Charitable Gift Giving

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

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Lip Butter that helps charity

September 14th, 2008 · The Body Shop

lip butterIs there a woman in your life or are you one that would love to have soft and luxuriously smooth lips? This Guarana Berry MTV Lip Butter from The Body Shop is an all-natural product that includes paulinia cupana seed extract which improves the skin, shea butter for softening effect, and organic beeswax to seal in moisture (and furthermore is a fair use product that helps workers in developing countries).

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which helps young people become involved in bringing awareness to HIV and AIDS prevention and education.

Buy it along with other great charitable gifts from the Body Shop, and put it all together in a lovely gift bag from The Body Shop, which ALSO goes to support a great cause, Stop Violence in the Home Foundation.

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I Am Powerful T-Shirt from CARE

September 12th, 2008 · CARE International

CARE is a charity that fights poverty around the world, with a special focus on empowering women, often in the most oppressive areas, with the resources and the confidence to help their families and their communities break out of the poorest conditions in the world.  In recent months, CARE has been in the war-ravaged areas of Georgia, in the aftermath of the devastating cyclone in Myanmar, and hunger in areas from Haiti to Malawi.

CARE has gone to the most desperate places in the world to help provide fundamental education, protect natural resources, prevent the spread of AIDS, provide access to clean water and clean sanitation, and improve economic opportunities.  They also provide aid to areas devastated by natural disasters and war so that people can rebuild their lives.

CARE launched a public awareness campaign called “I Am Powerful”. Give a woman in your life a beautiful gift by making a donation in her name and giving her this I Am Powerful Women’s T-Shirt that describes the mission of CARE in this powerful phrase.

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National Geographic's Inside 9/11 DVD Set

September 10th, 2008 · National Geographic

Commemorative Edition of Inside 9/11 DVD Set
National Geographic has produced this Commemorative Edition of the Inside 9/11 DVD Set.  Produced in 2006, it looks back at what led up to September 11, from the terrorists’ beginnings, to the immediate aftermath of September 11. The documentary has been lauded by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times as a powerful and visually stunning recounting of the awful events.

In this special “commemorative edition” are also two additional full-length programs. One, called “Through These Eyes” is a recounting of how National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry documented the aftermath of September 11 in the streets of New York. “Witness 9/11” is also a documentary collaboration between six filmmakers taking extraordinary footage of the events.

As horrible as that day’s events were, we owe it to the victims, to our country, and to ourselves never to forget. Never forget how angry you were at the sheer evil and despicable inhumanity of those evildoers who planned and carried out this mass murder. Never forget how unified we were as a country in the days afterwards as we healed as one. Never forget the heroism of our brave men and women in uniform. Never forget the promise you made to yourself in the days following 9/11 to volunteer, to help others, to give blood, and to fight back evil with good.

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Remembering the World Trade Center

September 8th, 2008 · Amazon

world trade center remembered in picturesIt’s hard to believe that seven years have passed since that horrible day that changed everything.

From 1999 to 2001, I worked at 222 Broadway, one block away. For a few years after the towers fell, I refused to visit Ground Zero. I just wanted to remember the World Trade Center as it was. I wanted to remember sitting in the large open space on summer evenings listening to free concerts under the big globe fountain. I wanted to remember my favorite hot dog stand, who kept his stand right at the corner and served the best hot dogs I had anywhere. I wanted to remember my daily routine of going up the escalators on the right hand side of the North tower, walking through the pathway into the South Tower, and walking through the walkway to the World Financial Center, where I’d go to the gym every night. I wanted to remember taking the long escalators down to the downstairs mall area, with the Godiva (where I’d treat myself to a chocolate-covered strawberry every now and then), the Warner Brothers Store, the Borders bookstore…

I’ve finally visited Ground Zero about two years ago. I deliberately kept my eyes closed and could picture everything where it was for one last time, and then once I opened my eyes, the memories started to fade. I remember weeks, even months, after the towers fell, feeling that there was just a big “hole in the sky” whenever I drove the approach to Manhattan from New Jersey. Today, it all looks normal again to me.

This is a book which was published in November 2001. The 72 beautiful photographs were all taken before September, and show the towers from every angle imaginable. It preserves the memories of views of the World Trade Center from all over New York and New Jersey. It’s a perfect tribute book to September 11, but it’s not a picture of planes, or fires, or people running, or people crying. It’s a picture of a happier time, when the City and its skies were still complete.

A portion of proceeds is still being donated to the Twin Towers Fund to assist the needy families of the City’s police officers, firefighters, and other uniformed services.

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The $19.78 Gourmet Hamburger from Mortons that helps the Make-a-Wish Foundation

September 6th, 2008 · Make-A-Wish Foundation

The $20 hamburger from MortonsWant to treat someone to something special? In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, Morton’s Steakhouses are offering this gourmet hamburger made from its top prime sirloin. It’s available only on Sundays and only available to the end of September!

 At $19.78 (in commemoration of its opening in 1978), the burger is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re a burger lover and would like to give yourself that once-in-a-long-time treat, enjoy this one while you can (they end this promotion a month from now).

If you’ve ever driven a $50,000 car, and then went back to driving a $15,000 car, that kind of explains the feeling of eating this burger. It’s no less than amazing. And $5 of each burger purchased goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

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Drink the Fruits of the Rainforests (and save them too)

September 4th, 2008 · Amazon, Conservation

rainforest juicesThe South American rainforests are getting scarcer and scarcer. Here’s a way to help, as well as have a taste of that which you’re helping.

