Aggregated External News
One Born Every Minute Stars Visit Liberia With Save The Children
When the midwives and stars of Channel 4’s ‘One Born Every Minute’ series visited Liberia with Save the Children they were shocked to discover that young mums in Liberia face a 1 in 24 chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth when a simple trip to a clinic could save their lives. Yet many mums-to-be have to walk for up to 8 hours to get to their nearest clinic, and the journey can be treacherous.
So when Gemma Raby, Louise Holt, and Maud Hardy stepped into their first Save the Children supported health clinic in Liberia recently, they were amazed at the difference your donations make.
As Gemma explains, "At Leeds General where I work, we have between 9 and 11 midwives per shift on the labour ward. We also, crucially, have dedicated medical staff on hand.
Jimmy Carter Supports Whistle-Blower Edward Snowden
Jimmy Carter is giving his support to whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
“[Edward Snowden] has obviously violated the laws of America, for which he is responsible, but I think the invasion of human rights and American privacy has gone too far,” former US president Jimmy Carter told CNN. “I think that the secrecy that has been surrounding this invasion of privacy has been excessive, so I think that the bringing of it to the public notice has probably been, in the long term, beneficial. I think the American people deserve to know what their Congress is doing.”
His views on invasion of privacy echoed the New York Times op-ed that he wrote a year prior, criticizing the US’s human rights abuses: "Revelations that top officials are targeting people to be assassinated abroad, including American citizens, are only the most recent, disturbing proof of how far our nation’s violation of human rights has extended. […]
More: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/10531-jimmy-carter-supports-whistle-blower-edward-snowden
Volunteering brings out the best in people
Britain's Personal Best campaign aims to inspire people to volunteer and achieve personal goals
Last summer, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games captivated us all with the amazing feats of athletes achieving personal bests. I will never forget Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah winning gold medals. The Paralympics was an absolute triumph - challenging perceptions of disability as never before. These memories have been rekindled by 2013 being a second summer of British sporting success.
Recent weeks have seen Olympians and Paralympians back in action, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Ashes victories, a second British Tour de France winner and the British Lions triumph.
We all remember the gold medals and the opening ceremony, but as impressive was the role played by volunteers in creating the spirit of the Olympics. This was typified by torchbearers carrying the flame through their communities and by the Games Makers who gave their time freely to help make the event a success. You could see the selflessness of the volunteers enhanced the sense of community and how much people enjoyed it.
Britain's Personal Best, funded by the Big Lottery Fund as part of a range of campaigns to keep the spirit of 2012 alive, has been set up to help each of us to rekindle last summer's memories by doing something special. We can't all break world records, but can all achieve a personal best in our lives. This could be something to help ourselves – say giving up smoking - or something to help each other by giving time or raising funds for a good cause. Britain's Personal Best aims to inspire us, as individuals, organisations and communities, to achieve our very own personal best.
The UK has a proud history of volunteering for good causes. Millions of people already volunteer each year. I believe the best way to achieve a lasting impact from the Olympic spirit is to build on this and encourage people to make a regular effort to help their community, something more permanent than one-off donations or fundraising activities.
The 2012 Olympics changed the public perception of volunteering. It made volunteering attractive, exciting, open to all, aspirational, modern and of the moment. Last week official statistics confirmed a surge in volunteering during the Olympic year. The majority of Olympic Games Makers were new to volunteering. We need to keep attracting new people to the world of voluntary work. In 2012, participation rose especially among younger people and among black and ethnic minorities. That's great news.
But a recent YouGov poll revealed that almost a third (31%) of adults were keen to play their part in an Olympic legacy but didn't know how. Are you one of these people? If so, Britain's Personal Best can help. It can connect you with others wanting to support local causes you care about.
Local charities and community groups can also benefit by taking up the invitation to register with Britain's Personal Best. This allows them to offer opportunities and ideas for people to achieve their Personal Best for a good cause in their own community. Britain's Personal Best recognises that although people give their time freely, volunteering is not a costless exercise. You need organisation to support volunteers and to match the right volunteers with the right opportunity. Local Volunteer Centres play a vital role in making the right match.
