Eons: Volunteering & Mentoring Group Home

A couple more times…Promise

Friends, we have only 3 more weeks of voting on the charity home. This week is exterior doors. Last week because we received over 4,000 votes we have a donation of over $8,000 worth of appliances from that sponsor! Please keep voting for a couple more weeks. You all have been fantastic!! I promise to quit bugging you when this is completed other than letting you know how much we sold the home for and how much
We ultimutly raised! www.Builditforthechildren.org Please vote again and tell your friends!!

posted by HooverD11

EarthwatchJohn

Earthwatch's Beat the Heat Climate Change Campaign is now underway! What does that mean for YOU? What can YOU do to help us fight Climate Change?

Welcome to the Beat the Heat Climate Change Campaign! Kicking off with our huge bash in Boston on August 14 and then running through October 14, we're working to engage as many people as possible in our climate change research. What can you do to take action?

1) Become a member of Earthwatch and join the movement
2) Donate to help support our climate change projects around the world
3) Join us in the field as a volunteer
4) If you're in New England, volunteer on on one of our local climate change volunteering opportunities
5) Invite all your friends to join our Beat the Heat "Cause" page on Facebook here:

view link

Ready to take action? Whatever you choose, you can go here to do it:

view link

Last but not least, please pass the URL on to everyone you know who shares your concern for our planet. Thanks!

John

posted by EarthwatchJohn

Its time to vote on high-end appliances!

Hello friends! This week at the www.Builditforthechildren.org home we are voting on the kitchen appliances; Bosch, Electrolux, and Kenmore! Check out the Benvenuto Built-in coffee machine!
Remember, every vote helps us raise money for abused and neglected children. And while you are voting be sure and click on the “Jim and Dave’s Appliances” logo on the top of the voting page to let them know that people are visiting their website!
Thank you friends for all of your support! Vote early, vote often!

posted by HooverD11

1 reply - last reply

Vote for your favorite Charity

I Received this from Adopt a Classroom

Dear jas

I hope this email finds you well and that you’ve had a great summer. I have a small favor to ask of you that could make a big impact for Adopt-A-Classroom and America’s teachers.

For the second year, American Express Members Project is giving away $1.5 million to the project that receives the most nominations on the Members Project website www.membersproject.com. Last year, we made it into the Top 25. This year, I’d like to win, and focus national attention to the importance of teachers in our communities and the issues they face.

I greatly appreciate your taking a few minutes to go to www.membersproject.com and nominate “Adopt a classroom. Support America’s Teachers.”

You do NOT need to be an American Express cardholder to nominate a project. (This is a big difference from last year’s campaign.)

Click here to go to www.membersproject.com and nominate “Adopt a classroom. Support America’s Teachers.” and help Adopt-A-Classroom win $1.5 million to support America’s teachers.

As an fyi, this is the first of 3 rounds of voting. The next round narrows it from Top 25 to Top 5 and the final round narrows it to a winner.

Thanks so much for doing this. Please forward this email to your friends and family.

Jamie

James Rosenberg
Founder, Executive Director
Adopt-A-Classroom

________________________________
Adopt-A-Classroom
Helping Communities Help Schools
Visit our website at www.adoptaclassroom.org

posted by jas1377

Purple Dog Tag, Helping to Support Wounded Veteran

I was recently introduced to the Purple Dog Tag by a friend who knew of my interest and desire to help our wounded returning veterans through the NEADS Canines for Combat Vets program. I have been a supporter of the NEADS program which trains service assistance dogs to aid people limited by a disability to live a more independent life. In light of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the NEADS organization developed the Canines for Combat Vets program which has so far place six severely wounded young veterans with service dogs that will be their constant companions as they struggle to pick up the pieces and rebuild their shattered lives. It takes about $20,000 and two years to train one dog! Think about it! How many thousands of wounded veterans are out there at this moment and how many thousands more there will be whose ability to function and participate in daily activities and whose quality of life would be tremendously enhanced by one of these specially trained dogs? Yet time and money stand in their way. These young men and women are heros who sacrificed for our country so that we can still enjoy the freedom to move about as we have always been accustomed to without thought. Now in their time of need, time and money should not stand in their way. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are not denied the services that will help them transition back into a life of independence and freedom.
Purple Dog Tag was started by Ron Lawner and his business partner Suzy Marden to address the problems of substandard care that many of our wounded veterans were facing upon their return to civilian life. The Purple Dog Tag was created to provide financial and emotional support. The color purple was chosen to honor the wounded heros. The tag has a jagged hole that is symbolic of the wounds both physical and psychological that have been suffered. On one side of the tag is the word “Heart,” on the other side “In Support of Our Returning Wounded Soldiers.” The money raised from the sale of these special tags will go to support various organizations that support our wounded veterans. By wearing the tags you will show your support and appreciation of their sacrifices. Right now the money raised will be going to Veterans For America and Fisher House. It was announced today that Purple Dog Tag was able to cut its first check for $1500 to Veterans For America!
For more information regarding any of these programs and to learn how you can lend your support, please visit their websites:
NEADS, Canines for Combat Vets, www.neads.org
view link
Purple Dog Tag: www.purpledogtag.org
Veterans For America: www.veteransforamerica.org
Fisher House: www.fisherhouse.org

posted by LiveNKickin

1 reply - last reply

EarthwatchJohn

Hi all! Earthwatch was recently named by National Geographic ADVENTURE as the #1 provider in two categories--Voluntourism and Education. If you're looking for a volunteering option that gives you the chance to make a difference on things like climate change, ocean health, endangered species, and more, check out the Earthwatch HQ and Groups on Eons here:

view link

Or visit the Earthwatch website here:

view link

John

posted by EarthwatchJohn

Feed Project

Has anyone else heard about the project that Lauren Bush is promoting called Feed Project. You purchase a bag at view link

and the proceeds are to go to fight hunger through UNICEF. The problem is only $20 of the $60 purchase price goes to the charity. What are your opinions on this project and is anyone familiar with UNICEF?

