Posts Tagged ‘Needy Children’

December 17th, 2008  Posted at   Blogging, Politics

On Monday I told you about this week’s charitable mission to give a little bit of money away each day to a nonprofit that could really use the help. A little goes a long way and I may not have a lot to give but you all can help. Comment on this post with your ideas for other charities to support so that other readers can get ideas. The top five suggestions will go up in a poll Friday for you all to pick who the last $25 goes to. Plus every comment to each day’s post earns the organization another 25 cents in donation (up to a max of $40 for each day’s post – can’t afford more than that guys). And please feel free to go back and comment on posts from past days (I really need more recommendations for Friday’s five picks).

Now here is today’s selection, which I have chosen in honor of my late Nana, an amazing woman who was a dedicated reading teacher and literacy champion in New Zealand her whole life: First Book

First Book is a nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. We provide an ongoing supply of new books to children participating in community-based mentoring, tutoring, and family literacy programs.

First Book was founded in 1992. The First Book model was developed to leverage the work of local heroes who reach children through existing literacy programs in a variety of settings, such as Head Start centers, libraries, soup kitchens, churches, housing projects, and afterschool initiatives. Working through this vast network of organizations, First Book plays a critical role in transforming the quality of preschool and after-school programs nationwide.

First Book’s model is national in scope and local in impact. In our first year, First Book distributed approximately 12,000 books in three communities. Since that time, First Book has distributed more than 50 million books to children in over 3,000 communities around the country.

The awesome news is that since I will make the donation before December 31 (and if you would care to donate as well), First Book’s partner, Random House, will match every donation, book-for-book, up to a million books.

To read more about First Book’s costs and expenses or to research any potential charity, visit Charity Navigator, a non-profit that reports on charitable organizations so you can make sure that you drive your donations to the organizations that will best utilize those funds.

November 24th, 2008  Posted at   Blogging, MILS, Mommy stuff

Earlier this year, Matt Logelin lost his beautiful young wife to a pulmonary embolism mere hours after she gave birth to their adorable first child, Madeline. Matt has bravely shared his struggle with the world during these first few months of fatherhood and has received a huge outpouring of love and support from the stranger/friends around the Interwebs. Now Matt is giving back some of that love. He has raised and distributed almost $5,000 to widows and widowers in situations like his. And he is about to help out some children in similarly dire straits. He has partnered with the site, Single-Minded Women, to support My Stuff Bags Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides abused, abandoned, and neglected children—ranging in age from newborn to 18 years old—throughout the United States with personal belongings to help fulfill their needs and lend a sense of comfort as they are shepherded through the foster care system. Using the online gift registry, charitable givers can purchase essential items like clothing, books, art supplies, and toys, which will be forwarded on to the My Stuff Bags Foundation. Click on the link below for more information and to help out.

please consider donating to this charity...