2012 (4th Annual) CLASSY Awards

Cycle. Inspire. Unite. Young Adults Cycle Cross-Country In The Fight Against Cancer

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:36:30 +0000

Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivorship rates haven’t increased in comparison with all other age groups. 70,000 AYAs are diagnosed with cancer annually. The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults provides patient navigation & resources to ensure unique needs of AYAs are addressed by doctors.

The 4K for Cancer, the longest annual charity bicycle ride in the world, departs every Memorial Day Weekend from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor with a simple goal: Cycle. Inspire. Unite. 88 college students spend 70 days cycling over 4,000 miles to support the efforts of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF).

4K cyclists dedicate their summers to enhancing lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer. 2012 will mark the 11th anniversary riders have made this journey under the 4K for Cancer banner.

Since its inception, the 4K has raised over $1.5 million dollars and more than 400 students have participated in the ride. The 2012 team is comprised of cyclists from 37 states and three different continents. In order to maximize awareness, the 2012 cyclists are divided into three teams. Each team will wind their way through a combined 28 different states, with a ride ending in San Francisco, Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA.

Throughout the journey, they rely on generous local hosts, such as churches and community centers, to provide them with food and shelter. Spending 70 days in adverse conditions would be physically and emotionally challenging for anyone, but these cyclists are able to overcome all challenges by uniting as a team and remembering why they ride.

All 88 cyclists have been affected by cancer either directly through a personal diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one. “The 4K for Cancer is a perfect example of young adults making a difference in the lives of their peers who are battling cancer,” said Brock Yetso, President and CEO of UCF. “They are voluntarily giving up their summer, their freedom, their jobs, and putting their lives on hold for 70 days to help people they’ve never met overcome a terrible disease. Their dedication and selflessness is truly humbling.”

The 4K ride is the culmination of nearly a years worth of fundraising efforts by 88 college students. All 4K cyclists raised a minimum of $4,500 each for the ride. The cyclists will continue to fundraise and collect donations along their routes. The 2012 team has raised over $455,000 so far and they hope to reach the $500,000 mark prior to the end of their rides. The funds raised by the riders directly support the UCF Patient Navigation Programs. These programs offer comprehensive health services to young adult cancer patients, working in conjunction with multi-disciplinary medical care teams, social work staff, and other care providers.

Currently, UCF has four patient navigation programs in place at Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland’s Greenebaum Cancer Center, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, and Georgetown’s Lombardi Cancer Center. Funds raised also benefit higher education scholarship funds of the UCF. The 4K riders will have the opportunity to provide higher education scholarships to young adults affected by cancer they meet in the communities throughout their journey.

More About This Charity

Region

Northeast

Category

Health and Well Being

Name

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults

Mission

The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults enhances lives by supporting, educating and connecting young adults, and their loved ones, affected by cancer.

Impact

This Achievement raised $456,000

This charity raised $1,000,000 in the past year

This Achievement helped 810 people

This charity helped 17,968 people in the past year

A new patient navigation program was established at Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center & 30 scholarships distributed in the US.

Works In

United States

Learn More

www.ulmancancerfund.org

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Challenged Athletes Foundation Awards $40 Million in Grants to Individuals With Physical Disabilities

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:30:06 +0000

Individuals born with a birth defect, those who have suffered a life-changing accident, or lost a limb(s) serving our country lack resources to pursue life-affirming sports. Insurance does not cover expensive adaptive equipment and mentorship is rare. These obstacles discourage full, active lives.

Jim MacLaren was hit by a 40,000-pound city bus, pronounced dead at the scene, and awoke from a coma with his left leg missing below the knee. MacLaren, supported by a prosthetic leg, recovered to become the top amputee triathlete in the world. But in 1993 during a triathlon, a van struck MacLaren and propelled him into a pole, rendering him a quadriplegic.

