Featured Charity for December 2011

Just to update on Movember, Team Living Philanthropic is waiting on a pending $1,000 donation, but the grand total will be $3,675 raised for our collective moustaches. That’s awesome work, gentlemen.

Now for December 2011’s featured charity, Living Philanthropic is supporting Americares.

AmeriCares is a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization which provides immediate response to emergency medical needs – and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs – for all people around the world, irrespective of race, creed or political persuasion. http://www.americares.org

The Living Philanthropic team page on Crowdrise has already received $1,000 pledge of support from State Farm’s Go To Bat program! Let’s match their pledge and our anonymous donor CYPHER will match our donations up to the first $1,000! Let’ hit this goal together and help Americares in their humanitarian efforts across the world.

Want to be a guest blogger on Living Philanthropic?
Join the team and donate on this page & submit your blog post about why you made a contribution here: http://bit.ly/lp-blogger

Day 323: ShelterBox

The massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan today, March 11, 2011, triggered tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean. One of the biggest earthquakes recorded in history, it was followed by more than 50 aftershocks, many of them with a magnitude greater than 6.0. The images of the devastation are overwhelming, the need for relief will be high. So, I am starting a crowdrise project for ShelterBox today, my hope is to raise $1,000 to donate one box of supplies for the Earthquake victims.

ShelterBox responds instantly to natural and manmade disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are most in need. Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.

Amount Donated: $10

To support ShelterBox, please visit: http://www.shelterboxusa.org/ or make a contribution to the Living Philanthropic Crowdrise Project.

Day 200: Palestine Children’s Relief Fund

In an effort to reach as many people as possible, I wanted to focus a give on an organization helping children in the Middle East. In a region full of political turmoil and violence, children become victims of violence and may not always have the access to the medical attention they need. The Palestine Children’s Relief fills the gap with a humanitarian heart.  This give goes out to my Palestinian friends.

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is a registered non-political, non-profit, 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that was established in 1991 by concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East. It has since expanded to help suffering children from other Middle Eastern nations like Iraq, based only on their medical needs. The P.C.R.F. helps to locate free medical care for children from the Middle East who are unable to get the necessary and specialized treatment in their homeland.

The main objective of the P.C.R.F. is to identify and treat every child in the Middle East in need of specialized surgery not available to them locally. We locate, sponsor and run volunteer medical missions to the Middle East in adult and pediatric cardiac surgery, pediatric cardiology, plastic and reconstructive surgery, maxillofacial surgery, pediatric urology, ophthalmology, vascular surgery, pediatric orthopedic surgery, occupational therapy, and other specialties. We also locate abroad free medical care for children who cannot be adequately treated in the Middle East. The P.C.R.F. is the main organization regularly sending injured and sick Arab children to North America, the Middle East and Europe for free care that is not available to them there. Since 1991 over 800 children have been or currently are being treated outside of the Middle East through the P.C.R.F.

Amount Donated: $5

To support the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, please visit: http://www.pcrf.net

Day 75: Oxfam-America

Oxfam’s mission is to end poverty and injustice, but their campaigns speak to a higher level of social service. When disaster strikes, Oxfam’s worldwide network of partners is already on the scene, providing emergency assistance. Once the immediate danger has passed, Oxfam seeks out the root causes of crises and works to bring about lasting change. Looking at their current campaigns it’s incredible to see the work they are doing.

Climate Change: Oxfam seeks to create equitable solutions to the crisis, including greenhouse gas reduction and financial assistance for the most vulnerable communities.

Right to Know, Right to Decide: Poor communities often have no say in the extraction of resources from their land, and receive little information about these projects. Oxfam is calling on oil, gas, and mining companies to respect their rights and operate transparently.

Aid Reform: US foreign aid under-performs and often fails to reach the people who need it most. Oxfam seeks reform of US foreign aid to make it more efficient, more modern, and more focused on ending global poverty.

US Gulf Coast Recovery: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita spurred Oxfam America’s first relief and recovery effort in the US. Oxfam is working with local partners in the Gulf Coast to address the needs of the most vulnerable residents and communities.

Trade: Trade can reduce poverty, but only if the rules benefit poor people and developing countries. Oxfam is working to influence trade agreements and investment rules so that they address the asymmetries between rich and poor countries.

Access to Medicines: The poorest people often find vital drugs priced out of reach—despite promises from the WTO to make medicines affordable and available to all. Oxfam is asking governments and drug companies to make affordable medicine a reality.

Amount Donated: $5

To support Oxfam America, please visit: http://www.oxfamamerica.org