Documentary for a Cause: Invisible Children

Written by Uptown Liz Marketing Intern Nandini Kavuri

Invisible Children is a documentary that was made by three young filmmakers who travelled to Uganda to tell the story of Africa’s longest running war. This film focuses on the children who have been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and are now forced to be child soldiers.

Since the film first released in 2004, this documentary has inspired several people to get involved in the grassroots movement. The nonprofit work done by Invisible Children seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals living in conflict and post-conflict regions in Uganda. The success of Invisible Children and the movement they have created, underscores the power media has on educating and inspiring individuals to work for change. To learn more about how you can get involved visit: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/aboutic

Women for a Cause: Omega Nu supports Necessities Bag

Written by Uptown Liz Marketing Intern Nandini Kavuri

The service sorority, Omega Nu, has always prided themselves in their commitment in giving back to the community. With 12 chapters located throughout Northern California, this group of motivated, hardworking girls works to make the future a different place. The compassion these girls have is unveiling itself again at their next service fundraiser. The event is called Beach, Blanket, Bunco. The participants who come, will get to drink, eat dinner and play Bunco; but more importantly, they will get a chance to help raise money for a local charity.

The proceeds of this event go to the Necessities Bag Charity. This charity was created by a woman named Maureen Lutz who had breast cancer and had to receive a mastectomy. Through her own personal experience, she discovered a new perspective on how she should have prepared. Maureen Lutz now strives to help every other woman going through similar situations, by providing them with a bag of “necessities” free of charge. Since Maureen first started this charity, several other Necessities affiliates have been started. Check to see if there is one in your local area!

These women all started with a big goal in mind. However, with their big hearts and their dedication, they have managed to make a difference in the lives of several people.

Audition for a Cause: Oprah May Give you a Show on OWN

Written by Uptown Liz Marketing Intern Nandini Kavuri

I have always been a huge fan of Oprah. I have also always believed that I would be perfect for television. So you can only imagine my excitement when I found out that Oprah is having people audition for a once in a lifetime opportunity to be the star of their own show on the OWN Network! They are looking for individuals with the “it” factor who are comfortable being on camera.

To audition you can choose to try-out in person at an open casting call, or to send in a three-minute video of yourself. The open casting calls are available in four locations throughout the U.S. in the month of June. To submit a video, all you have to do is record, edit, and upload your passion. The deadline for the video submission is June 26, 2010. The categories that participants are eligible to audition or include Traditional Talk Show, Cooking, Interior Design or Fashion, Health & Wellbeing, or Wildcard.

Oprah has always been a big proponent of dreaming big. Well now is the time to put those words into action. Audition for your own show and it could be your big break!

Hair for a Cause: Pantene Beautiful Lengths Campaign

Written by Uptown Liz Marketing Intern Nandini Kavuri

Everyone loves a good haircut. But what is better than getting a fresh new hairstyle? Answer: donating your hair and knowing that you made a real difference in a woman’s life! Thanks to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign, men and women are encouraged to grow, cut, and donate their healthy hair. The donated hair is then used to craft beautiful, high-quality wigs for woman affected by hair loss from cancer.

Hair is such a significant part of a woman’s self image. For women battling cancer, hair loss can be very difficult. In fact, in a recent study, 60% of women said they considered hair loss the most dreaded side effect when undergoing chemotherapy. Real-hair wigs are expensive and can cost as much as $1200! The Pantene Beautiful Lengths program is committed to making women feel their best while battling cancer.

I have personally donated my hair before and I can honestly say that it is a very rewarding experience. Knowing that something I took for granted everyday, could make an impact in someone else’s life, gave me a new perspective about hair. Gaining a whole new look was just an added bonus!

There are some requirements to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Visit http://www.pantene.com/en-US/Documents/Donation_Guide.pdf and see if you can donate!

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Days 7 & 8

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

On day 7, we woke up and traveled the rest of the way back to Panama City. The boys decided to divide the vans up by gender and claimed their “man van” and then affectionately named the girl car, the “skank tank”. We were all tired of riding in vans, but not really tired of each other; the ride was a nice time of reflection with the group.

