Poop coffee – don’t drink it

 

According to Science News, years ago Tony Wild, an international coffee trader,  discovered the coffee bean that is excreted by the civet, “a slender nocturnal carnivorous mammal with a barred and spotted coat and well-developed anal scent glands, native to Africa and Asia.” They are also found in Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa.

The animals eat the coffee berries and excrete the beans. The beans, which are chemically transformed in the digestive process, are harvested and turned into coffee.

This “designer” coffee goes for $25.00US a CUP.

Sadly, this has become a lucrative business throughout the world. Sadly, because unscrupulous people are herding these animals into tight cages and only feeding them coffee berries and little else. They are sick and receive no veterinary or medical care. They are expendable.

Tony Wild says he is sorry he brought the whole idea to fruition because so many of the civets are being abused. Animal rights organizations, such as PETA,  and even government entities are working to eliminate or at least regulate the processing of this coffee bean.

Even Tony Wild is pleading to put an end to this inhumane industry.

Don’t drink poop coffee.

Photo: Wikipedia

 

Proctor and Gamble Safe Drinking Water for Children program

Proctor and Gamble Company has developed a water purification process that is just amazing.

According to P&G, ““More children die from dirty drinking water than HIV-AIDS or malaria.”

                                                                                                

If you view any news or videos on the people of the third world, you’ll see them drinking water out of waterways that are stagnant and filled with death-producing bacteria. Animals urinate and defecate and bathe in this water. People walk for miles to get this filth-laden water, only to bring it back and serve up disease to their beloved children.

P&G worked with the Center For Disease Control to develop a purification powder that when place in 2½ gallons of water, chlorinates the water and kills any living thing in it. They partnered with the global relief organization World Vision to take it to the countries that need it.

Recently a fundraising event was developed to get funding to place the treatment packs all over the world where needed. Flash Flood For Good has reached almost a half billion people with the message about the water crisis in the world. They are still taking donations and just $10.00US will provide clean water for a year for one child.

According to World Vision, 2000 children die each DAY from drinking contaminated water. Help if you can by going here: https://www.flashfloodforgood.org/

Ann Bailey

Photo: Freedigitalphotos.net

 

 

Arthritis Foundation Healing Hands for Arthritis is on September 18

In the mood for a massage? Why not make an appointment at your local Massage Envy for “Healing Hands For Arthritis”, September 18, and help yourself while helping an important nonprofit organization get some badly needed funding.

Think the Arthritis Foundation is only helping OLD people? This disease afflicts at least three hundred thousand children, and millions of adults in some form or another.

The Arthritis Association’s objectives are:
·      To do life-changing research
·      Fight for health-care policies that could improve the lives of millions
·      Partner with families to provide programs and information
·      Ultimate goal: Find a cure

10% of each massage is donated to the Arthritis Foundation. There are 700 locations nationwide. To find a location, go here:www.massageenvy.com/locations.aspx‎

 

 

 

Help Alzheimer’s Research through purchase of mini art quilts

Ami Simms, of Flint, Michigan, has been a long-time quilter. Her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

In 2006 Ami started a nonprofit organization called Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative where quilters would make quilts and donate them to Ami’s group. They in turn sold these quilts through auctions and donated the money to fund Alzheimer’s research.

These are special quilts – they are MINI Quilts – and are very artistic and creative. Take a look here: http://www.alzquilts.org/quiltauction.html

According to Ami, they are almost at ONE MILLION dollars in sales of the quilts – which has been donated to Alzheimer’s Research.

What started out as a simple desire to help in some small way with donations, AAQI has blown into a huge full-time endeavor for Ami and her board of directors and volunteers.

This year will be the last year for AAQI, as Ami has made the decision to retire after almost eight years of service to do some quilting of her own.

AAQI needs your help! They have over 2500 quilts that need to be sold by the end of this year. They sponsor a monthly auction, so stop by and take a look at these magnificent pieces of work.

Help out, and own a small but beautiful piece of art!

Ann Bailey

 

http://www.alzquilts.org/

World Vision’s Beyond Five Program saves young children

 

In one recent year, almost seven million babies and toddlers died needlessly throughout the world from preventable causes.

World Vision, a nonprofit organization, located outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, started the Beyond Five program to address children’s health issues in children under the age of five.

“World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.

