Global Forum for Health Research Essay competition 2008

Young voices in research for health

The Global Forum for Health Research and The Lancet are holding their third joint essay competition for the under-30s on the theme:

Climate change and health: research challenges for the health of vulnerable populations

Rules and guidelines

* Authors must have been born on or after 1 January 1978.
* Each author may submit one essay only.
* Essays may be submitted in English or French and should be 1500 words maximum.
* Essays must be based on the author’s own ideas and not be derived from another source.
* Essays must not have been previously published.
* Entries are individual (i.e., the work of a single author).
* They should include original, even provocative ideas and not be technical or academic texts: tables, charts and figures are probably not necessary; references should be limited.
* Authors are free to be idealistic, passionate, to take established practices to task, albeit in a constructive fashion.
* Within the context of research for health, the theme allows authors to include any aspect that interests them particularly – for example, extreme weather, natural disasters, fuels and energy, transport, water management, vectors, food production, demographics, urban planning, security.


Deadlines

* The deadline for receipt of entries is 30 April 2008.
* A shortlist will be announced by the end of June. Shortlisted authors will be asked to provide a high quality photograph and to confirm original authorship and date of birth.
* The winners will be notified by the beginning of August 2008. The judges’ decision will be final.

Prizes

* A selection of shortlisted essays will be published in an anthology as well as on the Global Forum and Lancet websites.
* Winners will be invited to take part (with all expenses paid) in the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health, which will take place in Bamako, Mali, from 17 to 19 November 2008.

Staff members of the Global Forum or of the Lancet or their immediate families are ineligible to enter the competition, as are authors of shortlisted essays published in 2006 and 2007.

For any questions, please contact susan.jupp@globalforumhealth.org or f.mclellan@elsevier.com

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KaiserEDU.org Essay Contest

KaiserEDU.org invites undergraduate and graduate-level students in all disciplines to submit an original essay for the website's annual competition. Students are asked to submit entries by March 17, 2008 in response to the following topic:

Topic:

The date is November 24th, 2008. You have just started a job as an analyst working on the President-elect's health care transition team. The director of the transition team has asked you to draft a memo to flesh out the health priorities for the new Administration on a major health policy issue. Select an issue area and a candidate (from the list below) and identify the major policies or strategies that the Administration could develop to advance this issue. Make sure to include evidence and analysis to support your recommendations. Your priorities and strategies should be consistent with the proposals forwarded by the candidates in the campaign. You should also address the challenges in implementing your recommendations, such as budgetary and political considerations, delivery system issues, and how different stakeholders and constituencies would perceive the proposals. Your memo should not exceed 800 words.

Issue Areas:

* Controlling Healthcare Costs
* Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
* Expanding Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Efforts
* Improving Women's Health
* Improving the Quality of Health Care

Presidential Candidates (as of 1/22/2008):

Democrats
- Hillary Clinton
- John Edwards
- Mike Gravel
- Dennis Kucinich
- Barack Obama


Republicans
- Rudy Giuliani
- Mike Huckabee
- Alan Keyes
- John McCain
- Ron Paul
- Mitt Romney

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Film Your Issue Short Film Competition

FYI - Film Your Issue is an unprecedented, ambitious outreach to young Americans to engage them in the public dialogue about pressing issues of importance, locally or nationally.

We want to know what young people think, we want to empower the next generation of leaders to understand how their single voices can influence the public debate, and — as hoakey as it sounds — to understand the power of democracy — where every voice counts.

We want your passion, ingenuity, creativity, originality. We want to hear your heart, and see your talent in action.

Official Rules and Timeline

Length - Issue films should be no less than 30 seconds and no more than 120 seconds in length. We will accept a brief credit roll at the end, for a maximum five seconds beyond the 120 second limit.

Format - Live-action or animated.

Deadline - April 14, 2008

Who Can Participate - Anyone age 14 to 24 at the time of film submission. Certain prizes have age and citizenship requirement. Please check individual Awards and Prizes for eligibility.

Style and Content - This is important: we want mini-movies rather than dry Public Service Announcements. We encourage narrative — meaning a storyline. We’re not looking for lots of talking heads and scrolling text of facts and stats to tell the story. Show us dramatically rather than telling us.

Make us laugh, weep, gasp, grin.

And: Be Yourself. Share your issue. Be passionate. Be original. If it looks and sounds like something we’ve all seen for years, our eyes glaze over. Originality excites us more than whether it looks like prime-time.
Copyright and Broadcast Standards

You can’t use copyrighted music unless you have permission unless you have both publishing and licensing rights. (See copyright page). Original music, vocals and instrumentation, are encouraged.

Pay-cable is more liberal than network television. However Starz reserves the right to exclude any winning film from broadcast if it violates broadcast standards of decency, excessive profanity or copyright infringement.