Disability campaigner Martyn Sibley has made his personal best a challenge of going from Land's End to John o'Groats in a wheelchair. But regular volunteering need not mean making major life changes. There are many ways to be part of this Olympic legacy through regular participation without taking over too much of your time:
• Contact an older person living alone - regular joggers are encouraged to pop in on isolated neighbours as part of their run
• Mates and dates events where volunteers run social and dating events for people with learning disabilities
• If you have special skills (in say IT, electronics, plumbing or finance) offer to share them with a charity
• Puppy walking – either guide dogs for the blind, for elderly people or for animal rescue homes
• Sport coaching – do you know how to play tennis or rugby? There is always a need to teach a new skill to people of all ages.
• Undertake a challenge you have dreamed of, say parachuting, to raise money for a good cause.
• If time is an issue, consider a regular direct debit donation
To find out more about Britain's Personal Best click here.
Joe Irvin is chief executive of NAVCA – a strategic partner of Britain's Personal Best campaign.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
theguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Volunteering brings out the best in people
Britain's Personal Best campaign aims to inspire people to volunteer and achieve personal goals
Last summer, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games captivated us all with the amazing feats of athletes achieving personal bests. I will never forget Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah winning gold medals. The Paralympics was an absolute triumph - challenging perceptions of disability as never before. These memories have been rekindled by 2013 being a second summer of British sporting success.
Recent weeks have seen Olympians and Paralympians back in action, Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Ashes victories, a second British Tour de France winner and the British Lions triumph.
We all remember the gold medals and the opening ceremony, but as impressive was the role played by volunteers in creating the spirit of the Olympics. This was typified by torchbearers carrying the flame through their communities and by the Games Makers who gave their time freely to help make the event a success. You could see the selflessness of the volunteers enhanced the sense of community and how much people enjoyed it.
Britain's Personal Best, funded by the Big Lottery Fund as part of a range of campaigns to keep the spirit of 2012 alive, has been set up to help each of us to rekindle last summer's memories by doing something special. We can't all break world records, but can all achieve a personal best in our lives. This could be something to help ourselves – say giving up smoking - or something to help each other by giving time or raising funds for a good cause. Britain's Personal Best aims to inspire us, as individuals, organisations and communities, to achieve our very own personal best.
The UK has a proud history of volunteering for good causes. Millions of people already volunteer each year. I believe the best way to achieve a lasting impact from the Olympic spirit is to build on this and encourage people to make a regular effort to help their community, something more permanent than one-off donations or fundraising activities.
The 2012 Olympics changed the public perception of volunteering. It made volunteering attractive, exciting, open to all, aspirational, modern and of the moment. Last week official statistics confirmed a surge in volunteering during the Olympic year. The majority of Olympic Games Makers were new to volunteering. We need to keep attracting new people to the world of voluntary work. In 2012, participation rose especially among younger people and among black and ethnic minorities. That's great news.
But a recent YouGov poll revealed that almost a third (31%) of adults were keen to play their part in an Olympic legacy but didn't know how. Are you one of these people? If so, Britain's Personal Best can help. It can connect you with others wanting to support local causes you care about.
Local charities and community groups can also benefit by taking up the invitation to register with Britain's Personal Best. This allows them to offer opportunities and ideas for people to achieve their Personal Best for a good cause in their own community. Britain's Personal Best recognises that although people give their time freely, volunteering is not a costless exercise. You need organisation to support volunteers and to match the right volunteers with the right opportunity. Local Volunteer Centres play a vital role in making the right match.
Disability campaigner Martyn Sibley has made his personal best a challenge of going from Land's End to John o'Groats in a wheelchair. But regular volunteering need not mean making major life changes. There are many ways to be part of this Olympic legacy through regular participation without taking over too much of your time:
• Contact an older person living alone - regular joggers are encouraged to pop in on isolated neighbours as part of their run
• Mates and dates events where volunteers run social and dating events for people with learning disabilities
• If you have special skills (in say IT, electronics, plumbing or finance) offer to share them with a charity
• Puppy walking – either guide dogs for the blind, for elderly people or for animal rescue homes
• Sport coaching – do you know how to play tennis or rugby? There is always a need to teach a new skill to people of all ages.
• Undertake a challenge you have dreamed of, say parachuting, to raise money for a good cause.
• If time is an issue, consider a regular direct debit donation
To find out more about Britain's Personal Best click here.
