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Tuesday, October 07, 2008 Volunteering
Empty Bowls, Full HeartsIt started with a plan to raise money to feed the hungry. It evolved into an international grassroots effort to help the hungry in communities around the world. Read about the empty bowls that fill hungry stomachs. [Photo: Raleigh, NC News & Observer] 
Voluntourists Help BosniaVolunteers form a group of 70 young men and women at an international youth camp. The camp is operating in Srebrenica for the second year, assisting the war-wearied community with work that nobody else wants to do, a prime example of "voluntourism". "You do practical things to help people here - cutting wood for winter, improving roads in the woods to some remote houses," says one "voluntourist." Read about their work. Photo: REUTERS/Danilo Krstanovic 
Tourism With A Twist: VoluntourismA number of travel booking websites are now offering information, advice and even discounts for vacations on which the vacationers also serve as volunteers. If you've ever wondered about "voluntourism" check out this article. 
3 Cups Of Tea For PeaceGreg Mortenson is a one-man army fighting hatred with education in Pakistan. Read the story of his unique project that reaches thousands of kids ...  Voluntourists Help BosniaVolunteers from a group of 70 young men and women at an international youth camp. The camp is operating in Srebrenica for the second year, assisting the war-wearied community with work that nobody else wants to do, a prime example of "voluntourism". "You do practical things to help people here - cutting wood for winter, improving roads in the woods to some remote houses," says one "voluntourist." Read about their work. Photo: REUTERS/Danilo Krstanovic 90-something Nicholas Winton's SecretFor 50 years, no one knew that he had saved hundreds of children from death in Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia. He is revered as "grandfather" by the children of those he saved. Have You Heard?An upstate New York couple have taken part in a volunteer project to help the hearing impaired in Third World countries. Their recent trip with a team to the Dominican Republic brought hearing aids to more than 1,800 people. Conan's No Barbarian .. He Helps Fight HungerThe late night comedian from New York City has Massachusetts roots. And when another O'Brien .. Reverend Paul .. asked for help, Conan was right there. Fr. Paul pastors a tri-lingual parish in the poorest Massachusetts city. He's been fighting hunger with a very practical approach. Read more about this project .. and how T-shirts built a multi-million dollar center for the hungry ... No Money, But You Still Want To Help? Here's HowWhile actors and sports celebrities, along with corporations, are making donations to hurricane relief work in the 6-, 7- and 8-figures, many of us don't have that kind of money! Just because money may be tight, that doesn't mean you can't help in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Here are some creative ideas that can make it possible for you to make a difference .. because one person can make a difference! (Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle) Your Change Makes Change!Carol Cone has lots of ideas. It's her business to help businesses be good citizens by lending a hand in society. When she saw the devastation of the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast of the US in 2005, she knew she had to do something. Read about the way she brought together folks with change in their pockets and people with no homes. A story of ingenuity and corporate caring ... When it absolutely, positively has to be there on time ...Lynn Fritz knows how to get things where you want them to go, when you want them there. He and his family business were so good at what they did, that UPS bought his company .. for $200 million. Now Lynn spends his time .. and resources .. using his specialized knowledge to help humanitarian aid organizations get their help to the victims of natural disasters. Read his amazing story ... Back To School in Iraq Thanks To US Actor and AuthorGary Sinese is a familiar face to moviegoers and from American TV's CSI: NY. But the kids in Iraq who get the packets of pencils and notebooks provided by "Operation Iraqi Children" have no idea who Gary is .. except that he and author Laura Hillenbrand have given them a chance to go to school and learn. Read how Gary learned about the realities of Iraqi schools on a USO tour .. and how he and author Laura Hillenbrand decided to do something .. and how you can help .. He Has A Talent: Call It 'Sixth Cents'Tom DeLazier has a special talent: He finds "lost" money. In a parking lot, on the sidewalk, in the trash ... In 2002, he found $2,700 ... and most of it he gave away to charity ... National Rebuilding DayAcross the country, lawyers joined carpenters, students joined doctors as everyone pitched in to give warmth, safety and independence to help over 11,000 elderly folks, 6,000 people with disabilities and 53,000 children. The project is National Rebuilding Day. Truly amazing! How Can You Best Help People in Need?The Sjogrens have had a lot of experience helping those in need. In this excerpt from their book, 101 Ways to Help People in Need, they share with us ideas on doing good while also growing spiritually. How can you best help? Here's some ideas. The Sweet Taste of Success, Or, How To SOARIt's a weekly 2-hour meeting for the unemployed every Monday evening. America's Gulf Coast Devastation .. And The World RespondsMiles and miles of utter devastation along America's Gulf Coast are hard to fathom. The vastness of the destruction and human