Submission Format - All major media formats including:

* Video: .mpg, .mp4, .mov, .flv, .avi, .wmv
* Audio: .mp3, .wav
* Bitrate should be 400Kbs minimum
* Resolution: 320 by 240 minimum
* Maximum upload size is 100MB

When and how to submit - Film entries will be accepted after February 25, 2008. To be eligible for the competition, you must register at www.myspace.com/filmyourissue. Your film entries should also be uploaded at www.myspace.com/filmyourissue. You will also be given the option to have your film posted on Think MTV.

We also encourage you to post your film on your own on as many sites as possible, both for your own visibility and to promote the FYI competition. Use tags pertaining to the film's issue(s), as well as "Film Your Issue," "FYI" and so forth.

The sooner you create and upload your film, the sooner your film will get promotion and international visibility: Following February 25, the Associated Press will pick entries over the next six weeks to distribute to its 1,800 Online Video media outlets.

So the faster you submit, the more exposure your film can get.

Submission Deadline - April 14, 2008

The Voting Period - The voting period runs from approximately April 21 to May 4, 2008. From all entries received by the submission deadline, the FYI editorial team will select approximately three dozen films to continue to the public and Jury voting. All films submitted will be reviewed by the participating organizations for the joint awards selected by The United Nations DPI, The Humane Society of the United States, USA TODAY, NRDC, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/ Strong American Schools, NAACP, Human Rights Campaign, P.O.V. Series.

Beginning on or about April 21, 2008, the semi-finalists will be submitted to the VIP Judges and FYI ThinkTank, which will select the FYI 2008 Jury Prize winner.

The semi-finalists will also be posted on a voting platform on MySpace Impact, where the public will have two weeks to view and vote on the finalists. The top-rated film will receive the FYI – MySpace Impact Audience 2008 Favorite Award.

Films posted on the Think MTV site will also be rated during a one-week period, and the filmmaker of the top-rated film will be profiled on MTV News.

Additionally, The United Nations DPI, The Humane Society of the United States, USA TODAY, NRDC, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/ Strong American Schools, NAACP, Human Rights Campaign and P.O.V. Series will each pick one film from all submissions for the Award and prizing in its respective category.

All organizations reserve the right to decline naming a winner should none of the entries effectively articulate the suggested issues.

All winners will be announced on or around May 6, 2008.

Official Sponsor:

FYI - FILM YOUR ISSUE
1920 N. Alexandria Avenue, #3
Los Angeles, CA 90027

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NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 2008 PURPOSE PRIZE

Every day nearly 8,000 baby boomers turn 60. Since 2006, anticipating this huge demographic shift and what it could mean for our country, Civic Ventures has been awarding The Purpose Prize–– five $100,000 and ten $10,000 investments in Americans over 60 whose creativity, talent and experience is transforming the way our nation addresses critical social problems. Dozens of other innovators received national recognition for their work. Now nominations are being accepted for the 2008 Purpose Prize. To nominate someone or apply yourself, visit www.purposeprize.org. The application deadline is March 1, 2008. The prizes will be announced in the fall of 2008.

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echoDonations.org™ Releases Web 2.0 Widget for Facebook, MySpace

Local Nonprofit Launches New Viral Marketing Tool

CINCINNATI, OH, January 28, 2008 – Today echoDonations.org™ announced the launch of its first Internet widget; a tool used to share information among millions of people who use the Internet in their daily lives. Demonstrating the capability to reach over 300 million sets of eyes, the widget provides a way for echoDonations.org™ to spread its message around the world.

Everyday more than 300 million people interact with each other online through over twenty social media websites. Facebook alone has over 60 million registered users, with numbers constantly swelling. “The widget is an incredible tool for online sharing,” according to the widget’s creator Ryan Rosensweig, Director of Web Marketing and Design at echoDonations.org™. “I believe that a new wave of viral marketing will develop quickly among nonprofit organizations as they seek new ways to share their mission with the world.”

As a sharing tool, the widget has been added to www.echoDonations.org, as well as other social media websites, such as MySpace, Facebook, and LiveJournal. Once added to a webpage, the widget has the capability to link to other sites and can be shared with other people who have accounts with a social media website or their own webpage.

The widget is a program in itself, which allows for advanced communication in a very simple, concise way. Its physical appearance resembles a button or badge on a computer screen, and contains a simple, clean message in the graphic.

Widgets are designed to spread messages as far and wide as the Internet will allow. Anyone who finds echo’s widget online can “click it,” “donate,”“grab it,” or “share it.” By “clicking” the widget, the user is linked to echoDonation.org and has the option of reading their blog. Secondly, the widget has a feature that allows its user to “donate now,” a button that links directly to echo’s donation page. Thirdly, by choosing the option on the widget to “grab it,” users can take the widget themselves and add it to their own website. Lastly, the user can “share it,” or invite others to add it to their website.

