Before September 11th became known for the most devastating terrorist attack in US history, it was simply Virginia Madsen's birthday. For the past three years, the Academy Award nominated actress has given up a traditional party and gifts in exchange for raising money to build clean water wells in developing nations, through "charity:water" at www.charitywater.org.
This year, for her 49th birthday, she's hoping to meet her goal of $15,000, which would provide 3 wells in the Central African Republic, supplying safe drinking water to over 1200 people for the next 20 years.
"Being born on 9/11," Madsen says, "makes it a difficult day to wave your own flag. I wanted my birthday to be more meaningful, more powerful, and more useful." Founded in 2006 by Scott Harrison, a former New York City club promoter who decided to trade a life of excess for one with more significance. He came up with the idea of giving up his September birthday and asking friends to donate the dollar amount of his age to raise money and awareness to the fact that 1 billion people are living without clean water.
100% of all donations go directly towards funding water projects and what originally began as the September Campaign, has expanded to all months of the year, and volunteers can even “give up” their weddings and anniversaries. Madsen says she became involved two years ago after Harrison reached out to September babies in the Hollywood community.
"I wrote him back immediately because I thought it was amazing," she says. "And that first year I raised $4,000, which was the price of one well." (Today the cost is closer to $5,000). Last year, she even discovered the benefits of promoting it on Twitter. "I was new to Twitter but thought there must be some good to it," she jokes. "I started tweeting about charity: water and in about 7 days I raised around $8,000, I was kind of blown away."
"Virginia's been such an incredible ambassador for charity: water," Harrison says. "A voice for those in need of clean water around the world." Harrison's also personally visited the two wells in Ethiopia that Madsen was able to build last year, after her 48th birthday's brought in over $11,000. She was even able to watch the progress via GPS coordinates, photos and video documentation provided by charity: water along the way.
Currently, Madsen is almost a third of the way towards reaching her $15,000 goal, and has been floored by the amount of $5 and $10 donations coming in. "People with the least money seem to care more,” she says. “Perhaps because they understand what it's like to struggle, but small donations are the most appealing because it shows that everyone can give."
Adam Bosworth says he decided to launch his website Keas after his mother became ill with ovarian cancer. “I experienced the best and the worst of American healthcare." The former head of google health, adds he was particularly concerned about the lack of online access to health information that his mother needed while she was confined to homecare.
The mission of Keas, says Bosworth,"is to help you understand what your health data means and how you can use it to be as healthy as possible.” Keas will give users free personalized tools and advice they need to live a healthy lifestyle. “If we fix this problem and give people tools on how to be healthy and what they need to do, specifically for them, I think that’s going to make a serious dent, and that’s why I started the company.”
When comparing his site to other healthcare sites on the web (WebMD, Health.com, portal site health sections, etc.), Bosworth says it is the personalized plans for specific individuals that sets Keas apart from the rest of the category. “Everything we do is personalized for you. For example, a healthcare plan for a diabetic is not about all diabetic patients; it will be personalized for a specific, individual diabetic patient. Because medicine is not a one size fits all model."
Through a partnership with Quest Diagnostics, any person who has lab data analyzed by Quest can have it automatically submitted to Keas for inclusion within their Keas care plan. Patients will also have the option to submit data received from their doctor on their own. Keas has also created an open model of learning from the web. Any qualified agent can work with Keas users to build a personalized care plan.
keas.com which officially launched on October 6th, currently has users that number in the tens of thousands. Once registered, a new user will be given the chance to enter key health data on their own or have their doctor provide through Quest Diagnostics. While the user will automatically be assigned to a basic health plan option (usually men or women’s health), they will also have the opportunity to sign up for a health plan focused on a particular health concern. Users can opt to receive weekly reports on their care plan via e-mail, or they can choose to have daily interaction with their care plan via text message (for example, providing/receiving updated information on a daily basis and receiving reminders to take medication). If the Keas experts detect alarming information, the user will be instructed to contact their personal doctor.
“Fundamentally, we’re spending 2.4 Trillion dollars a year in healthcare and we’re spending it because we wait for everyone to get sick and then we do incredibly expensive procedures,"Bosworth says. "What we don’t do is change the lifestyles that by in large lead to these procedures and debt.”
He says Keas care plans are currently free, but the webisite is actively polling users to determine the monetary value of the plans. “We’re working very hard to come up with a model that is affordable by all."
Bosworth spent 25 years building databases and software, most recently for Google. While he felt he had done a lot of good work, Bosworth says he began to question if he had done anything that really helps the world. “You get to a certain point in your life where you start to ask yourself, What have I done and what can I do?”
$125,000.00 a year is the starting pay for teachers at the new Equity Project Charter School in New York City. “That’s the sexy story line,” says the middle school’s founder, Zeke Vanderhoek, “The high pay for teachers is what got people interested, but there's a lot more elements involved than money.”
