Charitable Gift Giving

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

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Wool Shawl for Mom that helps earthquake victims

April 28th, 2008 · Novica

Until Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11, I’ll be focusing on great gifts for Mom. Check back every two days for another fantastic gift.

Here’s another beautiful gift from NOVICA.

wool shawl
Wool shawl, ‘Sunshine’

This is a genuine, handloomed wool shawl that is a beautiful deep orchid color. The fringe is hand-tied and the shawl is hand-embroidered.

The purchase of this product will go directly to the rehabilitation of areas affected by the devastating earthquakes in India in 2001 and 2006. The organization that , working with NOVICA India, is the Self Employed Women Association, or SEWA. In addition to the immediate need of helping earthquake victims, the assocation since  1972 has been dedicated to helping underprivileged women become educated and empowered to sustain themselves and their families.

You can get it to Mom by Mother’s Day if you order by 4/30 and choose Priority Shipping.

See other SEWA gifts at NOVICA.

NOVICA

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Beautiful Pearl and Opal Earrings that Help a Great Cause

April 26th, 2008 · Conservation, Novica

Until Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11, I’ll be focusing on great gifts for Mom. Check back every two days for another fantastic gift.

Of  course, NOVICA supports human artists as well. Here’s a beautiful piece of artisinal jewelry created by an artist named “Caine” who lives in Bali, Indonesia.

opal earrings 
Pearl and opal earrings, ‘Harmony’

Using precious and semi-precious gems from around the world, he crafts these beautiful pieces of jewelry. And a percentage of each purchase is donated to the Healthy Mother Earth Foundation in Indonesia.

This particular piece is set in sterling silver. The iridescent opal makes up the top of the earring, and the bottom is a cultured pearl in a beautiful setting. It’s also on sale for about 50% off. Find this and other amazing pieces of art at Novica.

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Elephant Paintings that help endangered elephants in Asia

April 24th, 2008 · Conservation, Novica

Until Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 11, I’ll be focusing on great gifts for Mom. Check back every two days for another fantastic gift.

elephant paintingNOVICA is a great company that is affiliated with National Geographic Society. They identify artists all over the world, many in impoverished and developing countries, and give them a marketplace for their art, which in many cases rivals or surpasses fine art you’ll find in any museum or high-end jewelry or collectible shop.

elephant paintingsThe paintings you see here are called “Elephant Paintings”, from an artist named “Jojo”. I was perplexed at first. The paintings look nothing at all like an elephant.

After a while it dawned on me. These paintings are not paintings of elephants. They are paintings BY elephants! Jojo in particular is a 15 year-old elephant who not only paints, but also plays harmonica and xylophone.

The paintings picture here are one-of-a-kind paintings. Get them before they’re gone!

Breath of Orange Roses Elephant Painting

Early Lights Elephant Painting

The Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Northern Thailand is the brains behind this amazing concept of having elephants create art. Asian elephants are on the endangered species list because of years of deforestation, logging, poaching, and neglect. Men and women in southeast Asia are using these and other creative ways to bring awareness to their plight, and to raise funds (the proceeds of these paintings will go towards this important cause).

Some of Jojo’s work, in fact, have been auctioned for thousands of dollars. These particular paintings were originally over $600, but they are on sale now for less than half that, so get it before it’s gone!

If these two particular paintings are taken by the time you read this, check back on NOVICA for others.

NOVICA

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New children's book from Laura Bush and Jenna Bush

April 22nd, 2008 · Amazon, Literacy

read all about it

Read All About It is a book that was released today, from first lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush. 

Most people know that Laura Bush is a former teacher in Dallas, Houston and Austin, and has always been passionate about reading. She was an Honorary Ambassador for the UN Literary Decade, and at the White House, she hosted the first Conference on Global Literacy in 2006, bringing many different countries together to promote literacy. She launched Washington DC’s first National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. in 2001. As much as a roller coaster ride her husband’s approval ratings have been, the First Lady’s ratings have consistently made her one of the most admired women in public service.

This picture book is a great book for kids from 4-8. It talks about a child who likes everything at school except for reading, but during story hour, amazing visitors start dropping in which causes him to change his tune.

A portion of proceeds to benefit Teach for America and The New Teacher Project.

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Barat Cheese that is delicious and supports a great cause

April 19th, 2008 · Conservation, Cooking.Com

igourmet 8-oz. BaratIf you’ve never been to the beautiful area of Dutchess County, New York, you’re missing out. While everyone thinks of New York as skyscrapers and business, this area is a quiet, beautiful, bucolic place. You see beautiful fields, quietude, and yes, happy cows.

It’s these happy cows that produce this igourmet 8-oz. Barat cheese. Barat cheese is a cheese that not many people know about, as it hasn’t been mass-produced like Cheddar or American. But it is an amazing cheese that has a delicious, nutty taste. It’s very much like cheddar, only intentionally drier. It’s the perfect compliment to white wine, light ale and cider.