The widget provides a highly broad form of marketing, which is greatly needed in the expansive Internet world of today. No longer are marketers competing by word of mouth and billboards. Today, they must find new ways to reach out and captivate their audience.


About echodonations.org™

echoDonations.org™, the nation’s leading online charitable mutual fund, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping charities start or grow their online fundraising programs by offering loyalty building cash rewards for donors to give more. More information is available at www.echoDonations.org.

CONTACTS:

echoDonations.org™, Michelle Matthews, 513.276.4332, ext 105.

michelle@echodonations.org

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Social Entrepreneurs Help Nonprofits Solve Critical Business Issues

Business executives put technical prowess to work helping charities help themselves

CINCINNATI, OH, January 11, 2007 – A group of Cincinnati based social entrepreneurs are tackling the two most significant challenges to the survival of every nonprofit: raising money and gaining donor loyalty. How? By providing the technology and tools necessary to do so in a world engulfed by digital trends.

Possessing all the vim, vigor, and business savvy of business entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs are a slight variation of the breed; they measure their success in terms of social impact rather than profit and return.

A social entrepreneur is someone who recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create, and manage a venture to make social change. Whereas business entrepreneurs typically measure performance in profit and return, social entrepreneurs assess their success in terms of the impact they have on society. While social entrepreneurs often work through nonprofits and citizen groups, many also work in the private and governmental sectors.

Every year, nonprofits face the challenge of having to work harder and spend more money to raise the same amount of fundraising support as the year before. However, increasing the frequency of direct mail solicitations or telephone fundraising is not only expensive, but involves risks. Overbearing solicitations can drive donors away, and in turn be cost prohibitive to the nonprofit. Therefore, the nonprofit industry needs new fundraising tools and communication methods to enhance their ability to communicate, raise money, and increase donor loyalty.


A local entrepreneur, Christopher Hytry Derrington, CEO of Alta Financial Technologies, set out to help solve this critical nonprofit issue. He assembled a diverse team of Cincinnati executives to explore all possible options using the latest business and technology tools.

“No longer is earning cash rewards income and tax breaks from donations exclusively reserved for the high network individuals,” Hytry Derrington said. “Now nonprofits of all sizes and donor demographics can offer their donors cash rewards for their loyalty.”

After two years of research and development, Alta created a new fundraising tool specially designed to create donor loyalty. This tool enables donors to earn cash rewards from their donations year after year. The team of entrepreneurs took a well-established trust method called a charitable mutual fund, put it on the internet by using the latest technology, and made it available to the general public.

Until now, charitable mutual fund models have required high maintenance overhead that made them available only to large dollar donors. Smaller, or “average,” donations were not cost effective in this trust due to the high costs of setting up and managing the charitable fund. As a result, the general public, or the largest segment of a typical donor base, was not being given the same compelling loyalty reward opportunities as the wealthy.

echoDonations.org, a web site created by Alta Financial Technologies, accepts donations as low as $25 to any U.S. 501(c)3 charity – currently 1.3 million on file with the IRS. All donations, large and small, that come through echoDonations.org™ are combined in an online charitable mutual fund, which is invested and monitored for performance in the market. As the charitable mutual fund builds investment return, annual Lifetime Cash Rewards™ are distributed to donors and charities while building an endowment for the charity. The benefit to nonprofits is exponential by way of the annual cash received and through the increased donor loyalty gained from receiving their rewards.

“The new technology offered through echoDonations.org is an impressive lead to the future of online giving,” said Drew Fink, Board Member of nonprofitSherpa.org, an organization dedicated to helping nonprofits through technology and innovation. “This innovative idea is has enormous potential not only in the realm of nonprofit organizations, but of any educational organization in search of loyal donors for steady financial support.”

About echodonations.org™

echoDonations.org™, the nation’s leading online charitable mutual fund, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping charities start or grow their online fundraising programs by offering loyalty building cash rewards for donors to give more. More information is available at www.echoDonations.org.

About Alta Financial Technologies

Alta Financial Technologies™, Inc. is a financial services technology company whose patent-pending back-office products and services enables the creation of web based, paperless, mutual funds targeting specific demographics such as nonprofit donors. More information is available at www.altafinancialtechnologies.com.

CONTACTS:

echoDonations.org, Christopher Hytry Derrington, 513.276.4332, ext 102.

chris@echodonations.org .

