MetaFilter posts tagged with charity

Softies for Mirabel

hecho de la basura — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:56:17 -0800

In its' third year, Softies for Mirabel is an appeal for handmade stuffed toys to benefit children supported by The Mirabel Foundation. The Mirabel Foundation is an Australian nonprofit organization whose aim is to support children who are abandoned or orphaned due to parental illicit drug use. Softies (also sometimes referred to as plushies or plush toys) are popular among crafters as making one can be as simple or as complicated as the maker desires. Take a look at the Softies for Mirabel Flickr group for inspiration and get cracking, but hurry, deadline is December 10.

Scaling Gumdrop Mountain

zarq — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:18:03 -0800

Sweet! The Crookedest Street in the World was turned into a giant Candy Land game today, to celebrate the board game's 60th anniversary. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4 Lombard Street was closed to traffic this morning, while children from University of California, San Francisco Children's Hospital and Friends of the Children participated in the game as colored game pieces and interacted with life-sized Candy Land characters. They also got to share a piece of birthday cake. Here's Hasbro's Press Release. A Candy Land movie is reportedly in the works, as well.

Camp Sundown visits the Yankees

zarq — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:20:58 -0800

"The Yankees' best game this season came after the lights were dimmed." On July 24th, the New York Yankees hosted Camp Sundown in the Bronx -- a group of kids with xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). XP is a life-threatening sun-sensitivity disorder, in which DNA cannot repair damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light. Kids with the disease develop malignant melanomas and carcinomas if they are exposed to sunlight or bright fluorescent lights. "Camp Sundown gets its name because the youngsters that attend cannot go outdoors during the daytime or even stand under fluorescent lights because ultraviolet radiation, any UV radiation, is their mortal enemy. It will give them severe burns, it will give them squamous cell skin cancer, it will cause malignant tumors to grow in their eyes and mouths, and make many of them blind as their condition reaches its late stages. The sun and blue skies we wish for in spring and summer will cruelly ravage their bodies. The kids, these fragile, beautiful kids, who want nothing more than to be whatever we like to call ordinary in this world, are afflicted with a genetic condition called Xeroderma Pigmentosum that takes the lives of most people with the disorder before they reach the age of 20. It is rare, so rare there are only between 150 and 250 sufferers in this country, maybe two or three thousand around the world."
For more information, see the XP Society, and their Camp Sundown page. The NJ Star-Ledger site has a video of the event.

“Tom Williams, The Kid”

blasdelf — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:49:38 -0800

Tom Williams: Hired by Apple at 14. His full story? — not quite… What he doesn't mention in his monologue is that his current project is reminiscent of GiveWell, with similar origins in high finance. He responds. (via)

1 dress - 365 days

You Should See the Other Guy — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:45:43 -0800

The Uniform Project - "Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies... The Uniform Project is also a year-long fundraiser for the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots movement that is revolutionizing education in India."

They're sending their love down the well

DiscourseMarker — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:53:44 -0800

Gather round the microphone, friends, put your headphones over one ear, and wave your hands in the air like you do care, very deeply. It's time to celebrate the benefit song. [MLYT] Some you know well... We Are The World (original) and Pavarotti & Friends Do They Know It's Christmas Sun City Hands Across America That's What Friends Are For Others you may be less familiar with... What's Going On Voices That Care We're All In The Same Gang Hear N' Aid - Stars We Are The World - Japanese Style Inspired by the Crap From The Past podcast

Nine Inch Nails raises $260,000 in less than one day to help heart patient

Bluecoat93 — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:53:07 -0800

Eric de la Cruz needs a heart transplant. He has a pre-existing medical condition (over and above that), which prevents him from having medical insurance. His sister, former CNN.com reporter Veronica de la Cruz wrote to Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, asking for his help. Last night, Trent posted a plea for donations and an offer to fans to attend a show, hang out with the band, backstage, etc. As of a few minutes ago, over $260,000 in donations have been accepted by NIN on Eric's behalf since last night.

Wilco (the stream)

TheDonF — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:31:25 -0800

Wilco has just started streaming their new album, Wilco (The Album) The band has done this since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and is asking those who download the entire thing to donate some cash to The Inspiration Corporation charity in Chicago.

