Ways to Give Back On Halloween!

Did you know while you are having fun this Halloween you can also be giving back? Here are some ways you can give back:

1) Head to The Salvation Army or Goodwill for your costume. You'll save the money that you would spend on an expensive costume from a shop and you'll be supporting an organization that provides great benefits to lower-income households. This step is especially helpful if your planned Halloween costume is a 70s disco fanatic or indie hipster.

2) Donate candy to children and soldiers. Operation Gratitude sends care packages to members of the military and are happy to include leftover Halloween candy. Most of their packages can be shipped for $11 or less.

Most food banks collect leftover candy for children, and local schools often participate in post-Halloween collection as well. Call your local school district or food bank for available programs.

3) Take part in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF. Since 1950, families across America have raised over $144 million for UNICEF by collecting money on Halloween. You can order an orange box to collect money through October 30 or make your own collection box.

4) Participate in Sight Night. Every Halloween, Lions Club International hosts a fundraiser for eyeglasses. On Sight Night (Halloween), trick-or-treaters are encouraged to ask for used eyeglasses to give to the needy (it helps if you put up fliers or notify your neighborhood first).

5) Support A Cause Through SocialVibe's Click4Good campaign. This online trick-or-treating game allows users to give clean water to developing nations, provide care to children affected by AIDS, or contribute to cancer research, just through the act of clicking.

6) If you want to give back but aren't sure where to begin, using AllForGood.org's search tool can narrow down volunteer opportunities in your area. Enter your zip code and then search for Halloween.

7) Host a Halloween Party for a nonprofit. Whether it's human rights, free clinics, the environment, or homelessness, a Halloween party is a great way to support your cause of choice. Tell your guests to forgo the bottle of wine and bring $10 instead to go into a collection box. Get into the spirit by dressing up as your favorite changemaker. (Nicholas Kristof is the trendiest costume this year).


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/26/7-ways-to-give-back-on-ha_n_333306.html

Learning Lessons about working hard, helping other and eating eating healthy

What started out as a volunteer project has turned into a tradition for some Oregon 2nd graders. Every year in the spring, second graders from the Yaquina View Elementary School plant the seedlings in a greenhouseand and return again in the fall to harvest the vegetables to offer the bounty to the Food Share and other local charities.

Families in need get fresh, healthy food, and the students get all kind of lessons.

See the full article at: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/a_heartfelt_harvest_newport_ki.html

Dogs Making the Rounds, Cheering Patients Up

By Ellen Gilmer, The Oregonian

CEDAR MILL -- Samantha sits in a hospital bed, an IV in her arm, nurses and therapists bustling in and out, and a smiling dog at her feet. Four-year-old Samantha is undergoing growth hormone testing, and Bonnie the border collie is there to calm her nerves.

Hormone testing can take up to five hours, so Samantha's parents are thankful Bonnie is there.

"It's a good distraction from the monotony of the day," said her mother, Colette Verbanic of Tigard. "At 4 years old, it's hard to sit still for five hours."

Five days a week, a dog can be found trotting in and out of patient rooms at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. The hospital has used animal-assisted therapy, a volunteer program that brings in animals to relax patients, for at least 10 years.

Samantha, who doesn't have a dog at home, got to meet Bonnie and owner Susan Moore of Beaverton. Samantha laughed and swatted at Bonnie. She hasn't learned how to pet gently yet, but Bonnie didn't seem to mind.


Bonnie visits children to try to distract them from blood draws, IV starts and other procedures. Therapy dogs not only cheer up and distract patients, but also actually lower pulse rates and offer warmth in cold hospital rooms, said child life specialist Barbara Blair.

"Nobody's focused on the procedure; they're just focused on the dog," Moore said.

According to research from the Delta Society, a national human services organization that connects people to animals, animal-assisted therapy has been shown to improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive functioning in patients. By offering companionship and a warm touch, animals help alleviate loneliness, lower blood pressure and reduce stress.

The practice is common at many area hospitals, including Legacy Emanuel and OHSU Hospital.

Susan Core, director of volunteer services at St. Vincent, said the hospital's use of therapy dogs has always been popular.

"We're wanting to look at all aspects of healing, not just the medical side," she said. "It's one more element of healing, and it's refreshing."

Not just any dog can handle the task.

"It really takes a special dog to do this," Moore said. "Therapy dogs are born. Some dogs just have that connection with people."

Eleven-year-old Bonnie certainly does. She always smiles, and she makes eye contact with everyone she visits.

Frank, a 3-year-old Bernese mountain dog, visits every Wednesday with his owner, Carly Morrish of Portland. They've been coming since February.