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Tampax and Always Launch Protecting Futures Program

Dedicated to Helping African Girls Stay in School

P&G FemCare brands announce joint program to provide school-based support and feminine hygiene products to girls in Southern Africa through HERO: A UNA-USA Campaign


NEW YORK, November 12, 2007 -- Girls living in sub-Saharan Africa can miss up to four days of school each month because they lack the basic necessity of sanitary protection and other resources to manage their periods. To help give girls in this part of the world a better chance at an education and to raise awareness of this issue, P&G brands Always and Tampax are joining forces with HERO, an awareness building and fundraising initiative of the United Nations Association to launch the Protecting Futures program.

According to research, 1 in 10 school-age African girls do not attend school during menstruation or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools. And, if a girl has no access to protective materials or if the materials she has are unreliable and cause embarrassment, she may be forced to stay at home while menstruating. This absence of approximately 4 days every 4 weeks may result in the girl missing 10 to 20 percent of her school days. The Protecting Futures program will provide products and services to help keep girls in school as well as help foster the overall health and well-being of every child in the targeted school communities.

“Working with HERO, the Protecting Futures program brings together the brands’ global resources to help make a positive impact on these young girls by improving access to feminine hygiene products as well as education and health services,” said Michelle Vaeth, Protecting Futures Program Director for P&G. “Through this program, Tampax and Always will help build an infrastructure that – with support from local and national governments - can give children in these communities the chance to reach their full potential.”


“Protecting Futures is making a positive and direct impact in the lives of children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This program also helps support two of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals – promoting gender equity and ensuring that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling,” said Gabrielle Armand, Executive Director of Communications and Marketing for the United Nations Association of the USA. The UNA-USA’s HERO Campaign provides comprehensive school-based support to children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Southern Africa.

Protecting Futures, a ground-breaking five-year commitment was born out of a pilot program Always launched in Kenya two years ago through a partnership with the Girl Child Network (GCN) and is a part of P&G corporate cause, Live, Learn, and Thrive which has helped over 50 million children in need.

Protecting Futures is a comprehensive care program which will bring puberty education, traveling health educators, nutritious feeding programs, educational support services, a pad distribution program, and significant construction projects to nine schools in the first year.

* Launched this year in Namibia, Protecting Futures is providing over 200 children with improved access to education by building and outfitting classrooms, dormitories, kitchens, and toilets, at two school sites. The program will also fund teacher training, uniforms for all students, and a year-round feeding program.

* Protecting Futures is also dramatically improving the sanitation, health and hygiene for the community in this region by building a four-kilometer-long water pipeline to 2 schools in this region. In addition to providing direct access to clean water at these schools for all children and teachers, this project allows girls to remain in class all day without having to walk long distances to obtain water for their fellow students.

* This Winter 2007/2008 support will expand to HERO schools in the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa where Protecting Futures will provide sanitary protection to young girls at nine regional schools to help them overcome the obstacle of attending school during menstruation. These girls will also benefit from an Always funded Health, Hygiene, and Puberty education program taught by a traveling health educator. In addition, Protecting Futures will fund a traveling health care provider for all of the children at these schools.

* In addition, Tampax and Always help sponsor the HERO Youth Ambassador program through their teen-focused website, Beinggirl.com. Twenty-four teens from across the U.S.A. were selected to become Youth Ambassadors and traveled to Namibia and South Africa this summer to work on the Protecting Futures program. Their personal experiences were documented in a series of webisodes airing on beinggirl.com/hero to help encourage and empower all teens to become global citizens.

In support of Protecting Futures, Tampax and Always will launch a dedicated advertising, in-store and online campaign in the US and Canada beginning this Fall 2007.

“There are lots of reasons kids miss school”, said Ms. Vaeth. “Being a girl shouldn’t be one of them.”

For more information on the Protecting Futures program and ways to be involved and help make a difference too, visit www.ProtectingFutures.com.

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Sikhcess™ Announces Launch of Sikh Community’s Global ‘Feed the Homeless’ Campaign in March 2008

Sikhcess™ to launch worldwide ’Feed the Homeless Campaign’ on March 1, 2008 with volunteers in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Chicago, IL

Today, Sikhcess™, a community service organization, unveiled definitive plans to feed the homeless worldwide through its ‘Feed the Homeless’ campaign on March 1, 2008. Sikh communities throughout the globe will participate, with efforts to feed the homeless and needy in Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.

“There has been tremendous interest from people across the world hoping to reach out and help those in need,” stated Mr. Amit Singh, Executive Director of Sikhcess™. “My phone has not stopped ringing and my email inbox is always full. Volunteers are clearly eager to help feed the homeless, a founding principle of the Sikh faith.”

The Sikh institution of ‘Langar’ was started by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. It is the only free kitchen of its kind in the world, collectively serving millions around the globe each year, regardless of gender, social standing, caste, color, religious affiliation, or beliefs. Through this ideal of equality, the tradition of ‘Langar’ expresses the ethics of sharing, community, inclusiveness, and oneness of all humankind.

