Give a Bike

“Give a Bike is working to bring mobility, healthy life choices, and joy to United States Veterans, and underprivileged communities around the globe.” (http://www.giveabike.com/)

Talk about two crazy lovebirds!  I felt like my husband and I really roughed it spending 19 nights in a backpacker’s tent while in Italy.  It pales in comparison to what Christy and Adam are doing for their honeymoon.  These two amazing people are touring 50 states on their bikes to create awareness and raise money for World Bicycle Relief and Achilles International.

You have to check out their website and blog for yourself because I cannot do it enough justice!  Christy and Adam are just about halfway through their journey and have raised $18,000 of their $25,000 goal.

Their blog: http://www.giveabike.blogspot.com/

To donate, the Coppolla’s website is:   http://www.giveabike.com/default.html

I love it!  They will be the first people to complete an unsupported bike tour of all 50 statesJ!

How can we get involved?

-check out the website and blog and prepare to be inspired (and maybe even be a little jealous)

-help Christy and Adam reach their goal by donating!  World Bicycle Relief provides bicycles for people in developing countries.  Achilles International (Freedom Team of Wounded Vets) gives veterans who have lost a limb the ability to race by providing hand-cycles.

-“want to help” tab: http://www.giveabike.com/Want-to-Help-.html

The purpose of me doing this blog is to learn about the amazing things people like these two are doing in the name of helping others.  Go Christy and Adam!

African Soul, American Heart

This week’s post highlights the non-profit, African Soul, American Heart (ASAH).

ASAH “shelters orphans in Southern Sudan.”  It began from one man’s desire to help the parentless children left behind as a consequence from the Sudanese war.  This “Sudanese Lost Boy,” now an American, is a survivor and refugee, hence the name “African Soul, American Heart.”  The organization is relatively new, but incredibly successful.  The following is a brief description of the three main projects of the non-profit:

·         In July, the ASAH Home for Girls will open.  The goal is to educate the girls through Secondary school as most girls do not complete even an elementary education.   The philosophy, “educating women lifts communities out of poverty.” 

·         Kids in Kenya:  ASAH provides 100% sponsorship/support to 10 Sudanese (refugees) orphans in Kenyan boarding schools. 

·         Get Your Panties in a Bunch:  This ongoing program provides reusable (cloth) feminine hygiene products and “panties” to young, female Sudanese orphans. Many girls stop attending school because they don’t have the items necessary for certain times of the month which leads to absences from school, embarrassment, and eventually, dropping out.  These items help girls stay in school!

I have the pleasure of knowing the President of African Soul, American Heart.  She is a HUGE part of the “heart” and success of this non-profit. 

If you would like more information about ASAH, please check out their website…it is truly fascinating!:  http://www.africansoulamericanheart.org/

How can we get involved?

·         Purchase the DVD documentary:  African Soul, American Heart

·         Donate whatever you can

·         Sponsor a student

·         Contact Deb (info@africansoulamericanheart.org) to see what kinds of female hygiene products are needed to help keep Sudanese girls in school

“If these kids are raised from the age they are and given what they need, they will be good leaders in our nation or in our world.” ~Joseph Akol Makeer

Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA)

Got Milk?  An abundance of human milk, that is…

I am now at the 20 week mark of my pregnancy and due to my changing body and soreness in certain areas, I feel like discussing lactation. 

What is HMBANA? 

“HMBANA is a non-profit association of donor human milk banks established in 1985 to set standards for and to facilitate establishment and operation of milk banks in North America.”

Who gets the milk?

“HMBANA milk banks process donated human milk primarily for fragile and vulnerable infants to ensure they have an adequate and safe supply of this life-giving and life-sustaining supplement when mother’s own milk is not available.”  (http://www.hmbana.org/)

When I donated, I was told my milk went to a 4 year old who had severe digestive issues and needed the milk to survive.

Since I have personal experience with this organization, I’ll write about the process so you can see, it’s really not difficult to do…if you are lactating…a lot!

