21: Have You Hugged a Squirrel Today?

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day plus it's National Hug Day,so  I'm officially calling it Hug a Squirrel Day.  You could also call today something like "Mom, Twitch is Sorry He's a Pain and Please Keep Feeding Him" Day. Please don't rush right out and actually hug one, especially if you don't like them- they are wild animals with painful teeth. My brother's dog found an hour-old baby squirrel dying in a hot street late one summer, and he called me to tell me "to come help him survive right now!" So I did and you can see a video of some pictures of him growing up  and a video of him playing hide and seek with me at the bottom of this post. Please note his gorgeous tail as he grows and favorite sleeping spot on my shoulder. 

Definitely don't take this as an endorsement of rehabbing wild creatures or stealing them from their nest - laws generally say let the professionals do it. Mind you, there are amazing resources out there should you find yourself in desperate need from having found a tiny baby squirrel and being unable to replace him or her into the nest. If you can put them in a nest, go for it. Squirrels will generally take care of any baby squirrel they find, so any nest will do. If not, then this is one of the best sites ever and today's feature for Donations by the Dozen: Squirrel Refuge. You will find nearly all you need to know or at least something to lead you to what you need to know,
Squirrel Refuge "functions to serve the needs of abandoned, confiscated, orphaned, sick and injured rodents of the Sciuridae (squirrel) family.   Our goal is to further the well being of these amazing creatures; as well as, provide a source of accurate information through public education to further care and concern for all wildlife - from the least to the greatest."(http://www.squirrelrefuge.org/aboutus.html) Squirrel Refuge has a large state, regional and national network of licensed rehabbers, veterinarians, Fish and Game departments resources, and other experts to help rehab and release wild animals back to their natural habitats. This is their euthanasia policy, which makes us animal lovers happy: 

Our Euthanasia PolicyWe take euthanasia very seriously. Washington law does not require the euthanasia of any releasable squirrel, opossum, or cottontail designated as ‘non-native’.  As such, Squirrel Refuge does not kill non-native wildlife (including eastern gray or fox squirrels) on the basis of their species, nor do we condone or support in any way this lethal, harmful and unnecessary legislation among any prey species key to the survival of many native wildlife  species up the food chain.   Euthanasia is employed as a last option and is always carefully overseen to ensure minimal stress on the animal. (http://www.squirrelrefuge.org/aboutus.html)

The Squirrel Refuge is in Clark County Washington, and one issue they are facing with all of their wildlife needs is having a dedicated wildlife center. I have been to successful centers in various places, some good for the public and some not so great. I happen to be a fan of those open to educating the public and have learned a lot from them. I encourage you to visit one near you if you get the chance. I'm sure they need the support, and it helps with wildlife education and awareness.

More about Twitch

Twitch is officially Squire Twitchcelot. He was raised here in my house, and at the beginning, it was a
24/7 situation. I consider myself lucky, because rehabbing such young creatures without knowing their injuries can have lower success rates. I did not encourage him to get along with my pets, because I wanted him to have a healthy survival instinct when he moved to the wild. You will see his interaction with some cats in the slideshow,  but I was very careful to protect him. He was bottle-fed squirrel formula until he grew teeth and could begin switching to food. His first walnut is in the pictures. He was and still is an absolute jokester who loves playing hide and seek.You may not be able to tell in the video, but the game worked that as soon as I made eye contact and told him, I see you," he moved again to try and surprise me. I guarantee it was more fun for me than anyone. His sense of humor was very evident when he played, and I will always cherish the time he was in our home. 

Of course, I knew he could not stay forever. I taught Twitch to live in the wild and planned a program for his release. At first he just looked to other squirrels to protect him. He made friends the first day he still has two years later. He soon decided life would be easier at the bird feeder next door - you may have read my Audubon Society post about my mom's amazing bird feeders and houses, but she definitely had whole new levels to reach when it came to Twitch and company.  My mom definitely had not previously been a fan of squirrels, but Twitch won her over in, oh, maybe two seconds flat. Of course, she wasn't anticipating all of the wonderful friends he made, but we love them too. Each has his or her own personality and quirks, so it is fun to watch them each day. I did lose a lot of pictures, but I still think you might enjoy some of what I share below. Happy Hug a Squirrel Day, everyone. 

Twitch's Baby Slideshow and Hide and Seek with Twitch Videos

Here are some pictures my mom sent over of Twitch playing on her porch for Squirrel Appreciation Day. I will always appreciate the moments I share with you, Twitch.