This is a fruit drink that’ll let you taste a unique blend of fruit from South American rainforests. It contains Acai, Cupuacu, and Yerba Mate. Never heard of them? Acai is a delicious dark berry which is packed with vitamins, nutrients, and more antioxidants than from sources you may know of such as blueberries, red wine and even ginko balboa! Cupuacu is a delicious fruit from the Amazon rainforest which is often referred to as “the taste of the Amazon”, and it too is packed with healthy antioxidants, the kinds found in green tea. Yerba Mate is a tea brewed in South America that has been called “the beverage of the gods”, which provides energy.

While others talk about saving the rainforests, by buying this drink, you can not only help save them, but have a taste of what you’re saving. Fruta Vida, which produces the drink, donates a portion of proceeds back to preserve the people and plants in the rainforest, and they only use ingredients produced from socially responsible and ecologically friendly farms.

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Great Gift for Teacher that Helps PBS

September 2nd, 2008 · PBS

Here’s a great gift from ShopPBS.Org, the official online store of PBS.

The tree house hand care kit is a great gift set from philosophy. The kit includes an 8 ounce hand wash and a 4 ounce hand cream, both scented as wonderful smelling red delicious apples. philosophy, of course, is well known for its cosmetics and skincare products, so the quality is top notch.

The kit comes in an adorable box that looks like a tree house. philosophy will donate 100% of the net proceeds to PBS and PBS Kids.

It’s a great way to support an organization which has done so much for us with innovative children’s educational television. It’d be a great “apple” themed gift for a teacher too as your child enters school.

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Bid for Gifts from First-Ever MDA Telethon Auction to Support Jerry's Kids

August 31st, 2008 · Uncategorized

Since 1966, every Labor Day has featured the Jerry Lewis Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy. This year, the telethon starts today and will run through Labor Day as usual.

But something brand new this year is the first-ever Telethon Auction. The auction has started already, and it will run until Thursday, September 4, 2008. You can visit it here:

http://mda.org/auctions/

I’ve never seen an auction with such a variety of great items up for grabs. Here’s just a very small sampling of auctions:

  • Autographed photos of everyone from Martina McBride to Bruce Springsteen.
  • Tickets to an Emmy Party sponsored by Entertainment Tonight
  • A handkerchief owned by Joan Crawford
  • A 2009 Harley-Davidson Rocker® motorcycle
  • A Wii, an iPod, and other electronics
  • A Days of Our Lives VIP Package, including a tour of the set and meeting the stars
  • Autographed boxing glove of Muhammed Ali and other sports memorabilia from everyone from Wayne Gretzky to A-Rod to Kobe.
  • Golf Packages in various exclusive resorts around the country
  • Vacation packages to everywhere from Colorado to the Carribbean
  • Too many more to list here

Because this is the first-ever auction, and because they’re all ending at the same time on September 4, chances are you’ll be able to find a great once-in-a-lifetime gift for someone special in your life. And because all of these auction items are donated, you may even be able to get it for much, much lower than the actual price (and in some cases, the items are priceless). And even if you pay a premium, remember that everything you pay over the fair market value is tax-deductible.

Whether you have donated or have always thought of donating for all the years you’ve watched the telethon, here’s a great new way to support this great cause.

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Fun and Unique Ice Cream Bowls that help a great cause

August 29th, 2008 · Amazon, Children's Charities

ice cream bowlsWell, now that you have your Cuisinart Soft-Serve Ice Cream Maker from two days ago, it’s time to serve your ice cream in style!

This is a set of four small ice-cream bowls. Each bowl is glazed a different color on its outside (one for vanilla, one for chocolate, one for strawberry, and one for blueberry), so everyone in the family can have their own bowl. Inside the bowl are cursive letters spelling out other ice cream flavors. The bowls even come in a whimsical box that looks like an ice cream carton.

As pretty as the bowls look, they are durable. Each is made of stoneware, so they’re microwave and dishwasher safe.

A portion of all proceeds will be donated to Childhaven, which is a non-profit organization which helps families and young children in need.

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A Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker in Your Own Home

August 27th, 2008 · Amazon, Breast Cancer

soft serve ice cream makerHere’s an ice cream maker that produces delicious soft-serve ice cream. It’s a great way to cool off during the hot summer months.

The unit will produce 1.5 quarts in as little as 20 minutes. It’s completely automatic—just add the freshest ingredients you can find, and turn the dial. Just like the soft-serve machines you see in restaurants and the deli, you’ll be able to swirl out ice cream into your favorite cones or cups. It comes with recipes for ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, and sorbet, and even comes with dispensers where you can put sprinkles (jimmies for those of you in Philadelphia), nuts, candy, chips, or your other favorite toppings. It even comes with a cone holder for regular or sugar cones.

Why serve ice cream out of a box, when you can serve completely fresh homemade ice cream for a fraction of the cost! And with a name like Cuisinart and a three-year warranty, you’re guaranteed many, many scoops of funs.

As you can probably tell by the pink color, a portion of proceeds will be donated by Cuisinart to support breast cancer research. Visit this site again in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month for many more great products like this.

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