Working to address homeless hunger, Sikhcess has taken ‘Langar’ (or ‘Free Kitchen’) to those on the streets. On November 17, 2007, Sikhcess launched its first large-scale ‘Feed the Homeless’ campaign with great success. Volunteers throughout North America successfully distributed nearly 50,000 individual food packages to the homeless and needy in just one night - the largest campaign of its kind.

“There are homeless and hungry people across the world, many of whom consume well below the daily food requirement to live. Sikhcess™ is working with Sikh communities around the globe to help alleviate their suffering through the simple act of delivering a nourishing meal. We will do everything we can to help donors and volunteers make that happen,” says Mr. Singh.

Inquiries for donations of food and supplies for distribution to the homeless should be directed to Donations@Sikhcess.com or to Mr. Amit Singh at 248-990-1245.

About the Sikhcess™ ‘Feed the Homeless’ Campaign:

The ‘Feed the Homeless’ campaign began in January 2007 in Vancouver, Canada. The campaign’s initial goal was to distribute 15,000 food packages to Vancouver’s homeless population within 12 months. The entire Sikh community rallied behind the program in Vancouver, and within only 9 short months, more than 20,000 packages were delivered. Now 70,000 food packages have been distributed throughout the United States and Canada.

Through the efforts of this campaign, food packages have been delivered to homeless communities in Vancouver, Toronto, New York, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Boston, Newark, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Fairfax, Houston, Atlanta, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Miami.

Every month, the homeless and needy receive thousands of food packages generously donated by the entire Sikh community. In exchange, Sikhcess™ volunteers receive countless hugs, smiles and a heart-felt “thank you”, many times over. Sikhcess™ thanks all those who contribute to the ‘Feed the Homeless’ campaign with their charitable support of time, effort, food, and kitchen facilities.

Sikhcess™ does not accept financial donations of any kind. Inquiries for donations of food and supplies to the homeless should be directed to Info@Sikhcess.com or to Mr. Amit Singh at 248-990-1245.

Contact: Sandy Sangha
Media@Sikhcess.com
630.479.3022

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Contact Information
Sikhcess
Jatinder Singh
604-866-5432
info@sikhcess.com
www.sikhcess.com

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Foundation Provides New Shoes for Needy Children

Barefoot Kids Foundation and Payless ShoeSource Inc. have teamed-up to provide $25. Footwear Shopping Cards for America's Kids in Need.

San Diego, CA, December 15, 2007

This Non-Profit organization exclusively provides new footwear to Kids in Need through their National Distribution Network currently in 20 cities throughout the USA. Childcare organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Salvation Army and Court Appointed Special Advocates provide Payless ShoeSource shopping cards to underprivileged Kids.

The National Center for Children in Poverty reports that 17% or 12.7 Million of our children live below the poverty level. Footwear is often not on the list after the bills, food & medical care are paid. Many of America’s Kids are in desperate need of new footwear.

Everyone can relate to the pride you get when you buy new footwear. Remember those early years when you were fitted for new shoes and sneakers, it was a great moment. You couldn’t wait to show them off. Share this thrill with a Kid in Need.

More Kids will participate in physical activity, and be healthier when wearing proper fitting footwear. They need to feel comfortable and need to fit in with their peers. The distraction of foot pain during class may affect the Kids ability to focus on learning. Studies published in Medical Journals conclude that proper footwear can improve your health. Kids in America need your help.

Their free donation program is now available by making online purchases with participating retailers. Each purchase you make generates a donation from their retail supporters. Go to www.barefootkids.org. Supporters and buy Airline, Hotel, Car Rental, Flowers, Electronics, Office Supplies, Event Tickets, Gifts and everything that eBay and Amazon.com offers. To make a free Donation, just Point, Click and Buy.

Barefoot Kids Foundation has different ways for you to donate. Individuals and Corporate donors can use Credit or Debit Cards on their secure PayPal website: www.barefootkids.org. Donate or send a check payable to: Barefoot Kids Foundation, 7040 Avenida Encinas, Suite 104, Carlsbad, California 92011-4653. Everyone can contribute and improve the life of America’s Kids in Need.

For additional information contact Dan or Lorett Ross at (800) 285-3993 or visit www.barefootkids.org.

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Contact Information
Barefoot Kids Foundation
Dan Ross
800-285-3993
donation@barefootkids.org
barefootkids.org
danross@barefootkids.org

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ECHODONATIONS.ORG TO GIVE $13,000 OF SOFTWARE TO NONPROFITS

National nonprofit to assist 20 new and early stage nonprofits with increasing donor loyalty while raising funds
online.

CINCINNATI, OH, December 17, 2007 – echoDonations.org, the first-ever online Charitable Mutual FundTM that rewards donors and nonprofits with Lifetime Cash RewardsTM, is donating $13,000 in online software and support to 20 nonprofits to boost their survival and growth rates.