ROSA LOVES

Houyhnhnm — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 09:03:41 -0800

ROSA LOVES is a non-profit t-shirt company. Their limited edition t-shirts are specifically designed to raise money for individuals in need. Each individual's story is told through a unique design on the front and also by actual text that appears on the inverse of the shirt, directly in line with the heart. They have been featured in GOOD Magazine, and AOL named them one of the top 12 businesses that could be the next big thing. Recently, they introduced a t-shirt to "support the reinforcement and perseverance of a home that nurtures the culture of music in New Orleans". I have no affiliation with this company aside from owning one of their shirts.

He really did know your name

tommasz — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 07:20:47 -0800

Eddie Doyle, 69, has been laid off from his job in Boston. Who is Eddie Doyle? Nobody special, just a bartender at a bar in Boston (that used to be) called The Bull & Finch. If that doesn't sound familiar, you might have seen the outside of it in the credits of a little television show in the 80s. The show brought thousands to the bar each day but the current recession has taken its toll and the owner, who has been friends with Eddie for 40 years, had to make some tough choices. But Eddie was more than just a bartender, his annual Cheers for Children auction passed the $1 million mark in 2004 (although its future is now uncertain). He's responsible for a lot of other charitable events and even started a running club, The Boston Barleyhoppers, that resulted in 22 marriages. He organized activities for the bar's employees and started their softball team. Yet he was too busy to meet most of the people he had helped. So if you're in Boston at the end of the month, stop in and raise a glass to a Boston institution. Bonus Normisms.

Think of the children: hurt this man's face.

Damn That Television — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:46:48 -0800

His beard can lift random objects… and the human spirit. Every Friday, MeFi's own eamondaly will use his facial hair to lift things for charity. He'll add one pound per hundred dollars raised until he hits $5K (or his beard gives up the ghost). [via mefi projects]

Dinner with a Stranger

Staggering Jack — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:37:07 -0800

If you got an email from a stranger who said they'd donate $200 to a charity of your choice if you would invite him and a friend over to your place for dinner, would you say yes? Toronto artist Franke James did, and now she now thinks it might be an interesting idea for fundraising.

Christmas cards for a little girl with cancer

jefeweiss — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 09:31:22 -0800

You know what to do. In case of doubt, click this link.

Playing For Kibble

Secret Life of Gravy — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 06:30:58 -0800

Play Trivia to Help Save Abandoned Animals. Free Rice set the standard for on-line charity games and Free Poverty soon followed by donating water. Now you can play for free kibble to be donated to either Rocket Dog Rescue or The Urban Cat Project.

Ayup, Batman!

Grrlscout — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 13:26:59 -0800

Christmas Caped Crusader Tis the season for heartwarming news filler, perhaps, but the video of this guy at the children's hospice makes me think he's the real deal. When the cameras stop rolling, though, do stunts like this make people give more deeply or more often to charity?

The ethics of giving

nax — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:28:37 -0800

How to write about Africa. Binyavanga Wainaina is among a rising generation of African voices who bring a cautionary perspective to the morality and efficacy behind many Western initiatives to abolish poverty and speed development in Africa. An interview with Krista Tippet.

Better to give than to receive

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:39:27 -0800

Charity fundraising volunteers, known colloquially as "chuggers", are a common sight in downtown London. And charity watchdog group Intelligent Giving believes they should be banned. Chuggers are not without their defenders, of course, or their detractors. Some have already downplayed Intelligent Giving's report, and Mick Aldridge, chief executive of the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association, has called it "grossly irresponsible".

Tent Cities, USA

dejah420 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:20:48 -0800

As forclosures rise, so do tent cities filled with Americans. Across the country, tent cities are rising everywhere. From California, where foreclosures are taking over 60,000 homes per month, to Vegas, where hungry children sleep in the glittered dust of the wealthy, to St. Petersburg, Florida where the cops are destroying the tents of the homeless to make them leave the city, to the suburbs, homelessness, hunger, and poverty are on the rise. The government's response? Change how "homeless" is defined, so that the numbers appear to be decreasing at the same time that tents are springing up all over the country. This is a tragedy of epic proportions, and figuring out how to help can be overwhelming. What can you do? Donate to a local shelter. Donate to a food bank. Volunteer at a local charity. Build a house. And always remember, that there but for the grace of something, go you. Treat the homeless with respect. Don't just ignore the problem.

