77: From US to India: Children, Cancer, Compassion, Charity

My ex-roommate and one of my best friends has a birthday today. Happy Birthday Kumar (Rachit). Fo this birthday he chose the nonprofit his father, Dr. Perdeep Mehta, founded to aid children in India diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia who cannot afford treatment. The American and Asian Indian Charitable Trust helps pay for treatment and for families to be near a child receiving treatment. Ultimately, the AAICT would like to build a children's hospital in New Delhi while partnering with a renowned model hospital here.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that cancer has become India's leading cause of death. Approximately 17,000 new cases of childhood cancer are detected every year in India. This is almost double the incidence in the next highest country - the US.

• When diagnosed early enough and treated with the appropriate protocols, approximately 70% of childhood cancers are curable. Tragically, only 20% of children detected with cancer in India benefit from advanced medical care, translating into an unacceptably high number of children dieing [sic] of their disease.

• Many of these patients are not able to get the care they need in a timely fashion due to the expensive nature of treatment, the lack of expertise, and poor facilities in the surrounding areas. (http://aaictrust.org/home.html)

 AAICT recently held their annual dance to raise funds in Germantown, TN. Here are some of the children helped since AAICT's conception in 2009: http://aaictrust.org/track_patient.html. I personally know how important this charity is to the people involved and to the children who need it, and I wish them all the best. Happy Birthday, Kumar.

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76: The Answers, My Friends, Could be Blowin' in the Wind

The wind in NEO has been strong and powerful this last month. I'm not the only one who has lost trees or power around here. Hence, the circles of windmills running around my mind, I suppose. I am not all of that knowledgeable about wind power, though I do find both historic and modern windmills (and watermills) captivating and mesmerizing, even soothing. Fortunately, if I want to know more, the Wind Energy Foundation (WEF)answers a lot of questions and support the renewable energy initiative at many levels. The three main areas WEF campaigns and programs support education, information awareness and education, and social media promotion. (http://windenergyfoundation.org/about-wef/campaigns-programs/)

Did you know that even though the US as a whole produces 4% of its energy from wind, Iowa and South Dakota produce 25% of their power wth wind? The FAQs page talks about this and many more interesting faces of wind power http://windenergyfoundation.org/about-wind-energy/faqs/. I did try to use the link on the page to access wind resource maps, which didn't work, so here is one to try if you're interested http://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/wind_maps.asp. Whether you're environmentally, economically, or overall concerned, wind power may be something to research. Costs have dropped by 66% since 2009 in Ohio, so it's a good time to investigate. And don't let any latent Cervantes inspired idioms scare you away. Don Quixote, at the very least, had a wonderful imagination, and imagination is the inspiration for innovation. 

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75: It's Never Your Fault

I was fortunate enough today to attend the Akron Roundtable and hear Beverly Guy Sheftall and Sofie Karaoke seat about "Sexual Assault - TheNew Campus Epidemic" even though we all know there's nothing new about it. Since Sofie is a co-founder of End Rape on Campus (ERoC), I am choosing that great organization for today's Donations by the Dozen. I think one of the greatest parts of hearing them talk and answer question was their ability to cut deftly through the myths and misconceptions. 
EroC states, "We envision a world in which each individual has an educational experience free from violence, and until then, that all survivors are believed, trusted, and supported." (http://endrapeoncampus.org/our-team-1/) They back this with direct support for students in an array of areas, education for many stakeholders, and policy advocacy.
As a survivor of sexual assault as a child and teen and as a member of various parts of RAINN and other groups, I am well aware of the issues surrounding sexual assault on and off campus.  What I think is special about ERoC is an ability to offer a large variety of programs and services (so to speak) and still remain focused, inclusive, and solution-oriented.  Even their page on taking action allows you to tailor your experience http://endrapeoncampus.org/takeaction. 
Since organizations like RAINN and ERoC have been making maxing progress in the area os sexual violence, more and more of us are hearing news, terminology  and other things that the media generalizes for brevity. Yet, there is so much more to this issue, and people are trying to discuss and explain things in various ways to make others understand. For example, the UK started a he conversation with a video about consent being like tea, and it had led to many more videos and article, which allows us to choose the right scenario for the discussion we may be having. Some has provided us with this fabulous bit link from today to explore more about consent http://www.upsettingrapeculture.com/what-is-consent/.
Today's included video came out  shortly after the Steubenville, OH rape case hit the nation's news, and it is still one of my all time favorites. 

