Charitable Inspiration and Another Chance to Win
Over the weekend we held a contest where we asked people what charities they like to support. We were inspired to ask this question because Novica, one of the leading fair trade artisan websites gave us $100 to giveaway to a lucky reader.
The winner is Lisa Papadopoulos. We rounded up everyone that left a message and put them into a spread sheet, we then used the random generator and Lisa’s number came up!
Congratulations! We will be sending Lisa a $100 gift certificate to use at Novica to purchase a one of a kind hand crafted piece by a local artisan.
A Second Chance to Win!
We were so inspired by the list of charities left on our facebook page, that we thought we would hold a second part to the contest. Novica was generous enough to give us our own $100 gift certificate to purchase a piece of art, clothing or jewellery of our choice from their extensive product list. We travel to many of the places that these local artisans live and work and we thought that since we can buy from the artist directly during our travels, that we should give our certificate away.
At a Plan Canada Project in Malawi
So, we are giving away another $100 Dollars!
All you have to do is leave a message in our comment below and share the favourite charity that you like to support. Let’s make a database of charity projects that people believe in where we can inspire each other to dig a little deeper into our pockets to help those less fortunate.
We had some very inspiring messages left on our facebook fanpage and thought that we would share some of the comments that people left to give you an example of how people are making a difference. Thanks to everyone that commented on Facebook and make sure to leave another comment here for a second chance to win!
Artist Weaving a Rug by Hand in India
In association with National Geographic, Novica not only gives artists a platform to sell their products, it also provides them with access to microfinance. Artists can borrow money for worthy projects at 0% interest. Even a small loan helps make a great difference and you can give right now to the project of your choice. When you visit their website, you will see a list of projects, how much of a loan is requested and how much is funded so far. Microfinance projects have been proven again and again as an effective business model.
Charities Supported by Our Readers
1. Easy Hiker - We have a yearly rolling donation to ActionAid and from time to time to SOIL.
2. Fogg Oddyssey – have kept a Kiva account for the last year and half. I keep a $100 in it and when a loan gets paid back, I flip it again. So far all loans have been paid back and it’s been great helping people I would never have gotten to if it hadn’t of been for the Internet.
3. Lisa Papadopoulos - I like Kiva and have given loans to them. Any site like that is a fantastic idea!
4. Tina Decasaro - Every month I support the World Wildlife Foundation and the Barefoot Foundation with a donation and will be attending a photo shoot for the NOH8 campaign in a few weeks.
5. Maureen Tomson - LOVE your giveaway idea as well as the philosophy Novica. It reminds me of Kiva, to which I contribute monthly and just made my ninth Kiva loan.
6. Cruise Surfing - I support Kiva.org. For every 100 Facebook fans, I donate an additional $25. Not much but hey, it’s something. We say amazing to that! Now head over to Cruise Surfing on Facebook and help them get another 100 fans!
7. William Engel - We have supported the small clinics on the island of Roatan, Honduras for the past 17 years. These clinics help thousands of people that the health care system leaves behind.
8. Catherine Bodry - I donate a portion of my Permanent Fund Dividend to the Alaska SeaLife Center.
9. Tour Absurd - One of my favorite charities is the Children of Ethiopia Education Fund. I help send a girl named Bethlehem to school by paying the cost of her tuition, books, food, medical care, and uniforms. It’s amazing how little American or European money it costs to do so!
10. Dave and I give monthly to our favourite charities of WWF, WSPA and The Toronto Humane Society. Yes, they are animal heavy charities but we feel that animals who are suffering don’t have a voice to even ask for help. So it is up to people to give them the care that they need. As well as giving monthly to these causes, we do give regularly to different projects that we visit during our travels. We cycled through Africa while raising money and awareness for PLAN Canada and we are currently raising money as we drive to Mongolia for the Christina Noble Foundation. We try to visit projects wherever we travel and help to raise awareness about the many charities that are working so hard each day to make the world a better place.
- We will choose another random winner and announce it next week!
- Comments Close July 17 at 12:00 Midnight PST
Good luck!
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I give my time and effort to a charity of a more local sort: the Phobic Trust, a charitable trust helping people in our society who suffer from anxiety disorders so severe that it debilitates their entire life. Some may think it is a first world problem, but hearing stories from people you help, it’s important to be doing mental health work for the people.
That is a great cause Bobby. It is important to let people know that there are people suffering that they may not know about. They may look like everything is fine, but mental health is a serious issue that needs people to take up its cause and speak out for them. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I will certainly look into Phobic Trust.
We donate to the Alzheimer’s society directly, Alison manages our Kiva funds, and we support friends and family in their campaigns for Breast Cancer and AIDS research. And this summer, we’re supporting the Mongol Rally team
Good for you Andrew, it sounds like you are very busy with all your charities and support. You are an inspiration to everyone and thank you for supporting us as well! Your contribution to getting across the Eurotunnel is huge. It gets us to continental Europe so that we can actually begin our trip!