The software is the patent pending Charity Loyalty RewardsTM - an online software package enabling donors of all ages and
economic means to give donations to their favorite charities and earn an interest-bearing return on their gifts. It's built upon the concept of Charitable Mutual FundsTM which have been in use for years exclusively by large nonprofits for their wealthiest donors. Using the power of the internet, echoDonations.org enables any person to participate with donations as little as $25.

“Nonprofit executives face significant and daunting challenges in starting and growing their organizations. The failure rate is
high,” said Christopher Hytry Derrington, Board Member of nonprofitSherpa.org, echoDonations.org’s parent organization whose mission is helping fellow nonprofits adopt new technology and innovation. “In this season of giving, it is appropriate that we begin a yearl y tradition of helping others by providing the tools and support they need to build donor loyalt y while increasing annual and endowment funds.”

Interested nonprofits interested in receiving the free online software and support should contact cs@echoDonations.org by
January 31, 2008. Eligible nonprofits must have less than $1,000,000 in revenue and be less than two years in existence.

About echodonations.orgTM
echoDonations.orgTM, the nation’s leading online charitable mutual fund, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping charities start or grow their online fundraising programs by offering loyalty building financial incentives for donors to give more. More information is available at www.echoDonations.org.

CONTACTS:
echoDonations.org, Christopher Hytry Derrington, (513.276.4332, ext 102). chris@echodonations.org .

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Last-Minute Gift Ideas For Socially Conscious Giving

Nonprofit's Web Site Offers Socially Responsible Gift Packages Making It Easy to Feel Good about Your Gift All Year Long

San Francisco December 13, 2007 -- More and more, Americans are using the holidays as an opportunity for socially responsible gift giving. UniversalGiving (http://www.universalgiving.org) makes it easy to do this, with Gift Packages available through their web site that reflect specific international causes the giver wishes to support.

"We want make it easier than ever for people to purchase gifts that make a positive, long-term impact on the world," said UniversalGiving's Founder and CEO, Pamela Hawley."

UniversalGiving offers a large selection of international Gift Packages addressing causes such as education, poverty, disaster relief, health, and human rights. Examples of UniversalGiving's Gift Packages include: gift cards made by orphan children ($20), helping someone start a small farming business in Tanzania ($40), sponsoring a chimpanzee ($90), sponsoring a school in Uganda ($100), and sponsoring a deaf child's education in Vietnam ($600).

"UniversalGiving is an instrumental partner to Sports Gift and our mission to provide sports to impoverished children," says Keven Baxter, President of Sports Gift. "UniversalGiving has made a direct and significant impact on our ability to provide the gift of sports to thousands of children living in poverty around the world."

Greater Impact Per Dollar
In contrast to many other charitable organizations - and for-profit companies that try to profit from these kinds of donations - approximately 97 percent* of Gift Package funding and other donations to UniversalGiving go to the project and organization the giver has chosen to support. No part of the funding or donation is directed towards UniversalGiving's operational costs. Further, UniversalGiving performs due diligence on all its non-governmental organization (NGO) partners using its rigorous, trademarked Quality Model (http://www.universalgiving.org/quality) to assure that only trustworthy, high-integrity organizations become part of the UniversalGiving family.

As Andre Vanier of Palo Alto, Calif., a purchaser of UniversalGiving Gift Packages, explains, "Through UniversalGiving, I identified two extremely worthwhile nonprofit organizations to support. UniversalGiving's evaluation model helps provide the assurance that these Gift Packages will be put to good use."

About UniversalGiving
Based in San Francisco, UniversalGiving is an award-winning, nonprofit marketplace that enables people to volunteer their time, buy gifts, and donate to top-performing organizations and projects all over the world. Visitors simply choose a region (such as Africa) and an issue (such as education or the environment) and receive a list of quality ways to give and volunteer. UniversalGiving operational costs are covered by individual investors, foundation grants and fee-based services it provides to corporations. As a result, the UniversalGiving service is free to the volunteers, donators, and NGOs, and the Gift Package donations go directly to on-the-ground services serving local communities.

Since November 2003, more than $1 million and 5,000 volunteers have been matched through the UniversalGiving website. UniversalGiving is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with an organizational vision to "create a world where giving and volunteering are a natural part of everyday life."

To learn more, visit UniversalGiving on the Web at www.universalgiving.org.

Editors' note: UniversalGiving does not use any of the gift money for operational costs such as personnel or technology. PayPal, a for-profit company, manages the financial processing and does charge of 3.2 percent charge for each transaction processed.