We finally made it to Panama City and got settled into a hostel. We went out to dinner that night and Adrianna gave us a quick tour of the city. There are a lot of really beautiful buildings in the city with French, Spanish, and English influences represented in the architecture.

The next morning, we woke up early so we could go see the Panama Canal, which is surprisingly narrow. I learned that a Panamanian captain must be sailing a ship for it to travel through the canal, and that it takes ships about eight hours to make it through.

After the canal tour, we said our good-byes to Adrianna and Daniel, and went to the airport. After a four-hour layover in Miami, we made it back to Houston around midnight. I found the cold weather and my Facebook, just the way I had left it.

In conclusion, I had an AWESOME trip to Panama. I really feel that the work our group did in Rio de Este will have a lasting effect on the community, and I will never forget what I learned from the Ngobe people. Please go check out Global Brigades, they are an amazing organization that is changing the lives of all their participants. Lastly, I want to encourage everyone to seize opportunities to travel and work in economic development, you will learn more than you ever thought possible.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 6

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

I woke up that morning dreaming of roosters. After breakfast, we traveled to Red Frog Island, which is a popular tourist beach. It was really cloudy, but we were hopeful that it would clear up. Our boat driver, Benson, was an American who had come to Panama for a vacation between semesters in medical school, and just never went back - at least that is what he told us.

The beach was beautiful, but it never really cleared up and by the time we started home, it was pouring rain. The boat ride back took double the time because of the weather and we all ended up soaking wet. We finally made it back to the house we were staying in and tried to wait out the rain before leaving. Eventually, we made it back to Almarante, where members of the community, and Brian, were waiting at a local store to buy some of the things on our investment list. It was very humbling to see them in the store going line by line on the investment plan, picking out equipment. It was also very encouraging to actually get to see tangible evidence of our brigade.

That night, we started our long journey back to Panama City. We made it to Davíd and stayed in the same hotel we had stayed in on the way there. I slept really well that night. In a warm, dry bed without a net.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 5

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

I swear the roosters started crowing at 5 AM, but I didn’t care because day five was my 21^st birthday! This was our last day in the community, and we were all ready to stop sleeping under nets, but sad to be leaving our new friends.

The final workshop was that morning and we had a bigger group than the first day for the marketing workshop; I guess word got out that ours was the best. During this workshop, we focused mainly on packaging and labeling. A big obstacle the community faces before they can sell the processed chocolate is finding a mold for the chocolate and figuring out what materials are best for packaging. Right now, the chocolate hardens in 4 oz. balls and is wrapped in foil, which doesn’t make for a very appealing product. With the community members in the group, we came up with a few different packaging options, including using PVC pipes to create a mold, and then a label to put on their chocolate. I was very proud of the group, because they created very good labels and used some of the skills we had taught them the day before when coming up with options.

That afternoon we had our final meetings with the community. We started by announcing how we chose to invest our $1800. Facundo, one of the Spanish-speaking members of our group, read the allotment of money; it was a very emotional moment. Everyone in the community seemed very thankful, and happy with our decision.

During the final meeting there was time allotted for “cultural exchange”. Our group sang our school song, the Aggie War Hymn, for the community, and gave them peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I don’t think they liked either, but they smiled a lot and thanked us anyway. Then members from the community performed some sort of cultural dance for us, which involved a lot of stomping and clapping; it was mesmerizing. After they finished, the same group sang me happy birthday, and it made me cry. A few of the women that had been in my marketing workshop gave me small bags as a gift for my birthday; it was very touching.

Leaving the community was hard; even though the majority of us couldn’t communicate very well, we had developed a mutual respect for one another. Many of the people asked us to return, and told us that we were always welcome in their homes. I was happy to tell them that another A&M brigade will be returning in August to Rio de Este to follow up and make sure that the business is on the right track.

After we left, we rode to Almarante, and then took a ferry to Isla Colon, where we were staying for the night with one Adrianna’s friends. That night we all had showers, which felt amazing, we went out to a nice dinner, and then went to a local bar. The bar was on a pier, and the water there was the clearest water I have ever seen. In fact you could see a sunken ship right under the pier.

At the end of the day I felt really blessed to be surrounded by friends in such a beautiful place on my birthday, and I felt very good about what we had accomplished in the village. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to celebrate.

