Don't Save It All For Christmas Day

[Pamela]

On the twelfth day of Christmas, you can be creative and help the Salvation Army!  Michelle posted this info in the Good Deeds forum, a "child board" of the BAF forum. 

The purpose of  Good Deeds is to have an area where we can post information about charitable causes of interest and humanitarian efforts besides the Bubel/Aiken Foundation, including UNICEF, other areas in which Clay may be involved, or organizations you may support that you would like to share with us!

Click the button to make a virtual paper snowflake. Popular Front is donating to The Salvation Army for the amount of snowflakes made so have some fun for a good cause!



This is the donation chart:

Number of Snowflakes.......Donation Amount

4,000,000..........................$5000
3,750,000..........................$4000
3,500,000..........................$3000   Current Donation Level 12/16
3,250,000..........................$2000   Current Donation Level 12/12
3,000,000..........................$1000
2,750,000..........................$500

Also, if you roll your cursor over the dropping flakes on the site it shows you the snowflakes others have made. Some are quiet elaborate!

Thanks Michelle!

[Pamela]

On the eleventh day of Christmas, you can have some fun and support the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation!

Click on the button to create and email a custom Christmas wish created by you!  Or....a Hanukkah message.  Or....Holiday Greeting!  OR....any message at all!



For each message sent, Better Homes and Gardens magazine will donate .50 to the SGK Foundation, up to $25,000!!

Think of your friends and family, some of them right here on this message forum, who have been touched by this disease.  All you have to do to help is to have some fun!

Don't save it all for Christmas day, find a way...to give a little love every day. 

[Pamela]

On the tenth day of Christmas, you can help make a child's Christmas more bright by supporting Toys for Tots!



From their website:

U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program

MISSION: The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

GOAL: The primary goal of Toys for Tots is to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources - our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities in the future.

ACTIVITIES: The principal Toys for Tots activities which take place each year are the collection and distribution of toys in the communities in which a Marine Corps Reserve Unit is located and in communities without a Reserve Unit that has a Marine Corps League Detachment or group of men and women, generally veteran Marines, authorized by Marine Toys for Tots Foundation to conduct a local Toys for Tots campaign. Local Toys for Tots Campaign Coordinators conduct an array of activities throughout the year, which include golf tournaments, foot races, bicycle races and other purely voluntary events designed to increase interest in Toys for Tots, and concurrently generate toy and monetary donations.

You can donate to the campaign (even using your Paypal account!) on their website, click HERE, or through affiliate website 6th Annual Internet Toy Drive. 

Or, you can purchase a new toy and drop it off at a local collection point.  To find a drop off point near you, click HERE and follow instructions.

[Pamela]

On the ninth day of Christmas, you can help feed the hungry.  With a single click!

From TheHungerSite.com:

ABOUT THE HUNGER SITE

Your click on the "Give Free Food" button funds food for the hungry, paid for by site sponsors whose ads appear after you click and provided to people in need around the world through the efforts of Mercy Corps and America's Second Harvest.

HUNGER: DO YOU KNOW THE FACTS?

It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That's roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year.

About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five.

Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat.

In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children. The Hunger Site began on June 1, 1999.

Please remember to click every day to give help and hope to those with nowhere to turn. Every click counts in the life of a hungry person.

Nothing to buy.  Just CLICK HERE, and help feed the hungry.  Order something from a sponsor's store and pay only $1.00 to ship anywhere in the US!

You can also send free e-cards to your friends.  Each card contains a link back to TheHungerSite.com so they can click too!

[Claygirl]

On the eighth day of Christmas you can help feed an animal in need. With a single click! Just like the Hunger Site.