In a grassroots fundraising effort to provide MacLaren independence, three friends initiated the San Diego Triathlon Challenge (SDTC) with proceeds going to an adapted vehicle for MacLaren. SDTC surpassed its $25,000 goal, bringing in $49,000, and revealed a large population of physically disabled individuals lacking resources to participate in life-affirming sports.

Recognizing the need for an organization that offered these resources, MacLaren’s three friends founded the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) to provide opportunities and support so physically disabled individuals can pursue active lives through physical fitness and competitive athletics.

Since 1994, CAF has raised over $40 million and provided direct financial assistance to more than 6,100 individuals world-wide. This year, CAF funded a record-breaking number of grants totaling $1.7 million to 1,106 individuals in 27 countries—a feat enabled by the $1.2 million raised during the 2011 SDTC.

SDTC has evolved into an inspirational weekend full of transformational moments that culminate in a fitness festival where physically disabled children realize that they can lead an active life and keep up with their able-bodied friends. It is where these children experience running for the first time, and their families find a community of supporters invested in the future of their challenged athlete.

Joshua “JJ” Miller, the youngest participant at the 2010 SDTC, was born with a congenital heart condition and missing his tibias. He ran for the first time in the SDTC Kids’ Run on two prosthetic legs just two months after open-heart surgery.

His willpower inspired “Team JJ” which raised $30,000 to ensure CAF’s athletes are supported in all of their athletic goals. “SDTC was a big confidence booster for us as parents. I used to hide JJ’s legs from people and try to make him as inconspicuous as possible. At SDTC, JJ was a superstar and among others just like him. For that we are thankful.” – Laura Miller, JJ’s mother.

After his accidents, MacLaren declared, ‘I am not my body. I am alive—alive as anyone who is jamming a basketball, scoring a touchdown or hugging their child.’ In the 19 years since the inaugural SDTC, CAF has become a foundation that provides mentorship, community outreach, and support to permanently injured military personnel, children and aspiring athletes. CAF’s programs combine to reach an additional 60,000 people per year and ultimately eliminate all barriers challenged athletes face so they can feel MacLaren’s same resolve and live a life rooted in athletic opportunities, free of limitations.

More About This Charity

Region

West

Category

Charity of the Year

Name

Challenged Athletes Foundation

Mission

It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.

Impact

This Achievement raised $40,000,000

This charity raised $6,936,000 in the past year

This Achievement helped 6,100 people

This charity helped 2,086 people in the past year

Works In

United States

Learn More

www.challengedathletes.org

Donate →

Rescuing North Korean Refugees Utilizing Online Activism

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 07:38:13 +0000

North Korea is not usually on the radar of your average philanthropist. When most people think about North Korea today, they think of high politics and nuclear weapons. In order to make this campaign successful, we believed that we had to humanize this issue in order to broaden the audience.

The Why
North Koreans have been fleeing across the border into neighboring China in search of food, jobs, and freedom. However, upon arriving in China, they must immediately go into hiding to evade repatriation by the Chinese government, a crime that could cost them their lives once delivered back to the North Korean regime.

Over the past decade, the Underground Railroad has served as a critical lifeline to freedom for thousands of North Korean refugees, but mainly for those who can afford the physical risks and the financial burden the journey entails. We have heard far too many stories of women who were misled and trafficked by brokers in lieu of payment; those who had to work in ‘karaoke bars’ and online sex chatrooms in order to make money for their escape; others who surrendered their government cash allowances upon resettlement to repay debts to their brokers. Others were exploited, raped or robbed on the precarious journey, as they had no choice but to entrust the brokers with their lives to bring them to safety.

The Campaign – The Reliance
North Korea is not usually on the radar of your average philanthropist. When most people think about North Korea today, they think of high politics and nuclear weapons. In order to make this campaign successful, we believed that we had to humanize this issue to the best of our ability. We decided to focus on the refugee crisis, one of the many egregious human rights violations surrounding North Korea today.

