It is impossible to miss the tragic news footage depicting the earthquake devastation in Haiti, a country already struggling with extreme poverty.  But is it possible to help the earthquake victims from our homes?  Yes – and in so many ways!

Donate Money

While making a monetary donation may not feel quite the same as  “hands on” volunteering, money is what is most greatly needed!  Here is a link to ten relief organizations that are recommended by The Huffington Post:  10 Top Ways to Donate to Relief Efforts in Haiti

Assemble Health Kits

This would be a great project for scout troops or youth groups!  Health Kits are one gallon zip lock bags filled with:  a hand towel, wash cloth, comb, nail file, soap and a few other items.  The kits are being collected by the United Methodist Church and can be dropped off at any Methodist Church or mailed to one of their collection locations.  See UMCOR:  United Methodist Committee of Relief.

Gather Gently Used Shoes

Whether you just clean out the closets in your own home or organize a community wide drive, Soles 4 Souls is an agency dedicated to collecting gently used foot wear for men, women and children around the world, but especially in Haiti right now.  If you are looking for a way to involve your children in caring for the children of Haiti, this is a wonderful option.

Patronize Online Businesses Who Will Donate

There are many online retailers who are donating to Haiti relief agencies for each purchase made. For example, one of our favorite affiliates, Birthday in a Box, is donating $2 to Habitat for Humanity for each order placed!

Please keep the disaster ravaged people of Haiti in your thoughts and consider a donation, whether through one of the agencies above, or one of your own choosing.  Even the smallest gesture can mean the world to those suffering in this aftermath of this tragedy.

Tip of the Week

I just love the new fundraiser for Breast Cancer Research initiated by Kitchen Aid!  Kitchen Aid has enlisted Villeroy and Boch to design a beautiful party platter inscribed with the words, “Cook for Your Family, Cook for Your Friends, Cook for the Cure.”

After purchasing the platter, you’ll need to prepare a favorite culinary dish for a friend or family member and serve it on the signature plate.  When it’s received, a number on the bottom of the platter will allow the recipient to register it online and for each time that the dish is passed, Kitchen Aid will donate $5 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

This idea combines the best of everything:  good food shared among friends or family and an investment in a cause that is dear to every woman’s heart!  With Breast Cancer Awareness Month just around the corner, Cooking for the Cure is a memorable way to acknowledge and address the concerns that we all share.

I can’t wait to get my own “pass the plate” dish! (shopkitchenaid.com, $24.99)

You may also enjoy:

• Think Pink – Support the Cure
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Tags: cook for the cure, fun fundraising idea for the cure, the cure, fundraising, ways to raise money for breast cancer research, breast cancer fundraising, cooking to raise money for breast cancer, breast cancer research

October is now well known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month and hundreds of retailers are thinking “pink” and donating portions of the proceeds from certain sales to breast cancer research foundations!  The “pink” products vary greatly, ranging from breath mints to mixers to clothing.  I know that all of us would love to support this truly worthy cause and so I’ve highlighted here of few of the products supporting the Cure that I think are exceptional or very useful and offer the greatest percentage of return to the charitable organizations.

A Vita Bracelet

A super fashionable Vita bracelet with 24k gold plated, snake embossed leather bracelet, of course in pink, for $66 with 100% of profits going to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. (revolveclothing.com)

 Marc Jacobs Charm Bracelet

Another terrific piece of jewelry is a charm bracelet by Marc Jacobs.  This set of two silver bangles is trimmed with heart, wishbone and ball charms and a pink fabric ribbon.  This really cute bracelet retails for $88, with 100% of profits going to the Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization. (shopbop.com)

Shower for the Cure

Shower for the Cure is a bath product by the wonderful company, Philosophy and can be used as a shampoo, shower gel or bubble bath.  The scent was inspired by Hollywood’s annual charity event chaired by Rita Wilson and Kate Capshaw.  Philosophy donates 100% of the proceeds to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s Women’s Cancer Research Fund. (philosophy.com, $20)

Tomboy Tools

I love this one – a bright pink hammer from Tomboy Tools!  At my house, I do keep a tool box of my own and I think that this pink one might deter my husband from stealing it! (tomboytools.com, $14.95, donating at least $100,000 from sales to its “Hammer Out Breast Cancer” program.)

