Half Price Books is one of my favorite places to get inspired-- whether I'm browsing collectibles, snag-worthy clearance items, or DVDs. Last night I found a book called Spirit of Service: Your Daily Stimulus for Making a Difference, which is inspired by Obama's plea for us to step into the moment and remake America through service.

Perfect. I found my inspiration for the new year.

You can check out the book here, and highly recommend it if you are looking for ideas how to make an impact locally or nationally.

Happy New Year,

Amy Chait

Deep in the midst of holidays, within the forefront of our online community, cause titles like “Season of Giving,” “Holiday Call to Service” and “Operation Christmas Child” appear.  During this time, people want to make a difference.  People like to give rather than receive.

However, they say December 31^st is the biggest charity giving day of the year - not on Hannukkah, not on Christmas, not on Kwanzaa.  This makes me ask: what is it?  What’s the REAL reason people give in December?  Is it the spirit of the holiday season?  Or is it the spirit of tax season around the corner? 

I’d like to think there’s an aura about the holidays that bring about a heightened sense of love, peace on earth and all that other good stuff.  But sometimes, it’s hard to look pass the shiny tinsel and the frenzied commercial madness.  After all, what does the retail and gift tags have to do with peace on earth anyway?  And let’s be honest.  How often than not does a present really give what we were hoping to give or say what we were hoping to say?  And do we really find what we were looking for beneath all the leftover bows, wrapping paper and dried pine leaves?

Should the spirit of giving really have a season?  Shouldn’t your ‘spirit’ rather give than receive all year long rather than a two month span starting on thanksgiving and ending on New Year’s? 

I grew up celebrating Christmas every year and there's one long lost carol that always sticks out in my mind - even now as I write this.  The chorus sings "Oh the real meaning of Christmas is the giving of love everyday." 

Perfectly said, the real meaning of the holiday season is to give and love everyday not just seasonally.  And that’s what we say at YourCause too! And that’s why we exist as well - to keep the spirit of giving year-round, making it accessible to you 24-7 to give, give and give, not only in dollar signs but through time and volunteerism too!

Happy Holidays and keep that spirit of yours shining through 2010 and the years ahead!

- Lizette Romero

Most of us are familiar with the strangers who ring the bell next to their red kettle during the holiday season. But, this isn't just another ring.

Salvation Army's red kettle campaign is the sound of hope, and have made donations easier by accepting credit cards. Watch the video below to witness the power of the bell.

- Amy Chait

In 2009, the American economy may have seemed a bleak scenario.

However, yesterday TIME coined Ben Bernanke Person of the Year (who happens to impact all of our lives). Bernanke is the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Although our economy in 2009 seemed to have a weak recovery, Bernanke helped us avoid an absolute calamitous depression. A weak recovery should be looked at least as some kind of recovery.

I'm not happy with where we are, but it's a lot better than where we could be.

So indeed, Bernanke is a notable man. He has my respect for taking on the biggest challenge of 2009, and will be shaping the path of our economy for the next 4 years.

You can read TIME's article here.

To the lessons we learned in 2009 and the new beginnings in 2010,

Amy

There's a YourCause newsletter that goes out every week titled "A Reason to Care," which highlights compelling stories, issues and causes we discover. Directed from inspiration and knowledge, we hope it prompts awareness and action. Ultimately, delivering you a "Reason To Care."

Thursday, we have something special going out especially in time for the Sankara Eye Foundation's December Campaign.  The Sankara Eye Foundation uses the YourCause platform as we wish every nonprofit did, creating life-changing results. You can view their charity page here. 

As preparation for the newsletter, we did our research on blindness and the blind, mostly using World Health Organization statistics.  And of course, you can't mention blindness without mentioning Helen Keller, the first blind/deaf person to receive a bachelor of arts. 

Helen Keller truly is an inspiring figure for me, not only because of her perserverance and sense of optimism despite her challenges, but also because...well ...she was a heck of a writer!  We came across these quotes which, we think, encompass the reason why our YourCause members care.

The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker. - Helen Keller

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. - Helen Keller

-Lizette Romero 

A holiday jingle reveals a different meaning for children with cleft palate.

The classic children’s Yule tune, “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth,” originated in 1944 from a teacher who asked his second grade class what they wanted for Christmas only to receive replies full of toothless grins and lisp-laden babble.

But Santa’s known for creating toys, not teeth. Therefore, children probably won’t be waking up to tooth-shaped treasures hidden under the tree. Not to worry, in due time their gummy gaps will close with the spring of adult teeth, creating a vigorous smile that others may never receive.

A smile: costs nothing; is contagious; increases your face value; gives much; adds panache to your outfit; brightens the darkest day; makes people wonder what you’re up to; is an action of love; is the first step toward peace; is a form of exercise; is the same in any language; creates the good kind of wrinkles; heals millions of broken hearts.

A smile saves lives.

Specifically, ‘Operation Smile’ saves lives. Charitable organization, Operation Smile, transforms children's lives by treating facial deformities such as cleft lips and cleft palates.