Joe Irvin is chief executive of NAVCA – a strategic partner of Britain's Personal Best campaign.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
© 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions
Jump With Derrick Rose
Hey Girl, I See What Your Nonprofit Is Doing
You’ve seen them all over Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr, and Pinterest: grumpycats,talking babies, even Ryan Gosling. Entertaining memes have exploded across the Internet. But have you also noticed an uptick in charitable memes, memes that are doing good? Many nonprofits are capitalizing on the popularity of memes to gain visibility and connect with new supporters.
Nonprofits aren’t always great at piggybacking on the work of others, but that’s the key for a meme to take off. Senior Strategist Avi Kaplan of RAD Campaign has compiled some tip-top examples of nonprofit memes that worked because they borrowed a cultural phenomena, as did tech writer Zachary Sniderman.
One of the best examples of nonprofit meme-jacking came from a 132-year-old organization, the American Red Cross. Capitalizing on Charlie Sheen’s 2011 outburst and proclamation to have drank tiger’s blood, the American Red Cross tweeted:
We may not collect #tigerblood, but we know our donors & volunteers have fierce passion for doing good! #RedCrossMonth
— American Red Cross (@RedCross)By tapping into the #tigerblood hashtag, Zachary reported that tons of media outlets picked up on the story, resulting in a modest increase in blood donations.
So what’s in it for you? Why should you consider making a meme?
1. Sure, memes can be just plain silly and fun, and but they can also humanize your nonprofit’s public image. Who doesn’t love an organization that embraces its humanity and sense of humor?
2. Memes can create connections and start conversations because of their two-prong premise: A meme is based on an aspect of popular culture and spread from person to person.
3. Memes give supporters an easy way to publicize and promote your cause. Once you create a meme, fans can quickly share it over email, social media, and their own websites.
Want to create your own nonprofit meme to help build buzz for your cause? Check out our tips on using memes to spread your nonprofit’s message.
(Image credit: National Wildlife Federation, Source: Avi Kaplan)
Donor Fatigue … Even Angels Get It
Now I’ve heard everything. Donors on Nantucket Island have given enough. They’re all tapped out. There’s hardly a free evening any more … what with all the celebrity cocktail parties to attend. So reports the Cape Cod Times, as cited by Nonprofit Quarterly. Said one beseeched, but well-heeled resident: ““We’re full of angels, but you shouldn’t try to overdo it, because a person can get turned off very easily if they think everyone is coming to the same well.” For our geographically-challenged readers, Nantucket ranks highest in the US in housing prices. The typical house on Nantucket Island
Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation Launches #BRAVEStamp
Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation (BTWF) is excited to announce the “#BRAVEStamp” campaign – a nationwide call-to-action to promote youth empowerment, mental wellness, kindness and bravery in tandem with the Born Brave Bus Tour fundraising campaign.
Starting today through August 23rd, fans and supporters are encouraged to create and show off their #BRAVEstamp on CrowdRise, a crowd-funding platform that makes giving to charitable causes fun using incentives and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.
The #BRAVEStamp campaign and the Born Brave Bus Tour are efforts to build a sense of community and promote self-acceptance. The Born Brave Bus Tour is an experience that provides incredible mental wellness resources to young people across the country. Participants raising donations on CrowdRise will be entered to win amazing prizes including a trip to the VMA’s or an iPod with a playlist created directly by Lady Gaga.
More: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/10544-lady-gagas-born-this-way-foundation-launches-bravestamp
Rising to the mobile challenge
In early 2013, eBay’s Sean Milliken put forward mobile giving as a major evolution in donor behavior relevant to non-profits worldwide.
According to Milliken, “the next philanthropic horizon of mobile is here now. In 2013 and beyond, we predict more nonprofit organizations and fundraising professionals will adopt a mobile mindset and engage in mobile-enabled fundraising to tap into a new, growing donor pool.” This deep dive into charities use of digital was a clarion call that chimed with our own mantras on the role technology has to play in growing giving.
JustGiving has spent the last decade innovating to help grow generosity and we have witnessed nothing short of a revolution in the way donors behave. More than £1.5billion has been raised for the 12,000 charities we work with and our social giving services have contributed to the yearly 15% growth in giving through online platforms.
We don’t think it’s possible to underplay the rate that mobile is evolving into a social giving platform. Yet according to data from UK technology champions LASA, 63% of charities are not using mobile apps or do not have a mobile friendly website. So, while many charities are still in the early stages of understanding their impact, giving via mobile platforms is growing at a blistering rate. Almost half of JustGiving’s traffic now comes from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, quadrupling over the past year.
