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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

• Salvation Army
• Red Cross
• Feeding America

Click through any of the links to find out how you can help those in need.

Previously Featured Charities

• Save the Children
• International Rescue Committee (IRC)
• American Red Cross

Full List of Organizations Responding via NetworkForGood.org

• Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)
• American Jewish Jint Distribution Committee
• Americares
• AMURT
• Catholic Relief Services
• Convoy of Hope
• Direct Relief International
• EFCA
• GlobalGiving
• International Medical Corps
• Islamic Relief USA
• Lions Club International
• Mercy Corps
• Operation Blessing International
• Operation USA
• Relief International
• Salvation Army
• Shelterbox
• World Vision

Click through here to the Network for Good for more information on these organizations responding to the Japan Quake and Tsunami.

Find out how you can help through the Network for Good and make a donation today.

The organization that I’ve selected for this month is Action for Healthy Kids. We have problem in America and it involves obesity and under nourishment of children. It’s a health epidemic that needs to be dealt with and Action for Healthy Kids is addressing the problem for a healthier future.

Action for Healthy Kids addresses childhood undernourishment, obesity and prevention by working with schools to help kids learn to eat right and be active every day. This focus is because of the unique position and influence that schools have on children and their families, in addition to their responsibility to provide nutrition and physical education and their many opportunities to promote healthy eating and active living. – Our Approach – http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/addressing-the-issue/our-approach/

It’s a startling statistic to think that almost 1 in 3 American children is overweight or obese. That is a not good statistic and sad to think of the future health complications these kids may face. Maybe this is why health care costs continue to rise at tremendous rate, think about it. Health insurance costs have to rise because the trend shows an unhealthy nation and we can nip this in the butt if we teach kids a healthy lifestyle to help prevent future health complications. It is a little disappointing to those individuals that work towards a healthy lifestyle while others may neglect it which increases everyone’s insurance premiums. Start with the kids and the future will be brighter.

Check out these other facts:

• More than 30 percent of American children are obese or overweight. This is triple the number than in 1980.
• Overweight kids are likely to become overweight adults.
• Poor nutrition is everywhere; only 2 percent of school-age children consistently eat well.
• Kids are less active overall due to today’s fast-paced but sedentary lifestyles. Only 8 percent of elementary school students and 6 percent of middle school and high school students have daily PE at school.
• 35% of school-age children watch an average of 5 or more hours of TV on a school day.
• Overweight kids miss school 4 times as much as normal weight kids. If kids aren’t in school, they can’t learn.
• Low-income and minority children are most seriously at risk.
• All of these children face serious, yet preventable, obesity-related health risks such as diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
• As a nation, we spend $119 billion annually on obesity-related health care costs. The U.S. economy simply cannot bear continued increases in these costs.

Those facts are a sobering look at a bleak future if America continues this trend.

On a more positive note Regis and Kelly’s Run Across America with Dean Karnazes kicked off today as Dean started his run from California to New York with proceeds benefiting Action for Healthy Kids. Running up to 50 miles a day for 75 days, his goal is to inspire a Nation to a healthier future. Track his progress and find out how you can help here.

This is a great cause, check it out for yourself at http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/ and learn how you can help.

There are back to back snow storms on their way to the Northeast and that got me thinking about SNOW, SNOW, and more SNOW which led me to pick an organization helping preserve the United State’s only Arctic state of Alaska’s wilderness. Let me introduce you to the Alaska Wilderness League preserving the vast wilderness in Alaska.

The League exists to lead the effort to preserve Alaska’s wilderness by engaging citizens, sharing resources, collaborating with other organizations, educating the public, and providing a courageous, constant and victorious voice for Alaska in the nation’s capital. – Alaska Wilderness League Mission http://www.alaskawild.org/about-us/

The Alaska Wilderness League works from the federal level in Washington D.C. to fight against industries depleting the resources of the Alaskan land. The Alaskan lands offer diverse wildlife habitats and ecosystems like no other and making it a priority is all the more important.

Learn how you can help preserve Alaska for future generations to enjoy at http://www.alaskawild.org/.