KABOOM!

Swings, Slides, and Foam Shapes—

just some of the items constantly on the creative and playful minds of the staff at KaBOOM!

They are saving play by creating a playspace within walking distance of every child in America.

As Kerala Taylor, Manager of Online Content and Outreach at KaBOOM!, notes “KaBOOM! is unique in just about every way.” Although the KaBOOMers are experts in playground building, they “actively work WITH the community on everything from planning to design to fundraising to building.”

Building local, sustainable playgrounds is the backbone to KaBOOM!’s work. While local children and adults brainstorm designs for their community’s “dream playground,” KaBOOM! partners with these community groups to put their own ideas and leadership into play. As a result, the community gains a playground which “will be well used and well cared for” thanks to KaBOOM!’s community empowerment model.

KaBOOM!’s success relies in the community’s strength to believe and to achieve. During playground builds, the “sweaty affair brings together community members, corporate volunteers from our sponsoring companies, and often government officials.” In a single day, the concrete is mixed, bolts are tightened, and dozens of sandwiches are consumed.

Reward?

The overnight (or rather overday) transformation of an empty lot into a colorful playground.

Constantly improving their impact and saving play for children in America, in 2004, KaBOOM! started offering “a free online playground planner to give communities across the country the tools and resources they need to follow our unique community-build, done-in-a-day model.” And they have over 1,700 DIY (do-it-yourself) playgrounds to show for it in just the past year!

Perhaps one of the more humbling experiences at KaBOOM! was building playgrounds in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. Surprisingly, the playgrounds served as a refuge for hundreds of residents as they hoped “of renewing a sense of normalcy and safety for their children.”

For the 5th anniversary commemoration of Katrina, KaBOOM! will be building the “135th and 136th playgrounds in the Gulf in August.” Also coming this summer is the Park-A-Day KaBOOM! Summer Challenge, where 8 parents will bring their children to a different playground everyday of the summer and report about their experiences.

This project will “create a comprehensive map of playspaces in our challengers' hometowns” and will highlight “the importance of outdoor playspaces” around America.

Don’t sell yourself short.

You could be the next creative mind behind your neighborhood’s playground.

Build it.

Please visit kaboom.org for more information.

****PLEASE****E-mail charitychange [AT] gmail [DOT] com with a jpeg of you donning your fav charity tee. You will be featured in an upcoming post!

(KaBOOM! works with communities to ensure the growth of America’s playgrounds)

LULULEMON ATHLETICA

For all the Yogi’s out there, Namaste.

For the rest of you,

Nama- what?

Welcome to the wonderful world of yoga.

While some experience yoga as a deeply personal journey, others, like lululemon athletica, highlight yoga’s communal values. Since 1998, lululemon’s grassroots actions and company actions in Vancouver, have promoted a thoughtful lifestyle for thousands across the globe.

Originally created as a design/yoga studio for Chip Wilson’s experimental yoga-wear, “an underground yoga clothing movement was [ultimately] born.” From the overwhelming success of lululemon’s first official store opening in 2000, this “yoga clothing movement” has grown exponentially.

Their philosophy?

“Elevating the world from mediocrity to greatness.”

How?

“Creating components for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives.”

A simple mission through thoughtful means.

From a yoga studio in their HQ to extra brownie points for employees who hike one of Vancouver’s mountains before walking/biking to the office, lululemon “yoga’s their yak.” (aka walks their talk). Their company is not only founded on creating meaningful designs and lifestyles, but on eliminating waste “by removing anything that does not add value to our company, our guests and our communities.”

Constantly aware of local community needs, you can often spot:

A) the lululemon ambassador (sporting the latest yoga apparel) while dispensing advice and athleticism on the healthy yogi life

B) the lululemon free yoga class (free use of mats) both indoors and outdoors.

With the help of their company stores, showrooms, and ambassadors, leading a healthy lululemon lifestyle is not all that difficult.

Elevate your life to the next level by literally “bow[ing] to you” or figuratively finding the energy of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection—translated: Namaste.

Please visit lululemon.com for more information. (Thanks for bearing with me for the t-shirt improvisation this week-- I guess for-profit companies don't display their logo so prominently)

****NEW****E-mail charitychange [AT] gmail [DOT] com with a jpeg of you donning your fav charity tee. You will be featured in an upcoming post!