On the day of the London marathon in April 2013, mobile traffic actually outstripped desktop visits to our platform. And in the aftermath of national events like the tragic murder of a soldier in Woolwich earlier this year, we are increasingly seeing donors take to their mobiles to respond spontaneously with donations to a good cause.
Not surprisingly, more than three quarters of this mobile traffic comes from Apple devices – with iPhones dominating and iPads close behind. As well as increasingly accessing our giving platforms via their smartphones, many donors are choosing to give by text. In the UK, our text service, JustTextgiving by Vodafone, has been used by more than 15,000 charities to raise more than £10 million for good causes.
Mobile giving via text and smartphones is enfranchising many smaller organisations wanting to raise cash and capitalise on an increasingly spontaneous nation. It also means that charities now have the technology to take advantage of micro-donations that might previously have been too costly to process. For example, Acorns Children’s Hospice raised £7,500 through JustTextGiving by simply publicising a text code during a football match.
As donors become more comfortable with giving from a mobile device, charities need to ensure their donation processes are optimised for smartphones and tablets or they risk turning the new breed of givers off. This doesn’t necessarily have to mean a massive investment in infrastructure by charities – that’s our job. Our fundraising pages are already optimised for mobile giving and our mobile donation process allows a donor to give with just one touch of their smartphone or tablet.
There are 50 million people out there with a tablet or a smartphone. The potential for charities, big and small, to benefit from this technology is huge.
Are you using mobile to fundraise? Do you believe it’s the future for charitable giving? Weigh in below.
Nickelodeon's Jennette McCurdy Wants Kids To Eat More Veggies
Ninety percent of kids don’t eat the recommended amount of veggies each day and summer is an ideal time to try a new approach. Nickelodeon’s Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy is on a mission to put the play back on the plate.
Jennette McCurdy on the set of her Birds Eye veggies shoot showing kids how fun eating their veggies can beShe’s teamed up with Birds Eye Vegetables for a multi-week challenge for families to seize the fun and Rewrite the Dinnertime Rules leading up Nickelodeon’s 10th annual Worldwide Day of Play this fall.
CharityGiving: how will its suspension affect public trust in fundraising?
We brought the Charity Commission, the Institute of Fundraising and other experts together online to discuss the issue
One bad apple shouldn't affect confidence"One bad apple shouldn't affect trust in the other excellent online fundraising platforms, but as always research needs to be done into the trustworthiness of a payment platform prior to use." – Nick Shread, head of third sector at 4Ps Marketing.
Online giving has an important role to play"Digital giving is growing, it's an area charities are investing in and I'm sure the growth will continue. The Dove Trust case is of course concerning, but I think people will continue to give online - they have had good experiences of most online giving platforms, which generally provide a very safe way to give." – Daniel Fluskey, head of policy and research at the Institute of Fundraising.
It's difficult to tell whether public trust will be affected yet"[Charity Choice] have been contacted by a number of charities who have been understandably concerned that their donations are at risk, which demonstrates that they have lost some confidence in online giving. It's too early to make any definitive assumptions about public confidence, but we have not experienced a drop in donations yet." – Tanya Noronha, publisher for Charity Choice.
"As hard as this case is for the charities and donors affected, I don't think it will stop the growth of digital giving and fundraising. However it is a shot across the bows and makes it timely to ensure that online giving is as safe and secure as possible, and that charities and the public have the best information to hand when using online platforms.
I think more could be done to help charities and donors understand what happens to money that is donated, where it goes and how the organisations work together. The more transparent the process, the more people will trust it." – Daniel Fluskey, Institute of Fundraising.
Platforms and governing bodies should collaborate more"An agreed standard with other platforms would be a helpful development [that would] enable everyone to continue to improve and help charities to raise the most [money] possible. The number of different platforms available can be confusing but competition has also improved costs and quality in the sector. It would be good to have a mechanism to share fraud cases with other giving platforms. " – Eleanor Harrison, chief executive of Global Giving UK.
Charities using online services should be careful"Charities must ensure that the next portal they use has a dedicated trust account that ring-fences donations. This means that, in the event of something happening to that organisation, the donations will not be touched as they belong to the charity. It is imperative that online fundraising platforms are transparent in how they treat charity donations. We recommend that charities using online donation services regularly check that reports provided reconcile with the donations reaching their bank accounts so that they can react quickly if necessary. You could ask the portal for a copy of the Declaration of Trust which demonstrates that the account has been set up for this purpose." – Tanya Noronha, Charity Choice.