I just heard about the McGrath Foundation after seeing the epic trip a friend I met on our travels is currently doing. He and two friends are running (RUNNING!!) from Melbourne to Sydney, 900km…in 21 days. That means they’re doing the equivalent of a marathon EVERY day for 21 days straight. It’s mind-blowing!! I’m guessing it’s a pretty worthwhile charity. Here’s a little write-up I just did about them, their journey and the foundation: http://ow.ly/5Bm45 They’re currently on Day 16 of 21. I think they’re gonna make it!
That is fantastic. I would love to do sometihng like that. When we cycled through Africa we raised money and awareness for Plan Canada. There’s nothing like an epic challenge to bring amazing attention to a cause. I will definitely check them out, thanks for the link.
Although we do donate time and many to various charities my favorite is the Barefoot Foundation. The goal is to make sure that every child has access to an education, this is the foundation that a better world will be built.
Hi Tina, Thanks for sharing the Barefoot Foundation. Children are the future and projects like this are doing a great thing to make sure that they have a fighting chance. Cheers.
I ran across MAG (Mine Action Group) in Vientiane, Laos one summer. They do incredibly heroic work clearing UXO from Laos and many other Asian countries who have suffered bombings and planting of land mines. The organization brings in their own experts and can train local people to identify and detonate bombs (highly skilled training program: creates jobs and safe terrain!) and to educate villagers about the danger of what they might think may be scrap metal. Absolutely selfless and awe inspiring work!
Wow Jo, that is an incredible company. We visited Laos in 2004 and learned so much about the problems that that country faces with undetonated bombs and landmines. It is a catastrophe and so many people are suffering. It is definitely a cause worth spreading the word about. Thanks for sharing.
Great idea and it’s great to see what others are doing in their charity work as well!
Thanks Jeremy, it is great to see what others are doing. It gives us some ideas of other ways we can help too!
I give to the Cancer Society each year and to the heart and stroke foundation. The charities I give to are mostly based in Canada, but it is interesting to see what others are doing with their charities in the rest of the world. I am going to look into Novica as well. Thanks.
You are right Marlene. It is interesting to see what everyone gives to. Whether it is at home or abroad everything counts and each charity is equally important. Thanks for the comment.
We regularly support our local homeless shelter, both financially, with in-kind gifts, and with our time.
That is a great cause. It is important to give close to home. Many of us are moved to give when traveling, but there are people suffering right in our own back yard.
I LOVE Novica! For the last 5 years I have been supporting Nothing But Nets: http://www.nothingbutnets.net/malaria-kills/. Every year for the Holidays I make a large donation in my friends and family’s name.
Hi Andi, what a great cause. Malaria is one of the number one killers in places such as Africa and it is so easy to prevent. With places like Nothing But Nets doing their part, maybe we will be able to get it under control. Thanks for sharing and thanks for giving us another cause to look into.
A great charity to support is Charity Water (http://www.charitywater.org/) – 100% of their funds go directly to providing sustainable, clean drinking water in developing countries.
The biggest charity I support is GeekGirlCon, a nonprofit supporting geeky ladies by putting on events to bring them together. I’m president.
But other charities I support include IGNITE, which supports girls & women in science, technology, engineering, and math careers, and the Lifelong AIDS Foundation, which supports people living with HIV/AIDS.
Hi Erica,thanks for the list of all the great causes. Lifelong AIDS sounds like an excellent cause. Even though it isn’t in the news as much anymore, it is still a very real problem and good to see that people aren’t forgetting about this devastating disease. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I haven’t heard of IGNITe or GeekGirlCon which look like a lot of fun. I will definitely check them out!
We support multiple charities but the one that we volunteer at consistently is Guide Dogs for the Blind (http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer?gclid=CICakr-NgqoCFQZCgwodIRXMzA).
One of the best things about travel for us is being able to capture the sights through our camera lenses. But we’re saddened when we think about all the other people out there who are immobilized because they are blind. Unable to see, they are not able to move around easily and do not have the luxury of “seeing” how beautiful a place is. Guide Dogs for the Blind aims to help get blind people back on the move by providing trusted and well trained guide dogs. With this help, they can at least live as normal of a life as possible. Being able to “travel” independently within their own community is already a step forward.
Wow, thanks for sharing Shirlene, I think that Guide Dogs for the Blind is an amazing cause. These dogs are incredible and they develop such a bond with their master. I love animals. And these dogs are top dogs!
We support several charities…most are local. We help out our local MATS shelter which is a shelter for domestic violence. We also supporters of the JDRF…as we have two children who have type 1 diabetes. We also try to buy the majority of our shoes from TOMs…I think the idea of buying a pair of shoes gives someone else a pair is awesome! Love Novica! Thanks for supporting/sponsoring!
Hi Terri, Thank you so much for Sharing. Domestic violence is such a serious issue. It is so sad that someone can abuse anything or anyone let alone someone that they are supposed to love. What a worthy cause. And your other charities are incredible. I love the idea of TOMs, I am definitely going to look into them. I am sorry to hear that your children are suffering from diabetes. It is good to know that there have been great strives in medicine and that it can be controlled, but it must be a large stress on you. And yet, you are so giving to others. It is very inspiring.
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