(lululemon athletica inspires and creates materials “for people to live a longer, healthier, more fun life”)

THE GULF RESTORATION NETWORK

“We have held hands walking down the beach at the brink of divorce, the budding of new love, the devastation of death and disease --- and the Gulf, she allowed us to breathe in new breath and start again with new perspectives.”

Such is the nostalgic sentiment of a 61 year-old Gulf Coast dweller.

Thanks to The Gulf Restoration Network (GRN), thousands have benefitted from the protection and restoration of the natural resources in the Gulf Region. Since 1995, the GRN has provided “technical support and mentoring to grassroots groups,” developed partnerships and coordination of member activities in the region, and pursued “campaigns on priority issues… including water quality, wetlands, sustainable fisheries, smart energy, hurricane rebuilding, and species-at-risk.”

While numerous environmental threats—from protecting cypress forests to “fil[ing] suit blocking expansion of phosphate strip mining in central and southwest Florida”—have sustained the GRN’s 8 person staff for years, BP’s colossal oil spill has devastated the GRN’s agenda.

Their deep understanding of both wild life and human life in the Gulf Region has enabled the GRN to advise and guide the community through the most recent unchartered waters.

This local, communal knowledge is paralleled by community based t-shirt company, Threadless, which reacted to the unprecedented oil spill with the peliCAN tee. Reminiscent of the oil covered birds in Saved By The Bell’s “Oil Spill” episode (back in 1991), the peliCAN t-shirt is providing funds for the GRN’s on-the-ground efforts in aiding the ailing natural resources in the Gulf Region.

Even though some of the world’s most influential companies, powers, celebrities, and organizations are scrambling to clean up the spill, 3 months later, the oil disaster is flowing freely.

Maybe the failed response is a consequence of the “not-in-my-backyard” attitude.

But this disaster is in someone’s backyard.

It is—
where thousands have lived
where family businesses have thrived
where life has found new perspectives—
for generations.

Please visit healthygulf.org for more information.

(The Gulf Restoration Network unites people to protect and restore the Gulf Region for generations to come)

GOOD SEARCH

Aviva Schick Searches for Good.

In fact, googling doesn’t compare to the results she obtains on goodsearch.com—“a search engine which donates 50 percent of its sponsored search revenue (about a penny per search) to the charities and schools designated by its users.”

As the co-founders of GoodSearch, siblings Ken and JJ Ramberg have brought a conscious to the Internet Search—raising money for charities through our often subconscious clicks on the Internet.

Powered by Yahoo!, GoodSearch uses some “of the $8 billion generated annually by search engine advertisers” to fund thousands of charities. Not only are the search results top notch, but each search generates money for your choice of do gooders in the world.

With an ever-growing database of nonprofits and charities, GoodSearch expanded their capacity in 2007 to another Internet realm—shopping.

aka GoodShop.

This “online shopping mall of 1,500+ world-class merchants is dedicated to helping fund worthy causes across the country.” Every purchase in GoodShop contributes 3-30% of a sale to your designated charity.

GoodSearch and GoodShop generate money for your charity choice based on the “portion of advertiser dollars earned as a result of your search.”

Remember that $8 billion dollars mentioned above? Thanks to GoodSearch and GoodShop, some of it is now contributed directly to charity.

While some may believe that the one penny per search method is not the most effective, check out the $34,000 that the ASPCA has received thanks to the now conscious clicks of their supporters.

As their alternative search and shopping engines continue to grow, GoodSearch is making its way into the September issue of Self Magazine and increasing their web ad campaign.

Most recently, they have left their mark on “the Association of Fundraising Professionals Conference, where we have the opportunity to interact first-hand with the nonprofits that we help support.”

If their PR and ad campaigns reach the limits, perhaps “goodsearching” will officially be inducted into the English Dictionary.

So the next time you have a question—goodsearch it.

Thanks Aviva, for teaching us how to find the good in our Internet searches (and for being charitychange's first guest model)!

Please visit goodsearch.com for more information.

(GoodSearch is an Internet search engine that generates funds for non-profits)