14 charities this year. And, I am going to take you up on your challenge as well.
Thanks Jen & John for all that you do. Merry Christmas!
I am also a huge fan of animals and will gladly donate to that cause, but I want to champion a cause that has recently fallen close to my heart. My friend Crystal Woodham lost her husband in Iraq, and is now raising 3 children alone. The Snowball Express has been created for people just like her and her family. They treat the families (900 this year) to an all-expenses paid vacation during the Christmas holidays to help lessen the pain of losing a parent or spouse. The families cannot afford anything like this without the help of this organization, and any contributions would go a long way to brightening a family's Christmas season.
Thanks for reading this, even if you don't choose it, I hope someone looks it up and gets interested.
-Jean
http://www.snowballexpress.org/
My heart is for child sex trafficking victims around the world. It truly is modern day slavery. I saw a couple of other people who named some great organizations that work to combat it (riverkids and polaris project were the two that i saw on here). One organization that I really love is iEmpathize, which works to raise awareness and fight against sex trafficking around the world, but particularly in SE Asia.
http://www.iempathize.org/
This is such a great idea to use your influence to really impact the world. Keep up the good work!
This is a terrific idea! I would like to suggest www.mostonline.org for a charity. MOST stands for Mothers of Super Twins, as in more than twins.
MOST is a non-profit organization that provides support and resources for families with Higher Order Multiples (HOMs). Families like mine. We gave birth to quadruplets in 2004 and MOST had so much valuable information about our hospital stay, dealing with multiples everyday, and connecting with other families like mine.
Check out the website. They do so much good-even providing support during Katrina and at holiday times. They help families who have lost a child or children. They provide research and statistics and are routinely sought after for quotes and information from news sources and governmental committees.
Shelley in Southern Illinois
Jen and John,
This is the true meaning of Christmas, and the reason Jesus was born into this world!! I will donate!
Sue
There's a great organization called Puppies Behind Bars that gets prisoners in different jails to train seeing eye and guide dogs (they even have a program specifically to train dogs for returning soldiers).
Helps the people in jail get invested in life again (and get some skills working with animals for when they get released) and helps get dogs trained for people who really need them.
Spread Peace Reno!
www.SpreadPeaceReno.org They feed the homeless and provide gloves, warm clothes, prescription help,etc. They have just secured a building and are trying to raise funds to put together a community center.
Roxanne
Wow! 1357 comments-have you guys got your work cut out for you!
I'd like to put in another bid for Heifer International.
http://www.womenforwomen.org/" rel="nofollow">Women for Women International helps women in war-torn regions with things like rights-awareness education, literacy and vocational training, and micro-credit loans, among other things.
A charity that a lot of people probably don't know about is http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/about_us/" rel="nofollow">Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. They provide memorial photography services for the parents of infants who have passed away. I thought this was kind of morbid when I first heard about it, but once you visit their site, you get a better sense of the kind of comfort that this provides a grieving family.
This is such a great idea-thanks for doing this!
I want to nominate Make a Wish Foundation or something for cancer research. A classmate of mine was diagnosed with cancer at 9 years old. He died at 12, but they gave him a wonderful time and his family a happy memory. I have also had a grandfather and teacher die from cancer, and two of my aunt have had cancer and lived.
Before choosing any charities, I would look them up here: http://www.charitynavigator.org/
They can help you figure out which charities are most effective.
i can't read through all the entries to see if this one has already been posted - so here goes.
heifer international. i heart them. their philosophy runs the line of "teach a man to fish" -- your money, as low as $25 buys a family a source of food and income. like chickens, or a goat - or even a cow. HI teaches them how to first make it a food source for their family and then an income source for them - then their village.
amazing.
Convoy of Hope is a great organization. They provide disaster relief all over the world, but also hold events in cities in the U.S. These events they organize in cities provide food boxes, hair cuts, clothes, job fairs, and so much more to families in need.
After Hurricane Katrina, Convoy of Hope was the first disaster relief organization on the ground in New Orleans. The use 18-wheelers to haul in everything needed to help communities affected by disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, you name it.
The website is: www.convoyofhope.org
What a fantastic idea!! Our charity would have to be the Foundation for Ichthyosis and Related Skin Types. This organization supports children and adults with genetic skin diseases. These conditions are rare but impact the lives of the afflicted and their families greatly. The organization also supports research, hopefully, one day a cure. www.scalyskin.org or info@scalyskin.org. I'll be sending dollars, too.
