Now celebrating its 20th Anniversary year, Mothers & More is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of mothers through support, edu... Read more
Seeking Employed Mothers for a National Research Project
A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota is participating in a national study on "The Changing Landscape of Women in America." We are seeking professionally... Read more
Make Child's Play Out of Presidential Politics
If someone were to ask you who is running for President in 2008, lots of names would pop into your head, but have you heard of Susie Flynn? She has a single issue platfo... Read more
Imagine going to a big box store this holiday season that only sells gifts that educate girls in Afghanistan, house homeless veterans in the Bronx or offer microloans for rice farmers in India.
With the holiday season upon us, more parents are looking for gifts that truly "give back." So, check out this great "Unwrap the Good" list of 10 great gifts that make an impact, compiled by Dennis Whittle and Mari Kuraishi, the co-founders of Global Giving--the leading online marketplace for philanthropy.
For those looking to give more than the same old gifts this season, GlobalGiving's list offers affordable options that not only make an impact for good, but are socially and environmentally responsible. Teaching our kids to give back is more important now than ever--this list offers some good ways to teach the lesson this holiday season.
Would you like a free $10 gift card from GlobalGiving? Join our new social network, Share.MomTalk.com, and a winner will be selected at random from new members who join by December 12th. You get a new network of moms and a chance to give back this holiday season.
If you would like to learn more about GlobalGiving visit the Global Giving site.
Dictionary Project Gives Students the Gift of Words
Through a national initiative, service organizations are helping third-grade students learn with their own personal dictionaries.
(NAPSI)-Communities with active service groups across the country are in a unique position to provide children like Stephen with a vital learning tool that's easy to use and builds confidence and curiosity while developing their reading skills...all with the simple gift of a donated Webster's Dictionary.
The Dictionary Project began when South Carolina mom Mary French set a goal to raise funds to donate a dictionary to every third-grade student in the state. She saw a dramatic need to provide assistance to children at the critical age when they make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
Students in the early school years learn about 3,000 new words each year. "Children crave words when they're in the third grade," says French. "They're expanding their frame of reference. With this project, we are putting words into children's hands and the results are astounding."
Since the Project began 13 years ago, nearly 8 million dictionaries have been given to students locally through Rotary Clubs, Kiwanis Clubs and other service organizations nationwide.
Deborah Hastings, publisher of Federal Street Press, a division of Merriam-Webster, believes these projects have far-reaching effects. She and her team supply affordable, brightly-colored paperback dictionaries (as well as thesauruses and atlases) to service groups that present them to students in the communities where they live.
"A group may choose to donate to a single classroom, or to every third grade in their town or city. The kids are thrilled because they each have a dictionary that is theirs to keep. The fact that most groups donate year after year tells me that their effort is rewarded by the response of the kids, their teachers and their families who all benefit," says Hastings. "We are proud that we are continuing in the tradition of Noah Webster, who saw the dictionary as a learning tool that opens up the world to children through language."
For more information on how your organization can donate dictionaries in your community, visit Federal Street Press.
(NAPSI)-The female experience is a vital part of America's military experience, and the Veterans History Project created a new initiative to honor their contributions.
Women make up 15 percent of those in active military service and by 2010 will comprise 10 percent of all living American veterans. They have one-of-a-kind experiences to share, and the Library of Congress is one place their stories can be told.
The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress American Folklife Center was created by the U.S. Congress in 2000 to collect, safeguard and make accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans.
The Veterans History Project (VHP) has grown to be the largest oral history program in American history, having collected nearly 60,000 firsthand recollections--approximately 3,500 of them from female war veterans.
Visitors to the Project's Web site, can see and hear from women like Violet Hill Gordon, a young African American who, at the height of segregation, joined the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps and went on to become a commanding officer in the Central Postal Directory during World War II.
Rhona Marie Prescott, a chief nurse in a remote hospital in An Khe during the height of the war in Vietnam, tells another compelling story. With Army doctors in short supply, Prescott was called to perform surgeries in makeshift tents in nonsterile environments and decide who might be saved.