Kids love Frank, who weighs about 120 pounds. Sometimes he even hops into bed with toddlers.

As Audrya Owens, 14, waited for surgery, she welcomed Frank into her room. This isn't the Vernonia girl's first experience with a therapy dog.

Aurora Owens took a picture of Audrya and Frank with her cell phone, recalling when her daughter was in the hospital at 18 months old, and a golden retriever was brought in to cheer her up. The dogs are a great distraction, she said.

Bonnie and Frank have more than just sunny personalities; they also have training and certification under their collars. Both completed basic obedience classes as puppies, then took animal-assisted therapy classes with their owners at DoveLewis, a Portland animal hospital. The hospital uses a training program from the Delta Society.

Training the owner is half the challenge. Owners must know how to present their animals in different social settings, said Heather Toland, director of the therapy program at DoveLewis. They must also be able to tell when their animals are tired or stressed.

Moore said she knows Bonnie, who has been working as a therapy dog five years, well enough to read her mood from the set of her ears or the way her tail moves. If Bonnie seems overwhelmed, Moore knows to take her away from patients.

Bonnie doesn't often get overwhelmed, though, and that's what makes her a good therapy dog.

Her biggest hurdle? Getting used to crowded elevators. Now she handles them in stride. And she springs up to the reception counter every week for a treat, a simple thank-you for a job well done.



The Oregonian: http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/10/therapy_dogs_ease_hospital_pat.html

Group of Dentists Give Kids a Reason to Smile Again

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

All You Need is - LAUGHTER!

By Vicki Friedman
The Virginian-Pilot
© October 26, 2009

CHESAPEAKE

It's a funny little thing, this class that Katie Lawrence teaches on Wednesday mornings in the fall.

You've got to laugh, and you've got to laugh a lot.

Out loud.

That's the purpose of laughter therapy, a feel-good hour at the Great Bridge Community Center. The class is offered every fall and spring by the city's Department of Parks & Recreation.

A class to make you laugh? You're kidding me.

Lawrence tells a curious group of participants that laughter is good for your health.

"It lowers your pulse rate; it lowers your blood sugar, and it improves your respiratory system," she said.

Laughter boosts the immune system, improves muscle flexation and triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural pain killers, according to laughter experts. It also promotes a general sense of wellbeing.

Lawrence, by the way, is a certified laugh leader. She completed a pair of seminars through the World Laughter Tour (www.worldlaughtertour.com).

Don't mistake her class for a standup comedy club, though. You don't need jokes to laugh, she stressed. The therapy uses a systemic approach to create therapeutic laughter for mental and physical health.

"Simulated laughter leads to stimulated laughter," said Lawrence, whose T-shirt is the World Laughter Tour slogan, "Think Globally, Laugh locally."

On this particular Wednesday, the good-natured group looks skeptical at first. But laughter, it seems, even the simulated kind, is a wonderful icebreaker. At the start of class, everyone forms a circle for deep-breathing exercises.

"I'm not laughing yet," said Doug McRary of Western Branch with a straight face.

"You will be," Lawrence said, and McRary laughed.

McRary, 70, is there with wife Linda, who he contends "likes to sign me up for all kinds of things."

A smiling Linda said, "I like to laugh, and I like to laugh often."


Carolyn Peek, 80, said after the class: ''I thought it was amusing. I've had a lot of things that had me under stress, and I wanted to release it.'' (Ross Taylor | The Virginian-Pilot)

Deep Creek's Carolyn Peek, 80, thought the class would do her some good, and she brought along son-in-law Dennis Kelley, admittedly in attendance, "because my wife made me come."

Lawrence doesn't care why anybody is there; she's just glad to have a group to share her version of good medicine. After a couple of deep breaths, she reminds them laughter comes from three places: the head, the heart and the abdomen.

Then she introduces the language of the class: "Hee, hee. Ha, ha. Ho, ho."

Instead of greeting someone with a handshake, pull your hand away and exclaim, "Ho, ho! Ha, ha, ha! Yay!"

Throw your arms up like an official signaling touchdown.

The group tries both exercises, and the result is... pretty silly. But know what? Everybody keeps laughing at the end.

An imaginary plane trip to Hawaii is on tap next. Among Lawrence's tactics: pretend you're walking to the bathroom, squirming like an impatient little boy, saying, "Hee, hee, hee" en route.

Once the plane lands...

"Aloha, ha, ha," is the new way to say hello.

You get the idea.

Lawrence, a psychiatric nurse at Sentara Obici, typically drives away from her night shift job repeating, "Hee, hee. Ha, ha. Ho, ho." She admits she gets some stares at stoplights.

Linda McRary tells Lawrence she feels so energetic now, she's ready to do something fun that afternoon.