The school, located in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, opened this fall with 125 fifth graders. Vanderhoek says he plans to eventually have 482 students attending fifth through ninth grade.
“Teaching is no different than any other industry, it might even be harder.And if you want to attract talent you have to pay for it,” says the thirity-two year old principal, who flew around the country to interview perspective teachers in their classrooms.
"You can have a golden resume but it doesn’t necessarily mean anything.I’m interested in how the teacher interacts and motivates the students and I want them to be experienced." Vaderhoek hired the Latin teacherfrom Rhode Island, the social studies teacher is from North Carolina, and the music teacher hails from Woodstock.
The Manhattan Equity Project Chartetr School teaches only local students from its Washington Heights neighborhood, which is primarily made up of low-income families. Vanderhoek, who previously ran his own successful test prep company, says, “I was able to get the funding from the city because it’s interested in innovative teaching methods right now. Our school has an extended academic day. The students are taking seven different courses from 8:25 in the morning until 4pm."
"We're only a month in, so I'm not making any bold predictions," Vanderhoek laughs. "But we had out first Parent/Teacher breakfast, and many of the parents said their children were coming home super enthusiastic and starting their homework right away."
For the teacher who makes a difference there is also a $25,000.00 bonus.
Today the winners of the "Moms of the Revolution" contest were announced, an effort that celebrates mothers who have worked hard to change the way children in their communities eat.
Revolution Foods and KIWI Magazine joined together to sponsor a contest to inspire change in cafeterias across the natioin.
"With one out of three children overweight or obese, and the numbers growing, we need to make available the resources that will spark change in our communities. Moms are an incredibly powerful force in shaping healthy eating in their children's lives and schools," says Neil Grimmer, of Nest Collective, which Revolution Foods is a part.
Grand prize winner Amie Hamlin of Ithaca, NY was awarded $3,000 for her work as Executive Director of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food, which educates students on nutrition and offers plant-based foods across New York schools.
The other four winners include: Liz Snyder of Sunnyvale, CA, who created a sustainable educational farm on a local middle school's grounds; Cynthia Walters of Powell, OH, an art teacher who built a two-acre organic garden and helped form a wellness team at her school; Dawn Walker of Stevenson Ranch, CA, who opened a healthy school "snack shack" and taught 7th graders ot run it, and Dawn Gallusci of Bethel, CT who implemented after-school cooking classes to teach students to make their own snacks.
The winners received a year's supply of organic lunchbox snacks from Revolution Foods (which gives a percentage of earnings to supporting school lunch programs) and will be featured in the Septemer/October issue of KIWI, a green lifestyle and parenting magazine.
Says Maxine Wolf, publisher of KIWI, "Each of these women is a true inspiration, and we're excited to share their stories with the hope that others will be motivated to create similar change in their own communities."
What was once an empty lot in a barren neighborhood in the City Heights section of San Diego has been completely transformed--to a farm. The New Roots Community Farm, a project that has been in the works for two years, will open officially on Thursday, September 10.
The farm was developed by refugee aid group the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to provide fresh, sustainable produce to families that may not otherwise have been able to afford it.
Its farmers are eighty families of refugees who hail from Guatamala to Cambodia--many of which were skilled farmers in their native countries.
They plan to sell their vegetables to the community at the local farmers market, creating a new source of income, as well as food, for the families.
"Now the Somali Bantu are talking to the Mexicans and the Mexicans to the Cambodians," Amy Lint, IRC-San Diego's Community Development who worked closely on the project. "They are finding they have a lot in common, a lot to share on the topic of food."
Raffle ticket sales start today for the Marin Dream House, a $2 million bayfront home in Larkspur, California, an effort which will help strengthen the local community in Marin County.
At $150 per ticket, proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards Community Action Marin (CAM), a private non-profit social service agency that supports the area's low-income residents and helps them become self sufficient. This is the fundraiser's third year.
"We're excited to once again engage the public in supporting CAM and all that we can do to help low-income families in Marin County," says Russell Hamel, director of development for the organization. "We think not only the local community, but people from all over the world will be excited at the prospect of winning,"
One winner will be able to choose between the house or a cash prize of $1.6 million. The brand new, 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge includes a private elevator, gourmet kitchen, white oak hardwood floors, garden landscaping, crown molding and an outdoor terrace.
Entrants will have a chance to win one of 369 additional prizes. Winners will be announced on February 20, 2010. Click here to enter.
In this recession, a landmark New York City restaurant is taking steps to give back to its community.
Patsy's Pizzeria in East Harlem celebrated its 76th anniversary with a scholarship benefit for a local student. The recipient, honor student Derrick Cox, who has received awards for helping the homeless in his area, was presented with a check for $2,500 so that he may complete the school year at Rice High School.