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Atlantic Partners, Inc. Announces Release of Their "Green Mail" Calculator

Atlantic Partners, Inc. announced today its release of the "Green Mail Calculator"; a tool designed to enable organizations to better understand the impact their mailing practices have on the environment.

Washington, DC December 17, 2007 -- Atlantic Partners, Inc, the document management consulting organization, announced today its release of the "Green Mail Calculator"©; a tool designed to enable organizations to better understand the impact their mailing practices have on the environment. This tool is the first of several the organization has scheduled to release and freely distribute, that focus on sustainability initiatives within document management.

"We explain to our clients, 'you don't know what you don't know'", stated company President, Joseph Ferreri "And the impact an organizations document management processes have on the environment is one of those areas that go over looked". "You would be hard pressed to walk into any office today and not find the gratuitous paper recycle bin next to a copier, and there's nothing wrong with that"., said Ferreri, "But there are many other ways an organization can positively impact not just the environment, but also their bottom line, through development of better processes and employee education related to the creation and distribution of paper."

"The paperless office isn't arriving any time soon." explains company Vice President, John Erickson. "And an organizations mail management process is one of those paper intense functions that cannot be avoided." "In 2005 alone", explains Erickson, "the United States Postal Service noted that 10 billion (yes, billion) pieces of mail were designated as 'undeliverable as addressed'. Simply put, that's a lot of wasted paper, time, fuel, and electricity that went into the creation and attempted delivery of a lot of mail. We want this tool to help bring visibility to the issue."

The Green Mail Calculator© is available for free distribution at Green Mail.

ABOUT Atlantic Partners, Inc.
Atlantic Partners provides document management, and business continuity consulting nationwide, to healthcare organizations, associations, corporations, educational institutions, law firms, and government entities. Its broad based approach to the connection between people and technology through better processes, provides organizations with solutions that better enable them to manage their costs and business processes. For more information visit us at, visit us at Atlantic Partners, Inc.

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HaroldSays Announces the Launch of The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day Web Site, www.BePositiveDay.com

Harold Cameron, The Chief of Helping People, for HaroldSays announces the launch of a new website, www.BePositiveDay.com, to promote the Be Positive Do Something Positive Day, to be celebrated March 1, 2008.

Scranton, PA, December 10, 2007

Harold Cameron, The Chief of Helping People of HaroldSays has launched a website to promote The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day on March 1, 2008. The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day is a day for people all over the world to celebrate by "Being" positive and then by "Doing" something positive on that day for another person, non-profit organization, or charitable cause. The end result, if only for one day, will be to make our world a more positive and better place to be and to live in. It is Harold’s plan to use the Be Positive Do Something Positive Day as the initial event to raise awareness as to the many benefits of each of us “Being” and “Doing” something positive. From The Be Positive Day he hopes to build a Be Positive Initiative where every day people all over the world are thinking, “Being,” positive and then acting, “Doing,” something positive to make our world a more positive, safer, and better place to live.

Harold is asking for everyone’s non-financial support, (endorsement), of The Be Positive Day. So far, The Lackawanna County Commissioners in Lackawanna County, PA are going to issue a Proclamation declaring March 1, 2008 as The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day in and for Lackawanna County. Also, Mayor Christopher A. Doherty, the Mayor of Scranton PA is issuing a Proclamation for the City of Scranton, PA declaring March 1, 2008 as the first Be Positive Do Something Positive Day, in and for Scranton PA. The NEPA Miners Football Team in Scranton, PA. has taken a position of support for The Be Positive Day. A PA Congressman has taken a position of support for the day and has contacted The Office of Proclamations at the White House asking President Bush to issue a national proclamation declaring March 1, 2008 as the first Be Positive Do Something Positive Day, in and for America. Several other individuals and political figures have also contacted the President’s office on Harold’s behalf asking for a Presidential Proclamation. Other national and state political leaders are in contact with Harold regarding their position on The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day and how they will support, (endorse) the day.

Harold also has an informational video posted at YouTube concerning The Be Positive Day.

In order for each of us to properly celebrate The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day, Harold asks each of us to begin with ourselves by "Being" positive and the "Doing" something positive for ourselves-(ideally when we first begin our day). Harold suggests that individuals begin their day with a meditation or prayer, or some form of positive self-affirmation to get their minds and hearts focused on the positive. Next, for The Be Positive Do Something Positive Day to be a success, each of us must then "Be" positive and "Do" something positive in our homes for our families. Our positive act does not need to be huge or monumental, but rather, can be something as seemingly small as cooking dinner for our family and then sitting down together and eating it as a family.