She's laughing on her way out the door.

No joke.

'Come Together' to stop hunger

Macy’s has launched COME TOGETHER, an innovative awareness and fundraising campaign that aims to feed 10 million people suffering from hunger. COME TOGETHER invites the public to rally around the cause by hosting special dinners in their homes and asking their guests to pledge a donation to Feeding America. In return, Macy’s will match these donations dollar-for-dollar until the total goal of 10 million meals is reached.

To get involved the public may participate in three ways Host, Give and Shop.

» HOST- Friends and families across the country can host dinner parties from casual to formal, send invitations and manage party details including themes and recipes on www.macys.com/cometogether. In lieu of bringing traditional host gifts, guests are suggested to make a donation to Feeding America.

» GIVE – Donate $1 directly at any Macy’s register, one dollar provides dinner for seven.

» SHOP - Macy’s customers can shop for the cause and get special savings in-store on October 17, when Macy’s hosts a national Shop For A Cause day. A portion of the $5 in-store ticket sales will benefit Feeding America.

See how the nation as come together here: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=8860787

Thanking American Soliders from Miles High in the Sky

Delta flight attendant Robin Schmidt passes out journals to passengers to write personal messages to thank American troops.

Over the last five years, Schmidt has filled hundreds of passenger-written journals and sent them to the troops she "adopts" in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"The soldiers often tell me when they get the journals it's hard for them to keep in their hands," Schmidt told ABCNews.com, adding that others carry the notebooks with them to read during low moments.



Army National Guard Sgt. Timothy Gallagher, (inset in the picture above of Schmidt) currently deployed in Afghanistan, said the six journals he's received from Schmidt are the most prized items she's sent.

"They will be with me forever. Something for the ages to look at and see the true spirit of the American people," he wrote to ABCNews.com in an e-mail from Afghanistan. " All the passengers write their praises and thanks to the men and women in the armed services who do their duty and put their lives on the line so that others may live freely. "

Read the full story @ ABC News.com link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/flight-attendant-serves-drinks-journals-soldiers/story?id=8872103

Audiologist From U.S. Brings Gift of Sound to Kenya

by Kali Schumitz | staff writer, FairfaxTimes.com

Andrew Dickson Mungai's second trip to the United States was a whirlwind of doctor appointments, galas, speeches and visits with new and old friends. His first was to get a life-changing procedure.

In 2007, Dr. Tomi Browne brought Mungai to the U.S. for a cochlear implant, an electronic hearing device implanted in the ear to produce useful hearing sensations for people who suffer from severe to profound hearing loss.

Mungai, now 14, lost his hearing at age 9 because of complications from meningitis, HIV and herpes.

Browne, a McLean audiologist, first met Mungai in 2005, when one of her patients, the Rev. Angelo D'Agostino, convinced her to take her family on a trip to Kenya. Physician and Jesuit priest D'Agostino, now deceased, was the founder of the Nyumbani Children's Home in Nairobi, Kenya, which was the country's first facility for HIV-positive children.

The Brownes arrived with about $50,000 worth of donated computers, medicine and school supplies they had collected from family, friends and colleagues.

When Browne met Mungai, a resident at Nyumbani, she was able to communicate a bit with him by using sign language, so "they developed a bond right away," said Sister Julie Mulvihill, one of the nuns who helps operate Nyumbani.

Teachers at Nyumbani were starting to worry that Mungai, an intelligent kid who was able to cover up his hearing loss by teaching himself to read lips, also was going to lose his ability to speak. Browne thought he would be a good candidate for a cochlear implant and began working to bring him to the U.S. for the procedure.

"He was just very special to me and we knew we had to do something," she said.



The catch was that Browne had to agree to continue to travel regularly to Kenya to make the necessary adjustments to Mungai's implant. Upon returning to the U.S., she formed a nonprofit, HEARt of the Village, to raise funds to help Mungai and other Nyumbani children.

Browne now travels to Kenya several times each year to provide ear care for the children in the Nyumbani program; she left for her most recent visit earlier this month. She also arranges for audiology students and other volunteer doctors to provide care in the clinic she set up with donated equipment. The nonprofit also has set up a computer lab for the home.

In Kenya, an ear examination is not part of a regular checkup, Browne said.

"As a result, we've got a lot of kids with serious, chronic ear problems," she said. "Chronic ear infections, if left untreated, can go into something worse."

Mungai, who is able to better communicate since receiving the implant, is "our poster boy," Browne said. The energetic, smiling teenager talked with congressmen, students and many other people during his visit to the U.S. last month, attending a gala for Nyumbani and a fundraiser for HEARt of the Village.