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html* here you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen.Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com. Thanks and cheers to charity, m

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20: PKD for Bre

Bre's Birthday: PKD Foundation Support

First, what is PKD? PKD stands for Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, ADPKD, is one of the most common, life-threatening genetic diseases. In ADPKD, fluid-filled cysts develop and enlarge in both kidneys, eventually leading to kidney failure. It is the fourth leading cause of kidney failure and more than 50 percent of people with ADPKD will develop kidney failure by age 50. Once a person has kidney failure, dialysis or a transplant are the only options.
ADPKD is a painful disease that impacts quality of life. The average size of a typical kidney is a human fist. Polycystic kidneys can get much larger, some growing as large as a football, and weighing up to 30 pounds each. https://pkdcure.org/what-is-pkd/adpkd/

PKD Foundation is "the only organization in the U.S. solely dedicated to finding treatments and a cure for PKD to improve the lives of those it affects."I am dedicating today's Donations by the Dozen to PKD Foundation for my friend, Breanna Pertee. It's Bre's Birthday today and this is her charity of choice, because her mother has been suffering from PKD since being diagnosed at age 24. Bre also lost her grandmother and great grandmother to PKD. Research, treatment methods, and a cure are essential for those affected by PKD, so we wanted to feature it here today. Bre's quote of the day is, "The past is behind us, learn from it.The future is head, prepare for it. The present is here, live it." by Thomas S. Monson. Here in the present,  Happy Birthday and I hope you live it up today.

After making the donation for Donations by the Dozen (I donate before I post just in case something goes awry), my confirmation email included some excellent recent developments. 

This is an exciting time for PKD research! Five potential treatments are in clinical trials for PKD, including the repurposing of pioglitazone, a type 2 diabetes drug, partially funded by the Foundation. The others include metformin, niacinamide (vitamin B3), tesevatinib and tolvaptan. Another important and encouraging recent development was the first ADPKD Biomarker Summit, initiated, sponsored and facilitated by the Foundation. The Summit gave us an opportunity to meet with representatives from eight pharmaceutical companies, regulatory agencies from the U.S., Canada and Europe, and other key leaders to better define the regulatory path to approval of novel therapeutic candidates for treatment early in the course of PKD. Every day brings us closer to a day when no one will suffer the full effects of PKD.

If you'd like to know more about PKD, the PKD Foundation offers a free information packet. Obviously I suggest getting the digital version to save them costs, but you can also order the hard copy:click here to get to the packet ordering page

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html* here you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen.Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com. Thanks and cheers to charity, m

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19: Coalition Against Trafficking in Women

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) wants "To end human trafficking in our lifetime" and their missions shows their dedication. progress, and accomplishments. CATW campaigns and has projects in 6 main areas: Aiding Victims, Prevention, Ending Demand, Redefining Laws, and Human Rights. (http://www.catwinternational.org/ProjectsCampaigns/Projects)

When I talk in general about human sex trafficking, I'm usually addressing it for the United States, because these are the people I have worked with the most. Who I look at CATW and other international organizations and start reading some of the issues of legalities in other countries, I get even more afraid for people. I watched a documentary for work training once. In it the team was searching for a 5 year old trafficked female. In their search they rescued a ten year old trafficked male who had been tied to the bed for six months servicing the pimps clients. How do we put an end to people being sold like products - sometimes for as little as the amount I donate each day for Donations by the Dozen? Then once they are sold, how do we help them escape and heal from a situation like forced prostitution when so many people look at that business with disgust. How do we get others to see how awful it is or to help this or any other nonprofit's issue? CATW asks you to learn more, educate others, speak out, advocate or donate (http://www.catwinternational.org/Help/Respond). Maybe human trafficking isn't your cause of choice, but this is exactly what Donations by the Dozen is doing - today for CATW and other days for others. 

So each day you see a new cause here, try just one of those steps. For example today, you can make a difference if look at one of these links and learn something or if you remember this fact: every single state in the United States has had a human trafficking case in 2016. It isn't something that happens to somebody somewhere else, it happens everywhere. Maybe you can tell that to someone today or maybe the next time you see a prostitute on the street, you can empathize with her just a little bit more. 