Another military history maker was Darlene Iskra, who enlisted in the Navy in 1979 and went on to become one of the first females to graduate from dive school. Her tenacity and talent won her a loyal following in the higher echelons of the Navy, and in December 1990 she became the first woman to take command of a U.S. Navy ship, aptly named the Opportune.
You can become a volunteer historian and record stories for this important program. Go to the VHP Web site and learn step by step how to get involved.
There is a timely need for interviews from veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. In addition, VHP seeks interviews from female veterans from all conflicts, veterans representing all minority communities, as well as Merchant Marine, Coast Guard, National Guard and Reserve veterans.
Visit VHP at www.loc.gov/vets, e-mail vohp@loc.gov or call 888-371-5848.
Photo courtesy of Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, 1942.
The Veterans History Project is a rich and growing collection of close to 60,000 individual personal accounts of wartime experience.
There's an interesting project taking place all over the Twin Cities called My Yard Our Message. This is a user-created yard sign project launched to coincide with the 2008 presidential elections. Their web site states:
My Yard Our Message is a user-created yard sign project, launched in conjunction with the United States presidential election. The project is divided into three phases: in June 2008, artists and designers were invited to submit political yard sign designs exploring ideas about what it means to actively participate in a democracy. Beginning July 1, with design submitted, and a month-long public voting process began, where browsers could cast votes for their favorite yard signs. And now that the citizenry has spoken, the top 50 vote-getting designs are available for individual purchase. You can see the winning designs here.
In addition, the Walker Art Center and mnartists.org will print the winning yard signs and place them in neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities metro area, including those immediately surrounding the site of the Republican National Convention. St. Paul neighborhoods that will serve as outdoor sign galleries include Dayton's Bluff, sponsored by the District 4 Community Council, and the West Side, sponsored by the West Side Citizens Organization. Seward, organized by the Seward Neighborhood Group, will serve as the Minneapolis gallery neighborhood.
My Yard our Message is part of larger community initiative called The UnConvention. A non-partisan collective of citizens and cultural institutions, The UnConvention provides a forum for promoting the democratic and free exchange of ideas during and after the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota from September 1-4, 2008.
The original call for entries is available on mnartists.org. My Yard Our Message is a project conceived by Scott Sayre, is produced by the Walker Art Center and mnartists.org in collaboration with The UnConvention.
Need to Occupy the Kids this Summer? Get Them Involved in the Community
School is out and across the country many families now face the perennial seasonal dilemma: What should the kids do with themselves this summer? For a growing number of community-minded youngsters, the answer is: "Make a difference."
"Summer is all about fun in the sun and taking a break from the rigors of school," says Liz Scott of Wynnewood, Pa. "But kids really benefit from doing something more with their summer, like getting involved in the community or raising funds for a cause they believe in. Not only do they stay occupied, engaged and excited throughout the summer, they gain a real sense of their own strength and worth."
Scott should know. Her daughter, Alexandra, gained national attention for her efforts to raise money for pediatric cancer research by holding lemonade stands. What started as a simple but passionate idea inspired a worldwide grassroots fundraising effort. Sadly, Alex passed away Aug. 1, 2004. Parents Liz and Jay continue promoting Alex's cause and raising money for pediatric cancer research through their foundation, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), which has raised more than $19 million to date.
"Numerous studies show that volunteering holds many physical and mental health benefits for volunteers, regardless of their age," says Pam Edwards of Volvo Cars of North America. To commemorate the life of Alex Scott, Volvo created the Alexandra Scott Butterfly Award to recognize exceptional child heroes.
Zach Bonner was named the 2008 Butterfly Award winner. To help victims of Hurricane Katrina Zach, 10, collected 27 truckloads of sundry items, raised $600 in donations for the Red Cross post-Katrina efforts and secured $7,000 worth of new toys and sporting equipment for homeless children living in Red Cross shelters. He also recently founded the Little Red Wagon Foundation, Inc., which collects and donates backpacks filled with food, school items and other supplies to disadvantaged children nationwide.