Finally, for The Be Positive Do Something Day to be a "positively" world changing success worldwide, we all need to "Be" positive and then "Do" something positive for another person, non-profit organization, or charitable cause. For example, if you are a student, you could do something positive for a fellow student or you could encourage your class as a group to conduct a food drive to collect food for the local food pantry or do a book drive where you collect books for young children and then as students you each read the book to an individual student. After you have read the book to the child you would then give that book to the child as a gift. If you are an employee of a company or organization, you could do something positive for one of your co-workers or you could organize a group of your co-workers to volunteer to help a non-profit organization such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Stand Up For Kids, The American Red Cross, a member organization of your local United Way, a soup kitchen or a shelter for the homeless in your area, or for some other organization on that day. If you do not know what organization or charitable cause to support a few web based sources Harold recommends for volunteer opportunities include Americorps, Boardnet USA, Guidestar.org, Grassroots.org, Network For Good, Idealist.org, Mentor, Opportunity Knocks.org, or Points of Light. Links to these and other organizations can be found at the Be Positive Day website in the handbook section of the site.

Harold is also asking members of the media to promote it prior to and on that day to post a positive news headline in their newspaper, or have the first news story reported on their radio or TV station be a positive story. The most important thing that we all can do is something; something positive for ourselves and for someone else that will contribute towards making our world a more positive, safer, and better place to live in.

Harold invites all of us to join him and join together on March 1, 2008 and make it the most positive day our world has ever experienced or celebrated. HaroldSays, "Making our world a more positive place, one day at a time."

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Contact Information
HaroldSays
Harold Cameron
570-341-6796
media@bepositiveday.com
http://www.bepositiveday.com
326 Spruce Street
#307
Scranton, PA 18503

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Avoid Snail Mail: Send Christmas e-Cards to Help Give Kids a Break

The Family Holiday Association has launched their Christmas e-card service, and is asking individuals and companies to use the cards to help give underprivileged children what for most will be their first ever holiday break away from home.

London, United Kingdom, December 12, 2007

The Family Holiday Association (FHA) is calling on companies and individuals to send e-cards instead of paper cards this Christmas to help raise funds for underprivileged families in need of a break away.

Available at www.giveabreak.org.uk, the cards can be customised with a choice of festive designs, and users can personalise their cards with a message and hyperlinked logo or photo.

"We really hope companies get behind our e-card campaign – it’s a great way of spreading "green" Christmas cheer while helping to give young families struggling with difficult circumstances a few days by the sea," said John McDonald, FHA director.

Supporters are asked to make a donation based on the number of cards they wish to send.

For more information, visit www.giveabreak.org.uk, or contact Jacqulyn on 020 7323 7292.

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About the Family Holiday Association

For over 30 years, the Family Holiday Association has been working to provide short breaks for the most needy families in our community. The FHA helps families in desperate circumstances: those dealing with disability, bereavement, poverty, mental health problems, inadequate housing, or abuse.

The FHA is registered charity no. 800262.

Contact Information:
Family Holiday Association
Jacqulyn Bell
020 7323 7290
jacqulyn@fhaonline.org.uk
www.giveabreak.org.uk

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A New Mom Finds a Creative Way to Give to Charity This Season

The New Mom's Best Babysitting & Parenting eBook was created to provide moms with helpful tips and raise money for charity. Available on lulu.com, the 71-page downloadable book is full of tips, forms, advice and quotes to help mothers transition into parenthood. A portion of the proceeds will go to The International Rescue Committee, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Drive Kids to be Fit.

Los Angeles, CA, December 07, 2007

A portion of the proceeds from The New Mom's Best Babysitting & Parenting eBook, created by Los Angeles area mother, Lia Prewitt, will go to The International Rescue Committee, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Drive Kids to be Fit this holiday season. The downloadable manual includes everything from helpful tips to what local celebrities are buying for their babies. "What I like about the format is that you can download it and then read or print what you need. This is a plus for busy moms," says Dr. Annette Miles, a physician and mother of two.

The New Mom's Best Babysitting & Parenting eBook is being sold on lulu.com and promises to include something for everyone. By purchasing a copy, readers get helpful information while donating to charity at the same time. "I wanted to create an opportunity to support these causes while providing a fun product," says Prewitt. The goal is to get useful and inspirational content out to busy, new mothers while raising money for non-profits that help children in the US as well as around the world. "These are strong organizations that do great work for children and families," says Prewitt. The book can be purchased by going to: http://stores.lulu.com/newmomezine

Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been treating the most seriously ill and injured children in Los Angeles for more than a century and it is acknowledged throughout the United States and around the world for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Drive Kids to be Fit is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting childhood obesity. Most recently, actress Vanessa Williams recorded a PSA in support of their programs. Drive Kids to be Fit is associated with the National Institute of Health's We Can! Program. The International Rescue Committee serves refugees and communities victimized by oppression or violent conflict worldwide.

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Contact Information
Aspire Publishing
Lia Martin
818-345-8570
lmartin45@socal.rr.com
stores.lulu.com/newmomezine

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