It's important that trustees keep an eye on funds"We have to at least give trustees, who are normally volunteers, an opportunity to put right mistakes that have been made. This is a timely reminder that all trustees have a basic duty to protect the assets of their charity and to use them to further the purposes of the charity. [It is important that] trustees keep a close eye on the charity's finances. The controls trustees put in place need to be monitored to ensure that they are complied with and provide a sufficiently robust system for managing financial risk. The monitoring of financial activities by trustees and management on a regular basis is a vital part of this process." – Michelle Russell, head of investigations and enforcement at the Charity Commission.
It's vital that lessons are learnt"It's vital that lessons are learnt, but its also important not to allow this to adversely affect wider perception of the sector. Online giving has an important role to play and if we can get some collaboration between platforms and governing bodies on investigations that would be a big step forward." – Liz Williams is programme director BT Group Improving Lives.
To read the online discussion in full click here.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
Abby Young-Powelltheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
CharityGiving: how will its suspension affect public trust in fundraising?
We brought the Charity Commission, the Institute of Fundraising and other experts together online to discuss the issue
One bad apple shouldn't affect confidence"One bad apple shouldn't affect trust in the other excellent online fundraising platforms, but as always research needs to be done into the trustworthiness of a payment platform prior to use." – Nick Shread, head of third sector at 4Ps Marketing.
Online giving has an important role to play"Digital giving is growing, it's an area charities are investing in and I'm sure the growth will continue. The Dove Trust case is of course concerning, but I think people will continue to give online - they have had good experiences of most online giving platforms, which generally provide a very safe way to give." – Daniel Fluskey, head of policy and research at the Institute of Fundraising.
It's difficult to tell whether public trust will be affected yet"[Charity Choice] have been contacted by a number of charities who have been understandably concerned that their donations are at risk, which demonstrates that they have lost some confidence in online giving. It's too early to make any definitive assumptions about public confidence, but we have not experienced a drop in donations yet." – Tanya Noronha, publisher for Charity Choice.
"As hard as this case is for the charities and donors affected, I don't think it will stop the growth of digital giving and fundraising. However it is a shot across the bows and makes it timely to ensure that online giving is as safe and secure as possible, and that charities and the public have the best information to hand when using online platforms.
I think more could be done to help charities and donors understand what happens to money that is donated, where it goes and how the organisations work together. The more transparent the process, the more people will trust it." – Daniel Fluskey, Institute of Fundraising.
Platforms and governing bodies should collaborate more"An agreed standard with other platforms would be a helpful development [that would] enable everyone to continue to improve and help charities to raise the most [money] possible. The number of different platforms available can be confusing but competition has also improved costs and quality in the sector. It would be good to have a mechanism to share fraud cases with other giving platforms. " – Eleanor Harrison, chief executive of Global Giving UK.
Charities using online services should be careful"Charities must ensure that the next portal they use has a dedicated trust account that ring-fences donations. This means that, in the event of something happening to that organisation, the donations will not be touched as they belong to the charity. It is imperative that online fundraising platforms are transparent in how they treat charity donations. We recommend that charities using online donation services regularly check that reports provided reconcile with the donations reaching their bank accounts so that they can react quickly if necessary. You could ask the portal for a copy of the Declaration of Trust which demonstrates that the account has been set up for this purpose." – Tanya Noronha, Charity Choice.
It's important that trustees keep an eye on funds"We have to at least give trustees, who are normally volunteers, an opportunity to put right mistakes that have been made. This is a timely reminder that all trustees have a basic duty to protect the assets of their charity and to use them to further the purposes of the charity. [It is important that] trustees keep a close eye on the charity's finances. The controls trustees put in place need to be monitored to ensure that they are complied with and provide a sufficiently robust system for managing financial risk. The monitoring of financial activities by trustees and management on a regular basis is a vital part of this process." – Michelle Russell, head of investigations and enforcement at the Charity Commission.
It's vital that lessons are learnt"It's vital that lessons are learnt, but its also important not to allow this to adversely affect wider perception of the sector. Online giving has an important role to play and if we can get some collaboration between platforms and governing bodies on investigations that would be a big step forward." – Liz Williams is programme director BT Group Improving Lives.