He proudly introduced himself to new friends with a handshake, talked about how he wants to be a pilot when he is older and discussed how he might go to college in Pennsylvania, where he received his cochlear implant.

To hear Mungai tell the story, you might get the impression that a cochlear implant is magical.

"I was hearing well. I was playing, playing, playing even in the car," he said, describing coming home from the hospital after his surgery.

Browne explains that Mungai lived with her family for months in 2007 after receiving the implant, to monitor his progress and make adjustments to the device.

"It takes time for the brain to learn the signals" that the cochlear implant produces, she said.

Aiding Kenyan children has now become a major focus of the Brownes' family life.

Browne sold her audiology practice to work for the nonprofit fulltime, and her husband, Jeff, a political consultant, is now on the Board of Directors for Nyumbani USA, one of six groups worldwide that supports the Kenyan village.

"I wouldn't change a thing," Tomi Browne said.

Horses Help To Heal America's Wounded Vets

Army's Top Horses Help Heal America's Wounded Vets
Injured Soldiers Attend Weekly Riding Sessions

By CHRISTINE ROMO and STEPHANIE WAS

For more than 60 years, the Caisson Platoon has been part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the nation's oldest active infantry regiment and the Army's "premiere ceremonial unit." escorting America's fallen to their final resting places in Arlington National Cemetery...with honor and pride.

And now, this "old guard" is taking on a new role by helping to heal America's wounded veterans with the help of the horses.

Injured soldiers are transported from Walter Reed Army Medical Center each Thursday morning to the platoon's base in Fort Myer, Va., for weekly horse riding sessions.

Some soldiers are just learning to walk again; others are on prosthetics.

For them, the riding has proven to be therapeutic and shown dramatic results , according to the program's directors.

Full Story @ link: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/WoodruffReports/injured-vets-rehabilitate-horse-riding-lessons-caisson-platoon/story?id=8775802

H.S. Cheerleading Squad Welcomes Diversity

The Pleasant Valley Varsity Cheerleaders & The Spartan Sparkles: Persons of the Week - ABC News

Watch the cheerleaders at Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, and you may want to stand up and cheer yourself. They don't always execute perfect routines; in fact, they may miss steps or clap off beat once in a while. But their fun is contagious.

These cheerleaders are like no others. In the Spring of 2008, cheerleaders Sarah Cronk and Sarah Herr got the idea to expand their varsity squad.

"I got really inspired when I went to a Special Olympics program where they had a bunch of cheerleaders come and we helped them with the clinic and everything," said Herr. "I was like, I want to spend more time with these great athletes."

Herr went to her coach, Pam Cinadr, and said she wanted to have a special needs squad cheer with the Pleasant Valley Varsity team.

"I just anticipated that it would be another flash in the pan, but once she got a hold of it she had a passion and it just took off," Cinadr said.

The recruits, ages 8 through 15, all have special needs, from autism to down syndrome. They're called the Spartan Sparkles, and they work every bit as hard as the varsity girls.

Since the spring of 2008, the older girls and the Sparkles have practiced together twice a week.

"Their confidence has grown a huge amount," said Brenna O'Neill, 18, the cheerleaders' captain. "Every single day they walk in with a bigger smile on their face, and they run and they're excited to see everyone and they're ready to practice."

"The big thing is that when we started we thought we'd be teaching them cheers," said Herr. "But we didn't think they'd be teaching us. They've taught us so many things about life and it's really amazing."

At every game during every season, they're out there  cheering together.

Cheering Brings Acceptance

"I think that it's really given them a feeling of belonging and acceptance. Usually when someone has a disability, society can only see what they can't do, but through the sparkle effect, we've really exposed what they can do," said Cronk.

"These obstacles they've overcome are just tremendous. I've learned a lot about perseverance," Herr added.

"Like there's thousands of people dying to see us perform," said 12-year-old Katie Dwyer, a member of the Sparkles.

And the best part of being on the team?

"Fun, yeah!" said Dwyer. "The friends. The friends I've made."

Story from ABC News.

"Find the Good" Hitting Prime Time

From CNN.com:

If you don't like the trend in prime-time programming this week, don't blame your friendly neighborhood "Find The Good" blogger. Of course, if you do like it, I'll take the credit. I'll explain.

Remember when NBC did a "Green Week," throwing environmental messages into a bunch of its prime-time shows? Well, get ready for "iParticipate," the brainchild of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, which bills itself as Hollywood's leading charity organization. As part of the initiative, the EIF has gotten all four major broadcast networks and other channels to "shine a spotlight on the power of service."