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 4

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

I swear the rooster started crowing at 5:30 AM. Day 4 was the first day of workshops! We started the day with a workshop for the whole community. To combat the language and shyness barrier, we decided to start with a few games. I have never laughed so much playing Simon Says in my life; the people loved it. During the workshop, we had a brief introduction to what the other workshops would be about: marketing, accounting, and management, and then let the community decide individually which workshops they wanted to go to. The people seemed really responsive, excited and eager to learn.

Before the afternoon workshops started, our group learned how the cacao beans are processed into chocolate. The beans are dried in the sun for two weeks, baked in a cauldron for about 10 minutes, stripped of their coatings, put through a hand cranked grinder, and then the chocolate is left out to harden. The final product is what we in America refer to as bakers’ chocolate.

I was on the marketing team for workshops, and we had about 15 people from the community attend, which was a very good turnout. The goal of our workshop was to give the people a better understanding of how to market their product. We taught the group the 5 P’s of marketing: price, product, promotion, place, and person. They were very interactive, asking questions and participating in activities. My favorite part of the workshop was playing telephone with everyone. When you play telephone, one person thinks of a phrase and whispers it to the person next to them, the phrase eventually makes it around the group and then you find out how accurately the message was translated. We played three rounds, one in English, one in Spanish, and one in Ngobe. For the first time, it didn’t matter that we didn’t speak the same language, and the phrases of course didn’t come out the same, but it was still hilarious. We used the game to demonstrate the use of word-of-mouth promotion in marketing.

Later that afternoon, we helped the women in the community make dye that they use to color strings that they sow with. They helped us tie-dye shirts; I chose yellow, and I think the women decided to make a joke with my shirt. When they tied it, they put two ties right where the shirt falls on my chest leaving two big tie die circles; I’ll let you imagine what it wound up looking like. Needless to say, everyone had a good laugh.

That night the 18 of us had a meeting to decide how to invest the Community Investment Funds (CIF). We had $1800 to invest, and the community presented us with a list of things they felt were needed to help start their business. The meeting was difficult because we all had different ideas about how the money would be best put to use, but eventually we agreed how to divide up the money and decided to buy most of the things on the community’s list. We spent the rest towards the acquisition of their health certification.

At the end of day four, I felt really encouraged by our progress in the community. Everyone seemed really excited about things they were learning in the workshops, and I felt like I was starting to understand what life was like for the Ngobe people. We finished the day with a game of soccer, Ngobe’s vs. gringos, and surprisingly the gringos won (I think we outnumbered them 3 to 2).

Brigading For A Cause: Global Brigades Panama Day 3

Written by guest blogger Bethany Bowen

Day three started at 6:30 in the morning; I woke up to roosters crowing and the smell of rain. That morning after breakfast we started a hike to the top a hill where there were cacao fruits ready to harvest. The goal of the activity was for our group to better understand what the people in the community do, and what goes into harvesting the beans. We set off with our rain boots, bottled water, and cameras, on what we were told was a 30 minute hike; an hour and a half later we reached the top. There were times during the hike that I didn’t think I was going to make it. The rain the night before made everything extremely slippery and the altitude made it hard to breathe; I fell five times.

Once we reached the top, we separated into three groups: one to chop down the cacao fruit, one to transport the fruit and one to open the fruit and get the beans. I opted for the latter, because it sounded like the least amount of physical activity. The fruit surrounding the beans tasted amazing; it was sweet, tart, and refreshing. We put all of the beans into a bag that had to weigh 100 pounds by the time we finished. One of the ladies that was helping our group made a comment that they would have to bring us breakfast in bed the next day because we would be so sore we wouldn’t be able to get up; that was a true statement.

At the end of the hike I had come to three conclusions: these people are amazing for making this climb all the time, the view was well worth the hike, and I will never be able to eat chocolate without thinking of this moment.

By the time we returned from the hike it was time for lunch, and I was starving. After lunch, our group went to the river. There is at least one shower in the community, but I think the river is the main way villagers get clean. We put on our bathing suits and walked 15 minutes to a special spot up the river. They told us to leave our stuff and swim to another area. The water was so cold that when I started swimming it was hard to breathe, then we rounded a bend in the river and I saw the most beautiful waterfall. There was an area to walk behind the waterfall, and I can remember screaming out of sheer shock at how amazing this experience was. Some people in our group had brought shampoo and soap and all 18 of us “showered” in the waterfall while people from the community laughed at the “gringos”.