Julie
Hi,
This is an awesome idea. I will donate but wish to nominate an awesome organinzation. www.mayanfamilies.com. Our son is adopted from Guatemala and we wanted to give back to the country. This organization is a wonderful group of people helping the indeginous people of Guatemala. They have many programs withone sponsoring children to go to school, with out this they would not be able to. Please consider them.
Thanks
Patti D
What, the Grinch got in a knife fight with Santa?
While I would suggest St. Jude's (Helps find cure's for children's disease and what not) I also kind of feel like we should go after the lesser known charities since many of the one's I've read, plus my own, already have a lot of publicity.
What a fabulous idea!
I'm one of the many here who gives most frequently to the ASPCA, so I would love to see it featured.
I'm totally on board for the whole time, though!
Great way to keep the Christmas spirit. Let's keep our Veterans in mind - the Disabled American Veterans www.DAV.org is a great voice for our disabled veterans. Thank-you Cake Wrecks for all the giggles and snorts and now warm fuzzies too !
Our Montessori School is raising money this year for Waves of Hope in Nicaragua, to help children from that country. http://elcocoloconicaragua.com/pdfs/waves-of-hope.pdf
We have had a bake sale, the children bring in money for our Nickels for Nicaragua jar, and we will be collecting toothbrushes for them next week for Christmas. This would be a wonderful charity as it would be helping a lot of people learn to be self-sufficient through the Waves of Hope program!
Wow, what a tremendously awesome idea. I'm sure that you have enough charities to give for the next 140 days, if you so chose to do so, so I won't add to your list.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to join in!
Not sure if anyone's mentioned it, but right there in Orlando (well, actually in Kissimee)is my favorite non-profit-Give Kids the World.
GKTW works with Make-A-Wish and other similar organizations. When one of these terminally ill children wishes to meet Cinderella, swim with dolphins at SeaWorld or any of the other things there are in Orlando, they stay at GKTW's resort. GKTW has free accommodations for the child and his or her whole family! Mom, dad, brothers and sisters all get to go. They have a small apartment rather than just a hotel room, access to free meals, a arcade, a swimming pool, a sundae shop, and a lot more. All free. And the entire resort is built like a child's wonderland. For example the arcade is a train station decorated with enormous Tinker Toys, toy soldiers, stuffed animals, and a child-sized train. The play room is a thatch-roofed castle where Santa Clause comes to visit every Christmas. Christmas at GKTW happens to occur every Thursday evening. And there is the dining hall which is a giant ginger bread house with a cupcake rotunda.
Even if you don't feature Give Kids the World, I would encourage you guys and any of your friends to check it out one day or maybe even volunteer just a little bit of your time. It is certain to change you.
I also urge you to read the story behind their founding and some of the families' stories on their website- www.gktw.org. Be sure to have a box of Kleenex handy.
This may be too late to be considered, but Ronald McDonald House. My niece was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer at age 3. She and her parents traveled from Dallas to NYC for treatments and stayed at RMH. It's amazing what they do. They provided so much, including peace of mind, that we feel we can never repay them completely. It is supported in part by McDonald's. But it mainly runs on donations. I have my companies offices in 3 different states saving can tabs for them. We attend their fund raisers locally and help out as we can. They do so much for families of sick kids, giving them a place to stay and much needed peace of mind during a very hard time.
This charity is very close to my heart. Brittany was adopted at the age of 12 after her mother died of cancer. After High school Brittany went to collage to become a social worker. She was very concerned about children who needed a family but because they were older or disabled weren't on the fast track to adoption. Christmas break her senior year she died in a tragic car accident.
Her parents, Dave and Candi Able founded Brittany's Hope in honor of Brittany's memory. Brittany's Hope is not an adoption agency but they put grants toward special needs children. They raise awareness about adopting children with special needs. The foundation also has numerous projects around the world trying to improve the care of orphans.
For me this is very personal because our son, Ruslan, is one of the children that they put a grant towards. My husband and I may have never found out that he was available for adoption if it hadn't been for Brittany's Hope!
Even if you don't pick this charity please check out the waiting children on their website:
http://www.brittanyshope.org/
Thanks,
Jenny B.
American Heart Association. The British organisation was incredibly supportive when my father was dying of heart disease and I credit it with helping to save my husband when he was so ill!
I will contribute towards the British one if you will support the American one. Unfortunately, the exchnage rate would reduce my contribution if I offered it to the US organisation.
