112: Hello, Earth Day

Happy Earth Day,  everyone and hello, American Forest Foundation. I haven't been in a true forest for a long, long time, but I miss it. A forest is not at all like a park, and I think it behooves us to protect and preserve some of the last vestiges of natural beauty in our world, regardless of where and what those are. AFF thinks so too and bases their mission on these values:

VALUES

• All Americans have a stake in the future of our nation’s forests.
• Forest owners are stewards of vital resources that provide value to their communities, the nation, and the world.
• Environmental education enables citizens to learn the skills and gain the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions about our natural resources.
• Our success depends on the passion of volunteers and the capacity of state based organizations who share our goals. Likewise, we share responsibility for assuring they have the resources they need to succeed.(https://www.forestfoundation.org/forest-foundation-mission-vision-values-goals)

I have less time than usual to share details with you, but please visit the site of American Forest Foundation, and you will see the way AFF is including family land owners, using innovative tools, educating and advocating for our forests. There are so many thing we would miss in our world without these habitats.

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity

111: From Captivity to Peace - An Elephant Sanctuary

Happy Birthday to the ever so wonderful and beautiful Jessica Holbrook. She chose the Donations by the Dozen recipient today for her birthday, and it's the Global Sanctuary for Elephants, which I love. GSE protects and rescues elephants as well as proving sanctuary for them. GSE is piloting their first sanctuary in Brazil and helps other sanctuaries as well.
GSE provides vast places of safety for elephants to heal (physical and emotionally), explore, and find stimulation and empowerment. Elephants can become part of the nurturing, supportive herd, and they elephants need their herd.
Random but: I once watched a documentary I wish I could find again, so if you know it after reading this, please let me know. Elijah was a baby elephant who was so large, his feet had gotten twisted in the womb. His mother could not leave him because he could not stand or walk at first. The herd waited a few weeks, but then the migratory need led them away. Several weeks later, Elijah had healed enough to begin traveling. His mom led him across the savanna in a direct path to more quickly reach the longer,  circuitous route her herd takes each year. At one point, them other elephant came across an elephant skull. She recognized it as the skull of her long lost sister and spent three days mourning it. These are just two of the many touching stories about this herd I saw in the documentary. Elephants are truly special, and I wish every elephant the best. Horrors like poachers and terrible animal keepers do too much damage to these fragile giants. Some day, I will get to spend time with one of these magnificent beauties, but for now, let's support them from afar.
I appreciate the Global Elephant Sanctuary for all of the help and safety it offers. They have a variety of campaigns, including an online auction coming in June. "Every Elephant Matters" to GSE, which is why they take a more costly approach to give each elephant the very best life rather than other avenues of elephant assistance.
I love that Jess shared this nonprofit with me for her birthday, and there's even better news. Since it also my birthday, my best friend, Brett Fowler, and his family are matching each donation this week - Woohoo! Thank you so (SO) much!

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity

110: Bring on the BRING Recycling

With Earth Dy imminent, I thought I would focus today on recycling, and BRING Recycling has been making strides in recycling, up-cycling, reusing, and advocating for better waste management for quite some time.

BRING Recycling is one of the nation's oldest non-profit recyclers. Since 1971, we have encouraged people to rethink what they use and what they throw away. We help our community keep useful items out of the landfill, find ways to use less stuff, reuse as many things as possible and recycle the rest. From collecting and processing household recyclables to teaching kids about using earthworms to compost, BRING has a wealth of information, practical tips and programs to help you live sustainably in Lane County (http://www.bringrecycling.org/home/brg/smartlist_14/)

Aside from advocacy, education, home and garden tours, and free business counsel, BRING has a store carrying building materials, garden supplies, and other reusables. On this page http://www.bringrecycling.org/home/brg/smartlist_29/where_to_take_it.html, BRING provides links of where to take things they cannot accept. For more about Community Education, Youth Programs, and Teacher Resources, you can check out this page http://www.bringrecycling.org/home/brg/smartlist_9/learn_at_bring.html. If you are an up-cycler, check out the events page for cool ideas or to submit your projects. On Earth Day, BRING will  be judging this year's coolest product designs, and I think I may have to enter that contest next year. Happy almost Earth Day.