Yep, volunteerism storylines will be bustin' out all over this week, as more than 60 shows, from "30 Rock" to "CSI: Miami" to "So You Think You Can Dance," are "infused with inspirational volunteer messages," as the EIF puts it. It's a follow-up to the EIF's very successful Stand Up To Cancer campaign, which has raised more than $100 million.

Now, obviously the goal is laudable, and your local "Find The Good" guy would hardly criticize such a well-meaning effort. But it seems to me the success or failure of the initiative will depend in large part on how well the shows integrate the sermons. For something like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," it's a natural fit, but scripted comedies and dramas could be tougher. If viewers are irritated instead of impressed or moved, I don't think they're likely to take the volunteerism message to heart.

So what do you think? Is it appropriate to put well-intentioned, non-partisan messages into entertainment programming? Should a show be criticized if it doesn't want to join such an effort? And, most importantly, I'd like to hear this week what you think about how it went. Which shows pulled it off, and which ones flopped?

Documentary: TAPESTRIES OF HOPE

Imprint-TV recently posted a blog story about Betty Makoni - the founder of Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe. Her work can be seen in the documentary "Tapestries of Hope" by filmmaker Michealene Cristini Risley. Risley traveled to Zimbabwe to investigate the myths surrounding the power of virgin blood to cure HIV/AIDS. Viewers get a raw look at a country devastated by poverty, a country where young girls are used as tokens to cure illness. The documentary shows the road to healing for the girls who arrive at GCN on a daily basis & it also portrays their tenacity and courage to rise above, never allowing themselves to be defined by their abuse.

Please check out the following web-sites. The good news - you can get involved with these incredible programs and make a difference:

www.tapestriesofhope.com
www.freshwaterhaven.org

Renewable Energy "Theme Park" Planned

New York City is moving forward with plans to create an alternative-energy "theme park" on Wards Island, which would include 800 square feet of solar panels, a 140-foot-high wind turbine, and four tidal turbines to generate enough electrici...ty to power 100 homes.

The "Renewable Energy Park" will also feature a green energy community center where, according to Bloomberg, "people can see all the plans and learn how the various technologies work." The project, expected to be fully operational in two years, will be funded by a $990,000 grant from the US Department of Energy and $1.4 million from the city.

Read more @ http://gothamist.com/2009/10/14/renewable_energy_theme_park_planned.php

How To Do 'Everything'

Want to learn how to recognize the symptoms of the swine flu? How to understand the federal stimulus package? How to survive a bear attack? Want to learn how to kiss?

Howcast.com has instructional videos from the humorous to the serious about how to do just about anything.

How To Do 'Everything'

Shared via AddThis

One Man's Dog Rescue Mission

Randy Grim is a dog lover on a mission to save stray and wild dogs in one of the poorest, most dangerous neighborhoods in the country, East St. Louis, Ill.

In 15 years, Grim's efforts have helped more than 5,000 dogs beat the odds. Grim's success has also led to generous donations. He's currently working to complete a huge no-kill shelter in downtown St. Louis, which Grim says will be more like a "community center" for the dogs he saves.

Check out Randy's story as seen on the CBS Early Show:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

For more information on Grim's mission, visit www.strayrescue.org.

After-School Program Builds Community For Homeless Kids And Families

Children at at Public School 636 in Brooklyn school are dancing, cooking, fencing or building robots until 6 p.m. These activities are all part of a federally funded at the school where one in five kids is homeless, which parents says has greatly enriched their children's lives.

The following are excerpts taken from a NY Daily News article:

The year-old after-school program is funded mainly through a federal grant, enabling PS 636 to maintain the extra programming other schools have been forced to trim because of budget cuts.

Hallways once filled with fistfights are now calm, and test scores are rising.

"When we first started, the kids were extremely aggressive,," said Tameeka Ford-Norville, director of the after-school program at University Settlement, a social service organization that runs PS 636's after-school program.

"Enrichment allows for team-building and respect, and that helps them work in the classroom together."

The school holds biweekly town hall meetings and monthly social gatherings attended by about 60 families. Parents and teachers play volleyball at those gatherings, or watch their children play basketball or perform in the cheerleading squad.

The shift toward a "community school" has changed parents' relationships to the school.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/10/12/2009-10-12_1_in_5_kids_is_homeless_at_ps_636_but_afterschool_program_makes_them_feel_at_hom.html#ixzz0Tvh9rRQU

Town Stops at Nothing to Help 4-Year-Old With Cancer

By Greg Latshaw, USA TODAY

Brooke Mulford, who likes jokes and Curious George, is plotting the 5th birthday party she hopes to have next month.

"We'll have a pinata," she says, her voice rising with excitement. "Lollipops are my favorite candy."