The benefit included a pizza-eating contest between New York's police, firefighters and EMTs, along with a street-naming ceremony in recognition of Patsy’s long history as a landmark in the neighborhood. The City Council of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg honored the establishment by memorializing the city block of First Avenue between 117th and 118th Streets with a new name: Patsy Lancieri Way”.
Also for the celebration, Patsy's reverted back to its Depression-Era prices at its original location on 118th St. and First Avenue, selling coal-oven pizzas for $.60 and 12 oz. steaks for $.90.
For high school seniors, the prom marks an American rite of passage. But not everyone can afford an expensive dress or tuxedo. Luckily there are places, throughout the country, that donate clothing for the formal occasion.
Brynne Coletti started her organization, Kenzie's Closet after her daughter told her girls at school were being made fun of because they weren't going to the prom. "They couldn't afford it," says Coletti, "But when they come and find their dresses, they are all smiles and confidence. They realize other young women are going through the same thing."
Megam Kerrigan of New York City's Operation Fairy Dust, says "sometimes the experience of finding your prom dress is more exciting than the actual prom. We try to make it a magical experience."
Before the big day, donations for gently used tuxedos, dresses, shoes and accessories are accepted at different establishments and volunteers assist the students and their parents in choosing the perfect outfit. For other links see: Ruby Room and Glass Slipper Project. For a map of donated prom stations across the country, visit Donate My Dress.
Tiffany Larson used to only recycle if it was easy for her. Now, the 31 year-old mother and marketing consultant says she's pulling pineapple out of the garbage for the compost, and has created the eco-friendly website Mommy Goes Green. Launched out of her Tigard, Oregon home with the goal of educating moms on everything from cleaning products to clothing to gardening tips. She posts new content daily because, she says I want to make green more mainstream.
Larson's focus on her carbon footprint shifted with the birth of her daughter, two-and-a-half year old Sydney. She says she read a series of alarming articles on chemicals found in baby products, you never think about it but they are everywhere.This includes the Bisphenol-A (BPA) chemical found in many baby bottles, teething rings and toys. "You have to do your homework on what you buy, she says. What exactly are we dumping down our drains and into our water? It's scary."
John Bramblitt never suspected learning how to paint after becoming blind would lead to a successful career. The 37 year-old says he suffered from seizures and vision problems from epilepsy his entire life, "Art always gave me a sense of control, and helped me deal with health issues." He majored in creative writing and art theory at college. When he became completely blind eight years ago he had no creative outlet,"I felt hopeless; I had lost all my dreams."
Bramblitt, who lives outside of Dallas, Texas adds, "I became so low I felt if I failed it didn't matter, and that's when I became brave enough to try something new." He says he started to see with his hands. "I had all these images in my head I needed to get out." There was no book in Braille on how to paint, so he began teaching himself. He began mixing his own oil paints, feeling the textures of different colors. "Black is thick like toothpaste, ivory feels runny and crimson is thin. But twilight blue is my favorite color because it feels so beautiful." He painted by using one hand for the brush stroke and the other hand to feel the raised line of the paint on the canvas. Soon he was painting 12-to-14 hours a day, "I would sweat I was concentrating so hard. But I began to notice I was feeling calmer. I accidentally fell into my own Zen."
"When I paint, I can only concentrate on the paint stroke I'm making. Not on the next stroke," the soft-spoken man says with a laugh. "My world started to take on a whole new color. It became brighter."
Bramblitt says his friends began to wonder what he was doing all day and when they came to his house they were surprised to see all the different paintings. "I painted people I knew and loved; also memories like my grandmother's garden." His friends organized his first show, but he wouldn't have an opening night party. "I wanted people to judge the art for itself, not that it was painted by a blind man." He began having more shows and his art is now sold all over the world. "I'm happier than I ever was." He says he has started writing again and his seizures have stopped. "This was a blessing, the lesson I learned was to never give up." Bramblitt married two years ago and has a son. "Turns out I didn?t lose anything. I gained everything!"
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Tiffany Larson used to only recycle if it was easy for her. Now, the 31 year-old mother and marketing consultant says she's pulling pineapple out of the garbage for the compost, and has created the eco-friendly website Mommy Goes Green. Launched out of her Tigard, Oregon home with the goal of educating moms on everything from cleaning products to clothing to gardening tips. She posts new content daily because, she says I want to make green more mainstream.
John Bramblitt never suspected learning how to paint after becoming blind would lead to a successful career. The 37 year-old says he suffered from seizures and vision problems from epilepsy his entire life, "Art always gave me a sense of control, and helped me deal with health issues." He majored in creative writing and art theory at college. When he became completely blind eight years ago he had no creative outlet,"I felt hopeless; I had lost all my dreams."