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2008: A Year Of Creative Giving
The photos you see on this page are of Steffanie and others participating in fundraising events supported by EddieTheDawg.org, most of which helped to raise significant funds for charity, and all of which provided one heck of a good time!
 It seems that every change of the channels on television these days presents "BREAKING NEWS" -- and a lot of it is about disasters around the world that make kids, families and animals homeless and in dire need for medical care, food, water, shelter, jobs and education.
In recent years, some of the most horrific natural disasters and terrorist attacks occurred in the U.S. Despite this, charitable donations were at an all-time high [GuideStar.org] even though there was an increased demand for aid.
In 2008, folks here in the U.S. also appear to be facing an economic downturn, at least for a brief period of time, so the job market is tightening along with our bank accounts and credit. It is understandable that people who have been giving monetary donations to charity may want to limit or withdraw from donating until their personal financial outlooks improve.
While it is true that "the best way to support a charity is with a direct contribution" [Charity Navigator], there are many other ways to give when you cannot afford to write a check. One of the reasons that EddieTheDawg.org was created was to help others get involved in giving and to motivate caring for those in need. Otherwise, we would just write checks ourselves instead of organizing fundraising events and awareness campaigns. I am all for encouraging the distribution of wealth from the fortunate to the less fortunate, and so fundraising in 2008 remains key to helping the causes and people we support -- but we also continue to emphasize the positive ways people can help make a difference without draining their finances in the process.
What we need the most this year is help with spreading the word about our events.
We will continue to provide ways that a donation of under $25, often as little as $10, can make a difference and allow you to be a part of an effort that benefits a child, family or animal in need. We also want you to be able to witness here how your efforts and donations impacted the lives of others through our follow-up stories, photos and videos. If you would like to volunteer or donate, just visit the program page and you will find a link to donate online, or contact me if you would like to volunteer your support. Programs for 2008 are listed below.
Making sure our donations provide the greatest benefit for those in need.
I spent a significant amount of time over the past few months re-evaluating the charities we supported in 2006-2007. I was very pleased with the evaluations of the majority of charities and causes we supported. In a few cases however, we could not identify that the money our activities raised was used efficiently. We identified some concerns with two organizations we worked with, and we found that problems with management within these organizations seem to go hand-in-hand with unnecessary inefficiencies. It is important to us that when we spend our time and money and involve others to do the same, that we can see the benefits. For details about our analysis and charity watchdog resources, including online access to IRS Form 990 filings for non-profits, click here.
Our exciting plans for 2008!
I believe that the challenges of 2008 will spawn the growth of creative giving. So our focus this year at EddieTheDawg.org includes a healthy dose of activities for people who want to make a difference in ways that are do-able regardless of a person's economic situation and availability. And I hope we can encourage even more people this year to get involved in a personal way with some of the wonderful people and animals we support, through online communication and letter-writing campaigns.
So I am ready to announce the causes and organizations we will support in 2008, which were determined based on many factors. Most importantly, our list includes programs that we feel can make the greatest difference in the lives of kids, families and animals. These programs also meet our criteria for charitable giving so that when you donate $10, $25, $100 or more, you will be able to see where that money went and how it made a difference to those in need.
Here are highlights of the programs we will be supporting this coming year (in order of planned events):
 | New Orleans Louisiana - To start, we have sponsored a charity badge on SixDegrees.org to compete in a challenge that will hopefully go a long way toward building an environmentally friendly home for a family in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans that was ravaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. You can help Brad Pitt and partners at the Make It Right Foundation become part of Kevin Bacon's wonderful grassroots network of giving by spreading the word or donating $10 or more online through the Make It Right Charity Badge. We will also put your name on a pink swatch of fabric on this Website in appreciation of your participation in this Internet-based fundraising campaign for the Make It Right Foundation. Click here for complete details on how a donation of only $10 and spreading the word about this fundraiser can make a difference. Did I mention I will be moving to New Orleans in June? Click here to learn about what else we will be doing to help the NOLA recovery and kids in need -- you may want to put a trip to NOLA on your 2008 calendar to join us! |
| Northern Uganda - This year, all of our efforts to support programs and people in northern Uganda will involve a more hands-on approach than ever before! We are also setting up a special new Website that will eventually be the home of a new foundation to raise funds and awareness for the recovery of northern Uganda from the 20 year war that has devastated the live of many children, women and families in and around Gulu. Our intent is to begin by helping a young girl and her baby, in addition to several efforts that are already on the ground in the region that provide counseling, medical care, education and other services to help these hopeful people to regain normal and productive lives. Did I mention that I will be traveling to Uganda in 2008? I will need lots of support to make this visit a productive one. Click here to learn more about our 2008 program and meet a young girl, Nancy Aumu, and her baby, Aloyo, who will be supported by our program, along with Fr. Tony, Sr. Rosemary and others who are in Gulu making a difference. |
| Juvenile Diabetes - This will be our third year to walk with Gregory Ellis and his Gang to help raise funds and awareness for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in the hope that soon there will be a cure for this disease. JDRF is a 4-Star charity on Charity Navigator and I feel that they are the best hope through the research they fund to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. In addition, the support JDRF provides to families challenged by juvenile diabetes is greatly appreciated by those we have met along the way. Gregory is now a junior Ambassador for JDRF in Raleigh, North Carolina -- when he isn't busy with school, soccer and an amazing acting career! Elliott Yamin is now a JDRF National Spokesperson to help in this fight. |
| Other Programs - As we finalize remaining plans for 2008, we will announce them on the home page. We have organized our programs into CARE CHANNELS that reflect our primary programs. Some of the other programs we anticipate will grow this year include support for Kid One Transport, which is a charity endorsed by Taylor Hicks; awareness of Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), a program motivated by Baby Aiden's struggle to survive a very unique condition; our annual UNICEF Emergency Response Team; and CheckOnMe.org, my own free public service that checks on caregivers and people who live alone, which will hopefully go live this year and develop into a foundation in order to expand this service to include voice messaging. |
I will be reporting our final 2007 program totals and achievements in February right here in the Blawg.
If you have any questions about our analysis or our plans for 2008, please contact me for more information. If you would like to sign-up to receive updates on any of our programs in 2008, please contact me so I can add you to our email list. Thank you and I look forward to working with all of you in the new year. ~ Steffanie
Related Links:
Making Sure Our Donations Provide The Greatest Benefit For Those In Need - charity watchdog resources and our analysis of charities supported in 2006-2007
Clay Aiken fans at the Mornin' Aftah Breakfast Party raffle for UNICEF in Cary NC in 2007
Clay Aiken fans at the Mornin' Aftah Breakfast Party for UNICEF in Cary NC in 2007
Gregory Ellis, Steffanie and Kiwi (half-sister of Clay Aiken's dog, Raleigh) in Raleigh NC for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Walk To Cure Diabetes in 2006
~ Steffanie posted on 2008-01-08
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