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

109: Howl We Ever Forget the White Queen?

This is a stock photo, not the White Queen 

I am lucky and grew up in one of the most beautiful places in the world,  Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Across from my driveway Grand Teton Park started, up the road was Yellowstone Park, and down the road was the National Elk Refuge. I had a view of the Tetons outside of my window every day and have woken  to moose, bears, coyotes, wolves, elk, deer and more in my yard. Last week, I was saddened by the news of the euthanizing of The White Queen also called Queen B, a 12-tear-old, white alpha female wolf who ran the Canyon pack in Yellowstone with her mate for 8 years. The last I have heard, no one knew how she was so severely injured, and the park is still looking for tips (call 307-344-2132). 

As alpha female of the highly visible Canyon pack—which roamed expansively from Hayden Valley to the Firehole River area to the northern portion of the park—the white wolf also earned the admiration of wildlife biologists for its longevity and partnership with 712M. Doug Smith, lead biologist of Yellowstone’s wolf project, once referred to the pair as a “cool story.”
Maybe what intrigued fans most was the fact that, remarkable in this day and age, the wolf was never captured, never collared, never named. (http://county10.com/queen-of-yellowstone-is-gone-found-by-hikers-dying-famous-female-wolf-euthanized/)

She was an elegant, beautiful wolf, and I particularly love her elusiveness. Shumway photography has many photos in a gallery here http://www.shumwayphotography.com/Yellowstone/White-Queen/i-bJ5jB7R. The White Queen and her mate had 8 litter of puppies, and the news has not said whether she may have already delivered or may have been pregnant when found. I hope for the best for her pack, and I wanted to support wolves today for Donations by the Dozen, and I chose the International Wolf Center.

I suggest watching the video above to learn more and to see great pictures, as I can never do full justice to any of the organizations here. The IWC offers a great deal of programming, including school programs, adventure programs, seminars, visits and  webinars for your at home educational participation. When visiting, you can meet the IWC Ambassadors Wolves,

We realize that each connection will be unique. That connection, whether profound or subtle is imprtant [sic]to us and means that each individual had a personal experience with the International Wolf Center. Those experiences help the Center fulfill its mission to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future. (http://www.wolf.org/meet-our-wolves/) 

You can support the wolves and the International Wolf Center by donating or  in various other ways including the Howl at the Moon Gala in Ely, Minnesota in May or at their shop (I love the kids forest backpack with the animals) here https://shop.wolf.org.

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

108:A Day for Monumental Sites

I love going to Washington DC, and when I am there, I relish my time meandering throughout the National Mall. It's fun to watch people during the day and peaceful when empty at night - as long as you don't accidentally set off the alarm at the Lincoln Memorial (they left the door open, not my fault). Today is the International Day for Monuments and Sites. So many beautiful representations of culture exist throughout our world, and today aims to celebrate and support their preservation and diversity.
I chose the Trust for the National Mall, because I have found so many relaxing and inspiring moments there. Each time I have been to DC has been for training or conferencing on rape and sexual assault. After each day, the National Mall allows me to shed some of the stress and sorrow from the things I have heard that day. This page, http://nationalmall.org/explore-national-mall. gives you a 360 view from the top of the Washington Monument, and the whole site has wonderful information and resources.
Careful attendance to the grounds and monuments keeps the National Mall pristine, but they need our help. To know more about why and what is needed, please click here http://nationalmall.org/FAQs.If you visit the Trust for the National Mall website, you can donate to various projects or to a general fund. Since spring has brought so many beautiful blooms here, I wanted to donate to preserve the cherry blossoms and festival. Happy International Monument and Sites Day - here it's a gorgeous day to visit something awesome.

