You are currently browsing the monthly archive for March, 2007.
Trevor Kott must have a bone marrow transplant- SOON, but no one has yet been identified as a match. Trevor needs you!
Trevor is a 5 month old little boy who was born with AML (acute myeloid leukemia). Their family is from Sacramento California and he is desperate need of a bone marrow transplant within the next 6-8 weeks. He is very sick and without this transplant his outlook is grim.
No needles are involved in determining whether or not you are a match for Trevor, and the Kott family has established a fund at The Marrow Foundation to help defer the cost of tissue-typing.
I first heard about Trevor on a post on Cafe Mom, from a mom whose own son was born at the same hospital only 2 days before her own son in October. I can’t imagine how helpless this family must feel.
Very close friends of ours lost their 11 month old daughter Alexis Doukas, to acute onset leukemia just weeks before her first birthday. Hearing this story reminded me of how sad and tragic her death was for her family and everyone that knew her. Six years later, the loss that her family endures is heart wrenching.
If there is any chance you’d be willing to submit to tissue-typing in hopes of being a match for little Trevor, please click on this link to find a center in your area at AABB.
Mothers Fighting for Others
The Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence is a fact filled website. They are a “private nonprofit organization composed of diverse community leaders and program members who share a common vision of ending violence in the lives of Tennesseans through public policy, advocacy, education and activities that increase the capacity of programs and communities to address violence.”
Tennessee has 32 domestic violence programs, 8 sexual assault crisis centers, and 8 dual issue programs located across the state. Service provided by these programs include:
- Emergency Shelter
- 24-Hour Hotline
- Food, Clothing, and other essential items
- Advocacy
- Transportation
- Counseling
- Community Education
- Support Groups
- Volunteer programs
- Outreach to Rural Communities
- Medical and legal accompaniment
- SANE (Sexual Assault Nursing Exam)
- SART (Sexual Assault Response Team)
- RAD (Rape Aggression Defense)
The list of shelters can be found by clicking HERE.
If you or a loved one lives in the state of Tennessee, and are victims of violence, please pass on this information.
Peace and Safety my Friend,
Mothers Fighting For Others
“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar”
Mothers Fighting for Others
I started crying when I read the Our Story of the Share Your Soles website. I know Rocky did too… I was on the phone with her when we first learned about what Mona Purdy was doing in Central America!
I had sent out a mass e-mail to my family and friends on Tom’s Shoes. Completely unexpectedly, my cousin Jennifer LaSota, replied back that her friend had a non-for-profit organization that helped put shoes on the feet of children in Central America called Share you Soles!
While Tom’s Shoes is doing it’s part to put new shoes on the feet of children across the globe… you can be part of the cure that enables a better life to every child across the globe by donating your previously worn shoes to Share Your Soles. To a child in need, it could mean the difference between life and limb.
Share Your Soles lets you be part of the prevention of preventable amputations and loss of limbs suffered by children from infection because they simply don’t own a pair of shoes! Every year hundreds of children lose their limbs to infection. You can donate your children’s outgrown shoes to Share Your Soles.
Mona Purdy’s story was completely inspirational!
I am in the process of contacting Mona right now, but for the time being… I am going to assume that she is in the process of delivering more shoes to kids in need! You can make a difference in the lives of so many children by organizing a shoe drive in your own school or neighborhood!
They aren’t doing anyone any good in that closet. Put them on the feet of a child that needs them!
Mothers Fighting for Others
Trickle UP is an organization aimed at leading the poorest people in world toward a life of empowerment, and helping them make their way out of poverty. Trickle UP supports the poor in Latin America and the Carribean, Asia, Africa, and the United States.
Once an entrepreneur has been indentified, Trickle UP extends the seed capital to start or expand a business. The money provided to do this is a grant, NOT a loan. Trickle UP works with the poor to develop a business plan, provide training, and provide the seed capital to be successful!
The typical Trickle UP entrepreneur is a woman under 40 who is responsible for raising children and paying for their schooling. Some of the entreprenuers have a disability or are living with HIV or AIDS. Those selected to receive a grant from Trickle UP (both men and women) are hard-working and resourceful.
Help turn someones dream of being self-sufficient into a reality by donating to this program.
