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Fully Funded Ms. Branch’s “Build Our Library, Build Their Brains!” Project

October 31, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Yay! Yesterday (Oct. 30th), the “Build Our Library, Build Their Brains!” project was fully funded! This is one our Skip a Lunch readers donated to (among others). Ms. Branch wrote us a thank you note as follows:

 

Dear Brian, 

Thank you so much for your generous donation! My students have been working very hard this year to become better readers, and they will be thrilled to receive new books. I know this will increase their motivation to read, both in class and at home. The books will provide students with more opportunities to read different books and not be stuck on the same books over and over again. Support like yours helps our school be able to meet the needs of a very diverse population.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2008 Blogger Challenge, what a great success story! There are many many more projects that need funding, so don’t stop now! Go find a project that you believe in either because of the subject, the proposal, or the location. Find more here. Thanks!

Filed Under: Education

Pound for Pound, Help Fight Hunger

October 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Pound for Pound

Have you heard about the Weight Watchers program called “Lose for Good“? It’s a great idea. For each pound lost by a Weight Watcher member, Weight Watchers will donate the cost of 1 pound of food to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. The maximum amount is $1 million dollars which is a lot of food (and a lot of pounds lost!). It’s incredible that, to date, members across the country have lost 4 million pounds during the program… 4 MILLION. Wow!

This leads to me hunger. What a great time to donate to your local food bank, Share Our Strength, or Action Against Hunger.

The photos featured in this post are actual photos of donations made in IL. Awesome! Photos courtesy of Mary Dalton.


Filed Under: Fight Hunger

Save a Bunny

October 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Thanks to Natalie for another great idea. Save a Bunny is a non-profit volunteer oriented animal rescue organization. They’re located in Mill Valley, California and provide a no-kill shelter and foster center.

They have donation opportunities as well as merchandise for sale, and most importantly, volunteer opportunities. For those living in and around Mill Valley, this is a great cause to devote some of your spare time to, as Natalie does (Natalie’s adopted 2 bunnies from here).

Save a Bunny was founded in 1999. Their mission is, in their own words:

We serve both the people and animals in the community through education, adoption, outreach, and rescue options. We believe that the humane and responsible treatment of animals reduces the number of unwanted and homeless animals and contributes to a more tolerant and compassionate society.

We believe that all companion rabbits are worthy of a safe, loving home regardless of breed purity, pedigree, or temperament. We incorporate this valuable message of acceptance and open-mindedness into our educational and adoption outreach events, training of shelter staff, community in-service programs, and through pet-assisted therapy with at-risk youth and senior citizens.

We encourage people to adopt spayed or neutered rabbits from shelters and rescue groups, such as SaveABunny, rather than purchasing an animal from a breeder or pet store. All our rabbits are spayed or neutered, and undergo medical and temperament evaluation before being placed up for adoption. We carefully screen potential adopters and require that all rabbits from SaveABunny live indoors as a treasured member of the family. We provide free, ongoing support to adopters, and we make a lifetime commitment to the safety and well-being of the rabbit.

Our adoption contract outlines terms for the proper care of a rabbit and specifies that the rabbit be returned to SaveABunny if the terms of the adoption contract are violated, or if the adopter can no longer care for the rabbit.

Let’s do what we can to help out this great organization. I mean honestly, who can resist a cute bunny?

Filed Under: Pets and Animals, Volunteer Opportunities

Sombrero Rescate – The Hat Rescue Project

October 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Thanks Natalie for this wonderful, and very different idea.

It turns out that Jose Canay Vi (photo bottom right) is the last man in the world that knows how to make the traditional Mayan hand-woven straw hats shown to the right. Jose is 84 with ailing health and is losing his vision. The Limitless Horizons Ixil organization is trying to raise funds to teach others his craft before its lost forever. They’ve launched the Hat Rescue Project and they hope to raise enough to teach a class of 30 people his craft.

Very nifty idea, and the Limitless Horizons Ixil organization has many other ways you can help the Ixil region in northern Guatemala where 80% live in poverty on income less than $2/day … much of this is attributed to the 36 year civil war from 1960 till 1996.

Photos were provided by, and used with permission of Limitless Horizons Ixil

Filed Under: Culture, Education

Special Olympics Hawaii Needs Volunteers

October 7, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Just got an email from Cindy, the Director of Volunteer and Corporate Relations at the Special Olympics Hawaii. This Friday is the “Freezin’ for a Reason” event where celebrities take a plunge into a pool of icy water to raise money for the organization. It starts early, at 6 am! Brr…

Some notable plungernauts include Sam Choy, Leland Kim, Minna Sugimoto (KHNL), and Amber Lynn Hyden (KITV). It’ll be at Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch and Crab Restaurant (580 N. Nimitz Highway).

Cindy needs volunteers to help behind the scenes. If anyone has time please send an email to me at blog@skipalunch.com and I’ll send you her contact info or contact them directly at volunteers@specialolympicshawaii.org. I’m both an annual donor as well as a past volunteer. I was a timer for one of the relays a few years back and it was a blast. Has anyone else helped out at the Special Olympics? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear about your experiences, thanks!

Filed Under: Special Olympics
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