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html* here you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen.Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com. Thanks and cheers to charity, m

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18: Happy Hearts Fund Makes my Heart Happy Too

http://happyheartsfund.org/our-mission/

I began to write today's post wanting to find a happy charity. After a bit of a hunt, I put the word "happy" into Charity Navigator (the IMDB of nonprofits), and found the Happy Hearts Fund, which rebuilds schools after national disasters like the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 have destroyed them. Happy Hearts Fund works after emergency personnel have finished their part in hopes the children will feel empowered and hopeful rather than forgotten as things quiet in their areas. 
Being a huge fan of education and reading, of course this makes me happy. The story behind the founding of Happy Hearts Fund has a poignancy of purpose: 

http://happyheartsfund.org/petras-story/

After surviving the 2004 tsunami, Petra founded Happy Hearts Fund in 2005. By 2011, they had rebuilt 50 schools. By the end of 2015, they had rebuilt 150 schools and helped with other educational needs around the globe, including donating "104 iPads to replace those that were lost during the hurricane to The Scholars' Academy in the Rockaways." http://happyheartsfund.org/world-impact/
By focusing on the post crisis period of rebuilding a community and rebuilding schools during this period, Happy Hearts Fund does more than just give the children the knowledge they can return to education, but it also gives them the confidence in returning to a sense of normalcy they've lost - a feeling that can help with post traumatic stress by grounding a known safe place and situation with hope for the future. I loved school (still do when I get a chance to go), so wrhen I close my eyes and imagine how that would have felt to me, it takes my breath away. I cannot wait to see what other great things happen with the Happy Hearts Fund.

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html* here you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen.Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com. Thanks and cheers to charity, m

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17: Ideal Ideas by TomTod Ideas

Welcome to an organization whose mission says:

We empower middle school students to launch absurd ideas that enhance the common good.

I've had an idea on my mind, specifically the sweet, furry, sad and lonely idea from the GE commercial called "Ideas Are Scary" below. Every time I see this, I feel so sorry for the poor idea and think he's scared - not at all scary. I love ideas so much, I need to find a stuffed version of him so I can truly hug an idea.

You know who else loves ideas? TomTod Ideas in Canton, Ohio. TomTod stands for tomorrow's ideas today and has several programs fostering ideas, problem solving, and implementation for middle schoolers.

What If You Could (formerly Idea X) : 6-12 month long experiential mentorship adventure. Middle schoolers think about stuff, but sometimes it seems like no one wants to hear about it. We do. Students can apply to What if You Could September 10-October 10. We are looking for ideas that cause the betterness of others.
Camp What If (formerly Dreamoratory): A week long summer camp for middle schoolers centered on the assets and challenges of a specific city center. Students spend the first half of the week learning about the city through experiential field trips and then spend the second half of the week creating ideas to enhance the city. The week culminates with a Community Ideation Celebration where students present their ideas to community leaders.
What If 101 (formerly Grasp. Go. Grow.): An in-school program that walks students through the ideation process. In the 2015-2016 school year, the program is at The Early College Academy, The Career & College Readiness Academy at Lehman and North Canton Middle School.  http://tomtoddeas.org/faqs/

The stories and press room have a multitude of great stories, but the mission page makes me happiest, I feel like the TomTod mission page may be my favorite mission page I've ever seen.(http://tomtodideas.org/mission-values/) I am copying each section below so you don't miss it. I will wrap it up there, so if you're short on time, maybe you can save it for later and get on with your wonderful day.

Imagination We exist to harness the power of a dream, to fan the flame of possibility, and to shape hope into reality. Most middle school students are taught to leave their imagination at the door as they transition from being a child to a young adult. We believe that imagination is integral to a life worth living. Albert Einstein once said, “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” We believe that the imagination of a middle student can not only encircle the world, but change it for the better.  

Belief We believe in middle school students. We believe in their ideas. We believe in their ability to passionately be others-centered, noble, and giving.Middle school students get brushed aside in society far too often. We genuinely believe that middle schoolers have a passion for life and the ability to change the world with their ideas, passions, excitement and intelligence. We show our students that we believe in them by pairing them with mentors who are wholeheartedly convinced that the adolescents they are working with have ideas not only worth hearing, but ideas that deserve to be acted out in tangible ways.  

Development We value the planting, the growing, and the end product, encouraging gutsy stick-to-itiveness through holistic experiential opportunities. TomTod Ideas is both a “now” and “next” proposition. We help students dream and launch ideas in real time. But we also provide training with an eye to preparation for future job interviews, positions of leadership and project management. Students have the opportunity to develop an idea from beginning to end allowing them to see something that began in their minds become an actuality.  

Practice Compassion & Justice We seek to enter into a broken world, equipped with Love and selflessness, to create hope and repair. TomTod Ideas recognizes that the world we live in has injustice in it. Because of this, our team and our students work to enhance the common good by ending injustices in our communities, families, schools and beyond to generate hope and repair.         

Celebration We foster fun & play, honoring the electric spark of epiphany and sharing the stories of our students and innovators everywhere.One of the most important parts about TomTod Ideas is our desire to have fun with the students we work with. We want to celebrate in their successes and build an atmosphere that encourages laughter, play and youthfulness. We do this through the ways we interact as a team. We do this through more specific celebrations of our students and their projects. And we do this through embracing a mindset of play.    

