This year's tough economic times have caused me to slow down and take stock in what I hold so dear which is my family and friends. No down turn in the economy or loss of job can ever take these vital assets away, in fact, family and friends only seem to be there more to support us in times of need.
I am so blessed to be surrounded by such incredible people, my parents, husband, daughter, as well as the amazing people who I have had the honor to work with over the last year at EmpowHer.
I have received two gifts this holiday season in which I wanted to share....First my parents bought a dairy goat in my name from Heifer.org, which is given to a poor family in another country.
The gift of a dairy goat represents a lasting, meaningful way for a family to help themselves. The gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day - a ton of milk a year. Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families learn to use goat manure to fertilize gardens. Heifer partners can lift themselves out of poverty by starting small dairies that earn money for food, health care and education. Here is the link if you want to check out this organization.
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.2529663/
Second, I received the most beautiful necklace from our founder, Michelle Robson. Michelle bought the necklace from a company called upfromthedust.com which buys and markets beautifully made products that are created by women around the world who are working to support their families. Buying these products provide a viable living for women who might not otherwise be able to support their families.
I love both of these gifts because it provides people with the means to help themselves, as well as grow and prosper.
Happy Holidays,
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A fabulous organization that I have given gifts through for several years is http://www.bestfriends.org/ which is an amazing animal shelter in Angel Canyon, Utah that houses more than 2,000 dogs, cats and other animals that need help and/or homes.
Best Friends is also the organization that was chosen to help rehabilitate Michael Vick's dogs.
From the site: "Most of the animals who find their way to Best Friends have special physical or behavioral needs, and our expert staff of veterinarians, trainers and caregivers offer them all the help they require. Most of them are ready to go to good new homes after just a few weeks of special care. A few, who are too old or too sick, or who have suffered extra trauma, find a home and haven at the sanctuary, and are given loving care for the rest of their lives."
Best Friends has a program where you can make a donation and sponsor an animal in someone's name. I have sponsored dogs, cats and a horse in the names of friends and family members; they get a photo and a story online about the animal they have helped support.
Here's their mission page:
http://www.bestfriends.org/aboutus/
And here's their "sponsor an animal" page:
https://www.bestfriends.org/donate/sponsorRandom.cfm?source=
This is a fabulous thread, let's remember to get it going again next year when we're needing holiday ideas!
December 29, 2008 - 10:06amThis Comment
I really love these meaningful gifts!! One thing that I've done for a few years now is to help save endangered manatees from extinction. This began after a visit to Sea World where my eldest daughter and I completely fell in love with manatees. I told her that if I'm ever reincarnated, I'd like to come back as a manatee because they basically just float and eat. Seems like a nice existence. Anyway, I certainly wouldn't like being reborn as a manatee if they're on the verge of extinction, so every year we adopt one for Christmas and receive info about it including its name and its family members. The web site is www.savethemanatee.org and the organization was started by singer Jimmy Buffett and US Senator Bob Graham.
December 29, 2008 - 12:09amThis Comment
There are other sites, such as Just Give that are great for gift-giving ideas, too.
Just Give has a list of over 1,000 charities to choose from, and you can purchase a gift card to purchase for your friends and family. The gift-card recipient can then choose which organization(s) to give their money from the gift card to. Just Give also has a wedding registry, as well as other ways to give. What a great idea!
A quick Google search comes up with other charitable organizations that have online catalogs with gift-giving ideas, to use year-round!
December 28, 2008 - 7:49pmThis Comment
Kelley, How thoughtful. Another great organization that works to help people around the world is kiva.org where people like you and I can make small business loans to people around the world to help launch their own businesses. Here's how the program works: (from their Web site)
1) Lenders like you browse profiles of entrepreneurs in need, and choose someone to lend to. When they lend, using PayPal or their credit cards, Kiva collects the funds and then passes them along to one of our microfinance partners worldwide.
2) Kiva's microfinance partners distribute the loan funds to the selected entrepreneur. Often, our partners also provide training and other assistance to maximize the entrepreneur's chances of success.
3) Over time, the entrepreneur repays their loan. Repayment and other updates are posted on Kiva and emailed to lenders who wish to receive them.
4) When lenders get their money back, they can re-lend to someone else in need, donate their funds to Kiva (to cover operational expenses), or withdraw their funds.
You can even join a lender group. Thanks for sharing your meaningful holiday gifts.
December 28, 2008 - 6:05pmThis Comment