Posts tagged homeless
World Give Day: How Small Gives Change the World
May 1st
My favourite day of the year is almost here: World Give Day – May 4th, 2012. After completing my own personal giving journey for 365days I had the honour of meeting people from all over the world that are doing so much to give back in their own way. I was asked by the team at World Give Day to write a story how small gift can create a big impact. It happens to be the 365give philosophy. You don’t have to be a Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey and give billions of dollars away in your lifetime but one small gift / give and make a huge impact.
My World Give Day story is based on one such women that saved one little beings life in Romania while there on business.
Meet my sister Karen Somers – animal rescuer extrodinaire and Stella – the life she saved from Romania. You will see how her one small gift has brought so much joy to a family and will now make a great impact on hundreds of dogs lives.
Little Stella is one of over 2 million street dogs that wander throughout Romania.
This one-month-old pup crossed our paths on a movie location outside Bucharest. At the end of a long, cold night shoot, during a rain storm, this sickly puppy was the last dog left, too weak to find shelter. We were in a foreign country and didn’t know what to do.
Stella’s experience is a common one in Romania, a country that struggles to provide for its impoverished citizens on every level. Night after night, thousands of dogs go hungry, left to fend for themselves in temperatures that will eventually freeze many of them to death. The problem is not only a moral one, it also comes down to math. Every unsterilized female dog and her offspring in their lifetime and that of their puppies can produce over 67,000 dogs. Spay and neuter programs, education and shelter are in short supply to deal with this overwhelming dilemma. So USA-based 501(c)(3) non-profit, Romania Animal Rescue (RAR), was formed by American animal activist, Nancy Janes, to help where help was so sorely needed. Nancy and her team have created an effective free spay and neuter program in Romania utilizing highly skilled local veterinarians. They go town to town, doing up to 300 operations in a weekend. Their efforts are making headway on a grassroots level, slowly transforming the way a generation will help “man’s best friend”.
Stella and I were lucky that night.
She was wrapped up in a blanket and smuggled into my Romanian hotel room. After fostering with a local vet, she got her shots and flew home (20 hours on my lap) with me to California last November. Stella is an incredible dog. She wakes up with joy and goes to sleep in peace. She brings laughter and sunshine where ever she goes. Stella inspired me to help her family left in Romania.
In Stella’s name we are raising $10,000 to help Romania Animal Rescue’s spay/neuter program.
You and your dollars will make a huge difference to a homeless dog in Romania. Please donate what you can afford today to the Stella Fund.
“This post is part of a blog series inspired by World Give Day and hosted by GiveForward. To find other posts in this series please visit www.worldgiveday.com or follow us on twitter @worldgiveday.”
Homeless Teenager Inspires Millions
Jan 11th
Supporting the homeless has been a passion of mine for years.
My philanthropic career got started a number of decades ago by working with the homeless in Toronto. My work has inspired me on so many levels to give back to the world. It helped me understand a side of life that I had not been exposed to growing up and the compassion that is needed by all of us. This young man in the video has had a very challenged life from the time he was 3. He will inspire you to feel compassion for humanity of all walks of life. He became an orphan at the age of three and has been taking care of himself since the age of 5. As a mother of 2 children that were given up at birth (and put into foster care) I felt for this young person. He has been through more in his life than most of us will ever be able to comprehend but he is following his dream with commitment and passion. You never know who is behind the face of homelessness and if you feel compassion in your heart from this young man take the time to see past the face of homelessness and see the human being that is in front of you. We all have dreams – what if you could help just one person follow theirs.
Thank you Jan for sending me this inspiring video and for all the work you do in your life to change the world. (MissionPossible / Global Soul Sisters)
If you have a video you would like to share with 365give that will inspire more humanity in our world please send us a comment, Tweet or Facebook note.
Day 339: Volunteering Turns Your Passion into Commitment
Sep 16th
Do you have a passion for a specific cause?
Maybe it’s hunger, homlessness, child abuse, animal rescue, disaster relief or our planet. If you want to really turn your passion into a lifetime commitment- volunteer.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk4qcpncfeo
Day 339: Give 339
I recently volunteered at Mission Possible which I posted about on Day 308: Passion to Purpose. I have been a long time advocate and supporter of the homeless for many years. I volunteered for over a decade in Toronto before moving to Vancouver. Since becoming a Mother (just 4 years now) I have found it challenging to find the time to volunteer. Buy spending just one morning at Mission Possible it made my passion for helping the homeless and marginalized turn back to a commitment to make a difference.
With the fall weather on us it is time to clean out the closets and prepare for the cool days. My husband and I normally drop our cloths down at the local Thrift Store as a donation but this time I wanted our gently used clothing to go directly to the people that need it most. No purchasing required. At Mission Possible every Tuesday morning volunteers assist people to choose cloths from their “boutique” that they may not otherwise be able to afford. They can use reuse anything from cloths, shoes, accessories, bags, boots, and blankets.
My volunteer time with them may have been short and sweet but I was reminded I must do what I can to help. My cloths get given directly to people that need them and they are reused (good for the planet) by someone that will appreciate them.
If you have a passion for a cause go spend some time with what ever organization will make you a life long supporter. It’s easy to write a cheque ( a little old school mind you) or make an online donation but to go and see how hard all the charity organizations work to help so many makes your4 time and money seem so much more real.
Who have you volunteered for lately? Did it change your commitment to a cause?
Time Commitment: 1/2 to drive and drop the cloths
Cost: 0
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