Ripples We create space for a series of expanding impacts, catalyzing ideas into personal change, community-wide engagement, and societal movements. For every student who goes through the TomTod Ideas process, our hope is that their ideas will have a ripple effect on those around them. From the people they directly work with, to their family members, their peers, their city, and the world, we believe the work that our students do will not only cause a personal life change, but will impact many spheres of society and inspire others to take world changing action as well. -

http://tomtodideas.org/mission-values/

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html, where you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen.Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com. Thanks and cheers to charity, m

16: The King Center - A Living Memorial

This would make a great poster

Even though his birthday was yesterday, today is the national honoring of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. In honor of this national day, I bring to you the The King Center, or officially The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. King's widow, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, began the King Center after King' assassination with a vision for it to be "no dead monument, but a living memorial filled with all the vitality that was his, a center of human endeavor, committed to the causes for which he lived and died.” (http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-king-center) After 50 years serving as a resource center and community institution, The King Center sees the need for a transformation for modern audience, and " Through such efforts, the King Center can rise to its true potential as a beacon of hope and progress, to a world that still desperately needs Dr. King’s voice and message." ( (http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-king-center))
One area of the website I would like to bring to your attention is The King Philosophy: http://www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy. Some of the steps and definitions here reinforce nonviolence in a way we haven't been hearing in the media lately.

It's neither my job nor my objective to give you a history lesson, but if you've never actually listened to King speak, I would encourage you today to listen, to notice the technique, to hear the cadence, the brilliance, and the heartfelt eloquence of one of the finest orators ever recorded. It is my objective to bring you a new nonprofit each day of 2017 and to donate $12 to that nonprofit. Within that objective, I have many hopes and dreams for this initiative, and I have a hope that each person who reads this will see the rich variety of beautiful organizations doing amazing things to make our world the one we choose to create. Speaking of dreams, here's a fabulous aspect of The King Center website and a way to spend 30 seconds (more or less) at zero cost today and share with the world  (maybe, this was not working when I tried it and friends say it doesn't work on mobile, but it is very cool). You can share your dream right here http://www.thekingcenter.org/dreams. If you feel like another 30 or so seconds, please feel free to share it with me in a comment, post, email or whatever manner makes you comfortable. Whether you choose to share it or not, I hope you dream your dream, and I wish you the best.

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html, where you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen.Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com. Thanks and cheers to charity, m

15: The Birthday Box for a Very Happy Birthday Mom

I know it's Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, but it is also the birthday of my awesome mom. So, in celebration of birthdays, I found the sweetest nonprofit: The Birthday Box. So one day in New Jersey, a mom stood back from her son's fourth birthday party while the kids were having cake and ice cream.

She took a step back from the excitement to look around the party and the stack of birthday presents that layered one whole wall. There was a tower of gifts. Did her son really need all of these gifts? What about less fortunate children who never have a celebration like this or even receive one gift at birthday time? That is when The Birthday Box idea was born. This mom knew she had to try to provide needy children with an opportunity to have a birthday celebration, no matter the financial status of the family. Every child should have a chance to have a delicious cake, blow out candles and make a special wish as they turn 1 year older. And of course every child should open a birthday present on that day as well. -http://www.thebirthdaybox.org/who-we-are/#_about

Now,  she's making that happen for less fortunate children In New Jersey, New York  and Maryland.  Hopefully this great idea will spread to many more locations.  This is how it works: "Local outreach programs and centers we have connected with provide us with the first name, age, gender and birthdate of the child in need. Each child and family remain completely anonymous in this program. The Birthday Box staff assembles a “party in a box”, including a fresh cake (or cake mix), candles, party utensils and an age appropriate wrapped gift. A few days prior to the child’s birthday, a Birthday Box is delivered to the director of the outreach facility and in turn given to the child’s family." 
I love the Random Acts of Kindness feel of The Birthday Box and enjoy picturing the joy on a child's face when opening a gift and eating cake on his or her special day. I grew up with a sad heart for the loss of Martin Luther King, Jr. but also with great inspiration and beauty from him. My mother is a very special person who taught me even more about being a good person to everyone in our world, so her birthday will always be special to me.
Happy Birthday, to anyone and everyone who celebrates a birthday today, and a special birthday wish to my mother and to the most honorable Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. 

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/, on twitter https://twitter.com/MarciGoLightly, or on the Grace Initiative Foundation Tree, LLC's website http://www.graceinit.org/donations-by-the-dozen.html, where you can enter your email to subscribe for an email daily dose of Donations by the Dozen. Thanks and cheers to charity, m