Thanks for the info Lance

Got a nice little letter from Lance tonight, as part of his LIVESTRONG Army, and he made a couple great points:

With every second of 2006 two Americans were diagnosed with cancer and one died. Think about that! That is like re-living the horror of 9/11 every two days for the entire year.

As a nation we have become too complacent about this disease (last year, for the first time in 35 years, governmental funding for cancer decreased) and that can no longer be tolerated.

I'll be honest, I'm not sure this is the first place I would donate my money, but I did think it was worth sharing.

Ranking All My Causes

If you haven't seen it yet, check out my lens on Squidoo.  If you're not familiar, Squidoo is an amazing networking site that can be used for just about anything and by anyone.

Using their plexo feature, I've created a list of All My Causes that can be easily ranked.**  Hopefully, you'll help me figure out which Causes are most popular, and it will help me distribute funds (but not in the way you would think).  So please push up your favorites!

**I'm trying to get the Plexo widget embedded directly on my sidebar, but I'm getting an error message in blogger, so if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. (Also, for my subscribers, I apologize for the multiple pings on this post).

8 wishes chain- TAG!

Paul started an 8 Wishes meme to involve the greater blogging community in his cause. You can't be too surprised that I'm on his list since I help him with most of his posts (hey, he's dyslexic and we want you to understand what he's saying).

So, my 8 wishes are on this video, and I'm tagging a couple of my favorite blogs to share their 8 wishes: Empathy and Strumpette.

A penny for your wish

The 8 Wishes team has decided to extend the deadline and make a couple changes to the wishes, as well as create a new version of the video.  If you watch this new version on Metacafe, Paul will receive $5 for every 1,000 views from their Producer Rewards-- as always, all funds raised will be donated to DARC.



10,000 Miles And 8 Wishes - video powered by Metacafe

Bradd's Cause: PKD Foundation

Bradd, a colleague of mine at Gregory FCA, has a cause very near and dear to him.  Last year, his mom had to go on dialysis to keep normal kidney function.  She went through four months of that ordeal as they searched for a donor. Very fortunately, his cousin gave one of his kidneys to in February to give her a new lease on life.  As Bradd says, "No person needs to go through what my mom went through."

Bradd's mom suffers from Polycystic Kidney Disease, "the most common genetic, life threatening disease affecting more than 600,000 Americans and an estimated 12.5 million people worldwide - regardless of sex, age, race or ethnic origin. In fact, PKD affects more people than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Down syndrome and sickle cell anemia — combined," according to the PKD Foundation.

The PKD Foundation is the only organization worldwide dedicated to finding treatment and a cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease. The PKD Foundation funds millions of dollars of peer-approved research annually.

How can you help?  

1. Get listed as donor:  It simply saves lives!

2. Donate: In Bradd's words, "Each dollar raised is very important so critical research can continue, awareness of the disease can be spread and lobbying efforts continue for more assistance from the government. I will not bore you figures highlighting how little support is given to PKD even though PKD affects more people than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia, Down syndrome and sickle cell anemia — combined. It is shame that so few of us know of PKD. " 

The Kim Family Benefit

Cause Six: James Kim Memorial Fund

I meant to post about this during the auction at the start of the year, but I still want to share this site and the James Kim Memorial Fund.

The blog hosted an auction of fine art + craft to benefit the family of James Kim organized by sisters Lisa Congdon and Stephanie Barnes and their mother Gerrie Congdon. 100% of the auction proceeds went to the Fund. There were a number of great items from artists available January 3 - 7 on eBay, and they just wrapped up the 'second chance' auction on Sunday.

I'm sharing the site because I think it's a great fundraising idea and a wonderful thing that these women are doing to support a family in need.

How can you help?

1. Support the Kim Family: Checks can be sent to this address at Bank of Amerca.
2. Donate to the kids' scholarship funds: Checks can be made out to"National Financial Services LLC" and sent to CNet.
3. Send toys to kids in need: "The girls have received several toys and stuffed animals, we request that if you wish to donate toys that you donate them in honor of the girls to a local shelter or organization like Toys for Tots, as we have received more than the girls need."

I can Empathize with that

I thought I should share a blog I came across today that's very similar to AllMyCauses (if you notice his most recent post, you'll probably understand how he crossed my path).  

In his own words, Matt started Empathy because:

I consider myself an activist, both online and offline, and believe that if we want real change in our world, than it is our responsibility to make those changes come about.

The reason I chose the word Empathy for my blog title is simple, Empathy is about being able to share the feelings of another person by imagining yourself as that person. In other words, putting yourself in another's shoes. I think it is helpful to think of other people as you would think of yourself or your closest friends. When we can see the world through someone else's eyes, then we can begin to understand other people's perspectives and with that knowledge form friendships and bonds that unite instead of divide.

Good for you.  I would love to find more like-minded people, so please share your causes, blogs, and stories with me.  Unlike bloggers or marketers in other 'industries,' those of us promoting charity, giving, and empathy shouldn't compete for attention.  Rather, we should embrace each other's passions and give each other hope.  In a world full of greed, we are stronger together than trying to go it alone. 

MaybeTube?

As new video blogger and member of the 8 Wishes team, I had to share Paul's post today, "Is YouTube Becoming MaybeTube?" (link to Digg)  

Full Disclosure: I helped Paul draft this post because I agree with him, regardless of my YouTube inexperience.  I was also dissapointed with the New Year's Eve Features.  Probably because I thought this video should have been featured.  Tell me those aren't the greatest New Year Wishes you've ever seen.

Camp Sunrise: I have amazing friends

Again, how did I forget this Cause in the beginning? Probably because I don't own it. Among many others, my friends Emily and Maggie, own this one. Every summer, they are counselors at Camp Sunrise, Ohio's first and only summer camp program that caters specifically to the needs of children affected by HIV infection and AIDS.

Cause Five: Camp Sunrise

If I could put into words what this camp means to these children (and to my two best friends) I would try. Truth is, I can't. Maggie has a breathtaking video of her week at Camp couple years ago, so I'll have to ask her to put it online. I also might do a video interview with Emily while she's visiting me in Philly. Either way, definitely more to come on this in the near future.

In the meantime, how can you help?

1. Donate needed items (3210 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115)

• sleeping bags (must be new)
• bathing suits
• water bottles
• hygiene supplies
• school supplies linens/ pillows (must be new)
• box cameras
• instant cameras and film
• art supplies
• board games
• hats
• summer clothes
• owels
• pullover Fleece for the kids
• 15 passenger van

2. Become a counselor!
3. As always, you can make a charitable donation

Gigi's 8 Wishes!