What happens when you spread some musical sweetness around?
We challenged 100 of you to "like" Music Makes Our Students Smarter...and you delivered!
We challenged you to get Music Makes Our Students Smarter to $75,000...and you delivered!
Now it's our turn to deliver! As a result of meeting these challenges, we will be donating 2 musical instruments to the Children's Cancer Association through their MusicRx program. These will be purchased from their Amazon Wish List.
But let's try sweetening the pot a bit more ;-)
Well, what can be sweeter than lemonade? How about lemonade fighting childhood cancer! So here's our next challenge for you. Why not pay our virtual Alex's Lemonade Stand a visit and help us hit a $1000 milestone. Once we hit the $1000 milestone, we'll donate a third musical instrument to the Children's Cancer Association!
And because you've been doing so well helping us spread around musical sweetness, we're extending our first challenge. When Music Makes Our Students Smarter gets to 200 "likes", we'll donate a fourth musical instrument to the Children's Cancer Association :-)
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Kiva
Maybe you haven't heard about Kiva before. Maybe you've heard of Kiva but you don't understand how it works. Maybe you know how it works but you're worried about getting paid back.
Every so often we receive one of our favorite e-mails. Today it read "You've received 12 repayments!" Apart from the obvious excitement about receiving a repayment, joining Kiva brings so much more than that. For us it's more about the joy of knowing that a small act of kindness has made a true difference in the lives of others. People who ordinarily would not have the opportunity to improve their lives. That's what Kiva is all about - loans that change lives :-)
Still not convinced? We leave you with today's e-mail:
Every so often we receive one of our favorite e-mails. Today it read "You've received 12 repayments!" Apart from the obvious excitement about receiving a repayment, joining Kiva brings so much more than that. For us it's more about the joy of knowing that a small act of kindness has made a true difference in the lives of others. People who ordinarily would not have the opportunity to improve their lives. That's what Kiva is all about - loans that change lives :-)
Still not convinced? We leave you with today's e-mail:
Repayments for loans that have ended
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| Funded on May 18, 2011 |  |
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Igor
Ukraine | Manufacturing
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| Funded on Nov 28, 2011 | |
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Gia
Georgia | Agriculture
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Repayments for loans that are paying back
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| Funded on Jan 20, 2012 | |
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Andres Felipe
Colombia | Musical Performance
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| Funded on Mar 7, 2012 | |
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Ecederio
Peru | Musical Performance
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| Funded on Apr 6, 2012 | |
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Mamasodik
Tajikistan | Musical Instruments
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| Funded on Apr 18, 2012 | |
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Luis
Bolivia | Musical Performance
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| Funded on May 9, 2012 | |
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Augustin
Rwanda | General Store
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| Funded on Jul 11, 2012 | |
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Firuz
Tajikistan | Musical Performance
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| Funded on Jul 18, 2012 | |
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Ep Teresamira Group
The Democratic Republic of the Congo | Food Stall
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| Funded on Aug 15, 2012 | |
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Brigida
Bolivia | Music Discs & Tapes
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| Funded on Sep 17, 2012 | |
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Heriberto
Paraguay | Retail
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| Funded on Sep 19, 2012 | |
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Gloria Maria Del Carmen
Peru | Crafts
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Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Epilogue
First we'd like to say thank you to everyone who read, commented, tweeted, participated, and shared this journey of 37 days of giving with us. It would not have been the journey it was without all of you :-)
To be perfectly honest with you, when starting this journey I personally did not know where it was going to lead. None of the charities were preselected - they were discovered each day through research or your suggestions (and with the tragedy at Newtown, a focus thereafter was on charities that support children). As the days went by, what actually surprised me the most was not only how much many of the charities were new to me, but also how their stories and work are so inspirational, necessary, and beneficial to us all.
About a week ago I went to see the movie The Hobbit. There were some lines in the movie that really resonated with me and you may have seen me tweet some of them. Here is the full quote:
Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.
- Gandalf, The Hobbit
From these lines arose an idea. Imagine if I set aside $1 a day for the entire year for charity. Now imagine if 5, 10, or even 37 people did the same. You don't need to imagine what a difference that would make!
With this we are going to continue our journey of giving but a little differently. Get ready for #smallactsofkindness :-)
From the 37 charities we highlighted we have selected our favorite 2 (an incredibly difficult choice!): Save the Children (HEART program) and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Following the theme of small acts of kindness, we will be setting aside our collective dollars every day in 2013 for each charity (all 365 days) and donating throughout the year.
Finally we'd like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! May 2013 be full of small acts of kindness and love :-)
To be perfectly honest with you, when starting this journey I personally did not know where it was going to lead. None of the charities were preselected - they were discovered each day through research or your suggestions (and with the tragedy at Newtown, a focus thereafter was on charities that support children). As the days went by, what actually surprised me the most was not only how much many of the charities were new to me, but also how their stories and work are so inspirational, necessary, and beneficial to us all.