Mothers Fighting for Others
World Swim Against Malaria is aimed at ending the cycle of death and poverty that is associated with Malaria. Every year there are about 400 million cases of Malaria in the world. Between 1 and 3 million of those cases end in death, mostly among children.
Malaria parasites are transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. While there is currently no vaccination for the prevention of Malaria, mosquito nets have been very successful in preventing the spread of this disease. The regions hardest hit by this disease are Central America, Asia, Africa, and South America.
By registering your swim at World Swim Against Malaria and obtaining sponsors, you can make a difference within a community by supplying mosquito nets for the areas most at risk. 100% of the proceeds from your event go directly toward the cause, and none of the money raised is used for administrative salaries or expenses… JUST NETS!
This is a perfect way for swim team members and municipal swimming facilities to raise money and awareness for this cause. Inspire your community to make a difference!
Mothers Fighting for Others
This is taken from the Official Home Of The Free Hugs Campaign.
Sometimes, a hug is all what we need.
Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whose sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.
How it all started:
I'd been living in London when my world turned upside down and I'd had to come home. By the time my plane landed back in Sydney, all I had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome me back, no place to call home. I was a tourist in my hometown.
Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, I wanted someone out there to be waiting for me. To be happy to see me. To smile at me. To hug me.
So I got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides.
And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.
Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time.
This is a Movement. We have become a society that has lost "touch" with our world. One hug can make a huge impact on someones day. Help Mothers Fighting For Others keep this movement alive. You can Join The Movement, or you can Help Support It. (Proceeds will contribute towards running of their website and funding future endeavors of the Free Hugs Campaign worldwide)
Want to see more Free Hugs Videos? Check them out!
So, who have you hugged today?
“The Cambodian Children’s Fund was established in 2003 by Scott Neeson, then working as a film executive for a Hollywood studio, including time as President of 20th Century Fox International and as head of Sony Pictures’ international marketing. He exited the film industry in 2004 to work full-time on the charity. He is now Executive Director and lives year-round in Phnom Penh.”
Let’s start with where is Phnom Penh, Cambodia?
Cambodia’s history is a tragic one. The people of Cambodia are still suffering, and the children are the worst victims. From starvation to prostitution, the lives of some children are horrific to say the least.
Cambodian Children’s Fund is trying to change that, one child at a time. It started housing 45 children, and today the number has grown to 240. They have three facilities which they call CCF1, CCF2 and CCF3. Cambodian Children’s Fund provides more than shelter, clothes and food. Education and medical care is also on the top of the priority list. Even vocational training for the older children is provided. Computer skills, restaurant management, and cosmetology are a few that they offer.
In November of 2006 they opened the Star Bakery, which focuses on three main goals.
- Professionalized Vocational Training
- Bread Production For Commercial Sale
- Community Nutrition and Food Relief
Want to help support Cambodian Children’s Fund? There are three ways you can help. You can make a One-Time Donation, Donate Monthly or even sponsor a child . You can choose a child to sponsor and for $100 a month, you pay for the child’s full expenses at the CCF. Three meals a day – seven days a week, clothing which includes their school uniforms, medical care, and all the necessities for school such as books and pencils.
The contact information is:
|
Los Angeles, California: |
|
 |
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Rome: |
What an amazing organization. I am so happy to have found CCF. Mr. Neeson, what an amazing man you are. If there were more people like you and the people you surround yourself with, the world would be a better place. Thank you for dedicating your life to these children and to their future.
I got this from the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault website. Their site is extremely informative. After reading this, I felt this was necessary to post. Please read carefully.
.
The following questionnaire is from THE FAMILY SECRET, by William A. Stacey and Anson Shupe, Center for Social Research Abuse Index. This questionnaire is designed to help you decide if you are living in an abusive situation. There are different forms of abuse and not every person experiences all of them. Below are various questions about your relationship with your partner. As you can see, each possible answer has points assigned to it. By answering each question and then totaling these points as directed, you can compare your score with our Abuse Index. You will know if you are living in a potentially violent situation, and if you are abused, you will have some estimate of how really dangerous that abuse is.