To read the online discussion in full click here.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
Abby Young-Powell© 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions
Valerie Harper To Attend Lung Cancer Foundation Of America's Day At The Races
Actress and lung cancer advocate Valerie Harper and her husband Tony Cacciotti will join with other lung cancer advocates and supporters at the Lung Cancer Foundation of America’s “Day at the Races” event, the only event of its kind in the USA to support lung cancer research, at Del Mar Race Track, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA 92014 on Sunday, July 28, 2013 from 2 PM – 6 PM.
Ms. Harper, who is currently fighting lung cancer that has occurred in the lining of her brain, is helping to bring attention to lung cancer, the USA’s number one cancer killer for both men and women, accounting for nearly 30% of all cancer deaths.
“Val and Tony’s participation in the fight against lung cancer means so much to LCFA and, especially, to the millions of people who have been deeply affected by this awful disease. Lung cancer is the forgotten cancer. Because of an overall 5-year survival rate of only 15%, there are few survivors to stand up and speak out in support of research funding for the disease, which is why Val’s role is so very important, and why we hope she will inspire others,” said Kim Norris, a lung cancer widow and the president and co-founder of the Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA).
Jimmy Carter And The Elders Welcome US Efforts To Restart Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks
Concluding a 3-day visit to Washington DC and London, The Elders today warmly welcomed the tireless efforts of US Secretary of State John Kerry to restart direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
They also warned that there is no military solution in Syria and that only dialogue between all parties concerned can bring about an end to the war.
In Washington, the Elders’ delegation, including former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari, UN-Arab League peace envoy to Syria and former Algerian Foreign Minister Lakhdar Brahimi and former US President Jimmy Carter, was briefed by US Secretary of State John Kerry about his plans to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. The Elders also met President Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice and US policy experts, including at the Brookings Institution. In London, they met British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Jane Goodall Fights For Human Responsibility
“It’s as though we’re on a bus rushing towards a brick wall, but we’re arguing about which is the best seat,” says conservationist Jane Goodall quoting environmental activist David Suzuki.
Speaking about the moral and ethical responsibilities humans have with regards to the climate and environment, Goodall says, “Climate change absolutely is related to the choices we make and there’s no question but that we humans have had an enormous impact on the gradual heating up of the planet, which has escalated in the past decades. The melting of the ice at the poles is shocking. The glaciers disappearing is terrifying. The droughts getting worse and the flooding, it’s a very frightening sort of a world.”
But this world, in Goodall’s perspective, is a web of life, completely interrelated. The climate affects the environment, which affects the species within it, and the loss of a single species has ripple effects that aren’t always obvious. That is why when she works toward bringing an endangered species back to healthy numbers she also works on conserving its natural habitat. After all, she says, you don’t bring back a species to live in a zoo.
More: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/10540-jane-goodall-fights-for-human-responsibility
NBA Star Wins Korbel Celebrity Charity Champagne Spray-Off
During the ultimate celebrity face-off – the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship – players dropped their clubs to show off their celebratory skills in the seventh-annual “Korbel Celebrity Spray-Off,” held July 18th.
Miami Heat forward and recent NBA Finals Champion Shane Battier pops the cork to win the seventh annual Korbel Celebrity Spray-Off
This year’s winner, Shane Battier, hit it out of the park with the greatest cork distance, receiving $5,000 from the Korbel Toast Life Foundation for the charity of his choice.
More: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/10539-nba-star-wins-korbel-celebrity-charity-champagne-spray-off
Stars Celebrate ESPY Awards And Give Back At Gift Lounge
GBK, the luxury lifestyle gift lounge and special events company, honored the 2013 ESPY Awards’ Nominees and other special guests with their GBK Pre-Awards Lounge, hosted at the Andaz Hotel on July 16th.
GBK’s guests had the opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled day of excellent music, food, poker tournament, charity fundraising and memorable gifts.
