22 Days and Counting!

Heifer International's mission statement is: Ending Hunger, Caring for the Earth. Their programs are unique and interesting and take place around the world in places like: Tanzania, China, Nepal, Honduras, Uganda, Zambia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and Kenya. Their progarms aim to help people become self-sustainaning and improve economies on a larger scale. They do this by providing families and groups of people with ways to make a living in livestock, agrofarming, green tourism, etc. Once a group starts producing enough to sell, that group can then better their lives by purchasing nutritious food, medicines, more raw materials to grow their business, or other items. This cycle of buying can eventually lift communities out of poverty. This might be a great present for a nature lover because during some of the
Heifer International projects the organization provides speciailized (natural) resource management training.

If you would like something to slip into a box or envelope to give as a tangible gift, the organization offers printable gift inserts which can really give the cause a "face."

23 Days and Counting!

Photo Credit: GoodShop Logo

Ok so let’s face it- not everyone on your list would be excited about receiving a donation in their name to a worthy charity…So how can you still incorporate a way to give back while buying gifts for those people? I can’t believe I hadn’t heard about this until now! If you are going to shop online, it couldn’t be easier (or cheaper!) to make a donation to charity. All you have to do is go to the GoodShop by GoodSearch website, find your favorite retailer, and click through to their website. A percentage donation rate is listed under each vendor's name which GoodShop will donate as a percentage of your purchase to charity. You simply select a charity from the list of over 700,000 participating organizations, make a purchase at the retailer of your choice, and GoodShop does the rest! The donation percentages seem to range from 0.5% up to 30% - and it doesn’t cost you anything extra! Happy shopping!

24 Days and Counting!

Justgive.org helps you find the perfect gift for the person who is always difficult to buy for. It is so easy, you can do it in five minutes from your desk chair! Just go to the website and select the GiveNow card and choose the amount you would like to add. There are several holiday themed gift cards that would make the perfect gift! The gift recipient can log on to redeem their gift card at over 1.5 MILLION different charities and can even decide how the money on their gift card is used.

The Christmas Countdown!

It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is officially 24 days away! I haven’t started shopping, but I have decided what I am going to buy for almost everyone on my list. Although the economy is terrible this year and people are going so crazy over sales that a crowd of deal-hungry shoppers actually ripped the doors off the hinges and trampled a man to death at one store, Christmas is still coming. Instead of getting worried about Christmas this year, I am still excited and a even more compassionate. That’s why this year, instead of the traditional gifts that I usually give, I am giving to charities in the name of some of my family and friends. Not everyone will appreciate a gift like this, but I know that a lot of my family will. Year after year we all say that familiar phrase “I really don’t need anything…” but then list things that we would like to have. While that is nice and I love to give and get just like the next person, I think this economic downturn has forced some reality on us as to what excesses we really do have and caused us to realize that even in hard times we still have SO much more that others. Why not help those less fortunate get to the “I really don’t need anything” standard that we have achieved? Let’s try to stop the endless cycle of buying knick knacks and trinkets that often end up in the bottom of a toy box or covered in dust on the back of the shelf by the time the holidays roll around next year. For all these reasons, December will be a count-down of 25 ways to give back while giving to others this Christmas. *The countdown will go until Christmas, but if you celebrate another holiday, please check back daily to see to see the gift ideas as most will not be religious-based organizations.

Red Letters Campaign

Red Letters Campaign is an organization that is reaching out to orphans in a very tangible way and they are making it very easy for others to get involved! The organization itself is less than a year old, but there is already so much being done. The founding principle is really quite simple, but very profound: Living Faith Can End Poverty.




In leiu of a simple synoposis I will instead borrow the post of one of the founders herself:

Where There Is Vision, There Is Provision

Before even writing this blog post, I can say that it is truly among my favorite posts EVER! A year ago, God sent me on a journey to Ethiopia. I met Hannah - a woman who inspired me like no other. A woman who just followed God's call. Where most of us would say "Impossible ... who am I," Hannah says "Where there is vision ... there is provision."

WHERE THERE IS VISION...
I was impacted so deeply by her story of taking in one child after another off the streets and providing them a home, a family of foster siblings, food, clothing and, so important, EDUCATION. I was there when a young girl without even clothes was brought in to Hannah's off the street. Today, Hannah cares for over 160 children without much outside support. THAT is about to CHANGE!

Hopechest and Red Letters Campaign just returned from Ethiopia where we identified 8 orphan communities with over 750 kids who would benefit from the Children's Hopechest community - to - community sponsorship model. Remember ... "Where there is vision, there is provision!" We had a vision for supporting Hannah in her incredible work. Amy Bottomly had a vision of bringing support for Kolfe orphanage. Tom Davis had a vision for bringing futures to 1,000 children in Ethiopia.

THERE IS PROVISION!
Well ... guess what, I want to show you the provision (watch video). It brings tears to my eyes to see Hannah's orphanage on this video and to realize that God has taken this experience full circle. Also, keep an eye out for Moses' Orphanage - the community that the Red Letters Campaign community is sponsoring.

To date, it appears that we have four of these communities sponsored already. Today, we already have almost 60 sponsors for our own orphanage (Moses' Orphanage), but we have room for more. Also, we'd love to take on another orphanage. If you want to be part of this, you can still send an email to Amy Bottomly at amyde63@hotmail.com. If you want more information, click here to read more.