Even if you feel that this questionnaire does not pertain to you personally, you may know someone who might benefit from it. Please show it to a friend!
Normally, the directions would be to circle the response to each question that best describes your relationship. In order to save space, we have put the answers in twice since the working of each answer and the point values are the same for several questions.
For question 1-14, the answers and point values are as follows:
| FREQUENTLY | SOMETIMES | RARELY | NEVER |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
.
- _____ Does your partner continually monitor your time and make you account for every minute (when you run errands, visit friends, commute to work, etc.)?
- _____ Does your partner ever accuse you of having affairs or act suspicious that you are having affairs?
- _____ Is your partner ever rude to your friends?
- _____ Does your partner ever discourage you from starting friendships with other people?
- _____ Do you ever feel isolated and alone, as if there was nobody close to you to confide in?
- _____ Is your partner overly critical of daily things, such as your clothing or your appearance?
- _____Does your partner demand a strict account of how you spend your money?
- _____ Does your partner’s mood change radically from very calm to very angry, or vice versa?
- _____ Is your partner disturbed by you working or by the thought of you working?
- _____ Does your partner become angry more easily when drinking?
- _____ Does your partner pressure you for sex much more often then you would like?
- _____ Does your partner become angry if you don’t want to go along with his/her requests for sex?
- _____ Do you quarrel much over financial matters?
- _____ Do you quarrel much about having children or raising them?
For question 15-27, the answers and point values are as follows:
| FREQUENTLY | SOMETIMES | RARELY | NEVER |
| 6 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
.
- _____ Does your partner ever strike you with hands or feet (slap, punch, kick, etc.)?
- _____ Does your partner ever strike you with an object?
- _____ Does your partner ever threaten you with an object or weapon?
- _____ Does your partner ever threaten to commit suicide or kill you?
- _____ Does your partner ever give you visible injuries (welts, bruises, cuts, lumps on the head)?
- _____ Have you ever had to treat any injuries from your partner’s violence with first aid?
- _____ Have you ever had to seek professional aid for any injury at a medical clinic, doctor’s office, or hospital emergency room?
- _____ Does your partner ever hurt you sexually or make you engage in sex against your will?
- _____ Is your partner ever violent toward children?
- _____ Is your partner ever violent toward other people outside your home and family?
- _____ Does your partner ever throw objects or break things when angry?
- _____ Has your partner ever been in trouble with the police?
- _____ Have you ever called the police or tried to call them because you felt you or other members of your family were in danger?
When you have gone through the entire questionnaire, score your response by adding up the points on each answer. This sum is your Abuse Index Score. To get some idea of how abusive your relationship is, compare your Index Score with the chart and explanation that follows the questionnaire.
SCORE CHART:
| 120 – 94 | DANGEROUSLY ABUSIVE |
| 93 – 37 | SERIOUSLY ABUSIVE |
| 36 – 15 | MODERATELY ABUSIVE |
| 14 – 0 | NON-ABUSIVE |
.
A person with a score of 0 – 14 lives in a non-abusive relationship. The sorts of strains this person experiences are not unusual in modern homes, and he/she and the two partners deal with them non-violently. A person with a score in the 15 – 36 range, however, definitely does live in a home where some violence has been experienced at least once in a while. It may be that this is a relationship where the violence is just beginning, or perhaps for whatever reason it has stopped at this level of severity. But in a new relationship, there is good reason to expect it will eventually escalate into more serious forms and may occur more frequently.
A person with scores in the 37 – 93 range are in a seriously abusive situation that can, under outside pressures or with the sudden strain of a family emergency, move into the dangerously severe range. In a seriously abusive situation, serious injury is quite probable if it has not already occurred. Much of this abuse is assault, pure and simple, by a violent person. A person here needs to consider finding counseling, talking with the partner about counseling if he/she will accept the idea, or sorting things out after going to a shelter. This person should seriously consider getting help, even leaving.
A person with scores in the top range of 94 – 120 need to consider even more seriously the option of leaving the relationship at least temporarily (and possibly soon). The violence will not “take care of itself” or miraculously disappear. Over time, the chances are very good that the person’s life will literally be in jeopardy more than once.
Please get the help you need.
Peace and Safety My Friends,