Getting kids involved can be as simple - or grand - as the children and parents wish. The efforts of past Butterfly Award winners can provide a roadmap for getting started:
* Look to the Internet.
"The Web is a great resource for finding a charity or volunteer opportunity that fits your child's needs and personality," Edwards says. For example, this year www.lemonadestandforlife.com, hosted by Volvo, gives visitors the chance to support ALSF. By visiting the site, you can make a direct donation by purchasing a cups of virtual lemonade for just $1. You can then share those cups via e-mail with others asking them to also visit and support the site's mission.
* Look to current events.
News accounts of the need caused by Katrina inspired Zach Bonner to get involved. When Congress designated November National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Zach launched a marathon walk from Tampa, Fla., to the state capital 250 miles away in Tallahassee. He and his team raised money and awareness for the nation's estimated 1.3 million homeless children.
* Draw inspiration from your own life.
Alex Scott founded her lemonade stand as she was recovering from cancer treatment. Grace Farnan, 14, of South Hamilton, Mass., decided to become involved in hospice care after her grandmother peacefully passed away in hospice care. Her work with the Hospice of the North Shore has included collecting hundreds of new picture frames for patients to keep photos of loved ones close at hand, and the creation of more than 500 guest books in which visitors, family and staff can write encouragement for patients. Grace was recognized as the 2006 Butterfly Award winner.
* Don't be afraid to reach far.
In addition to efforts to help Florida's hurricane-affected residents, Samita Mohanasundaram, 16, of Nashua, N.H., also helps disadvantaged children in India. When she was just 7, she visited a small, impoverished village in southern India and was moved by the local school's need for books, supplies and materials. Upon returning home, she launched a book drive that drew support from all over New England. In 2007, Samita became the third child to win the Butterfly Award.
To learn more about the Butterfly Awards and to help raise funds to fight pediatric cancer, visit www.lemonadestandforlife.com.
Community Service: A Family's Guide to Getting Involved
It's easy to feel disconnected, as many parents juggle work, family, and activity after activity. But there are a number of things that can help bring us back together - playing a game, going for a hike, or cooking a meal as a family. One of the most satisfying, fun, and productive ways to unite is volunteering for community service projects. Not only does it help bring families together, volunteerism also sets a good example for your children and is helpful to the community as well.
What Are Some Reasons to Get Involved?
Why should you get your family started in lending a helping hand?
It feels good. The satisfaction and pride you feel when helping others are important reasons to volunteer. When you commit your time and effort to an organization you care about or a cause you feel strongly about, the feeling of fulfillment can be endless.
It strengthens your community. Organizations and agencies that make use of volunteers are providing important services at low or no cost to those who need them. When a community is doing well as a whole, the individuals are better off, too.
It can strengthen your family. Most people who shy away from volunteering insist they just don't have the time to give after fulfilling work and family commitments. But it often just involves rethinking the way you spend some of your free time together as a family. Volunteerism is a wonderful way for families to have fun and feel closer to each other to boot. It also doesn't have to require enormous amounts of time. You could choose one or two projects a year and turn it into a family tradition at certain times (for example, making and donating gift baskets to care facilities for the elderly around the holidays).
Have you experienced workplace discrimination because of your parental status or family responsibilities (maternal profiling)?
The Center for WorkLife Law aims to end employment discrimination against workers who have family responsibilities. This type of discrimination has a name: Family Responsibilities Discrimination. Pregnant women, mothers and fathers of young children, and employees with aging parents or sick spouses/partners may find themselves discriminated against. They may be rejected for employment, demoted, harassed, passed over for promotion, or terminated -- despite good performance evaluations -- simply because their employers make personnel decisions based on stereotypical notions of how they will or should act.
If you think you may have experienced FRD, you can talk to the attorneys at WorkLife Law about your situation. If the attorney thinks you might have a case or might need legal advice, you will be given the name of an attorney near you who can meet with you to discuss your situation further. There is no charge to talk with a WorkLife Law attorney, but attorneys to whom you are referred will charge you their standard rates.
For more information, call the WorkLife Law Hotline at 1-800-981-9495 or email info@worklifelaw.org