They offer these statistics on children’s health throughout this world:

·       Each year, 6.9 million children die before their fifth birthdays, many in their first month of life and most from preventable and treatable causes. (UNICEF 2012)

·        The top killers are pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and neonatal causes such as birth complications and infections. Malnutrition also underlies at least a third of these deaths. (WHO) http://www.who.int/en/

·        Children in the developing world are 10 times more likely to die of preventable diseases than those in developed countries.

·        Of all childhood deaths, 99% occur in low income and middle-income countries, with half in sub-Saharan Africa and 33% in southern Asia. (CDC) www.cdc.gov

·        About 350,000 mothers die in or shortly after childbirth each year, leaving their children up to 10 times more likely to die before age five. (WHO)

·        Millions more children can be saved with low-cost, effective interventions like bed nets to prevent malaria; basic childhood immunizations; getting proper nutrients; clean drinking water and hand washing with soap to avoid diarrhea, and oral rehydration therapy to treat it.

Contact World Vision at www.worldvision.org to see how you can help.

BeadForLife eradicating poverty among women

Co-founders Torkin Wakefield, Ginny Jordan, and Devin Hibbard, of Colorado, US,  walked the streets of a Ugandan slum, where they came upon a woman making beautiful paper beads. This woman and her children all worked during the day at a backbreaking hard-labor job just to make enough money to buy one meal a day for the family.

The American women were astounded at the poverty there and at the same time the beauty of the beads this woman was making. They purchased several from the woman and wore them throughout their visit, piquing the interest of others.

Upon their return to the States, the three women were determined to make a difference for the women living in poverty, and BeadsForLife was born. This was 2004. Their mission is:

BeadforLife creates sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone.

Pittsburgh-based Chatham University is playing a key role in BeadForLife:

We are excited to feature Chatham University and its Social Work Is for Real (SWIRL) club as our featured partner. Chatham's commitment to women's leadership, sustainability and global understanding makes it a perfect fit with BeadforLife. For the past 5 years Chatham's SWIRL club has raised nearly $10,000 for BeadforLife, and hosted 

The Opportunity Tour on their campus in Pittsburgh, PA. Webale Nyo, Nyo (Thank You So Much) Chatham University and SWIRL for your unending passionate support of BeadforLife."

You can get involved with BeadForLife in one or more of these ways:

•   Host a bead party at home, work, church, school, social gathering or a community event.

The funds you raise by selling our recycled paper bead jewelry and shea butter body care products will be invested in programs that empower impoverished."

 

We are a Fair Trade Federation member and aprovisional member of the World Fair Trade Organization. We offer wholesale opportunities to stores worldwide; join the movement and learn how your ethical purchases make a positive impact in the world marketplace.

 

 

 

·      Volunteer

·      Donate

Please visit BeadForLife  here to contribute in whichever way you’d like.

 

 

 

 

Nonprofits are the glue that holds our world together

 

Welcome to Nonprofiteers! It's my goal to present on this site profiles of the wonderful work that is being done in this world through the nonprofit sector.

If you would like your nonprofit mentioned on Nonprofiteers, please let me know!

 

”We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”

Ronald Reagan

Nonprofit organizations keep our world in some array of order by reminding us of our humanity. They pique our need and desire to look outside ourselves to help others. They redeem us.

The National Center For Charitable Statistics reports there at least 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States alone. That’s a whole lot of doin’ good.

There are nonprofits that address myriads of topics: health, children, elderly, animals, the arts, music, families, research, mental health, entrepreneurship, etc. to name just a few.

There are mega-nonprofits that have stood the test of time, such as the American Red Cross, the Humane Society, the Smithsonian Institute, the Public Broadcasting System, In Touch Ministries, Teach For America, Make-A-Wish, AARP (American Association for Retired Persons and Habit For Humanity. The list can goes on.

There are brand new “grass roots” nonprofits starting up literally every day.  These are small groups of people bound together by a similar issue or problem. They see that the needs of its recipients aren’t being met by their surrounding communities, and strive to fill those needs. They will start small in their fundraising by holding community events – bake sales, concerts, walk-a-thons, etc. These grass roots nonprofits have no real money, and work very hard to provide the help their recipients need…a rather slow and arduous process, as groups learn the legal qualifications required to start a nonprofit that is able to accept donations.

I will be writing about the process of becoming a nonprofit in future articles. Don’t worry – I’ll make it an exciting read by highlighting nonprofits to illustrate the steps to become real.

It’s my desire through this site to expose the world to the very wonderful “good” that is being done in this world – and at a time where some of us wonder just what is going on in this tumultuous time. My desire is to give you the thing we all need, the ultimate mission of every nonprofit in this big world  – hope.