I would like to vote for a non-profit organization by the name of KnowResolve.org. I am a member of the band with Dennis who started this organization and the work this group has taken on, completed, and successfully saved LIVES with is absolutely amazing. So many of us live our days without realizing what stresses people go through and if we can help one person at a time save their own life or the life of someone else......it has been accomplished. Anna Benson, member of Student Driver Band, Mt. Clemens, MI.
A local animal rescue group. Think globally, save locally! Here in the DC area, I donate to the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, the Washington Animal Rescue League and the Lab Rescue of the LRCP. I would invite you to reach out to your local cats, ferrets and pooches...
May I suggest Child's Play? Perfect if you have any video game related cakes laying around to post. They donate games/toys/money to Children's Hospitals so that all the kids that are sick aren't only getting better, but they're no longer miserable because they're in the hospital all the time.
http://www.childsplaycharity.org/
In February of 2008, a dear friend and fellow student died in a car crash. Marisa Joy Williams was bright and bubbly and very creative. Marisa was a technical theater major who graduated from high school when she was 16, and was barely 18 when she finished her A. A. degree. She was known for wearing colorful scarves and hats she knitted herself and an old pair of rubber boots that she had painted with rainbows and flowers.
In her honor we started a scholarship in her name for technical theater majors at Gulf Coast Community College. Project Joy Boots was born. We gather as many friends and family members as we can round up and have painting parties whenever we can. We paint/remodel rubber boots to auction or sell at local festivals and art shows.
So far we have raised $10,000 of the $15,000 needed for an endowment fund. Friends from all over the southeast had their own Joy Boots parties when we first began, and by August 19,2008 (Marisa's 19th birthday)we had approx. 150 pairs of boots for auction.
You can see more information and photos of the boots and some of their creators of those boots at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9679022671
www.jacquieforall.com
One of my sorority sisters was diagnosed with A.L.L a form of Juevinelle leukemia while she was doing her student teaching and just a few months away from graduating. Even though she lost her battle, her family fights on, raising money to help research the tragic disease that took this wonderful woman. I'm sure they would love the help!
Hospice,any human rights organization, and any animal shelter.
Erin G.
I'd like to nominate a local charity and a national charity. Locally in Denver is Mount Saint Vincent Home that helps kids with behavioral issues. I work with them frequently and see how much they help these kids. Website is www.msvhome.org. The national charity is Soles4Souls at www.50000shoes.com that gives shoes to those in need.
Thanks for considering my charities. Jen and John, you wreck, and I mean that in the most fabulous way possible. You're doing amazing things.
I would suggest the Children's Tumor Foundation (www.ctf.org). They provide support and research for NEUROFIBROMATOSIS- a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve endings all over the body. This disorder also causes bone deformation, potential blindness, potential deafness and is associated with learning disabilities and other social dysfunction. 1 in 3000 people have this disorder which can be passed on genetically or spontaneously mutate at conception. Any help would be appreciated.
I love that you are donating to Charity: Water. As a teacher, one of my classes this year was involved in a Global Education Project run by the University of Connecticut and University of Illiois. Each team (class/school) was assigned to become a specific country in the world and try to solve the water problem facing so many people. Access to clean water is a dire issue throughout many nations, yet my 8th grade students had little knowledge of this before the project. UIt saddened many of the kids to realize that a clean glass of water is difficult to come by for many 14 year olds in 3rd world nations.
I will be donating in honor of my students who amaze me each day with their desire to learn and help each other out!!
Thanks Cake Wrecks!!
I love The Pajama Program. They give a set of PJs and a book to kids in orphanages, group homes, foster care, shelters, etc. so that they have something special of their own and a bedtime story to help them feel safe & loved at night. Such a great group!
In the recent spirit of supporting our troops, may I suggest the relief societies (see also ABA2009)? Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (www.nmcrs.org), Army
Emergency Relief (www.aerhq.org), and Air Force Aid Society (www.afas.org). These organizations assist service members and their families in emergency situations such as return to the US from an overseas station for illness in the family or funerals. I suggest either splitting the donation between the three or doing each on a different day.
Wreck a cake, save the world!
Jen, you're awesome... thanks so much for starting up this campaign!
I'd like to suggest Feed America's backpack program. They provide food for children for weekends when they do not have access to free school meals.
1 cup
http://www.donorschoose.org is good way to help teachers.
