It’s October and I got to give a shout out to Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. See my previous mentions dedicated to breast cancer awareness in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Now per the suggestion of a friend, the organization that I’ve selected is The Shade Tree. The Shade Tree is one of Nevada’s largest shelters offering free assistance to women, children, and elderly experiencing abuse, homelessness, female veterans, and those with physical disabilities.

The Shade Tree Mission – To provide safe shelter to homeless and abused women and children in crisis and to offer life-changing services promoting stability, dignity, and self-reliance.

At The Shade Tree, we believe…
That no one should ever have to endure a state of homelessness, existing in fear for personal safety and without the means to meet even the most basic of human needs – food and shelter.

That every human being, regardless of social status, has the right to be treated with dignity and respect.

That all homeless children are victims because they lack choice and mobility.

That homelessness is a community problem that impacts everyone. That everyone can be a part of the solution.

Established in 1990 The Shade Tree has grown to be one of the largest shelters in Nevada. With the aid of Donald W. Reynolds Foundation The Shade Tree has a facility that is that largest of it’s kind in Nevada with 364 permanent beds providing over 100,000 nights of shelter each year. A few programs that they offer include Day Shelter Program, Emergency Shelter Program, Life Skills, Children’s Activity Center (CAC) and many more.

They do great work to help those in need, so find out how you can help at http://www.theshadetree.org/ and $5.00 can go a long way.

Here’s how a $5 donation can help:
$5 buys a gallon of milk to help our children stay healthy
$5 buys two 24-hour bus passes to help our women seek employment
$5 buys 18 4oz. packages of applesauce; a nutritious snack
$5 buys a package of laundry detergent to keep our families’ clothes clean and fresh
$5 buys 6 boxes of Kleenex to stop the sniffles in the winter time

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The organization that I’ve selected this month is the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative neurological disorder affecting people as early as 18 years old, but generally more significant in older people. One in 100 people are affected by this disease over 60 years of age. The face of the organization of Michael J. Fox, best known for me in Back to the Future, Spin City and as Dr. Kevin Kasay in Scrubs, has been leading the fight against Parkinson’s disease. He has been fighting the disease himself for 20 years now and believes the cure will be found.

Our Mission
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.

We believe without fail that our goal is within reach – but we can’t get there without your support. Please join the fight today. ~ About Us – Our Mission – Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Earlier this month Michael J Fox, The Michael J Fox Foundation, eBay and Nike teamed up for a unique fund-raising campaign where they put up 1500 of pairs of Marty McFly’s Nike MAGs for auction with proceeds going to the MJF Foundation. The shoes from the future have arrived, what an awesome fund-raising campaign.

Unfortunately this blog post is going up after the auctions have ended, but you can find out how you can help in the fight against Parkinson’s disease at MichaelJFox.org.

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Making it’s return to being featured on My Monthly Charity, I know it’s been mentioned multiple times, is the American Red Cross as disaster strikes near home this time. Hurricane Irene recently made it’s way through New York, including Albany and it made an impression that won’t be forgotten. It’s surreal when you see all the damage to places you’ve been and recognize.

Hurricane Irene didn’t come through as violently as it could have but it rained on us for about 24 hours. Flooding became prevalent as rivers overflowed. The Hudson and Mohawk rivers hit record levels overflowing into towns and cities that I thought could never happen. Norman’s Kill near our warehouse was a spectacularly shocking site knowing what it’s like normally as I walked around Tawasentha Park as land became water and the river roared nearby.

Norman’s Kill

Mohawk River Lock 8*

Downtown Schenectady See more images at TimesUnion.com*

My business partner Adam was actually evacuated from his apartment for good reason as flood waters flowed in the complex displacing him for days now.

Damages in New York are suppose to top $1 billion dollars and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo says over 600 roads and 22 bridges have been affected.

Back to the heart of things, people have lost their homes or even love ones and they’re in need. The American Red Cross of Northeastern New York is out there helping those affected by the hurricane now like they have done for many, many years. Please visit http://www.redcrossneny.org/ to make a monetary donation or find out other ways you can help those in need.

*Credit images to TimesUnion.com

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My Monthly Charity for July 2011 is dedicated to a little girl named Rachel. All she wanted for her 9th birthday was a donation to her campaign for clean water projects in developing nations. Sadly to say Rachel was in a tragic car accident involving a 13 car pile up in the State of Washington. Her original goal of raising $300 was short before her campaign ended, but since then the campaign has been reopened and it has raised over $730k from over 20k donations. Those are some very impressive numbers and it shows the good will of people.

In Rachel’s words…

On June 12th 2011, I’m turning 9. I found out that millions of people don’t live to see their 5th birthday. And why? Because they didn’t have access to clean, safe water so I’m celebrating my birthday like never before. I’m asking from everyone I know to donate to my campaign instead of gifts for my birthday. Every penny of the money raised will go directly to fund freshwater projects in developing nations. Even better, every dollar is “proved” when the projects are complete, and photos and GPS coordinates are posted using Google Earth. My goal is to raise $300 by my birthday, June 12, 2011. Please consider helping me.

Thank you so much!!!

This is really a sad and amazing story at the same time. Rachel has truly done something amazing. You can read more about Rachel in a story from CBS here or visit Rachel’s campaign page to see how you can help.

One unselfish 9 year old girl made a big difference. She is an inspiration and in a way a hero to people that she has helped. Give to Rachel’s campaign before it ends. Take a step back and consider what you can spare to help those that are less fortunate.

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The organization that I’ve selected this month is TOMS shoes. With every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS gives a pair of shoes to a child in need.

In 2006 entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie started TOMS after traveling to Argentina and finding out his new children friends didn’t have shoes to protect their feet. TOMS shoes comes into play by matching every pair of shoes bought with a new pair for a child in need, this was his way of helping.

Why Shoes?

Many children in developing countries grow up barefoot. Whether at play, doing chores or going to school, these children are at risk:

• A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.
• Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.
• Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.

This is a great example of social entrepreneurship where they are able to create a business that has a social or environmental goal in mind. Blake Mycoskie has started the “One for One” movement with TOMS shoes helping children in need.

The One for One movement is about people making everyday choices that improve the lives of children.

As of September 2010 TOMS has given 1,000,000 pairs of shoes to needy children around the world.

Buy some TOMS and help a child in need or visit http://www.toms.com/ to find out other ways you can help children in need.

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In honor of Memorial Day, remember the men and women who serve our great country to preserve our freedoms past, present, and future today and every day.

Here is a repost from last year featuring organizations that support our troops. Have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

In honor of Memorial this year for My Monthly Charity May 2010 is a collection of charities that I’ve written about previously featuring the great men and women that have served or are serving in the U.S. military.

• Cell Phones for Soldiers
• USO (United States Organizations)
• Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Charitable Service Trust

Support our troops and veterans through any of the organizations featured above this Memorial Day.

Happy Memorial Day!

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