suffering has stunned those who have arrived to help. But the images from the Southern US have evoked a generous response from fellow Americans, US corporations and countries world-wide. Read about the relief efforts, and resources you can use to help. Round The World Marathon For CharityThe Swiss husband-and-wife team of Serge and Nicole Roetheli have completed a 5-year marathon around the world to collect funds for charity. They arrived back in their hometown of Saillon, in the Swiss canton of Valais, after Serge had run over 40,000 kilometres, and raised SFr300,000 (US$250,000) in the process. Volunteering That Fits Your Schedule, Your Interests, Your LifeA packed schedule is the #1 reason why people don't help others. But even a little time can mean a lot. Here are ways to make a difference in as little as 5 minutes! US University Group Puts 2 Peru Schools OnlineIn an effort to bring cooperation as well as technology from a Northern California university to a Peruvian high school, university alumni helped the University of San Francisco's Computer Science department organize a trip to computerize Cristo Rey high school in Tacna, Peru. Read about their successes. IRS Changes Rules To Donate A CarChanges in IRS rules for deductions mean that now is the time to donate that clunker to charity. The rule change can mean that a deduction for a donated car will be reduced by 2/3 ... costing donors almost $225 in tax deductions. It all has to do with the way deductions of old cars will be calculated. The bottom line: Donate that car right now .. or if not today, at least by December 31, 2004. A Hungry Child .. An Opportunity to Help .. And The Gift Of A College EducationIt was a chance encounter. Oral Lee Brown was walking along the street in her East Oakland, CA neighborhood when an 8-year-old asked for some change. Read how that meeting led Oral Lee Brown to "adopt" her local elementary school's First Grade .. and offer them all a college education .. and start a foundation to help .. Volunteer Project To Count NYC HomelessNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has set a goal of reducing homelessness in the city by 2/3 over 5 years. He is focussing on the root causes and creating affordable housing. But how do you know if you have succeeded? The plan was to send 2,000 volunteers out to count the homeless across the city. Read about the project. CNN.com Graphic Students Find Easy Way To Warm The HomelessWinter in New England can be brutal. Members of the Springfield Central High Honor Society came up with a way to make warm blankets for the city's homeless. Fleece material .. a little time and effort .. and a gift to help the needy .. read how they did it. Springfield Republican photo by Mark Murray String Quartet is Music to Providence, Rhode Island's EarsCommunity MusicWorks touches hearts and enriches lives by bringing music to a city and its young people. It was the idea of a college student who wanted to practice his musical craft and help young people develop their musical talent. See what his ingenuity has created! After The Tsunami -- The Ten Other Tragedies Not Making HeadlinesAs news of the tsunami in Southeast Asia begins to fade from the news, Doctors Without Borders has released its annual list of under-reported human crises around the world. These are the human tragedies that don't make the headlines, the suffering that takes place far from the resorts of European tourists and the tropic settings of Hollywood movies. The suffering is just as real as that of tsunami victims. We need to hear more. Read on. Stumbling Into The Past: Germany's Brass Plated CobblestonesWhen an old woman in Cologne, Germany scolded Gunter Demnig for his memorial art to Gypsy victims of the Nazis in that city, it led him to do some research ... and to share what he found ... This is not a cuddly, do-gooding place. It brings the ingenuity of youth to society's illsToynbee Hall in London's East End is an experiment in social change. It was established in 1884 as a "settlement house" that gladly offers its help to anyone in need. Its founders, Samuel and Henrietta Barnett, wanted it to be a place where the poor of London mixed with the academics and together came up with creative ideas to change the problems of society. It sparked an interest in volunteer service for social change .. and has been imitated around the world. Read what's happening in 2005. Unplanned Volunteer Workers Help Tsunami VictimsThey had been on the beach sunbathing, working in another part of the country, or inspired to travel to the tsunami ravaged nations .. and all of them have become volunteers in the effort to help the survivors and identify and bury the dead. An inspiring look at the impromptu volunteers who are making a difference half a world away from home. Kate McGeown of BBC News reports. Photo: Volunteers on Patong help in the effort to clean the beaches. Canines To The RescueSearch dogs are now an invaluable part of rescue teams around the world. Together with their handlers, they help to save lives by discovering people trapped by disasters. Read the story of the modern day heroes of the caanine and human worlds. Counting Sheep ... And A $3500 Gift To Our Meals ProgramA creative fundraising project in Pittsfield MA has brought a $3500 gift to our Breaking Bread meals program. Television station WRGB, Channel 6, Albany NY, sponsored a sheep in the "Sheeptacular!" project in downtown Pittsfield. At the end of the celebration, it designated our Breaking Bread Kitchen to be the beneficiary of the money raised by auctioning off their sheep. Thanks WRGB! Christmas Message--
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