 What’s great aobut this cheese is that it supports the educational programs run by the farm that produces it, Sprout Creek Farm. This farm doesn’t just produce dairy products, it provides young people the opportunity to enjoy a fun and educational time at a real working farm, taking care of animals, cooking in a fully-equipped kitchen, relaxing with crafts, or working in their organic gardens. For more information on Sprout Creek Farms, see here: 

http://www.sproutcreekfarm.org/education/education.html

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Yellow Bracelets from Lance Armstrong

April 16th, 2008 · Cancer, Discovery Channel Store, Lance Armstrong Foundation

Lance Armstrong Live Strong Adult Wristband Set of 10
You’ve seen people wearing these wristbands all over the place. Here’s the one that started it all.

The Lance Armstrong Live Strong Adult Wristband Set of 10 is a low-cost way for you and 9 other people to show your support for the fight against cancer. All proceeds benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation to help young people with cancer live healthy, happy, and strong.

Be careful where you buy these things. As amazing as it sounds, some less-than-reputable stores will sell these–and pocket the proceeds for themseves! So be sure to go through a reputable store like this one (the Discovery Channel Store) when you buy these.

Each wristband is made of strong silicone rubber, and comes in youth and adult sizes. It makes a fantastic party favor, gift for clients, or way to share Lance Armstrong’s message with your family and friends.

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Life is Good – A Book from Deen Koontz's Dog

April 13th, 2008 · Amazon, Canines for Independence

You’ve heard of Dean Koontz, you may have even read some of his suspense novels.

Life is Good is a book by Trixie Koontz–Dean Koontz’s golden retriever. It’s a cute gift not just for Koontz fans, but for dog fans in your life.

Cute, touching, and beautifully done without being corny or sappy, it’s a book of “tips” on how to live life from the point of view of Trixie Koontz. It’s a great reminder to live every moment of your life with joy and wonderment. There are even “edits” in the margins of the book where Trixie wrote her passing thoughts.

Best thing about it–all of the proceeds of the book goes to Canine Companions for Independence.

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The Body Shop Daisy Soap

April 10th, 2008 · Domestic Violence, Fair Trade, The Body Shop

The Body Shop soapThe Body Shop Daisy Soap is a fantastic moisturizing soap from The Body Shop. It contains glycerin, which is a powerful moisturizer which helps improve softness and maximize hydration, and shea butter, which moisturizes and helps soften the skin.

It not only makes your skin feel great, it helps TWO great causes.

First, proceeds from every bar of Daisy Soap will go to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, helping women who are the victims of domestic violence and empowering them to end this terrible scourge.

Second, the soap contains daisy extract and Community Trade shea butter from Ghana. Shea butter is one of the best moisturizers in nature. Women in Ghana have used it over the generations to protect their skin from the dry winds of the Sahara desert. The Body Shop works with the Tungteiya Shea Butter Association in Northern Ghana, which is an association of around 400 women from 10 villages.

Under “fair trade” principles, they ensure a fair price for their product, allowing the women to dramatically change their lives with water pipes and wells saving hours of water collecting, better housing, medical care, food, and self esteem. They are also able to give their children, particularly their daughters and the chance to go to school.

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Container gardening drainage discs for the bottom of flower pots and planters

April 7th, 2008 · Amazon

If you know someone grow plants in containers, this is a must-have!

Whenever I’ve had potted plants, I’ve always used flower pots that had drainage holes.
I’ve actually never known what to do with pots that had no holes in the bottom of them. It wasn’t until recently that I learned that people put rocks or clay chips in the bottom of pots to help with drainage.

These PotHoles Drainage Discs for Flower Pots provide a perfect solution. Just put them on the bottom of planters, and the hydroponic filler provides the perfect amount of drainage and oxygen flow to maintain the right amount of moisture in plants and eliminate the mess of soil getting through drainage holes. They’re reusable too.

A portion of all sales will be donated to lung cancer research in honor of Christine Burge, inventor of PotHoles who passed away from non-smoking lung cancer in January 2007.

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Locks of Love Bear

April 4th, 2008 · Locks of Love

One of the charities these days with the most “buzz” (no pun intended, at least not one which I’ll admit) is Locks of Love.

This is a non-profit organization that helps disadvantaged children under 18 who suffer from hair loss, for example from the auto-immune disorder alopecia (which has no known cause or cure) or from chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

Many people donate their hair to Locks of Love. The organization will accept hair cut to a minimum of 10 inches. This hair is used to make hairpieces for children.

For those of us with shorter hair, Locks of Love accepts donations. These funds are used to defray the costs of making the hairpieces and distributing them to children who need them.

Another way to support the organization is by purchasing this cute little bear, a portion of which will go to support Locks of Love.

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