Attendees included: Trey Burke (Utah Jazz- Point Guard Nominated for ESPY 2013 Best Male College Athlete), Kyla Ross (2012 Olympic Gold Medalist- Gymnastics Team Nominated for ESPY 2013 Best Team: US Women’s Gymnastics), James Ihedigbo (Baltimore Ravens -Team Nominated for ESPY 2013 Best Team), Aldon Smith (San Francisco 49ers), Cortez Allen (Pittsburgh Steelers), Datone Jones (Green Bay Packers), DeMarre Carroll (Utah Jazz), David Anders (ABC’s “Once Upon A Time”), Eric Shanteau (2012 Olympic Gold Medalist -Men’s Swimming (4×100m Medley), Gilbert Arenas (Dallas Mavericks), Heather McDonald (E!‘s “Chelsea Lately” & “After Lately”), Kim Glass (US Women’s Volleyball Player), Lindsey Berg (Women’s Volleyball 3 time Olympian with 2 Silver Medals), Marcedes Lewis (Jacksonville Jaguars), McKinley Freeman (VH1’s “Hit the Floor”), Mekhi Phifer (Actor), Sean Patrick Flanery (Showtime’s Dexter), Steven Bauer (Showtime’s “Ray Donovan”), Terrell Owens (American Football Wide Receiver), Terrell Thomas (New York Giants), and many more!
More: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/10538-stars-celebrate-espy-awards-and-give-back-at-gift-lounge
Spotlight: Phoenix House's Celebrity Supporters
Since 1967, Phoenix House has been putting men, women and teens on the road to recovery. The largest non-profit alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention facility in the nation, each day they treat more than 5,000 persons in nearly 100 residential and outpatient programs throughout nine states.
Read more about Phoenix House's work and celebrity supporters.Vine V’s Instagram
The NHS volunteer army
There are 3 million volunteers in the health and social care sector, who play an indispensable role in sustaining the system
"If we can't support a volunteering culture based on goodwill and altruism, then we can't support the NHS." That was the view of Dr Michael Dixon, Chair of NHS Alliance speaking at a recent King's Fund conference on volunteering in health. Many delegates shared the view that the NHS would struggle to survive without harnessing the power of communities more effectively, suggesting that we won't have an NHS unless we change our relationship with it.
Volunteering was seen as a barometer for the goodwill on which the NHS depends. The King's Fund's recent report estimated that there are around 3 million volunteers in the health and social care sector, the same number as the combined NHS and social care paid workforce. This includes people who volunteer in the NHS and those who are supported by the voluntary sector. One of the report's conclusions was that the role played by this large group of people needs to be better understood, managed and resourced.
Through a wide range of activities, local people make a powerful but under-acknowledged contribution to health and social care Their efforts help to improve patient experience and extend the reach of health services into diverse communities. Volunteers play a particularly important role in taking health "upstream", preventing ill health. Volunteers working in the community are well-placed to identify simple, practical solutions that enable people to stay healthy or recover from ill health, although as we heard at the conference, these are often undervalued compared to clinical solutions.
A good example was Altogether Better, a charity that supports 18,000 volunteer community health champions, who in turn support 100,000 people to live healthier lives.
Alyson McGregor, director of Altogether Better, highlighted the benefits that of volunteers get from volunteering, such as increasing skills and confidence and helping people to return to the workplace. For example, in Sheffield, 40% of 300 volunteer community health champions have now found paid employment. This is volunteering on a large scale, but we also heard from a number of smaller organisations such as East Lancashire Women's Centres, a winner of this year's GSK Impact Awards for health charities, who highlighted the important role that volunteers can play in co-ordinating services provided by multiple agencies and giving individual service users a more integrated experience of care.
Another important message from the conference was the need to be intentional and transparent about the use of volunteers. This is particularly pertinent when looking at the boundaries between volunteers and staff roles and ensuring that volunteers do not substitute for paid staff in inappropriate ways. The idea that voluntary or volunteering did not mean "free" was also addressed: delegates argued that commissioners would need to accept that effective community participation and partnership working requires proper resourcing.
So whose responsibility is it to take all of this forward?
The conference panel included senior representatives from NHS England, Public Health England and the Department of Health. Participants felt that these national organisations have a key role to play in creating an enabling environment in which the full value of volunteering can be realised. However, there was also acknowledgment that much of the work needs to take place at a local level. Some suggested that a cultural change is under way, with professionals increasingly seeing volunteering as a high-value activity and an indispensable part of the health and social care system. As one participant commented: "Volunteering is not just the icing on the cake; it is the fruit within the cake."
The King's Fund's power of volunteering conference was supported by the Department of Health's Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund . To learn more click here.
This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the voluntary sector network, click here.
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