Estimates put the number of North Korean refugees hiding in China at anywhere between 30,000-50,000. With so many trapped in this dangerous state of limbo, our efforts to raise the funds necessary to get people out and to bring international attention to this crisis became our main objective. Online communities were our target medium. The goal was an extensive network of activists all managing their own fundraising and awareness efforts. We called it The Reliance.

The Reliance became a human network of individuals committed to seeing every North Korean refugee free. Our goal was to mobilize an online community of activists among the nearly one billion people around the world connected through social media. LiNK launched a viral call-to-arms on Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Youtube and more, imploring people to join The Reliance by hosting their own fundraisers online. We equipped every supporter with an opportunity to host their own mini campaign and committed 100% of proceeds to refugee rescue and support.

When the dust settled after a mere three months, 3,031 people had signed up to host their own page and The Reliance had raised $136,961.11 – our most successful campaign to date.

In less than 100 days here’s what we accomplished:

Funds Raised: $136,961.10 (enough to rescue 54 refugees!)

# of Fundraisers: 3,031

Campaign Video Views: 40,000+

Campaign site Page Views (unique): 58,147

100% of the funds raised from this campaign will directly fund our field work in 2012.

More About This Charity

Region

West

Category

Human Rights

Name

Liberty in North Korea | LiNK

Mission

Redefining North Korea by focusing on the people, while rescuing and providing resettlement support to North Korean refugees and pursuing an end to the North Korea crisis.

Impact

This charity rescued 92 refugees in the past year

This Achievement raised $136,961.10

This charity raised $1,043,230 in the past year

This Achievement helped 100+ people

100% of the money raised went to rescue and resettlement support for North Korean refugees. We raised enough to rescue 54 refugees ($2500/refugee)

Works In

United States and South Korea

Learn More

www.linkglobal.org

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Our “Add-Venture:” The Adventure Project’s Mission to Provide Jobs & Dignity to Entrepreneurs

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:32:55 +0000

The Adventure Project believes we can alleviate extreme poverty, preventable deaths, and create jobs (what people want) by rallying behind the most-effective social enterprises, and help them scale. Currently only 13% of social enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa are operating at scale.

Three years ago, Co-Founders, Becky Straw and Jody Landers met in an unlikely place; in the back of a van in Liberia, West Africa. During the long car ride, a unique friendship formed around a shared topic, “What’s the most effective way to end poverty?”

For Becky, who has a Masters in Social Enterprise and was working for a charity in Africa and Haiti, she was burdened by one recurring request. In every village council meeting someone would ask her, “Thank you for your gift, but is your nonprofit hiring? Because I really want to work.”

For Jody, her passion was deeply personal. Her and her husband adopted their two youngest children, twins, from Sierra Leone, after their mother died in childbirth. Jody and Becky aligned under the ethos that we can alleviate extreme poverty, preventable deaths, and create jobs (what people want) by rallying behind the most-effective social enterprises, and help them scale.

A recent study in Sub-Saharan Africa found that of 439 promising social enterprises, only 13% were operating at scale. They need patient, philanthropic capital to fill the “pioneer gap,” a time when social enterprises have a viable business, but need additional funds to scale. In Oct. 2010 we launched, The Adventure Project, named because we “add venture” capital to support entrepreneurs.

How we work:

1. Find Exceptional Enterprises. We support enterprises that train micro-entrepreneurs. The micro-entrepreneurs sell essential products and services to their local communities (such as affordable medicine), while earning commission for every sale.

2. Inspire Giving. Through compelling video, stories and an online platform, we inspire ordinary Americans to give. For as little as $10, donors can select which enterprise to support, and receive timely updates on the impact.

3. Provide Great Metrics. We believe donors deserve great “returns” on their social investments, and we strive to create jobs that provide maximum impact in the health, hunger, water and environment sectors.

Results:
Thanks to three volunteer staff, nine interns and over 2,500 donors, we have raised nearly $400,000 in our first 18 months. We’ve been honored to be featured in over 20 media posts, including Fast Company, Forbes, and even a blog post by Bill Gates in the Huffington Post.