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity

74: Because We Can Put ourselves in Anyone's Shoes

It's National Shoe the World Dy, and Shoes That Fit believes every child deserves a pair of shoes that fit. "Most importantly, Shoes That Fit is helping kids improve their self-esteem and fit in at school by eliminating one of poverty’s most visible and debilitating marks." (http://shoesthatfit.org/About-Us/Our-Story) With no government funding or grants and 90% of funds going directly to students through a grass roots chapters, Shoes That Fit has given away over a million and a half pairs of shoes. (http://shoesthatfit.org/Our-Programs) In fact, they are about to celebrate their 25th anniversary in Los Angeles this April with their Sneaker Ball. Ball gowns with tennis shoes? YES please, and I have chosen them in the pic. To find out how they do it or see if you could organize a chapter near you, click here http://shoesthatfit.org/How-We-Work/.

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity

73: More Than Friends, More Than Family: Wilderwood Service Dogs

My roommate works with dementia and Alzheimer's patients and asked for a dementia service dog nonprofit, and behold, Wilderwood Service Dogs. Wilderwood trains service dogs for Spectrum, disorders, Psychology or Psychiatric needs, Neurological Disorders, and Episodic Disorders. This covers a lot of ground for assisting people with Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Brain Damage, Meniere's, Narcolepsy and more.
Even more fabulous, 70% of the Wilderwood dogs are rescues or owner surrendered. The dogs are trained for two years to the specific needs of the individual who will be bonded with the service dog. If you look at their pages about the types of dogs, you will see the amazing skills each dog has. For example, for an epileptic, the dog will turn the  person in his or her side during an episode and seek help. For a neuro disorder, the dogs know to watch for things like stoves or water being left running, balance issues, or confusion.
Clients are asked to fundraise for the organization and owner expenses are for a week during the dog's graduation, during which I am guessing the dog and owner are trained together and bonded. A lot of care and training goes into each dog, and occasionally older, retired service dogs are available for adoption as companions.
I know firsthand how much an animal can help anyone and used to volunteer with one of mine. wilder wood takes the process much further, and I feel so happy for the clients who needed a service dog to be paired with one from Wilderwood.
As bonus you get a fab picture of Nessie to go with today's Donations by the Dozen, mainly because I am always going to put a picture of her when it works ;)

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity

72: First Responders Come First with FSPSF

With the pending snowstorm here in NEO, I came upon a great nonprofit, Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation (FSPSF), founded after Hurricane Katrina. FSPSF accepts grant requests on a quarterly basis "To impact the life‐saving capabilities, and the lives, of local heroes and their communities." (https://firehousesubsfoundation.org/about-us/) FSPSF funds Live-Saving Equipment, Prevention Education, Scholarships and Continuing Education, Disaster Relief, and Support for the Military. You can see some of the amazing stories of their work here: https://firehousesubsfoundation.org/stories/. You can also see if they've provided assistance in an area near you on this map https://firehousesubsfoundation.org/impact-map/. Ohio has received $1,200,970 since 2005. My town has a volunteer fire department, and I know the town next to us  received a grant for a fire-extinguisher training systems. Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has done amazing amounts of good works, and I am so happy to have found such a great nonprofit dedicated to first responders. 

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity

71: Happy Birthday to My Amazing Kid Who Loves Basketball

It's my awesome son's birthday today, and he wanted me to find an after school program involving basketball in order to help underprivileged kids. Guess what I found? PeacePlayers International, "Based on the premise that children who play together can learn to live together, we implement consistent, year-round sports activities that bring together children from opposite sides of religious, ethnic and cultural divides to develop friendship and mutual respect." PeacePlayers International started with two brothers and now has a presence on four continents, an look at this exceptional list of recognition and awards: https://www.peaceplayersintl.org/about-ppi/awards-and-recognition/ I feel like anyone who's ever played a pickup game knows how easily sports can create camaraderie and team spirit, if even for an hour or two. Using the idea of sports as a bridge formalizes that idea into something positive for kids, which I value highly. Now, if we could just convince some kids I know to stop playing when they were injured, I would be even happier. Happy Birthday, kiddo - I love you.

You can find the Donations by the Dozen posts here on google,

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity