The Ronald McDonald House Charities

Happy November! It's time to announce the Cause of the Month for November: The Ronald McDonald House Charities. Here's a little bit about them.

Their mission:
"The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. Guiding us in our mission are our core values:

• Focusing on the critical needs of children.
• Celebrating the diversity of the programs we offer and the staff, volunteers and donors who make them possible.
• Staying true to our heritage of 35 years of responsible stewardship.
• Operating with accountability and transparency."

Their vision:
"We believe that when you change a child’s life, you change a family’s, which can change a community, and ultimately the world.

We strive to be part of that change and part of the solution in improving the lives of children and their families. We extend our reach and impact by leveraging our 35 years of experience and strong relationships with local communities and people in the field to continually establish Chapters across the globe. We continually work to improve and expand our core programs, while also developing new services to address the unique needs of the communities we serve.

We don’t do it alone. We rely on our Chapters to identify needs and carry out our mission on the ground. We rely on our strong relationships with the medical community to provide access to health care. We rely on strategic alliances with organizations that have the knowledge and infrastructure to extend our reach. We rely on you – our donors, volunteers, staff and friends."

As always, I will donate $5 for every blog layout purchased in the month of November. If you would like to make a donation without purchasing a blog layout, you can either click the PayPal Donate button on the top of the right sidebar or you can make a donation on their website.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

Wow, I'm not sure about you all but the fall and the beginning of the school year is a very busy time for me! I didn't forget about October's Cause of the Month, I have just been very, very busy. Since October is breast cancer awareness month, I am proud to announce that the Cause of the Month for October is the Susan B. Komen for the Cure organization.

Susan G. Komen fought breast cancer with her heart, body and soul. Throughout her diagnosis, treatments, and endless days in the hospital, she spent her time thinking of ways to make life better for other women battling breast cancer instead of worrying about her own situation. That concern for others continued even as Susan neared the end of her fight. Moved by Susan’s compassion for others and committed to making a difference, Nancy G. Brinker promised her sister that she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.

That promise is now Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the global leader of the breast cancer movement, having invested more than $1 billion since inception in 1982. As the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists, we’re working together to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, and generous contributions from our partners, sponsors and fellow supporters, we have become the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world.

Five dollars from every blog layout purchased in October (so far, and in the future) will go to the Susan B. Komen for the Cure organization. If you would like to make a separate or additional donation, you can do so through their website to by clicking the PayPal Donate button at the top of the right sidebar. If you would like to learn more information about the Susan B. Komen for the Cure organization, please visit their website.

If you would like to suggest a charity, organization, or foundation for a future Cause of the Month, please feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.

The United States Fund for UNICEF is September's Cause of the Month!

Wow, is it already September? It seems like summer was just getting started, and in the blink of an eye it's almost over! The new Cause of the Month for September is the United States Fund for UNICEF. Here's a little bit about the organization, posted on their website:

Working in over 150 countries, UNICEF provides children with health care, clean water, nutrition, education, emergency relief, and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States.

Despite extraordinary progress, 25,000 children still die each day from preventable causes. Our mission is to do whatever it takes to make that number zero by giving children the essentials for a safe and healthy childhood.

Five dollars from every blog layout purchased during the month of September will be donated to the United States Fund for UNICEF. If you would like to make an additional donation, you can click on the PayPal Donate button at the top of the right sidebar. If you would like to learn more about the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, please visit their website. As always, if you would like to suggest a charity or organization for a future month, please leave me a comment here or send me an e-mail.

On Vacation

Hello everyone, I hope you all are having a fabulous August! This is just a quick announcement to let everyone know that I will be on vacation for a week, starting tomorrow. I will still be able to respond to e-mails and take orders for blog layouts, but it might take me a little longer than normal to respond. Have a great week!

The Cause of the Month for August is...

...Donate Life America!

Donate Life America, formerly the Coalition on Donation, was founded by the transplant community in 1992 to educate the public about organ, eye and tissue donation and avoid duplication of effort.

Donate Life America assists in mobilizing the transplant community to educate the American public on the need for organ, eye and tissue donation and motivating the public to make an actionable donor designation. The organization publishes brochures, program kits and other materials; provides technical assistance and referral services; coordinates the national campaign for organ, eye and tissue donation; identifies measurable best practices and leads the Donor Designation Collaborative.

To learn more about Donate Life America, please visit their website.

As always, I will donate $5 from every blog layout purchased during the month of August towards our Cause of the Month. If you wish to make a separate contribution, you can do so via the PayPal Donate button in the right sidebar, or you can donate directly to Donate Life America.

Suggestions?

Do you have a suggestion for a Cause of the Month? If so, I want to hear it! I've decided that I am no longer going to hold polls for the Cause of Month each month. This decision is based mostly on the fact that I don't want to restrict people to just voting on one of three causes, but rather I would like to always be open to suggestions. You can make a suggestion by either e-mailing me at hilary.keegan@gmail.com or by leaving a comment right here. If you see a comment left by someone else suggesting a Cause of the Month that you would like to be selected, let me know! If you don't want me to know it's you that is suggesting a cause, feel free to leave it anonymously. I know that commenting or e-mailing takes a little more effort, but I really want these causes to be something that you all choose. So, please...suggest away! I will announce the Cause of the Month for August on August 1st.

July's Cause of the Month is...

Doctors Without Borders! For every blog layout purchased in July (including any that have been purchased so far), I will donate $5 to Doctors Without Borders. Let see how much we can raise this month!

If you haven't read the post about the new changes and the giveaway, please see the post directly below this one. Hope everyone had a great weekend!