About a week ago I went to see the movie The Hobbit. There were some lines in the movie that really resonated with me and you may have seen me tweet some of them. Here is the full quote:
Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.
- Gandalf, The Hobbit
From these lines arose an idea. Imagine if I set aside $1 a day for the entire year for charity. Now imagine if 5, 10, or even 37 people did the same. You don't need to imagine what a difference that would make!
With this we are going to continue our journey of giving but a little differently. Get ready for #smallactsofkindness :-)
From the 37 charities we highlighted we have selected our favorite 2 (an incredibly difficult choice!): Save the Children (HEART program) and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. Following the theme of small acts of kindness, we will be setting aside our collective dollars every day in 2013 for each charity (all 365 days) and donating throughout the year.
Finally we'd like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! May 2013 be full of small acts of kindness and love :-)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Day 37
Boys Town
Boys Town was founded on one simple belief: that every child has the inherent potential to succeed, no matter what his or her circumstances. So, we strive to help every child, from those who may simply be struggling or in doubt to those who are in need of the most severe behavioral care. We strive to reunite children with their families whenever possible, or give them the skills and foundation they need to build a life on their own as caring, responsible adults.
Boys Town was founded on one simple belief: that every child has the inherent potential to succeed, no matter what his or her circumstances. So, we strive to help every child, from those who may simply be struggling or in doubt to those who are in need of the most severe behavioral care. We strive to reunite children with their families whenever possible, or give them the skills and foundation they need to build a life on their own as caring, responsible adults.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Day 36
Summer Search
The mission of Summer Search is to find resilient low-income high school students and inspire them to become responsible and altruistic leaders by providing year-round mentoring, life-changing summer experiences, college advising, and a lasting support network.
Summer Search changes the odds for low-income youth and ensures they succeed in school and in life. In 2010 across our network of seven locations:
As important as their success in school, Summer Search expects youth to give back and become leaders. In 2010 over 80% of Summer Search high school students engaged in their communities with 24 or more community service hours.
The mission of Summer Search is to find resilient low-income high school students and inspire them to become responsible and altruistic leaders by providing year-round mentoring, life-changing summer experiences, college advising, and a lasting support network.
Summer Search changes the odds for low-income youth and ensures they succeed in school and in life. In 2010 across our network of seven locations:
- 99% of Summer Search seniors graduated high school
- 95% of seniors went to post-secondary education, including 93% to college
- 85% of students in post-secondary are on track to graduate
As important as their success in school, Summer Search expects youth to give back and become leaders. In 2010 over 80% of Summer Search high school students engaged in their communities with 24 or more community service hours.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Day 35
Shoes That Fit
Going barefoot in the summer is one thing. Doing it all year long – or having to wear worn out, mismatched or poor fitting shoes every day throughout the year is something else entirely. It destroys self esteem. It degrades and depresses. It makes going to school embarrassing and almost impossible.
It’s also why Shoes That Fit was born. Because studies show that properly fitting shoes can enhance self confidence in school-children and boost their development and overall growth. That’s a lot to get from a simple pair of shoes, but we see it work in the lives of precious children every day!
With shoes that fit, kids fit too – into their schools, into their social networks and into lives with hope and dreams.
Today, Shoes That Fit is helping children in need in thousands of schools across America. Hundreds of thousands of new shoes and other items have been given out and that number is growing rapidly.
Going barefoot in the summer is one thing. Doing it all year long – or having to wear worn out, mismatched or poor fitting shoes every day throughout the year is something else entirely. It destroys self esteem. It degrades and depresses. It makes going to school embarrassing and almost impossible.
It’s also why Shoes That Fit was born. Because studies show that properly fitting shoes can enhance self confidence in school-children and boost their development and overall growth. That’s a lot to get from a simple pair of shoes, but we see it work in the lives of precious children every day!
With shoes that fit, kids fit too – into their schools, into their social networks and into lives with hope and dreams.
Today, Shoes That Fit is helping children in need in thousands of schools across America. Hundreds of thousands of new shoes and other items have been given out and that number is growing rapidly.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Day 34
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
Our friend Holly has pointed us towards today's wonderful charity.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families throughout the Northeast, free of charge. It’s a community that celebrates the fun, friendship and spirit of childhood where every kid can “raise a little hell.”
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was founded in 1988 by Paul Newman with one simple premise in mind, that every child, no matter their illness, could experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand in hand with camp.
Our friend Holly has pointed us towards today's wonderful charity.
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families throughout the Northeast, free of charge. It’s a community that celebrates the fun, friendship and spirit of childhood where every kid can “raise a little hell.”
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was founded in 1988 by Paul Newman with one simple premise in mind, that every child, no matter their illness, could experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand in hand with camp.
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