The Salisbury, Md., girl can't be sure about that party just yet because her immune system is weak from battling neuroblastoma, a deadly type of nerve cancer afflicting infants and young children. She has endured chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, ambulance rides and hospital stays at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for a month at a time. Even so, she's improving, her mother says, and an outpouring of support from people in the Salisbury area is helping provide hope that the party won't have to be put off for long.

Last Christmas, Brooke's legs ached and she spent the day mostly sitting on the couch.

On Jan. 4, doctors at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia figured out what was wrong.

"I can't put into words what it's like finding out your child has an aggressive form of cancer, with only a 30% chance of survival," says her mom, Amy Mulford, 40.

Word quickly spread through Salisbury after Brooke Mulford's cancer was diagnosed. Within days of hearing about it, Doug Marshall, of Delmar, Md., held a fundraiser bonfire under the stars an event he says raised $14,000, despite temperatures that night of only 6 degrees.

Overall, the Mulfords have received about $100,000 in donations this year help that Brooke's father, Rob Mulford, 40, and owner of the Market Street Inn restaurant in Salisbury, calls "overwhelming."

Mayor Jim Ireton says Salisbury doesn't have deep pockets, which is why the rallying cry from this Delmarva Peninsula town has been so special.

Heather Brooks, 33, of Willards, Md., has never met the Mulfords. Yet she helped organize a scrapbooking festival in May that netted more than a thousand dollars for the family.

"Brooke keeps smiling even though she's sick. That could teach us adults something," Brooks says.

When Julia DePena heard Brooke Mulford's story from her high school teacher, she created a "Box for Brooke." For two months, DePena, 17, collected donations from her classmates and teachers. What was mostly spare change added up to about $300, she says.

"My mom had cancer before, then she got better. I thought maybe if I did something, Brooke would get better," DePena says.

The Mulfords, in turn, have set up a neuroblastoma research fund at the hospital and have donated some of the money they've received to other causes.

Shawn Niblett, one of Brooke Mulford's pre-kindergarten classmates, says he sent her a card with flowers, butterflies and hearts on it. The 4-year-old has a message for her: "Come back soon to school," he says.

Amy Mulford says they hope Brooke will be ready for kindergarten next year.

Although further testing is needed before Mulford is declared cancer-free, Brooke's condition has improved significantly in the time since doctors performed the first cancer scan, her mother says. Amy Mulford says doctors performed an MIBG scan on Brooke on Sept. 10 and didn't detect any sign of neuroblastoma in her body. Doctors must next perform a bone marrow biopsy. Brooke will be undergoing radiation treatment through mid-October, followed by antibody therapy in November, her parents say.

They say their daughter wishes she could invite most of her hometown of about 28,000 people to her party. Meanwhile, Brooke says she wants to thank every one of them who sent her "Get Well" cards especially the ones with stickers or jokes.

Imprint-TV: BedStuy Campaign Against Hunger

Behind the doors of a low-key building in Brooklyn is a secret garden of sorts. BedStuy Campaign Against Hunger is a unique "supermarket style" pantry on a mission to end hunger. At this pantry people are treated like family & they're not served your average meal. Learn more!

Portland Couple Leaves Lasting Imprint

Today's blog story could be pulled from the pages of a Nicholas Sparks novel. Perhaps it's the sap in us that loves this story so much or the fact that this Portland couple had a love that left such an imprint The Oregonian newspaper devoted an entire article to their story. Vivian and Keith Denton were a force to be reckoned with - the epitome of "love conquers all." A story in their memory: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/10/portland_couple_built_a_love_t.html

10 Year-Old Owns and Operates Pink School Bus is Mobile Dance Studio for Kids

Amiya Alexander, age 10 is the owner of the one and only dance studio on wheels in the country. She says the idea to convert a school bus into a dance studio came to her in a dream. The young entrepeneur developed the schedule, instruction and business model all her self. Amiya and the pink school bus travel to schools and park teaching ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, and merengue to kids ages 2-12.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

He works so others are not homeless

Gimundo, a good news website brings us this truly remarkable story of a landlord did not kick out his tenants when they lost their jobs, but instead came out of retirement to get a job and help them pay their bills.

Ed Peirce, a 54-year-old former stockbroker and ordained minister, purchased three houses when moved to Rock Hill, West Virginia planning to rent two of them out, which would allow him to live off the rental income and spend more time with his adult daughter and her family for whom he moved to the area for.

But now, Peirce clocks in at a Walgreens Pharmacy every evening, working at the photo booth for $8.50 an hour.

Why the change in plans? In this difficult economy, it can be tough for landlords to find tenants for their properties—but that wasn’t Peirce’s problem. His rental homes are both occupied by families with young children. One of Peirce’s tenants was a construction worker; another was a utilities contractor. Both men, however, had been laid off in recent months, and could no longer afford to pay the rent to Peirce.

Peirce would have been well within his rights to evict both tenants. Instead, “I sat with them and prayed for better times,” Peirce told The Herald. “These are stand-up guys. Family men. Proud. They paid me before, when they were working. You don’t show your faith, your Christianity, in words. You do it in deeds.”

Peirce has let both families continue to live in his houses, rent-free, until their luck turns. In the meantime, he’s taken the Walgreens job to help cover the bills on the properties. And even there, he’s focused on providing help to those less fortunate: each day, he encourages customers to donate brownies and other items to a group of homeless children residing in a local shelter, and has personally delivered many items to the facility.

Both acts, says Peirce, are in accordance with his general philosophy. “Help the poor,” he said. “That is the calling. It is supposed to be the calling for all of us. Every miracle starts with an action. I am not doing anything I am not supposed to do to help another man on this earth.”

Link to Gimundo article: http://gimundo.com/news/article/landlord-gets-job-to-pay-laid-off-tenants-bills/

Original article from: http://www.heraldonline.com/129/story/1623663.html

A Father & His Daughters Connect Those in Need With Those Willing to Help

Article from The Spokesman-Review:

How do I begin this? We are and were a normal family that has been turned upside down. I lost my job of 5 years at a Spokane Valley manufacturing facility. This happened 2 months ago and we have been running out of money, patience, food and are about to lose our home. I am simply looking for food for my family. If someone could PLEASE provide possibly 2 weeks worth of food and nothing extravagant. We just need the basics. I have 2 young children (boy and a girl) and really just need a kind heart to help us please. I can tell you more of my situation if you want to hear it. Thank you for listening.

Michael

It would take a heart of stone not to be moved by the examples of overwhelming need and selfless acts of kindness found on a Web site called 2Hands.org.

The “assistance portal” – something like Craigslist for the poor – has helped as many as 3,000 people nationwide since it was founded in Spokane two years ago.

If the above posting from a Spokane-area family doesn’t open hearts, how about this one from a Washington woman identified as momof2boys?

I recently lost my job and am barely getting by. My sons 4th birthday is this week. I really would like to get him a pair of shoes or pjs as he doesn’t have any that fit. He really loves disney cars and said he wanted cars pjs or shoes. This is a need as well as a want from my son. We’re not asking for a toy just something to help us as winter is nearing. He only has flip flops as of now. If anyone can help please let me know. We would be thankful.

The response came four days later from someone identified as D&S:

Hi Momof2boys, Read your posting and would like to help. We can send you shoes and PJs if you want to post the sizes.

The idea came to Jonathan Bishop two years ago while driving through downtown Spokane with his two daughters, then 8 and 4, who saw homeless people on the street asking for help.

“My daughter asked, ‘Where do they go to get help?’ ” Bishop said. He didn’t have a good answer. “I told her we would try to come up with something.”

So he and his daughters, Faith and Grace, came up with 2Hands.org, which has grown to include every state and Canada.

“We are now a nationwide resource that brings together those needing help with those who may have a hand to give,” Bishop said.

At first, Bishop and his oldest daughter, who is the faster typist, began “hand inputting” the postings from e-mails.

Now the Web site is a lot easier to use, but Bishop and his girls still monitor it daily to keep it regulated. Sometimes, like last week, they complete a transaction between the person in need and the person willing to help.

When John Hammond, a disabled Spokane man who lives with his girlfriend and five kids, got behind on utility bills, it was Bishop who closed the deal for the donor.

Hammond came across 2Hands.org while searching online for energy assistance. The utility had notified him that he would be shut off on Wednesday; he posted his request for help on Monday, and got a call from Bishop on Tuesday.

“He told me somebody wanted to help,” Hammond said. “The person wanted to remain anonymous, but pay Avista directly.”

He gave the account number to Bishop, who deposited the donor’s $126.04 directly into Hammond’s Avista account.

“They were really quick with helping people out,” Hammond said. “They seem like one of the places that actually care about helping people, and that’s really rare nowadays.”

Bishop said his Web site gives people a “one-on-one” way to bring change into someone’s life.

“The stories, they can be humbling,” Bishop said. “We have a lot of stories.”

There was the family that could not afford to travel to the East Coast to see their injured son, and someone bought them plane tickets. There were the abused mom and children who were helped out of their home. There was the family that needed firewood, and somebody bought them two cords.

Families adopted, Christmases saved, homes repaired, car payments made – Bishop maintained a page of successful transactions until he could no longer keep up with them all. He stopped counting after 2,000 acts of kindness. There could be 1,000 more by now.

Bishop, whose day job is with Goodrich Aerospace, said he intended the nonprofit Web site to be a local resource, “but it has moved beyond that.”

Visiting 2Hands.org is a study of the American condition in the recession. The site is a virtual Hooverville for the 21st century at a time when the down and out are not found in bread lines, but huddled in suburban homes waiting for the power to be shut off.

James Parker, who posted on 2Hands.org last week from Illinois, explains the situation for many of the new poor:

is there anybody out here that can help out a family of 5. Like a lot of americans these days, My wife and myself have been out of work for a while now. We have sold everything we can to try and provide food and clothing and try to keep up with our bills. We have totally drained our savings, checking and now have nothing. Two days ago our gas was shut off, in three days then will be the power. Then next to follow will be the water. Where does one go, What does one do? Where do you turn to? Our township is low on funds, so is our local churches. LIHEAP will not see us until the middle of october. So in the mean time now what? I am not here to give anybody any sob stories. But was just asking for a helping hand. Any type of information about anything out here that may be able to help us for the time being. If anybody knows any place or orginization please let me know. Thank you and god bless.

From the Streets of LA to Harvard

Article from Oprah.com:

For more than 100 years, Los Angeles' Union Rescue Mission has been a refuge for homeless families. At night, women and children fill the bunk beds on the shelter's fourth floor, a safe place for those who don't have a home of their own.

Khadijah, a young woman from California, spent many nights doing her homework in one of these beds. She wrote English essays, practiced math problems and studied for exams until the lights went out at 10 p.m.

Khadijah began moving from shelter to shelter with her mother and younger sister when she was 6 years old. When there were no shelters available, Khadijah says she and her family slept in bus stations or on the street.

Despite their circumstances, Khadijah says her mother always held her and her sister to a higher standard. "No matter where we lived, no matter how bad our circumstances may have been, my mom was always positive," she says.

In 12 years, Khadijah attended 12 different schools, but she kept up with her peers by spending day after day at the Los Angeles Public Library. "It changed my life," she says. "The library gave me some control over some aspect of my life. Even though I couldn't really control where I would live or anything, I could control how much I wanted to learn."

During Khadijah's sophomore year in high school, she decided to do whatever it took to stay in one place. From that point on, she woke up every morning at 4:30 a.m. to catch a bus from Los Angeles' Skid Row to Jefferson High, which was two hours away. "Who wouldn't want to escape that kind of life in Skid Row or in the shelters to come to this?" she says. "That's what I focused on."

Khadijah never stopped believing education was her ticket to happiness. Last May, she graduated from Jefferson High with honors. She's now a freshman at the prestigious Harvard University.

Far from the pimps and prostitutes of Skid Row, Khadijah is embracing her new community, Cambridge, Massachusetts. "It's just so different from what I'm used to. [In] Skid Row, you kind of feel stuck because everything's just so squished together," she says. "Here, everything's so open. The air is so fresh and clean and clear."

If other children growing up in shelters knew what was out there and what was possible, Khadijah says their perspective would change.

"To any person, homeless or otherwise, who feels like they don't like the situation they're in and feels like they can't do anything about it, they can," she says. "For a while, that's all I had—the belief that I could do it. All you need is that belief because you can. I did it."

Working to Prevent Military Suicides

Kim Ruocco, with sons Billy and Joe (in hat), visits the grave of Maj. John Ruocco, who took his life in 2005.

The Christian Science Monitor brings us a really inspirational story of Kim Ruocco whose husband Jim, a Marine Corps Major committed suicide after a deployment to Iraq. She worked through her grief to understand the issue of military suicide and in turn help others who have lived through the same thing or are contemplating suicide.

She read about it: books by mothers who had lost children to suicide, by people who had spent their careers studying suicide – anything to help her understand the terrible event that had so irrevocably altered her family.

Through her grief, Mrs. Ruocco, now manager of suicide outreach and education programs for the nonprofit Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), has quietly become an important figure in the effort to respond to suicides by military personnel.

As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue, so, too, do military suicides. This year, the Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program (MCSPP) counted 34 suspected suicides among active duty marines from January to July. It recorded 42 suicides in the same group for all of 2008. The US Army lists 96 reported active-duty suicides for January to July 2009, up from 79 from January to July 2008.

Ruocco, who lives in Newbury, has told her story to military personnel around the country, encouraging individuals to seek help. She has also become a support to survivors of suicide – family members who may suddenly be crushed by grief, rejection, guilt, and shame. Ruocco has collaborated with the MCSPP to produce an innovative video that offers accounts from suicide survivors.

Full Story at link: http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0928/p07s01-lign.html