I have 2 suggestions for charities. The first is Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (http://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org/) which provides photographers to families who are expecting to lose their infant either still born or severe infant illnesses. Almost all of the babies photographed die, but the photos taken offer the parents a physical memory of their child.
The second is Night Light: Bangkok (http://www.nightlightinternational.com/). This organization provides work for women and children who were once (or are at risk to become) in human/sex trafficing in Thailand. NightLight offers intervention to sexually exploited women and children, to enable them to discover their dignity, and to provide a program of holistic transformation, empowering them to live and work in their community. As part of their healing, the women in NightLight are given the opportunity to make jewelry to provide an income to themselves so they don't have to sell their bodies on the street.
No credit card, so I can't donate directly, and I would like all my money to go to charity, I don't want PayPall having a share. I will be donating €10 ($14,79, in your goal) to Studio Brussel's Music For Life campaign, that is raising money against Malaria.
December 18 to 24, three radiopresenters will be living in a glass house on a city square, having only fruit&veggiejuices. Anybody can call, make a donation and request their favorite song.
The radiostation has raised €2,705,156 in 2006, €3,353,568 in 2007 and €3,503,246 in 2008, or $13,979,600.26 in the last few years.
Little bits will go a long way, keep up the good work CakeWrecks!
As I was reading "Catchin' the Spirit," I became excited to think that this is a possible way to raise quite a bit of money for an organization. As I mentioned in a previous posting, my students were involved in a project to help solve the world's water crisis, so I was thrilled to see a charity helping to provide clean water as the 1st choice for this awesome idea.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is an organization dedicated to making the world a better place for EVERY individual i9n areas of Global Health, Poverty and Development, and Education.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Pages/home.aspx
This organization changes lives and empowers others to do the same for themselves!!! I hope you will consider it as one of the charities for the next 2 weeks!
Thanks!
Stacy
Medecins sans Frontieres - they do AMAZING work all around the world: http://www.msf.org/
I've recently started supporting Help the Afghan Children -they're doing SUCH good work building schools and educating children in Afghanistan... including the LESS THAN 16% of women and girls who are literate in that country. They are also active in including peace education for all the children they work with. PLEASE help them! http://helptheafghanchildren.org/
And my local charity, where I've volunteered hundreds of hours: Literacy Advance of Houston, helping the people of Houston, TX learn to read and write: www.literacyadvance.org
Thank you, Jen - what a fabulous idea! I've never been moved to comment before, but I really appreciate you doing this :)
Mayan Families - helping families and children in Guatemala. Where 1 out of 5 kids die from malnutrition. They have never eaten cake, most live on salt and tortillas.
Love your blog!
Debra
mom to a Guatemalan princess
I'm a huge fan of the Fred Hollows foundation, which restors sight to some of the pooorest people from all over the world who suffer from avoidable blindness.
Fred Hollows was a talented ophthalmologist who donated his life to helping others rather than making money for himself and spent his last moments while battling creating his charity to continue to save the sight and lives of as many people as possible after his death.
I guess his dedication and sacrifice just amazes me.
http://www.hollows.org.au/
If you would like to support the military, the best organization to donate to is the USO. My hubby always gets up in arms about people sending huge care packages of, in his words, stuff they* don't need over there, they should just give to the USO instead.
(*yes he is in the military)
I recommend Spread The Net, a charity that buys mosquito nets to protect people against the spread of malaria.
CakeWrecks could register its own campaign and set its own goal the same way that Charity: Water does (excellent job, by the way. I was so amazed to see how fast that number grew) $10 buys one net to protect someone from malaria.
www.spreadthenet.org
Direct link to the campaign registration page:
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/LoginRegister.aspx?EventID=15008&LangPref=en-CA
I visited an orphanage in Cambodia in 2007. Most of the children are orphans due to their parents dying of AIDS; half the kids are infected with HIV. Many of the children cared for and watched their parents die as the orphanage would take in adults dying of AIDS in a special hospital section.
This is a very small place and started by a dedicated and honorable American who served in the Vietnam War.
http://www.watopot.org/
All the kids go to a school nearby, and he also provides school on site for younger children. He has created programs to help the children learn responsibility, independence, and life skills.
I wrote a little bit about my experience there: http://gettingtheretwice.blogspot.com/2008/03/welcome-to-cambodia.html
They live day to day and struggle to feed the children and staff daily. They could really use your donation and support.
http://www.watopot.org/
This is such a wonderful idea for the Cake Wrecks community - I love how you're doing this.