Posted By: ivillagecares on

Thursday, March 29th, 2007, 6:21 pm

For many years now I have been an activist for the Rainforest Foundation, and through the work of that organization I have learned how protecting land and protecting its peoples are totally connected. Protecting the environment is a cause very close to my heart, and I am seeing every day how closely related that is to many human rights issues.

As a recently appointed Ambassador for Unicef I have also been given the opportunity to see with my own eyes some of the most devastating circumstances that the children of our world today find themselves in.

Crisis situations following natural disasters, like the Tsunami in southern Asia which killed more than a quarter of a million people. And in Pakistan, a massive earthquake took the lives of 75,000 people, and made 3.3 million others homeless. Sometimes children are simply affected by the extreme poverty in which they live. In Ecuador for instance, I met families living and working on garbage dumps. Children as young as two spend their days sifting through mountains of other people's rubbish with their bare hands, salvaging and recycling anything that can be sold. They work alongside the vultures, and the air they breathe is filled with the rank and sour odours of decaying flesh and rotting materials of every imaginable kind. Some are in daily contact with hospital and toxic waste. They spend their lives going through the refuse of other people's lives.

People in crisis situations have had all semblance of normal life brutally taken from them. They have no homes, no food, no schools, no possessions, and often no family. Indigenous peoples of the world's rainforests have their land, their communities and their cultures stolen from them by corporate giants who seek only financial profit. The world is in crisis and we are only now beginning, at the eleventh hour, to wake up to the global consequences of environmental damage, war, poverty, hunger.

We need to connect with our fellow human beings, wherever they live, and we need to connect to this earth which is our shared home. Protecting human rights and protecting the environment are inextricably linked.

Organizations like the Rainforest Foundation and Unicef are making significant differences to people's lives and their homelands, but there is still much work to be done.

Donate now via Network for Good, to the Rainforest Foundation.

Donate now via Network for Good, to Unicef.

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Thursday, March 29th, 2007, 6:15 pm

What I care about most is helping children who are gravely ill. It seems so unfair for little kids to miss out on the carefree joys of childhood and have to face something that scares even grownups. I've met a lot of these children and their parents through my work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and I've seen the difference that hope has made in their lives.

When my father, Danny Thomas, founded St. Jude 45 years ago, he made a promise that no child would ever be turned away for a family's inability to pay. That means if you don't have insurance, everything is free -- travel, food, housing and, of course, treatment. So I work with a team of people to raise the funds to keep this promise.

I also care deeply about raising awareness -- so that moms and dads everywhere know that St. Jude is there for them, so that every child has the best chance at survival.

And it's the spirit of the place that gets to me.

I'll never forget the first time I visited St. Jude after my father had died. I was afraid to go inside -- afraid that I would be overwhelmed by memories. I drove up and sat in the driveway and just cried.

Once I pulled myself together and headed into the building, I saw a room filled with balloons, and a cake, and kids in party hats. The happy clamor of children was everywhere. I asked a nurse whose birthday party it was, and she said, "Oh, it's not a birthday party. It's an off-chemo party!"

Here was a roomful of brave little kids, staring down sickness with courage and laughter. From one child's turn for the better, they had all derived strength.

People ask me how I keep my passion year after year. It's because of the children. When you look at their faces and see the courage and the strength -- the compassion they have for each other and the incredible capacity for joy in the face of such adversity -- it's impossible to turn away. It's why I care so deeply about St. Jude. And I know I always will.

Visit St Jude Children's Research Hospital online for more information.

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Thursday, March 29th, 2007, 6:10 pm

When my children were very young, I took a few years off from the newsroom and volunteered at a wonderful New York City-based charity called Robin Hood. Robin Hood funds more than 200 grass roots poverty-fighting organizations; doing some of the most impressive work I've ever had the privilege to witness. I fell in love with one group in particular -- a wonderful place called Abraham House, founded by Sister Simone Ponnet. I am convinced Sister Simone is an angel. And I am pretty sure, if you met her, you would agree.

Sister Simone was diagnosed with bone cancer as a child. During the ordeal, she promised God that if she recovered she would spend the rest of her life in his service. She survived and became a nun. She moved to New York City from her native Belgium and became the first woman chaplain at Riker's Island prison. But, in her 20 years there, she became discouraged with the numbers of inmates who returned to prison repeatedly. Understanding the multiple barriers many prisoners face upon release - like no place to live, no job prospects, and family estrangement - as well as the fact that prison life too often turns lesser offenders into hardened criminals, Sister Simone opened Abraham house to provide support services for ex-offenders and their families.