After the birth of my first child, I for some reason was blessed with a TON (maybe literally) of milk.  It could have been because I was pumping non-stop for 9 ½ weeks until my daughter finally latched on or maybe because I had been initially pregnant with twins, but after Mia was born, holy cow, I was the dairy queen.  My husband bought a deep freezer because we no longer had any space in our regular refrigerator freezer (nor did my parents or anyone else who was helping us store milk).  Anyway, because I knew I would never be able to use all of the milk, I looked into donating it.  My friend, Leah, sent me the web address for HMBANA.

The website gives the locations of member milk banks in the United States and Canada.  Once you contact the location where you are going to send your milk, it’s a very easy process.

Step One: I chose the non-profit milk bank closest to my area which turned out to be Presbyterian/St. Luke’s in Denver, Colorado.  I then did an over-the-phone interview with someone from the bank and received paperwork via mail, necessary for becoming a donor.  The paperwork included the need for a blood test, approval from my OB for donating milk as well as my daughter’s pediatrician’s approval. 

Step Two:  The milk bank sends all of the necessary packaging and labels and pays for the shipping.  The only things I had to do were buy the dry ice from the grocery store as well as the storage bags for the milk, pump, and call Fed Ex to pick up the box.   

So, I first sent 2 big boxes of milk that I had already stored up and continued to send milk for a few months after that.  When I was finished donating milk, I received a letter stating I had donated over 2,000 oz.

The website gives great information about HMBANA services, and includes interesting stuff such as how the milk is pasteurized and distributed. Here is the link:

http://www.hmbana.org/

How can we get involved?

-      If you are nursing and have an abundance of milk, check out the website and consider donating your extra milk. 

-      If you are talking with a friend who has no qualms about sharing the fact that she is a dairy queen and has no more space to store her milk, tell her about HMBANA like my friend Leah told me.

HMBANA: the true milk of human kindness

Sojourner Center

This week’s post is about a domestic violence shelter in Phoenix called Sojourner Center.  It’s named after Sojourner Truth, a female activist and abolitionist from the Civil War era who exemplified strength and courage. 

The Sojourner Center was founded in the 70’s but at the time, it was a place for women who were transitioning from prison life back into the community.  Within a short amount of time (4 years) the founders realized the majority of the women being served were victims of domestic violence and the mission was changed accordingly.  The motto of the Sojourner Center is the following:  Overcoming the Impact of Domestic Violence One Life at a Time.

Current facts on domestic violence in Arizona (found on the website):

·         1 out of every 4 women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime

·         Every 44 minutes in Arizona, one or more children witness a domestic violence incident

·         In Arizona, there were 89 domestic violence-related deaths in 2010, approximately one death every three days

Services provided by Sojourner Center:

·         Residential programs

·         Advocacy

·         Lay legal advocacy

·         Family enrichment programs

My daughter, Nastia, is an intern for this organization.  She has various jobs (see “vanguard” on website) and sometimes shares some of her experiences with me.  Although she doesn’t enjoy the circumstances, she is very passionate about what she does and truly loves this organization.  Because many of the women who come to Sojourner Center leave their situations abruptly, they are unable to bring items needed for their children.

For more information about this awesome and much needed organization, check out the website:  www.sojournercenter.org

How can we get involved?:

·         If you are local, there are “vanguard” opportunities (along with an explanation of what vanguard is) on the website

·         There is a pretty extensive “needs list” located on the website

·         Nastia and I are collecting used strollers.  Let us know if you’d like to donate a stroller!

·         If you aren’t local, look into domestic violence shelters in your area-certainly they will have similar needs with many opportunities to help out

“If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again.” ~Sojourner Truth

Family to Family, Inc.

Family to Family is an organization I had never heard of (and probably never would have) until my dear friend, Rosemary, wrote me about it and I’m so grateful she did.   The mission statement of Family to Family reads, “We are a non-profit organization operating on Camiguin Island in the southern Philipines.  We are dedicated to provide medical and educational assistance to children in need.” (www.family2family.org)

In Rosemary’s words: 

This organization started as simply the good deeds of a young couple in the Philippines after the Vietnam War, and has expanded into a small, but highly effective charity that provides healthcare, foster-homes, and education for marginalized kids on one of the islands.   

The wife, Diane, was a college classmate of mine. I've always been delighted to support them not only because of the good they do, but because they do it in a familial, non-institutional way, in a way consistent with the culture of the locals, and they maximize every penny.