Designer Lunch Bags

Hot Pink “Grown Up” Designer Lunch Bags are being sold by the manufacturers of Lean Cuisine!  In three fun and bright patterns, these insulated lunch bags retail for $9.95 including shipping and handling!  Lean Cuisine has pledged to donate $5 for each bag sold, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $50,000!  Not to mention the additional donation that the company is making to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure in the amount of $150,000! (leancuisine.com)

I hope that you might be inspired to buy one of these great items for yourself or a friend and support the cause of a lifetime!  Do you have a favorite product that benefits breast cancer research?  I’d love to know!

Tags: great breast cancer research products, support the cure, ideas for products that support breast cancer research

*  While almost everything on Busy Bee Lifestyle is family friendly, this article probably shouldn’t be shared with your children.

Around the holidays, we are often inundated with requests from charities on every front and every day seems to bring a new group in need.  It was right before Christmas that I read about an organization with a very unique appeal, but I put it to the side, too busy with the needs at hand.

This summer, though, I have had a chance to revisit an extraordinary agency dedicated to helping the women in Darfur.  The area of Darfur in the western Sudan is the site of refugee camps for individuals who have been displaced by their government.  Since February of 2003 over 400,000 have been killed and 2.5 million people displaced by means of rape, organized starvation and mass murder.  (For greater detail see genocideintervention.net).  Violence, disease and displacement continue to kill thousands of innocent Darfurians every month. 

Consider Donating a Fuel Efficient Stove

The women in the refugee camps spend most of their day gathering scarce firewood to fuel cooking ovens.  The search for firewood requires women to leave the relative safety of the camp, exposing them to greater danger in the form of sexual assault or attack.  

In response to this problem, Berkeley University and CHF have designed a fuel efficient stove that uses 75% less fuel than traditional stoves.  The stoves can be made by local residents using locally available materials and not only preserve limited resources, but provide a chance for families to eat meals that they had been skipping due to a lack of fuel.  The cost to fund a fuel efficient stove for a vulnerable family is only $30. 

In my communication with CHF regarding this article, I learned that the organization cannot spend their valuable and limited resources on advertising and truly rely on “word of mouth” to promote their efforts. When I wrote that I would share this story with Busy Bee readers, the gratitude from CHF was overwhelming!

Darfur is so far away and the atrocities are so severe that it’s easy to think that we are unable to help.  But – here’s a simple and concrete way to make a difference in the world and to help women who could never imagine the ease with which we cook our meals and feed our families!  I know that this ranks as a serious topic for Busy Bee, but it is truly worthwhile!

To make a donation

Go to chfinternational.org , Building Stoves and Saving Lives in Darfur, Sudan: The Fuel Efficient Stove Project.   Click on Make a Donation Now. 

With so many across the globe in need of our support, Busy Bee is dedicated to exploring and researching additional ways to help women in the United States and throughout the world. 

Tags: darfur, women in Darfur, Darfur women, donation

My teenage daughter received a new cell phone for Christmas, and I was curious about what I could or should do with her old phone.  As usual, I turned to Google and was amazed at what I found!  For starters, it is estimated that 150 million retired cell phones are hiding out in drawers and desks.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some in toy boxes too!  Additionally, the EPA estimates that 130 million phones are improperly discarded each year, causing terrible environmental damage.

So what to do?  There are literally hundreds of options, but in consideration of this website’s focus on the lives of women, I’d like to highlight two organizations who will turn our discards into lifelines!

1. Visit wirelessfoundation.org.  This foundation uses donated old phones to benefit a number of charities.  Within their website, “The Call to Protect” is directed specifically to victims of domestic violence.  This organization takes your old phone and refurbishes and sells it, donating a portion of the profits to domestic violence foundations.  Also, many phones are repurposed as lifelines for domestic violence victims.  If the phone cannot be refurbished, they’ll dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way. 
2. Visit recylceforbreastcancer.org.  This organization accepts cell phones and many other items for recycling.  Other items accepted include inkjet or laser jet cartridges, PDA’s, palm pilots, cameras and more.  Proceeds from this site benefit national breast cancer foundations.

FREE mailing labels can be downloaded from both sites!  Could this be any easier??  Don’t forget to deactivate your phone service and erase any personal information stored on your phone!  Finally, give yourself a pat on the back for doing some good!

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Tags: what to do with old cell phones, donating old cell phones, old cell phones, donating, disposing of old cell phones