Impact:
146 women are becoming community health promoters in Uganda, selling essential medicine at affordable prices to 102,200 people. 136 men and women will become well mechanics in India, bringing sustainable access to clean water to 622,386 villagers. 17 charcoal-efficient stove vendors working in Haiti, serving 24,930 people. 5 irrigation pump saleswomen have been hired in Kenya, helping 3,600 people. So far, we have helped create jobs for 304 micro-entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs will go on to serve 735,000 people in their communities to better health care, food and water. Our goal is to create one million jobs in in the next ten years.

More About This Charity

Region

Northeast

Category

Best New Charity, Disaster Relief and International Aid

Name

The Adventure Project

Mission

The Adventure Project is a nonprofit ‘adding venture’ to support social entrepreneurs in developing countries.

Impact

This Achievement raised $386,400

This charity raised $224,700 in the past year

This Achievement helped 735,000 people

This charity helped 700,000 people in the past year

304 jobs created for micro-entrepreneurs, who will serve 735,000 people to better health, food and water

Works In

India, Haiti, Kenya and Uganda

Learn More

www.theadventureproject.org

Donate →

Unifying the New Generation of Military Widows

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:29:55 +0000

Since 2001, over 6,500 U.S. service members have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Around half of these service members were married, leaving an estimated 3,200 military widows from the wars alone. These numbers do not include our heroes who have lost their lives due to non-combat related causes.

Taryn Davis was living the “normal” life; she had married her soul mate Michael, was about to graduate college, and had her future with him to look forward to. That was until May 21, 2007. Michael had been killed by multiple roadside bombs just an hour and a half after they last spoke.

Feeling lost and alone in the new world she’d been thrown into, she began traveling around the country to hear other women’s stories of love, tragedy and overall survival. In hearing their accounts, she hoped to learn more about the title that been had given to her… that of a military widow. What began as her own personal journey has expanded into a non-profit organization, a documentary film, and a comprehensive website.

‘The American Widow Project has introduced me to a group of amazing widows. We boost each other up. It lets us come together to navigate through this life holding hands with others who ‘get it.’ It reminds us that it is okay to laugh and be alive.’ – Deborah May

Throughout Taryn’s journey, she has learned to grasp on and embrace her new life with all the enthusiasm and passion she had when Michael was still alive. Inspired solely off the willpower and strength of the women “in her shoes” she has found that true love is eternal, that the lessons and things her husband said and did still run through her veins, and most of all, that she is not alone.

Since the start of her non-profit, the American Widow Project has reached out to over 1700 military widows, held over 36 national events allowing military widows to connect and heal, and provides unlimited resources and interactive tools to help guide and support others through their lifetime journey as a military widow.

‘It’s been two years since I became a part of the AWP and it has enriched my life beyond anything I could imagine. My fellow widows are now some of my best friends and my greatest supporters. When I have those reoccurring moments of grief and pain, they are there to hold my hand and talk me through it. They are always there to support and encourage me through this bittersweet life. They inspire me to love, remember and most importantly, to live.’ – Danielle Schaefer

More About This Charity

Region

South

Category

Small Charity of the Year, Most Effective Awareness Campaign by a Charity

Name

American Widow Project

Mission

The American Widow Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the new generation of those who have lost the heroes of yesterday, today and tomorrow, with an emphasis on healing through sharing stories, tears and laughter. Military Widow to Military Widow.

Impact

This Achievement raised $450,000

This charity raised $250,000 in the past year

This charity helped 1700 people in the past year

Have reached out to over 1700 military widows, have over 30,000 facebook likes to raise awareness

Works In

United States

Learn More

americanwidowproject.org

Donate →

Reducing Waste. Saving Lives. One Bar Of Soap At A Time.