From TheAnimalRescueSite.com:

The Animal Rescue Site (www.theanimalrescuesite.com) was founded to help feed and care for some of the 27 million unwanted animals given to shelters in the U.S. every year. Since it's launch in July 2002, the site has established itself as a clear leader in online activism and a dynamic force in the effort to give all animals the happy, healthy lives they deserve. In the Animal Rescue Site's first year of operation, 22.9 million bowls of food were funded for animals in need. With the simple, daily click of the purple "Fund food For Animals" button, vistors fund bowls of food for formally abused or neglected animals now living in shelters or sanctuaries. Vistors pay nothing. Site sponsors pay for all funding, which benefits three leading animal welfare charities: The Fund for Animals, Petfinder.com Foundation and North Shore Animal League America. The Animal Rescue Site relies on it's passonate supporters. Vistors increase the number of clicks, and the number of animals helped, by spreading the word to family and friends. 

Just go to www.theanimalrescuesite.com and click on the purple "Fund Food for Animals" button, it's free and only takes a minute to help feed these animals. If you choose to buy an item in The Animal Rescue Site store, for each item you buy, you will automatically generate funds for at least 14 bowls of food for hungry animals at no extra cost. You can also send free e-cards, each containing a link to the animal rescue site, so you can remind others to click too.  ~Kelly~

[Pamela]

Thank you Kelly!!!

That's the spirit!!

[clayMaine-iac]

On the Seventh Day of Christmas you can stop and notice those "bell ringers" at your local shopping mall.

They are from the SALVATION ARMY.

Their Mission Statement

The Salvation Army believes that the poverty experienced by much of the world is unacceptable and that the role of International Project and Development Services (IPDS) is to facilitate The Salvation Army’s mission of meeting human needs without discrimination and operating as a catalyst for sustainable change through its network of community development programmes in developing countries.

Click on the link for more local information, news, and missions.

[Pamela]

Thank you Deanna!  "Hear the ring and drop some green!" 

On the sixth day of Christmas, think about the troops serving overseas and especially in the Middle East.  So many of us have had friends, family or coworkers spend time overseas or in the Middle East serving their country.  And so many of them will spend another Christmas away from home and their loved ones.  Even Clay's brother Brett will not be with his family here in Raleigh this Christmas. 

So, send them some Christmas or Hanukkah cheer to say "Thanks!"

Sponsored by Xerox, you can choose a pre-designed postcard and include your own message, and they will print the card with your message and get it into the hands of a brave US soldier or Marine.

Visit the link below and send some holiday greetings to our troops!  It's a good deed that could make a big difference to someone special far away from home.

  Let's Say Thanks!

[Pamela]

On the fifth day of Christmas, you can enlighten a child, or your own child - and support the Bubel/Aiken Foundation at the same time.

Recently, Clay visited Lower Nazareth Elementary School in Easton PA to meet with the authors of "Our Friend Mikayla." 

Written and illustrated by third-grade students, Our Friend Mikayla, is an honest portrayal of the children’s first reactions to Mikayla, their barriers to acceptance and finally the true friendship they formed with her. At her parents’ request, Mikayla was included in a regular classroom. Not only did Mikayla’s classmates accept her, but they also began to see her as “just like them.” Their relationship with Mikayla and their journey to acceptance inspired the book.

Buy a copy of the book for your own child or grandchild, your church or donate it to your local library or elementary school.  Click on the "click here" link under "Our Friend Mikayla" on the front page of the Bubel/Aiken Foundation website.  The kids will appreciate it!




 

[Claygirl]

On the Fourth day of Christmas you can help stop the tragedy that is global warming.

From stopglobalwarming.org:

There is no more important cause then the call of action to save our planet. This is a movement about change, as individuals, as a country, and as a global community. We are all contributers of global warming and we all need to be part of the solution. Join the 557,023 supporters of The Stop Global Warming Virtual March, and become part of the movement to demand solutions to global warming now. The results are in and the realty of global warming is beyond dispute or debate. It's not just an environmental issue. It affects our public health and national security. It's an urgent matter of survival for everyone on the planet, the most urgent threat facing humanity today. It's going to take action from you and all of us working together. Global warming isn't opinion. It's a scientific reality. And the science tells us that human activity has made enormous impacts to our plant that affect our well being and even out survival as a species. The worlds leading science journals report that glaciers are melting ten times faster then previously thought, that atmospheric greenhouse gases have reached levels not seen for millions of years, and that species are vanishing as a result of climate change. They also report of extreme weather events, long term droughts, and rising sea levels. Fortunately the science also tells us how we can begin to make significant repairs to try and reverse those impacts, but only through immediate action. That's why we urge you to join us. The Stop Global Warming Virtual March is virtual but it's purpose is real. By spreading the word and sharing this with others, our collective power will force governments, corporations, and politicions everywhere to pay attention.