A cleft palate occurs when the roof of a baby’s mouth does not develop properly, leaving a fissured lip, mouth and, on occasion, a separated nasal cavity. One per 500 births suffers from a cleft condition that makes eating, speaking, socializing or smiling complicated. In some societies, children are shunned and rejected, labeled as a curse for having this birth defect.

Fortunately, because cleft lips and palates may be surgically repaired, hope remains for these children. Operation Smile's donors, volunteers and staff work to repair these facial deformities by delivering safe, effective and free surgical care to children born all over the world. Yes, the good news remains that cleft lips and cleft palates may be surgically repaired. Thus far, Operation Smile has helped 135,000 children get their palate patched, teeth adjusted and smile regenerated.

So… maybe it is possible to give a child their two front teeth this holiday season? It may not be wrapped in gold tinsel and topped with a bow, but for $20 per month, you can allot a 45-minute surgery that joins a child's teeth in all the right places, providing smiles to everyone on your holiday list.

by Lizette Romero

Forty-five million blind people live in the world today.  The good news remains that 80 percent of blindness can be cured!  Step back again to realize that  most blind people live in poverty-stricken, undeveloped, rural areas of the world - too poor to get treatment.  Thus, blindness becomes a roller coaster of statistics! However, it ends on a peak that, yes, there are donors, volunteers, doctors and organizations caring enough to make a difference.

Specifically, the Sankara Eye Foundation is one organization that raises funds to construct approximately 70,000 eye surgeries a year in India alone.  Why focus on India?  Because it's home to 1/5th of the entire blind population in the world, a total of 12 million blind!  The mission of Sankara Eye Foundation exists to create 20/20 vision by the year 2020.  With a sponsored cataract surgery costing a mere $30, I think this is achieveable ...and so do they!

This holiday season, Sankara asks you to join the December SEF Champion Campaign on YourCause.com by donating $30 to perform one cataract surgery, ultimately raising enough money to give 10,000 people the gift of vision by the 31st.  Champion campaigners will give so much more than sight, enabling rural Indian children to read, adults to sustain a living and elderly to maintain their independence. But this is far from just a holiday bequest; blindness can continue to be cured long after the stockings are store and menorah lulled.  Together, we can give the gift that keeps giving.

The Sankara Eye Foundation has created 53 causes, raising $12,000 in a month.  Click the picture to follow the campaign!

Congratulations and keep giving!

Lizette Romero

In the season of good will, how will you spread the cheer? For as little as $10 you can give hope for a cause this holiday.

Holiday Suggestions:

Toys for Tots

Salvation Army

Secret Santa

Toy Industry Foundation

Alliance to End Hunger

Happy Holidays,

Amy

Happy Monday!

Over the weekend I was browsing Teenage Diaries and became inspired with the unique series.

Whether you listen to the kid who grew up with Tourette's Syndrome, a teenage mom, or Jeff the "Halfrican" -- you become engaged and see a new perspective.

You can check out all the different series at Radio Diaries.

Enjoy,

Amy

Recently, I read SuperDylan’s blog trying to remember what I was doing at 5-years-old. At that age, I was learning to tie my shoe while Dylan had to learn to deal with medullloblastoma— a tumor in the back of his head. After his tumor was removed, he suffered from post fossa syndrome (similar to a stroke), causing this child to take nine months of high dose chemo including a stem cell transplant.

Not hereditary. Not pre-natal care. Not contagious. Just what Dylan’s oncologist calls “lousy luck.”

Pediatric brain tumors are the highest rise of any pediatric cancer, and the leading cause of cancer death for children.

“Childhood cancer is much harder to deal with than an adult,” said Dylan’s father, Eric. “An adult who has lived a full life, perhaps made certain choices that could have caused the disease.”

The misfortunate disease continued in 2009. At age seven Dylan had re-lapsed and the meldulloblastoma had manifested into Leptomeningeal Disease. Through his blog, I learned the chemo and radiation causes hair loss, additional hearing loss and damages his intellectual functioning. Dylan’s family has had to deal with all too many inappropriate questions and gawks from onlookers.

I, too, found myself in awe—not because Dylan looks different from other children, but because he innocently strides through life despite his medical circumstances (such as making goofy faces during blood transfusions). With the rise of pediatric cancer diagnosis, the demand for further research on treatments must be more vocalized. In the time being, we could help these families in many ways with or without money.

“Give your time— visit sick kids, join a cause that helps, writer letters and send cards to families, write congress and sign petitions; give your talent— cook meals, dress up as a clown, pirate, Scooby Doo, sing to the sick or play instrument or paint a nice get well card; give your blood— there are ALWAYS shortages of blood and platelets, contact a local hospital to see how you can give,” recommended Dylan’s father.

And to think that, at age five, just learning to tie my laces with bunny ears was hard.

A week after being motivated by SuperDylan, Lizette (the other YourCause writer) and I donated blood to help those living with lousy luck.

In hope for a cure,

Amy