POTTERS FOR PEACE

As a professional potter for more than 30 years, Peter Chartrand not only saw beauty in the pieces of pottery he produced, but he also saw beauty in the pottery’s ability to help others.

So, he became a Potter for Peace. Dedicated to offering “support, solidarity and friendship to developing world potters,” Potters for Peace works with potters, mostly rural women, in Central America to earn a better living.

Potters for Peace teaches specific skills to potters in developing worlds to form more efficient lifestyles. They have traveled the globe to teach communities how to make a low-cost ceramic water filter.” Instead of merely distributing water filters to be sent overseas to developing countries, Potters for Peace invests its time and creativity in empowering local partners to start their own “filter production and distribution facilities.”

Such is the essence of giving the power back to the people.

MTV's Act Blog

Check out the shout out to Charity Change on MTV's Act blog!

THIS IS A YEAR

in t-shirts

in little black dresses

in giving $10

AMERICAN JEWISH JOINT DISTRIBUTION COMMITTEE

If you call 911, an ambulance would to show up.

If you call 911 in the Jewish world, JDC would to show up.

With enough abbreviations (JDC, AJJDC, the Joint) to mirror its myriad number of programs around the world, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s goal (like any good non-profit) is to work itself out of business.

From its inception, in 1914, it was indeed set up to be a temporary organization—answering the dire call to help the starving Jews in Palestine by raising the equivalent of 1 million dollars in just a few days.

96 years later, JDC’s heart is still beating.

Whether its chesed volunteers are delivering food to poor elderly Jews in the Former Soviet Union or local youth are empowering kids at risk in Israel, JDC’s cutting edge programs promote leadership by encouraging individuals to take responsibility for JDC programs introduced in to their communities.

While the task of answering the 911 call in the Jewish world is no small feat, in the 1980’s, JDC began to use its expertise in humanitarian aid to expand into non-sectarian programming as well.

From working with Rick Hodes’ Ethiopian health clinic and Haiti’s rebuilding efforts to Bosnia’s Women’s Health Empowerment Programs, JDC leverages its invaluable local partnerships to create sustainable programming, ultimately transferring its programs to the community to adopt as their own.

With warehouses full of documents and photos of individuals and communities JDC has helped in the past 96 years, the organization also has thousands of living archives; each telling his or her unique story of how JDC helped save their family’s life.

Working in the field, connecting with donors, and passing JDC’s legacy on to the younger generation is often a delicate balance; one which newer organizations may struggle with.

Others may use their worldwide networks of 96 years to strike the balance.

Special thanks to Steve for his great leadership and guest modeling!

Please visit www.jdc.org for more info.

(JDC provides sustainable programming to Jews and non-Jews around the world)

CROHN'S AND COLITIS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA

Check out Ricki and her grandpa who walk for CCFA!

After being diagnosed with Crohns Disease in January 2009, I turned to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America to see what kind of information was out there.

What I found was more than I could ever have hoped for.

The Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) changed my life. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to find a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. There are 40 chapters nationwide with over 50,000 members.

CCFA offers endless amounts of literature about irritable bowel diseases. They provide educational programs, support groups and social functions. Living with a chronic illness is scary, but the hope and I support I receive from the volunteers at CCFA help me day to day. They are dedicated to improving the life of the 1.4 million Americans suffering from these chronic illnesses.

CCFA is volunteer driven and rely on the financial support of members and donors. It is the charitable contributions that make the research, support and educational programs possible.

For the past two years I have walked in the CCFA’s annual fundraising walk “Take Steps”. This walk helps raise money for crucial research and awareness of this unpredictable disease.

Over 100 walks take place across the country and 2010 was a record breaking year, raising over $8 million dollars.

Please visit www.ccfa.org for more info.

Thanks for sharing your story, Ricki!

BIKE MS

Good friend Taryn makes another behind the scenes appearance, gathering friends, Aliza and Danielle, to take Charity Change to the finish! I'm promoting her skills as a freelance PR agent :)

* Every hour, someone is newly diagnosed with MS.
* More than 2.5 million people worldwide live with this unpredictable disease.
* MS is the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults.

And if those aren’t enough reasons to search for a cure, biking with friends and family sure is! There are over 100 different rides around the United States, and these fully supported rides will connect you to over 100,000 other riders, as well as make you a part of a growing movement to put an end to multiple sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis affects everyone differently, but yet it continues to affect yet another person ever hour of every day. The money raised through Bike MS goes to funding critical local, national and international research into the cause and a cure for MS.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society uses funds collected from the Bike MS Events to not only help with searching for a cure, but also to help provide programs and assistance to those living with MS today. Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, thousands of participants each year join together to help others achieve optimal health, and get themselves involved in achieving a healthier (biking) lifestyle of their own.

“Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between brain and body and stops people from moving. We believe that moving is not just something you can or can't do, but that moving forward is who we are. Just by being here, you are connected to the potential, the hope, the momentum of the movement toward a world free of MS.”

Bike MS is the premiere fundraising cycling series in the United States, and the help they provide to all of those connected to MS is something we should all be thankful for. If you know anyone affected by Multiple Sclerosis, here is a great way to get involved and support them while bettering yourself.

“You’re up for the challenge - and ready for the ride of your life! The sense of accomplishment that you’ll feel as you cross the finish line can only be matched by the difference you’ll be making in the lives of people affected by MS.”

To learn more please visit www.nationalmssociety.org

MAOT CHITIM OF GREATER CHICAGO

This post traveled from St. Louis and Chicago to tell the very important story of a non-profit that Shira Engelhart and Taryn Ariel care about!

Isn’t that the new restaurant opening in Curry Hill?

Nope! The Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago enable thousands of needy people to experience the Passover holiday according to their tradition.

Instead of collecting money and distributing is, the money now goes to purchase wholesale food, thereby allowing the money to go farther and serve more people. The food boxes are packaged based on number of family members, and not just 1 per household.

Due to economic conditions, increases in the elderly population, and the immigration of Jews from the former Soviet Union - caused the number of recipient families to increase to over 5,000 families each year!

And Maot Chitim does not only serve it’s own mission: because of their excellent track record dealing with wholesale food purchases, they in turn help support other local organizations who work to provide food during the rest of the year!

So what does ‘Maot Chitim’ mean? ‘Maot Chitim’ refers to the custom of gathering wheat to provide the poor with the makings of matzo for Passover. Now, the Maot Chitim of Greater Chicago has evolved into a year-round volunteer effort organizing an army of volunteers, setting up a warehouse, locating recipients through social service agencies, packing the products, coordinating an orderly volunteer delivery system, delivering the packages and finally closing up and beginning the plans for the next holiday.

And the most special thing about this program? “Recipients are as hungry for some companionship as they are for the food. Sitting down for a visit is the heart of the program -- meaningful for those who deliver a package as for those who receive it.” Volunteers are encouraged to bring their families on the donation trips, and stay with the recipients for a meaningful cup of tea.

Isn’t that what the holidays are all about anyways?

Please visit www.maotchitim.org for more information.

Many thanks to Taryn and Shira, the duo you can always count on! Happy Holidays :)