AND THAT PROVISION IS IN EACH OF US!
It's time to stop saying, "Impossible ... who am I." Discover your vision. Claim your provision. Make a difference where you feel called. "The Voice of Adventure" is the namesake for this blog and I think it's worth paraphrasing here:

"There is a rawness and a wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it. Sell out to get it." " Build a fire in your heart. Follow God's impulses. Adopt the child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. MAKE A DIFFERENCE." "Don't listen to the whines of those who have settled for a second rate life and want you to do the same so they won't feel guilty. Your goal is not to live long. It's to live. Sure it isn't safe, but what is."

Remember that the small things that we do in life may seem small to us, but may be HUGE to a child in need. And thanks so much for walking this journey with me. It's so much better to walk with friends! Feel free to steal this post to share with your readers in full or in part as you like and to link your post below.

A second borrowed post appears below:

UPDATE ON RLC ETHIOPIA!

Exciting news! Just wanted to let you know...

we now have over 80 kids sponsored through RLC!!!!!

WOOHOOO!!! Please consider joining RLC in caring for the fatherless. I want you to be in on this. We can do this together. We can't bring them all into our homes but for a small amount we can give them a home and hope. We can love them, feed them, clothe them, visit them and LOVE them together. Please consider posting about this opportunity on your blog or e-mailing someone about it.

RLC will sponsor an orphanage together!

To learn more, or to see these posts in their original form, please check this woman's family blog (her name is Angel) or the RedLettersCampaign Website directly.

CASA

Ever heard of CASA? Neither had I before last August. But what I heard really made sense and intrigued me.

If you have any experience with the US foster care system you know that each case is dramatically different and depending on the case workers, therapists, GAL (the Guardian Ad Litem- child's lawyer), and anyone else involved in a case (not the mention the child's parents themselves). Sometimes the case gets stalled somewhere between inception and completion. Some children are foster children almost their entire childhood. That is not healthy for a child, with the constant sense of insecurity, and should not happen.

Each state has a certain guideline time for a child to achieve permanency; whether through returning home to a parent who has successfully worked their case plan, through termination of parental rights (TPR) and a subsequent adoption, through a legal guardianship, or other avenue. If somewhere along the line, there is a breakdown in communication and progress, the Judge can request that a CASA be appointed to the case.

If the county has a CASA program, a CASA volunteer will be put on a specific case. They may be appointed for one child, or an entire sibling group, depending on the needs of the case. Once assigned to a case, a CASA has access to all those involved with the child, including the foster parent, case worker, teacher, coaches, evaluations done on the child, etc., to talk with them about the child's progress and situation. This access to anyone involved with the child is to allow the CASA to be the "eyes and ears" of the Judge.

If CASA is appointed, the Judge wants to know exactly what is going on in the case. Maybe the Judge is receiving conflicting reports about the case, the case is taking too long, or the Judge cannot understand the specifics about the case from the reports they have received. The CASA to collect facts so that the Judge can have a better sense of what is happening in a case so he can make an informed decision about what is in the best interests of the child. Although the CASA can make a recommendation as to what should happen with the goal for the case (return home, TPR, legal guardianship, etc.), the Judge ultimately makes the decision.

Becoming a CASA requires background checks and training courses. Once a person has completed that being a CASA you are required to see the child(ren) on your case a minimum of once per month and must observe their living quarters. The CASA must attempt to gather information on related to the specific concerns of the Judge, and also the child's (or children's) progress in school, therapy, extra-curricular activities, the child's relationships with others, etc.

CASA requires a time commitment of one year or more, but they prefer for the CASA to stay on one case the whole time, if possible. One of the objectives of being a CASA is to build a relationship with the child(ren) on your case through monthly (or more frequent) visits, and without a commitment of one year or more that can be difficult.

I have had a very rewarding experience as a CASA, and the case I was appointed to has been moved to adoption. I am happy to say that I contributed to a child achieving permanency in a happy and healthy home, where she is happy and well-adjusted. As an aside, I would have been equally happy to have the child return home if it was safe and appropriate, but that was not the case in this situation.

I'm looking forward to being assigned to my next case!

To read more about CASA, please check their website. This is a very rewarding way to get involved with foster care and (sometimes) adoption, and any amount of time spent working on a case will be very much worth it. Please consider this as a way to give back.

China Care!

Today's organization is a US based 501(3)(c) that helps care for Chinese orphans. As more children are brought into orphanages, and the wait for a referral from China gets longer for adoptive families, there is a huge need for help in Chinese orphanages. This specific charity is underwritten completely by the sponsors, so ALL money donated goes directly to helping the children!

But there is more to do than just donate money- you can actually get involved and go to China! They will be accepting applications for the Summer '09 volunteer trip in January. If you think that is a little more than you can do, China Care can help you donate specific items that the children's homes need for the babies and children in their care, and they will even arrange the shipping to China once you send it to their US headquarters. Check out their "Needs List" to see if you can help. Although they have lots of items on their Needs List, if you are involved in the medical industry and could get ahold of some samples, this would be a great way to give back.

OR, you can help fund a special project. You can help someone like this litte guy or this cutie with surgery and care expenses.

China Care also needs funding for drivers (to and from medical treatments), A/C and heat units for orphanages, and for a Group Educational Foster Home. Please check out their needs and help if you can.

If you are a student, teacher, or just a concerned community member who wants to get involved, then consider starting a China Care Club at your campus! By contacting the organization through the website here, they will send you a handbook and club kit that has everything you need to know to get started on your own club. This might be a great project for Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts.