An old man walked up a shore littered with thousands of starfish, beached and dying after a storm. A young man was picking them up and flinging them back into the ocean. "Why do you bother?" the old man scofted. "You're not saving enough to make a difference." The young man picked up another starfish and sent it spinning back to the water. "Made a difference to that one," he said.

Monday, May 14, 2012

And the winners are...

So today was my 500th consecutive day of giving.  This journey that started as a year of giving has turned into and been so much more.  It has changed my life in many ways and all for the good.   I wish I could give up sweets or workout for 500 consecutive days but it isn’t likely anytime in the near future.
My gift today was decided on the following post on Facebook, “Today I celebrate my 500th consecutive day of giving. To celebrate this day I will be making five (5) $100 donations to nonprofits in the US. I want YOUR help in giving this gift. If you have an organization that is doing great things post it on my timeline with why this organization is important to you and a link to their website. I will pick five (5) nonprofits and make my donation this evening for my 500th gift. Start posting!!!
I received many great recommendations and learned about many wonderful organizations. Here are the organizations that friends posted about:
·        AYOU which takes students on trips to Yellowstone National Park.
·        Hearts in Motion which addresses quality of life issues in Central America, particularly in Guatemala and Honduras.
·        Westchester Fraternal Order of Police-Shop with a Cop program at Christmas
·        TriState Multiples which helps families with high order multiples with financial requests.
·        Indiana State Police K-9 fund for my husband’s police dog Boss.
·        American Cancer Society-Relay for Life
·        The Fistula Foundation which raises awareness of and funding fistula treatment, prevention and educational programs worldwide.
·        Mulunda Miaka Orphanage which helps orphans in Zambia.
·        Baby Will which raises money and awareness for SIDS research.
·         Children’s World Impact that works to break the cycle on poverty in Ghana and Haiti.
·         National Eczema Association which provides resources for families with eczema and money for research.
·         Cheryl Lyn Welter Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of our daughter Cheryl who was killed in a car accident her Senior Year on 10/12/2000.
·         The Wounded Warrior Project raises awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members, helps injured service members aid and assist each other and provides unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members.
·         The National MPS Society supports research in MPS, families with children with MPS and increase public and professional awareness of this disease.
·         Living Hope Community Church which gives people a safe place to explore Christian faith.
·         Housing Opportunities which provides housing related help for those in NW Indiana.
·         NAMI Porter County which provides education, advocacy, and support for parents, caregivers and individuals with mental illness.
·         WVLP-98.3 is a community radio station providing a voice to those in Valparaiso, IN.
·         Valparaiso Nazarene Church that makes a variety of impacts in the community from a food pantry to youth services.
·         Royal Family Kids Camp is a summer camp that provides a week of camp at no cost to children that have been abused and neglected and placed in foster care.
·         The Hope House which provides safe houses for victims of domestic minor sex trafficking in the United States.
It was really hard to pick just five organizations.  So today I will make donations to five, but I will commit to making a donation to all organizations listed above in the next year. 
And the winners are…
·        Hearts in Motion
·        The Fistula Foundation
·        The Wounded Warrior Project
·        The Hope House
·        Baby Will Organization
I hope you have you learned about several new organizations and maybe even decided to make a donation of your own.
Thank you to those that took the time to post about their organization. You made a difference in 21 organizations today that will have a rippling effect of many children, families and individuals around the world.  1 person can make a difference!

1 comment:

  1. Way to go Stephanie! Keep up the good work :)

    ReplyDelete