Charitable Gift Giving

We surf the Web to find good products that help out a great cause.

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Lip Balm that Helps Pug Rescue

March 10th, 2009 · Animal Causes, Sephora

Sephora sells this  theBalm to the Rescue 0.25 oz lip balm, from TheBalm.

It’s a lip balm made from all natural ingredients of jojoba and shea butter that’s infused with vitamins and great for your lips. There are no animal bi-products, no synthetic dies or fragrances or parabens, sulfates, or phtalates (whatever those are).

What’s also special about this is that all net proceeds are donated to Pug Rescue.

Everyone can recognize the distinctive look of a pug. Unfortunately, many people buy this breed of dog, and then realize that as cute as it is, it’s a dog that often needs a lot of veterinary care and often can’t deal with the rough treatment of a family with young kids. Too often, those dogs are abandoned or kept in horrible conditions. Pug Rescue is a wonderful organization that helps find loving homes for pugs.

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Delicious Cookies that benefit Make-a-Wish Foundation

March 7th, 2009 · Cheryl&Co., Make-A-Wish Foundation


iconiconHave you ever had a Cheryl&Co. cookie? Cheryl&Co. is a company based in Ohio which makes the most amazingly delicious cookies you can get outside of home-made. They come individually wrapped, and they really do taste and feel just like little birthday cakes, especially the frosted ones (the orange, lemon, and lime frosted ones in this gift are worth breaking any diet for). They’re head and shoulders better than what you’d find in your local supermarket, or even companies like Mrs. Fields. The company was really founded by someone named Cheryl, using a recipe from her grandmother.

These cookies, the Make-A-Wish Springtime Favorites
icon would make a great gift even if some of the proceeds didn’t go to help charity. But in this case, around 20% goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Their gifts come impeccably packaged in a sturdy gift box, a beautiful bow, and a gift card that tells the recipient that you were thinking of them and of kids in need of a smile.

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Coffee from the Movie Watchmen

March 4th, 2009 · Uncategorized


This is an interesting product, in that it doesn’t exist. It’s actually a part of the universe of the movie “Watchmen”, set to open two days from now on (as you see in the billboards) 03.06.09.

The film will be a stylized adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, and since director Zach Snyder (of “300” fame) directed it, you can be sure it’ll be stylized. This is no run-of-the-mill product placement, it’s a special prop designed especially for the film.

Specifically, there’s a moment in the movie where two people save a group from a tenement fire. Once the survivors are brought to safety, they’re served coffee from an airplane-style coffee maker. The coffee they brew is Veidt Enterprise’s Nite Owl Dark Roast in the distinctive tin you see, one side which is designed to belong right in the movie universe.

In actuality, the coffee is courtesy of the Organic Coffee Cartel, which happens to be the company of Clay Enos, a unit photographer on the movie. It is 100% organic specialty coffee which tastes much better and fresher than coffee you find in the supermarket. And with only 10,000 tins being produced, this is bound to be a unique and sought-after collectiable by movie and coffee fans alike. As with all coffee sold by the Organic Coffee Cartel, most of the profits go back to benefitting the non-profit Let’s Talk Coffee event for improving supply chain education and sustainable coffee production practices.

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Coins from Iraq that help families of wounded soldiers

March 1st, 2009 · Veterans and Military

Whatever your view of the war in Iraq, there are two things that everyone can agree on. First, that there are those in the world whose sworn purpose is to put an end to America and the freedom and way of life we take for granted. And second, the bravery and sacrifice of the men and women who defend us against them.

Products for Good produces a coin set with a very interesting history. The coins are brilliant uncirculated Iraqi Fils that Sadaam Hussein decommissioned in the 1990s. They were discovered by US and British coalition soldiers in 2003.

The soldiers came up with a pretty neat plan. While most Iraqi currency was being destroyed, they requested and were granted permission to sell these coins, with all proceeds going to rebuild an orphanage in Basra which had been destroyed during the Sadaam Hussein regime.

Products For Good eventually came into possession of these coins and decided to sell the coins in collectible shadowboxes, with 20% of proceeds going to help charities which support wounded soldiers and their families.