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:26:59 +0000

On any given day, an estimated 2.6 million bars of used soap are thrown away by hotels in the United States. At the same time, more than 2.4 million children die each year from issues related to poor hygiene and sanitation, such as diarrhea and pneumonia.

Derreck Kayongo was born in Uganda, and grew up a refugee in Kenya after he and his family fled the brutality of Idi Amin. He saw first hand the horrors that so many vulnerable people around the world experience every day, including poor sanitation and hygiene.

When Derreck traveled to the United States to attend college, his first experience spending the night in a hotel made him realize that soap — life-saving soap — was being thrown away in unimaginable quantities. After looking at the issue more closely, he learned that more than 2.6 million bars of soap are thrown away each and every day by hotels in the United States alone. At the same time, more than 2.4 million children are dying each year because of issues directly related to poor sanitation and hygiene. The good news is that handwashing with soap reduces the death rates from diseases like diarrhea and pneumonia by as much as 47%. If every child could have a bar of soap, millions of lives could be saved each year.

Derreck immediately knew that he wanted to make a difference and save lives, so he launched the Global Soap Project in 2009. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, GSP recycles used hotel soap into new bars and ships them to vulnerable populations in 22 countries around the world.

In 2011, Derreck was recognized as a Top 10 CNN Hero. That same year, Hilton Worldwide agreed to support GSP by providing used soap, and financial support, to help GSP expand its impact.

Today, GSP is led by its Executive Director, Sam Stephens. Growing their reach and impact is a top priority for him. ‘We’re honored to partner with over 850 hotels today,’ says Stephens. ‘We want to reduce as much waste as possible and save as many lives as possible, and do it with a focus on long-term impact sustainability. If we could get a bar of soap into the hands of every vulnerable person in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene, we know that the quality of life — and the chances of survival — go up significantly.’

GSP works with hundreds of volunteers each year at its plant in Atlanta to help recycle the soap. GSP is also actively partnering with NGOs around the world to distribute the soap. They look for opportunities to have the greatest impact possible, while ensuring there is a plan for long-term sustainability. In addition, they work to provide an educational component, to ensure that the soap is part of a comprehensive hygiene system.

‘Together,’ says Stephens, ‘we can help save the environment and help save millions of lives. It doesn’t get much better than that.’

More About This Charity

Region

South

Category

Charity of the Year, Health and Well Being

Name

Global Soap Project

Mission

Reducing waste. Saving lives. One bar of soap at a time.

Impact

More than 36 Tons of Used Soap Recycled

300,000 New Soap Bars Made from Recycled Soap

Soap Distributed to Vulnerable Populations in 22 Countries.

Works In

USA, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya, Haiti, Ghana, Uzbekistan, Swaziland, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Malawi, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Equador, Tunisia, and more

Learn More

http://www.globalsoap.org

Learn More →

Prosecutor with a Purpose : On a Mission of Hope to Heal Children Impacted by Trauma

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:22:24 +0000

Marley’s Mission is a non-profit organization that provides equine-based therapy free of charge to children who have experienced trauma. The Mission provides a less-threatening and non-clinical therapeutic environment which fosters healing – one child at a time.

My first memory of Gene Talerico was at 3:30AM in an emergency room. Police officers and medics surrounded my daughter collecting evidence. Everyone’s presence felt like a violation. Adding to this intrusion was this man, Gene, whom I didn’t know. He was speaking to the doctors and asking invasive questions about my little girl. I later learned that Gene is the First Assistant District Attorney for our county and he has spent over 20 years prosecuting those who hurt children. He came to the ER that night because he was going to prosecute my daughter’s attacker. He would find us justice.

As my daughter’s case went through the court system, Gene became the most significant person in my life, our lives and eventually, the lives of more than 140 children at what is now known as “Marley’s Mission”. When my daughter did not respond to traditional therapy, I was determined to find another way to help her.

I presented Gene with an idea – an idea which had already started to provide hope to my daughter as she tried to heal from the trauma of that night. My idea was Marley’s Mission: Horses Healing Children. Marley’s Mission harnesses the power and empathy of horses as a way to help children heal from emotional trauma.