Just visit www.stopglobalwarming.org and join the virtual march, there's nothing to pay, joining is fast, easy and free. Click on "Learn more" to read more about the march, and the effects of global warming on our earth, and to find out exactly what is global warming. You can also find tips on what you can do to help end this, you can see what other marchers, like me, are saying, you can watch the trailer for "An Inconvenient Truth",  and you can also click on the "Tell a Friend" link, to spread the word to others and get more people involved. This is a very interesting site, and it's also a way to actually do something about a tragedy that effect us all.  ~Kelly~

[Pamela]

On the third day of Christmas, you can add your voice to the cause supporting the end of poverty all over the world.  Read and learn about how poverty affects the lives of children, in America and the rest of the world as well.

ONE.org
 

The ONE campaign to make poverty history was founded in 2005 and is now 2.3 million members strong representing Americans from all 50 states. The goal of this movement is to persuade the US government to spend an additional one percent of the federal budget on tackling AIDS and extreme poverty.

Sign the declaration in support of the ONE campaign!

[Pamela]

On the second day of Christmas, your *click* can help fund books for kids!  From The Literacy Site:

ABOUT THE LITERACY SITE

Remember the magic of your first book? Perhaps you were nestled in the arms of a parent, or sharing a giggle with a friend. Whatever your first memory of a book, books are a powerful tool; they stir the senses, inspire the imagination and spark a love of reading that can last a lifetime. But what of children who have no books? The Literacy Site gives you a way to share the magic of books and promote the love of reading among children who might otherwise never discover the joy of their first book.

Your click on the red "Fund Books For Kids" button at The Literacy Site generates books for children in need, funded by site sponsors and provided through our award winning charity partner, First Book. First Book has distributed more than 40 million books to children in hundreds of communities.

The number of books we put in children's hands depends on the number of visitors who click the "Fund Books For Kids" button on The Literacy Site. Please click every day, and encourage friends and family members to do the same.

Click Every Day!

[Pamela]

On the first day of Christmas, support Bead for Life!

BeadforLife eradicates extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished hard working Africans and North Americans who want to create a world that works for all. Through the production of handmade jewelry made of paper beads, Ugandan women generate income to lift their families out of poverty. Our members are women with HIV/AIDS and refugees from the war in Northern Uganda.

North Americans partner with Ugandans by opening their hearts, homes, and communities to buy and sell the beads. All profits from BeadforLife are invested in community development projects that, along with income generation, help people escape extreme poverty. This circle of caring and participation enriches us all.

From the BeadforLife website:

Clay Aiken's Fandom Finds BeadforLife

In the past year BeadforLife has received support from many unexpected groups. One of these is the fans of pop music star Clay Aiken, an American Idol super star singer. In 2005 Clay, who cares about the welfare of children, was a UN ambassador to Uganda. He came to witness the plight of the children made refugees by the war in Northern Uganda. More than half of the beaders are refugees from this war. When he returned a fan spotted Clay wearing a paper bead necklace given to him by a young Ugandan. A Google search by fans, who call themselves "The Fandom," quickly brought them to BeadforLife.

Since then individuals in the Fandom have sponsored almost thirty Bead Parties before Clay's concerts and are planning others during the summer tour.

Thank you, Fandom, for selling and buying the beads, like the beautiful orange bracelet that Clay wears. We are proud of you for caring about the displaced and the poor in Uganda.

"Appoiyo MaTai" - Thank you in Luo from all of the beaders.

HOW TO HELP!