A few tidbits about the programs (from the brochure located on the homepage of the website):

·         Elementary Boarding School for drop-outs

·         Language classes for the deaf (20 deaf students are enrolled)

·         Financial assistance to graduates to enroll in high school

·         Assistance for children with physical handicaps

·         School supplies for public school students

·         Foster care for infants and toddlers

If you are having the kind of day when you need to know there are indeed, good people in this world, check out the “About Us” page on their website.  I can only imagine the impact this couple has had over the past forty years, considering all the children with whom they’ve come in contact and have helped.

For more information about Family to Family:  www.family2family.org

How can we get involved?:

-The funding for this organization is mainly from private contributions.  They receive no assistance from the government, etc.  To make a donation, use the address listed on the homepage, NOT the one on the brochure.

-There’s a volunteer nursing opportunity (one year, free room and board)

-The newest newsletter will be available in June

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you’re doing the impossible.” ~St. Francis of Assisi

Stevens Johnson Syndrome

My sister, Karen, helped me out with this week’s post as her best friend from childhood is a survivor of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).  Emilie is a beautiful, courageous and inspiring woman.  I’ll put the link to her blog at the end of Karen’s post.

Two and a half years ago I received a phone call that my best friend was in a medically induced coma because she had something called Stevens Johnson Syndrome. I did the first thing anybody would do and looked it up on the internet. There wasn’t a whole lot of information out there but what I did see was shocking. I saw pictures of people who looked like burn victims, people who were now blind, and some had deformities. There were very few cases where patients had made a full recovery and returned to a normal life.  I was scared to death. 
SJS is an allergic reaction. In Emilie’s’ case the allergen is still unknown.  She was severe enough to be labeled Toxic Epidermis Necrolysis (TENS), with more than 60% of her body covered in an extreme rash. She had to be admitted to the UniversityofColorado Burn Center.  The doctors placed her in an induced coma for 10 days while they monitored the sloughing of much of her skin. She had 3 amniotic membrane surgeries to help her eyes heal through the process.  It was the amazing doctors and their knowledge of the research that saved Emilie’s eyesight.

Like I mentioned, there weren’t a lot of happy success stories for the survivors of SJS out there but Emily is creating her own success story and trying to spread the word to give hope to other SJS survivors. She is now a SOAR (Survivors Offering Assistance in Recover) Volunteer at the University of Colorado Hosipital’s Burn Center. She is trained to talk to burn patients and their families from the perspective of a survivor.

She also created a blog that is following her journey from SJS to Ironman. Through this blog she is trying to raise funds for the University Of Colorado’s Burn Unit so they can bring out more awareness for Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Emilie’s blog:  http://teamemilie.blogspot.com/

How can we get involved?:

-Learn about SJS and share the information!

-Help Emilie with her fundraiser…it goes to a great causeJ

“Try something new outside of your comfort zone.  It doesn’t have to be an Ironman by any means, but I do hope that it involves taking risks and discovering new things about yourself.  Go forward with confidence and commitment.  Uncover all of the amazing things you are capable of!”~Emilie

CulinaryWorks

This week’s post is short and sweet because we are on a family vacation in Yosemite National Park where our Internet connection is quite slow.  I did, however, want to highlight CulinaryWorks … part of Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) in Phoenix.  CW is a program that teaches adults with autism, job-readiness skills.

Through real-life working, they receive on-the-job training which could then be used for other jobs.

They started locally with soup (local chefs, like Eddie Matney, helped them come up with the multiple recipes) sold in various local markets.

In addition, they added a full line of coffee products produced locally.  The adults roast and grind the beans, package and ship it all themselves.  I’m not just saying this, but I think it is the best coffee I’ve ever had!

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, I thought this would be a good post as I already have a gift box with coffee and a mug on the way to my mother-in-law and plan on giving another to my mom (sorry to kill the surprise moms).

For more information on CW, click on this link: www.culinaryworks.org        

How can we get involved?

·         Support CW by purchasing and consuming their coffee and soups

·         Tell other people about your great culinary find!

A more in depth post on how to get more involved with SARRC will be coming later in the year.

“One day, all individuals living with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) will be acknowledged as independent, contributing members of our community.” (www.culinaryworks.org)