I then asked Gene to join me in creating Marley’s Mission and his response was simple and powerful: “I’m in”. On the one year anniversary of the attack on my daughter, Marley’s Mission has opened its doors. We turned that day of hurt into a day of healing. For those who know Gene, we understand that his helping children and families is “just what he does”. He seeks justice for those who have no voice. He is selfless. He is courageous. And each day, he provides a helping hand and hope for the families of Marley’s Mission. Gene eats, breathes and sleeps Marley’s Mission.

Since its inception, Gene has been the President of the Board. He does it all – writing grant applications, seeking donations and speaking at public engagements. Since January 2011, he has dedicated over 900 hours of time to the continued growth and development of Marley’s Mission. His days start early and end late with emails, tweets and Facebook status updates to supporters and Board Member. In between this, Gene is at the District Attorney’s Office protecting our children.

On any given weekend, Gene is at Marley’s Mission mowing the lawn, feeding the horses and mucking stalls. He is a beacon of hope for children and families who visit the Mission, an example of what this life can hold for those who have lost faith.

April Loposky, Founder of the Mission observed: “for the young boys who visit the Mission, Gene is a role model any parent would want, and for the young girls, Gene is the man who didn’t hurt them. He is an example of what a man should be”. This mission would not be accomplished without Gene. For him, it’s not about accolades and recognition. For Gene, it is the crayon drawing of a horse standing beside a little girl that matters.

More About This Charity

Region

Northeast

Category

Volunteer of the Year

Name

Gene Talerico for Marley’s Mission

Mission

Marley’s Mission, Inc. offers expertise in Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy for children and their families who have experienced trauma.

Impact

This Volunteer raised $50,000 through this Achievement

This Volunteer helped more than 140 children in the past year

This Volunteer logged more than 600 hours of volunteer service

Works In

United States

Learn More

www.marleysmission.com

Donate →

G.A.P.’s Approach to Youth Services Fills a Void in Developing Countries—Currently in Haiti

admin — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 01:04:00 +0000

The earthquake in January of 2010 took the lives of thousands of people, and left 1.5 million homeless. G.A.P.’s founders quickly realized that most of the international aid was not directed toward adolescent youth. However, this group’s success is crucial to the success of of post-earthquake Haiti.

In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Dr. Nancy Sobel saw the tragedy on the news and knew she had to do something. Determined to make a difference, she left for Haiti. Unbeknownst to her, a fellow Californian, Matt Vecere—also touched by what he had seen—personally raised funds to purchase cases of water filters to distribute in Haiti. Their paths crossed in the overcrowded internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. They met many orphans whose parents had passed as a result of the earthquake.

They quickly realized the void in social services for these kids, and reached out. Thus, Global Adolescent Project (G.A.P.) was born.

Dr. Nancy and Matt worked tirelessly to house, feed, clothe, and educate the kids. Dr. Nancy, a licensed psychologist, worked with these kids to overcome the trauma they had suffered—the loss of their parents, friends, and homes, the smell of decay, the mass casualties. Some of these kids shut out the world, but Dr. Nancy helped them through this trauma.

Because of G.A.P., dozens of vulnerable children have a second chance and a family. They have mentors and friends in addition to access to healthcare, education, and other opportunities. Even more, they are safe. They no longer hear the screams from rapes within the IDP camps. They no longer forage for food. In a country where mental health service was never a priority, Dr. Nancy provided therapy for the children both on the ground and through innovative telepsychology.

Josianne, one of the girls reflects, “I was very scared living under a tarp in the camp. I could never sleep because it was very dangerous in the camp, especially since there were seven girls under the same tarp. We prayed that God would send someone to help us…Then one day, we met Matt and then Dr. Nancy…they helped us get from under the tarp into an apartment. Now we have food to eat, a place to sleep, and we can go to school.”