WWIII is upon us!

yiftach — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:04:59 -0800

The warm and fuzzy one, not the end of civilization as we know it. For the third year in a row, a whole gaggle of artists have donated original art for a silent auction to benefit domestic violence shelters and a crisis line in Portland, OR and Fleminton, NJ. One (prolific and admittedly talented) guy's obsession turned to good. The art varies widely in style and inspiration, but is almost universally interesting to see, if only to marvel (yes, you geeks, I know WW is a DC property) at how different people visualize the same character.

The Darker Side of Charity

Bitter soylent — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:03:36 -0800

Charity Navigator is most interesting for the CEO salaries, but non-profits are a huge segment of society. Melissa Data lists all the organizations with nonprofit status for your zip. This is an excellent rant on one of them.

SK8ology

maggieb — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:57:01 -0800

Art... on skateboards... for charity.

What Book Got You Hooked?

NotMyselfRightNow — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:09:08 -0800

What book got you hooked? For Scarlett Johansson, it was Fantastic Mr. Fox. For Stephen Colbert, it was Swiss Family Robinson. Neil Patrick Harris? Bridge to Terebithia. And it was Franny and Zooey for Ira Glass. These and dozens of other celebs have shared their answer to this question with First Book, a charity that has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books to children to spur their interest in reading. What book got you hooked? (Via the always fantastic Get Rich Slowly)

The revolution will be led by a 12-year-old girl

sveskemus — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 07:07:16 -0800

The Girl Effect.

Charity begins at home. And sometimes ends in jail.

Shepherd — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:02:14 -0800

The Banyan Tree Foundation promised to take donations from contributors to be redistributed to worthy Canadian recipients. The foundation also gave donors inflated charity receipts for tax declarations, and donors were encouraged to borrow money to contribute even more, and did... from a company now owned by Banyan Tree president Robert Thiessen. Now, the money has stopped flowing, and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has called the organization a "sham" and is going after Banyan donors for past charity receipts totalling more than CAD$100 million. The charity is still listed as a charity, which is provoking anger in the House of Commons. Many donors are participating in a class-action lawsuit against the Foundation. This type of donating, known as tax shelter donations, has been the subject of previous precautions by tax authorities and charity law specialists, and has caused problems for donors in the past as well.

Melrose Place, Gov. Napolitano, and Chocolate Chips

yellowcandy — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:11:37 -0800

Melrose Place, Governor Napolitano, and Freshly Baked Chocolate Chips: social entrepreneurship to combat meth and sell art. Is Belleza Gallery, wholly owned nonprofit gallery of Renaissance House, the coolest little pocket of altrusim-meets-art that almost no one has ever heard of? Popping through Bisbee, (a funky former copper mining town near the US-Mexico border in AZ), you’re sure to find former miners sipping coffee with artists and great spots to stop for a bite, but for those looking for self-sufficiency models to replicate– or to buy some killer art – do not miss Lou Anne. A goddess with a shock of silver hair and a plate of warm cookies, she talked to me about Rose Johnson and Will Spencer III in the same breath as recidivism rates and women building and selling technicolor Adirondack furniture and working away in a newly dedicated computer facility funded in part by the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona. Perhaps some people have heard of Renaissance House after all, as they were finalists in the Yale School of Management – Goldman Sachs Foundation Partnership on Nonprofit Ventures business plan competition. With art online and in the gallery, they’re supporting women and children breaking cycles of abuse – substance abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence – and empowering them to help them reclaim their independent lives in a transitional facility. Together they do yoga, work in the house’s garden, work toward GEDs. One graduate, a physics and astronomy double major, is even a Jack Kent Cooke Scholar at Northern Arizona University, en route to the stars, it seems. Plus there are the occasional celeb visitors: The Governor’s stopped in, and they have pictures of her in one of the teak chairs made by the women, and Courtney Thorne Smith from Melrose and According to Jim have been in. Apparently one of her friends is an artist selling there. Personally, I love the Tad Cheyenne Miller pieces best of all. Totally old-school Americana!