posted by jas1377

Forgotten City:

Nearly three years after Hurricane Katrina and the massive flooding that followed, New Orleans is still struggling to house their people. Over 40% of pre-Katrina residents have been relocated to other cities or chose to move away to live with friends or relatives. Over 80% of the homes in the city were uninhabitable after the storm and today it isn’t much better. Looters and squatters added to the destruction, often setting fires that were impossible to fight before the water receded. A typical block looks deceptively normal until you look closer. A red X painted on the front wall indicates in code: the home’s condition, who checked the house first, bodies found, or pets inside, and often you find that it is condemned or unfit for human habitation. Badly damaged homes have been removed in some areas, but little has been done in others. Near the broken tank farms, where the homes and yards are contaminated with the spilled oil and gasoline, people may never be able to return to rebuild. Standing water, twelve feet deep in some places, soaked old plaster and insulation and, when the water finally receded, mold and mildew proliferated. Homes must be stripped of all drywall, plaster, insulation, wiring, ductwork, equipment and appliances before rebuilding can begin. Thankfully much of this has been done by non-profits and individuals fortunate enough to get a FEMA trailer to live in while they work on their home. Now we learn that the indoor air in those trailers is toxic and the trailers are unfit for extended living. New Orleans Mayor Nagen has promised to remove all of the FEMA trailers this summer due to fears that the summer heat will force more toxic gases out of insulation and glues inside the trailers.
Governments, Federal, State, and City, appear to have turned their backs to the plight of individuals who have not had the use of their home for over three years. Insurance companies, who told homeowners that they did not need flood insurance in large areas of the city because their was no anticipation that the levees would break (like they did), have not yet paid the people they owe. Families who did manage to collect insurance found themselves vulnerable to predatory contractors who collected an initial payment for rebuilding work and never returned. Mortgage companies insisted that people use their insurance money to pay off their mortgage, which left homeowners with no money for rebuilding. People talk of graft and corruption but details are hard to come by. The sadness, frustration and anger with the actions or inactions of the governments that have a duty to help can be seen clearly in the faces of the men and women I talked with.

The bright lights in this story are: the hundreds of volunteers that come from around the country and the world, the non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together New Orleans, and the neighborhood groups that have bonded together to form their own quasi governments to repair the infrastructure and restore the services of water, sewer, gas and electric power in their neighborhoods. Here you see the best in people. There are heroes at work and hope is in the eyes of those being helped.

Several of us with the 50+ Council of the National Association of Homebuilders volunteered to help for two days while we attended the 50+ Symposium in New Orleans. We offered our labor and our skills to the non-profit group, Rebuilding Together New Orleans. They put us to work on the double shotgun home of Mrs. Hilda Levy 67 and her mother Hazel Tate 87. Shotgun homes, the historic housing form in New Orleans, are narrow houses that are one room wide and very deep. It’s necessary to walk through rooms, including bedrooms, to get from the front to the rear. A double shotgun is just as it sounds, two homes side by side. We repaired damaged siding, installed new siding, scraped and painted the exterior and began work renovating the interior. Other groups of volunteers will pick up where we left off under the capable leadership of the skilled construction superintendents and managers. In this way, Rebuilding Together, one of many non-profit groups working around the city, has refurbished over 1000 homes, but that’s very little when compared to the need for more volunteers, more financing and more help of every kind our brothers and sisters of New Orleans require.

Organize your own group of volunteers and contact Rebuilding Together. We worked in the St. Roche neighborhood which is an older part of the city, but newer neighborhoods across the river suffered the same fate and don’t have the historic homes to attract attention to their plight. You can volunteer for a few days, or a week or more. Even one day is appreciated. Put a group together from: your office, your school, church or club to give up a little of their time and travel money to spend a few days helping those that are in need. If you aren’t able to work physically, go see the city and talk to the people. For some great music after work, Frenchman Street is the place recommended by the locals. Good food can still be found everywhere. New Orleans is struggling but its heart still beats.

Contrary to my initial fear of intruding and being a disaster tourist, we are welcome in any capacity. You can do as I’m doing here, tell your friends and let others know the story of the people who have been forgotten in New Orleans. To contact Rebuilding Together, go to www.rtno.org, call (504) 581-7032, or contact the Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. You can also seek out other groups active in New Orleans. Habitat for Humanity, for instance, is building new homes in Musicians village and in scattered neighborhoods around the city.

posted by MonkontheLoose

1 reply - last reply

EarthwatchJohn

Earthwatch is now being featured on Newsweek and MSNBC. Great video here:

view link

John

posted by EarthwatchJohn

I need your help!

Please, Please visit the website and vote! We really need you to encourage all of your friends and family to actively support this event for abused and neglected children. I posted information about my Build it for the Children website in hopes of getting a good response. I know everyone is busy with their life but could you please take a moment when you are on line to go to the website www.Builditforthechildren.org, click on the voting tab and cast a vote for decorating this home?! Each time someone votes the sponsors give more and more for child abuse. We do not capture any email addresses (unless you opt for the weekly reminder and then we don’t give your information out to anyone and it is destroyed after the project is complete).
Chartable giving is way down this year due to the economy. Here is a way you can raise money for child abuse without giving a single penny, just a quick moment of your time each week! We were hoping to get thousands of votes each week and we are getting only a few hundred, please help! Thank you!

posted by HooverD11

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