G.A.P. has been working to fully vertically integrate social services to provide vulnerable children with basic needs, education, healthcare, and extracurricular activities in a country where children were marginalized. G.A.P. has also been working to develop a social enterprise component to provide sustainable opportunities.

This June sees the first high school graduations of G.A.P.’s teens. Junior graduated with academic and athletic awards. When asked about his aspirations, he replied, “In Haiti, you have to believe in your dream. And you have to work hard for that dream. My dream is to be a doctor…I will be a doctor and I will help my people.”

To date, we have enrolled all of our kids in school with a 100% retention rate. Two years ago, 90% of our kids were living in temporary shelters under tarps in the IDP camps. Sixteen of our kids have skipped grades since enrolling in school and all of them have improved academically.

In the words of Margaret Mead, “there is no greater insight into the future than recognizing when we save our children we save ourselves.’

More About This Charity

Region

West

Category

Disaster Relief and International Aid

Name

Global Adolescent Project (G.A.P.)

Mission

To educate, encourage resilience, and empower youth, globally.

Impact

This Achievement alone raised $105,000

This charity raised $83,000 in the past year

This Achievement has helped 30 people since January 1, 2011

24 children enrolled school; 30 children given shelter, clothing, and food; 2 students enrolled in pre-professional nursing programs..

Works In

Haiti

Learn More

www.globaladolescentproject.org

Donate →

Paper Cranes for Japan

admin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 23:40:29 +0000

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake struck Sendai, Japan, resulting in a devastating tsunami that ravaged the coast just 180 miles from Tokyo.

In response to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 11th, 2011, Students Rebuild partnered with Architecture for Humanity and DoSomething.org’s “Paper Cranes for Japan” campaign to inspire young people worldwide to support their Japanese peers.

Thus, an online challenge was issued to youth: make and mail-in an origami crane by April 15, 2011. Each crane received was matched with a $2 donation by the Bezos Family Foundation. The goal was to make 100,000 cranes to represent wishes of support and healing, which would trigger $200,000 from the foundation to fund Architecture for Humanity’s Sendai reconstruction efforts.

The response was an astounding: 2 million cranes from young people in 38+ countries and all 50 U.S. states. From Armenia to New Zealand, from rural Kansas to urban Philadelphia, from elementary school classrooms to church basements and community cherry blossom festivals, young people came together to fold paper cranes – and mailed them by the boxful. Students in Haiti folded hundreds of cranes during the groundbreaking of a newly reconstructed Students Rebuild/Architecture for Humanity school in Port au Prince.

The outpour of support worldwide resulted in a total of $500,000 for recovery and rebuilding in Japan. The money raised by the Paper Cranes for Japan campaign was directly used to support the reconstruction of youth facilities in small towns and villages in Tohoku, where there are few resources to support community rebuilding efforts.

To date, Architecture for Humanity has provided design and construction services to a number of youth-focused projects in Japan, including: Kitakami community market+youth center, Ohya Green Sports Park, Shizugawa Judo Juko sports facility, and Paper Crane sculpture/workshop. Each project has made its own unique impact: as a result beneficiaries vary from 500 individuals [Kitakami project] to 15 future Judo superstars [Judo Juko facility].

In the spirit of the challenge, 100,000 cranes have become a permanent art installation in two schools and a community center in Sendai, Japan. This huge display of cranes is representative of the 2 million+ cranes contributed by young people worldwide. Architecture for Humanity provided design and technical support for the Paper Cranes Sculpture, including graphics, media/web presence, as well as logistics, partnering with Japanese schools, organizations and sculpture host locations. Through their network they developed and hosted sculpture fabrication, its unveiling and youth workshop, which engaged 300+ Sendai youth.

Architecture for Humanity brought together a collaborative group of artists, designers, and community activists. The capstone to all of these efforts was artist Vik Muniz who generously donated his time, his vision and his creativity to produce a magnificent piece of original artwork using thousands of the cranes.