The initial goal of Abraham House was to break the cycle of recidivism (which is a disheartening 70% in New York State) with a demanding residential program that serves no more than a dozen offenders at a time. These inmates are required to finish their high school education, be counseled intensively for their problems, learn to take social and personal responsibility, get a job and keep it. Only one of the more than 100 graduates of the Abraham House Residents Program has returned to prison for a second offense. It is a very special place!

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Thursday, March 29th, 2007, 5:58 pm

I was a total skeptic when it came to politics. I was from the Nixon generation and was a career woman who always turned to the business page of the paper rather than the political section. It was 1992; I was recently married and had just moved to a new part of the country. It was a quiet city in Southern Virginia where most of the women led a traditional life - their lives focused on their family, friends and volunteer work.

Looking for a way to meet some of these women, I went to a gathering to discuss the Samaritan House, which was a local shelter for battered women that was in financial trouble. At this gathering, I was immediately struck about how capable and passionate these women where about restoring the lost funding for the Samaritan House. We visited the shelter and heard the stories of the women who depended on this small but pristine little house that provided shelter and anonymity for these physical battered and mental bruised women. While most of us thought the inhabitant were poor unfortunate souls, as we listened to their stories it became apparent that these women came from all walks of life and were literally fleeing for their lives and the lives of their children.

Our group was determined not to let this safe haven be destroyed due to a lack of public funds. We brainstormed and shared ideas and came up with a strategy that all 20 of us would go to the city council meeting and convince the members of the city council to restore all or at least part of the funding for the Samaritan House. We designated one speaker from our group so that our message would be strong and clear. I went home inspired by the women in the shelter and emboldened by the women in our group, but wondered how we could make our presence felt.

That night of our visit to the shelter I had an idea. The meeting was in three days so I had to work fast. The evening of the meeting I showed up with boxes filled with white baseball caps bearing the bright green lettering Save Samaritan House. We must have given over 300 hats to people as they walked into the meeting. We listened respectfully while all the other presentations where made to the city council. It was a long, laborious evening and since we were last, we were particularly happy that we had chosen our most articulate member to state our case. At the end of her well-crafted and compelling statement, she turned to the audience and said, "So everyone here who supports the Samaritan House, please stand up." A sea of white hats rose - nearly half the room. It was stunning. Needless to say our presence was felt and full funding was restored!

I tell this story because it is the reason I decided to commit myself to politics. Where would we have come up with the tens of thousands of dollars needed to save this shelter without the political process and the City Council? Where would these women and children have gone if the shelter had closed? The success of our grassroots campaign to save the shelter was the political system at its best.

As a result of my work on behalf of The Samaritan House, I have worked on numerous political campaigns. In addition, I have raised money and advocated for many politicians that I have come to know and deeply respect. After all, the people who occupy the various political offices have a profound impact on all of our lives....in more ways that we can imagine.

Beth Dozoretz's recommended organization: Vital Voices

Read my bio

Posted By: ivillagecares on

Thursday, March 29th, 2007, 5:53 pm

Three years ago, we started making sandwiches for the homeless at our N-8 independent school, The Town School, in New York City. In a short time, this project has become a source of pride for our community: students and parents get together to make sandwiches in the School cafeteria after school on Fridays. The sandwiches are delivered to two nearby churches which serve the homeless.

The idea was to demonstrate firsthand that children can make a difference. Anybody can help another person in need. And it doesn't require a lot of money. (The Town School generously pays for the sandwich ingredients: turkey, cheese, whole wheat bread, mayo and mustard. Alternatively, families could contribute ingredients. If being peanut-free is not an issue, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a nutritious and economical option.)

We've been amazed by the evolution of this project at our School.

1) The kids really enjoy it. Nobody has to be dragged there "to do the right thing".

2) The older students, 7th and 8th graders, have enjoyed taking over from the parents as leaders: they publicize, organize, supervise the younger children and do all the clean up! (We didn't foresee this unintended benefit of the project: middle school students are learning leadership skills!)

3) The desire to help others is spreading! More and more children at our School want to help others. New community service projects are surfacing: toiletries drives, book collections, cleaning up local parks, planting greenery and much more. All are easy to implement by children, low cost and help our neighbors.