Life is good!

I first found this brand about 4 months into chemotherapy and loved it.  I had been telling my children that even though cancer had entered our own little world, our life together was so incredibly good.  We were on vacation up in Grand Haven, MI on the lake and found a little shop where they sold Life is good t-shirts and I had to have one - it was my motto too. I didn't realize until I saw this video though that they donate 10% of their profits to charity - awesome company name and awesome mission!




You can learn about the Life is good Kids Foundation here.

Daytona 500 winner's heart is in the right place

Thought this was a neat story about Sunday's Daytona 500 winner, 20 year old Trevor Bayne.  I hope the young guy wins a lot more races and brings a lot more publicity to charitable causes.  He's got a new fan today!

Bayne visits with an orphan on a trip to Mexico in November.

"Hopefully this money will help us get some more races, and there are a lot of foundations and ministries that need support. Back2Back ministries in Mexico is one, and there are a lot of good organizations that need some help, and we will help them out as much as we can."

Global Poverty on the rise

Disappointing, but not surprising news: Global Poverty is a problem that's going to get worse before it gets better.  Here's an article I just read about how rising food prices are going to severely impact the world's poor:

Poverty News Blog  "Food prices are rising throughout the world. For those who live on a dollar or two a day the higher cost of food can be very damaging. The increase in price can mean the difference of a few more skipped meals or no food at all."


Also at that blog is this video about the severe drought in northern Kenya (reported by Al Jazeera).



It is heartbreaking to watch, but I think it's something all Christians should see.  What can be done to help those people and the people in the broader region of east Africa?  Clearly their government is part of the problem - how they are living is criminal in my opinion (for more info, see here).  Please keep these people in your prayers and consider donating to one of the following charties that are operating in the region:

Oxfam America
Catholic Relief Services
World Food Program

Also view this ABC news video from October 2009.  From what I read elsewhere, things got better in late 2009, but have been especially bad during the last year - they are dealing with the worst drought in 10 years.

The American Red Cross needs you

The American Red Cross is at a 10 year low in their blood supply.  This winter has been especially difficult for just about the entire country and this has hit the Red Cross badly.  Not only has the need for blood increased due to accidents, but donations have slacked off because people can't get in to donate.  It's not often that people get to save someone else's life - you can by donating blood.

 

You can schedule a time to donate right from the ARC website here.

Local Charity in Need of Donations

If you're local in the Champaign, Illinois area I just read this article from Saturday's paper.  Apparently, the Salvation Army of Champaign County is "reaching the bottom of its inventory at its thrift shops on North Market Street and West John Street in Champaign".  Time to clean out those closets and basements - they need everything (clothes, shoes, household items, purses, etc.)!  Winter, and especially the month of February, are typically slow donation months for charities like S.A.  The article says that demand, on the other hand, has not slacked off.

"Money from the two Salvation Army stored funds its emergency services - housing, rental assistance, food and other support for the poor."

Let's make February 2011 their best February ever! 

Make Valentine's Day a Little Sweeter

Buy Fair Trade Chocolate by Divine Chocolate for your sweetheart.


From their website:

"Choosing Divine as your chocolate treat is a delicious way of playing your part in a more equitable trading partnership. Divine is the only Fairtrade chocolate company which is 45% owned by the farmers. While Fairtrade ensures farmers receive a better deal for their cocoa and additional income to invest in their community, company ownership gives farmers a share of Divine’s profits and a stronger voice in the cocoa industry. That’s good business!"

You can purchase chocolate (and many handmade items) at SERRV, a great website dedicated to improving lives in impoverished countries by helping them "build sustainable lifestyles".


Divine Chocolate hearts are only $4.99 per package - get one for each of the loves in your life!