“It’s alchemic,” Muniz tells the NY Times Sunday Magazine (Aug 21, 2011). “It worked because everyone wanted to help.”

More About This Charity

Region

West

Category

Most Effective Awareness Campaign by a Charity

Name

Architecture for Humanity

Mission

Through a global network of building professionals, Architecture for Humanity brings design, construction and development services to communities in need.

Impact

This Achievement raised $500,000

This charity raised $3,394,730 in the past year

This Achievement helped 1,000 people

This charity helped 82,000 people in the past year

2 million paper cranes were distributed. Community market and youth center for 500 youth. Green sports park for 300 youth.

Works In

38 countries worldwide

Learn More

www.architectureforhumanity.org

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FashionABLE Scarves Create Sustainable Business

admin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 23:02:28 +0000

In Ethiopia, prostitution is often linked with deep levels of generational poverty and financial hopelessness. Lacking meaningful resources and a sense of hope, many women resort to prostitution as a means of supporting themselves and their families. These women are often desperate to leave the sex industry but remain trapped by a lack of opportunity and rehabilitative support.

To rehabilitate these former sex workers, fashionABLE partnered with “Women At Risk” in an effort to create sustainable business in Africa through scarf making; instead of making women dependent on charity, they become a vital part of a developing economy.

fashionABLE optimizes the unique talents of women and resources in Africa. Each scarf is handmade from Ethiopian cotton in the capital of Addis Ababa. The cotton is collected from the field, the seeds are removed, and then it is separated for the weaving process. The thread is dyed the desired color, and then woven into unique designs.

The vision of fashionABLE is to make a new kind of fashion statement as a responsible consumer. Purchasing a scarf does far more than just create jobs, it gives the women producing them a stable and sustainable business. Scarves provide jobs; profits provide restoration. When you buy a fashionABLE scarf you are able to provide opportunities, and women in Africa are able to have a new choice.

One of the women in the program is Bezuayhu, who was forced into prostitution at just 18-years-old out of a necessity to work and provide for herself. After 8 months, she entered the Women At Risk program, looking for a better life. “I am now 19 years old. It feels so good to get up in the morning and say I am going to work. My mind is so restful now. It feels so good to have a scarf named after me. I’m so proud to be called a scarf maker.”

Another woman, Mulu, was 22 when her husband left her. “I got into prostitution in order to forget him. I felt like sleeping with different men would help me move on. It’s the most horrible, cheap, and disgusting life. Now, I have nothing to be ashamed of anymore. I have peace and rest, and I am very happy. I want my daughter to be in a good place and have the best life.”

fashionABLE is a project of Mocha Club (a division of African Leadership). Mocha Club was founded in 2005 as a new generation of activists giving up the cost of a few mochas a month to fund relief and development projects in Africa. Mocha Club works in five main project areas: Clean Water, Education, Women At Risk, Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children, and Healthcare, holistically approaching the challenges Africans face with a development mindset, working with community leaders to find solutions that create ownership and a sense of empowerment. In efforts to emphasize the quality of development work, and create sustainable opportunities for Africans, Mocha Club created fashionABLE.

More About This Charity

Region

South

Category

Charity of the Year, Human Rights

Name

African Leadership – fashionABLE

Mission

Purchasing a fashionABLE scarf creates sustainable business for women in Africa. Our commitment as a non-profit is to the development of people — fashionABLE works with women who have been exploited due to the effects of poverty. So, when you purchase a scarf you are providing jobs, and then we send the net profits back to holistically rehabilitate more women. Scarves provide jobs, profits provide restoration.

Impact

This Achievement raised $219,444

This charity raised $1,800,000 in the past year

This Achievement trained 25 women

This charity helped 300,000 people in the past year

Sold 12,100 scarves; Created a marketplace in the West to provide jobs for women in Africa; began the process of tying Africa into the global economy.

Works In

Africa

Learn More

www.livefashionable.com

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