One other way this company “gives back” is that rather than using foreign labor to assemble the shadowboxes, it uses the Cleveland Vocational Industries, a facility which provides work opportunities for mentally and physically challenged individuals with barriers to entry into the traditional workforce.

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2009 Doral Golf Championship Tickets that Help Charity

February 26th, 2009 · Children's Charities

tickets fore charityIf you know a fan of golf, treat them to a trip to the 2009 World Golf Championships-CA Championship and you’ll be helping a great cause.  

The TICKETS Fore CHARITY program is a way to buy tickets to the Golf Championships in Miami, while at the same time helping needy causes. 75 percent of your ticket cost will benefit a non-profit you choose, with the remaining 25 percent earmarked for The First Tee, which provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as confidence, perseverance and judgment through golf and character education.

The 2009 Championships are from March 9 to March 15 at the famous “Blue Monster” golf course at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. The top 75 golfers in the world, including Camilo Villegas, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim (as of this post, Tiger Woods is still deciding).

Read more about it at wgcca.com/tfc

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National Pancake Day

February 23rd, 2009 · Children's Charities, Children's Miracle Network

pancake dayMardi Gras is tomorrow (February 24). The name Mardi Gras, of course, is French and translates to “Fat Tuesday”. It’s the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent begins.

In Ireland and the UK, the day was known as “Pancake Day”. Why? It’s because rules prohibited the eating of dairy products and rich foods during Lent, so people would make pancakes to use up all the eggs, milk, butter, and sugar they had in the house.

If you stop into an IHOP on February 24th, 2009 from 7 AM to 10 PM, they’ll treat you to a free short stack of buttermilk pancakes in celebration of Pancake Day. During this day, they collect donations that go to children’s hospitals. They’ve been doing this since 2006 and has raised nearly two million dollars. Their goal for 2009 is to raise $1 million for the Children’s Miracle Network.

 Take someone to an IHOP and enjoy a centuries-old tradition while helping kids who need your help.

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Cookbook to benefit Sloan-Kettering Memorial Cancer Center

February 20th, 2009 · Amazon, Cancer

The cookbook Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes from New York’s Savviest Hostesses is a cookbook straight from New York high society. Compiled by food editor Florence Fabricant, the proceeds from this cookbook benefit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.The recipes are actually very approachable. They’re not exotic hoity-toity fare, but actual dishes from the recipe files of hostesses in New York, from a sweet and sour meatloaf to lemon & dijon chicken, and of course, a nice array of dessert and drink recipes. 

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Book to support Kenneth Cole's Awearness Fund

February 17th, 2009 · Amazon


Awearness: Inspiring Stories about How to Make a Difference is a 256-page book edited by fashion designer and philathropist Kenneth Cole. It consists of 86 essays and inspirational conversations with 90 individuals, some well-known and others less so, who have found how to do their part to effect meaningful social change. The individuals range from advocates to activists to entrepreneurs, and each shares the causes they are passionate about and give advice on what you can do to follow your passion to positively impact our world.

100% of net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the AWEARNESS Fund, the fund started by Kenneth Cole in 2008 to consolidate the various philanthropic efforts he and his companies have been involved in.

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Silk and Cashmere Hoodie

February 14th, 2009 · Breast Cancer, Red Envelope

silk and cashmere hoodyNot sure whether to give her a luxurious silk blouse or a comfortable cashmere sweater? Give her both at once with this Silk and Cashmere hoodie from Redenvelope. It’s 58% silk, 42% cashmere, and just about the lightest and most luxuriously soft gift you can buy. The bright red heart is perfect for Valentine’s Day or any other special occasion where you want to tell her how much you love her.

For each purchase, RedEnvelope donates 10% of the proceeds (up to $10,000) to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Foundation to rid the world of breast cancer.

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Sammy the Bear to Support Jewelers for Children

February 11th, 2009 · Amazon, Children's Charities

If you’ll be giving your sweetie some beautiful jewelry this Valentine’s Day, get this Sammy Bear supporting the Jewelers for Children Charity. Instead of just giving a jewelry box, why not give this bear holding a jewelry box?

All proceeds from the purchase of the adorable and soft Sammy Bear go to the Jewelers For Charity, which goes to charities that benefit critically ill children, including the Make a Wish foundation, CASA, Elizabeth Glasner Foundation, and the St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.

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