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

107: A HERO for Hero

I think we all need a hero these days when it comes to the heroin epidemic overwhelming our world. Meet the HERO Foundation, Heroin Epidemic Relief Organization. The co-founders formed HERO after both of them lost sons who were battling heroin addiction. Battle come up a lot with heroin, and it truly is a battle on so many levels. HERO says, "Our mission is to stop the growing heroin/opioid epidemic that has rapidly swept across our nation through our own programs and by supporting strategic pieces of legislation all while providing comfort and support to those who have lost a loved one to heroin/opioid or are currently helping a loved one who is struggling with this deadly disease." (http://theherofoundation.org)

HERO offers education, programs, resources, and an amazing feature in a trailer:

 The “Hidden In Plain Sight” trailer is a program HERO is presenting to show families the importance of detecting drugs and alcohol in their own home. The inside of the trailer is designed to look like a teenagers bedroom, with ordinary items placed in plain view to show where drugs or alcohol can be hidden. This educational tool is a great opportunity to educate family members on the importance of keeping a drug free home. The “bedroom” shows the warning signs and clues that aim to open parents eyes. What looks like a school textbook, sitting on your child’s desk may be hiding an addiction. This new tool comes as heroin and opioid use tightens its grip in our communities. (http://theherofoundation.org)

The programs HERO offers include, Activism, Grief Support,  Family Support, Prevention, and Intervention. I linked two videos for you today, because I thought they complemented each other in different, powerful ways.
Normally my field is rape, and though I support many other causes, I don't know as much about heroin/drugs as I want to know now to be more helpful. I am glad there are organizations like the HERO Foundation, but I also think we all need to be heroes now in whatever ways we can. For me, I am doing what I can with Neonatal Addiction Syndrome babies, because I don't feel knowledgeable enough to help adults yet. It pains me greatly to see some of the news we have like the three year old strapped in his baby car seat for hours or a one month old left for days in her home, both with dead or knocked out family who were supposed to care for them. It is these "unintended consequences" set of victims I can help, but I know there is more for me and for anyone who wants to help. Please be a hero and get involved in this tragic epidemic however you can? Volunteer, donate, share, anything.

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

106: We can Help with Clean the World

Whenever I travel, I try to preserve the hotel amenities like soap when I can (sometimes I forget things, of course). I bring my own, because I always feel badly about wasting theirs. Then I start wondering what they do with it and plan to figure out a solution for discarded soap the minute I get home. Of course, I get home, things are crazy, I forget. 
Thankfully Clean the World exists for just that purpose. Plus, they recycle more than soap, "The soaps and cleaning products are sanitized, re-packaged and distributed within 60 days to children and families in the United States, Canada and more than 40 countries. (Clean the World has teamed up with more than 1,300 hospitality groups. In just three years after it was initiated, Clean the World has recycled and distributed nearly 10 million bars of soap.) By simply recycling and sanitizing soaps, shampoos and conditioners, thousands of children around the world can be protected from deadly illnesses each day; this is at no cost to the hotel or the hotel guest. It's as simple as this: Soap Saves Lives."(http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4070395.html) 

https://cleantheworld.org/about-us/resources/

Clean the World does more than just recycle soap, because the soap recycling project includes a water, sanitation, and hygiene program. One way volunteers can help Clean the World put together hygiene kits too. Hotels can participate by enrolling, receiving bins to  recycle then "When the bins are half way full, we provide you with UPS shipping labels and new bins." (https://cleantheworld.org/get-involved/hotel-recycling-program/)Recently during a study of social entrepreneurs, I found out at least 20% of US hotels participate in programs like this. Hyatt hotels, as you can see from the video, participate in Clean the World too. I feel the greatest satisfaction in finding elegant solutions to problems, and Clean the World definitely leaves my heart feeling clean and fresh. 

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

on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/graceinitiative/,

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Our email is DonationsByTheDozen@gmail.com.

Thanks and cheers to charity