When we returned, we had a meeting with the community about what they wanted from the workshops the next couple of days. The language barrier was still hard and the people were still very shy, and at this point I was still a little frustrated about the progress we were making. During the meeting, the people decided that they wanted a marketing workshop about packaging and selling, and an accounting workshop. This was progress; we had a direction, and then we started planning.

At the end of the day, I felt like we had crammed three days worth of activities into one. I was exhausted, but really excited about the workshops the next day.

Light for a Cause: BoGo Light

Written by Uptown Liz Marketing Intern Nandini Kavuri

So many of us take for granted the light we have in our lives everyday. However, across the world there are over 2 billion people that rely solely on candles, kerosene lanterns, and single-use battery flashlights for light at night. These options are expensive, unsafe, and detrimental to the environment. In addition, they negatively impact health, education, and security. To help solve this crisis, the company, BoGo Light, has come up with an innovative solution: an eco-friendly, affordable, long-lasting, solar-powered flashlight. With every light that is purchased in the developed world, a second, identical light will be donated to the developing world. You even have to option to give both lights, if you so choose.

Having light at night is crucial for several reasons. In many developing countries when it becomes dark outside, children are unable to read and study. BoGo Light provides them an opportunity to receive a better education and a chance for an improved life. These lights also decrease the emission of greenhouse gasses which are harmful to our environment. In fact, replacing approximately 52 kerosene lanterns in the developing world with solar powered lights is equivalent to removing one vehicle from the roads in the United States. These lights lower the risk of accidental fires, are much more economical, and they provide women and families with a sense of safety and security at nighttime.

To learn more about BoGo Light visit: http://www.bogolight.com/.

Shop for a Cause: CouponChief.com

Written by guest blogger Natasha Raju

Ever feel like you spend your entire day on the Internet? Clicking away mindlessly through your favorite shopping sites. Now imagine if every time you were on the internet, you were helping supporting a cause with just a click!

CouponChief.com, an online coupon resource that helps shoppers save money with online coupons, has launched a new program called Coupons-4-Causes. The program allows shoppers to earn donations for any of their charities every time they shop using any of the Coupon Chief’s coupon codes.

It takes only 3 simple steps:
Step 1: Search for your favorite cause by name or location. If you can’t find the one you are looking for, e-mail couponchief.com and they will add it.
Step 2: Shop at your favorite sites, while saving a bundle with coupons.
Step 3: They will donate up to 20% of the purchase to your cause.

It is really THAT easy! Spread the word to your friends and colleagues so that you can help your cause earn big donations!

"We're really excited about this opportunity to give back and help out the thousands of nonprofits that are seeing declines in donations due to the economy. This allows people who might not otherwise have money to give a chance to help out," says Gary Gray, co-founder of Coupon Chief.

So next time you shop online, check out Coupons-4-Causes and for more products benefiting Breast Cancer Awareness, or other philanthropic shopping ideas be sure to visit Uptown Liz.

Designing for a Cause: San Joaquin Delta College Students Design for Habitat of Humanity

Written by guest blogger Natasha Raju

Every student in college learns the skills and techniques it takes to work in the real world, but the design students at the Interior Design Program at San Joaquin Delta College are learning what it really means to have hands-on experience.

The Interior Design professor, Mr. Ron Salto, is good friends with John Shores, who is the President of Habitat for Humanity of San Joaquin County Inc. The Habitat for Humanity is a national organization that has helped change the lives of more than 30,000 American families since being founded in San Antonio in 1978. Building more than 300,000 houses around the world and providing more than 1.5 million people with safe and affordable homes.

The Interior Design students’ involvement in the project with Habitat for Humanity include:
- Designing the interior of the homes
- Utilizing eco-friendly and sustainable materials
- Suggesting ideas for the exterior and the community itself
- Naming the subdivision project
- Create their own Interior Design Businesses, which included naming their business, considering all aspects of the designer’s positioning in the field.

On Wednesday, April 3, 2010, the students presented their ideas and Mr. Shores then critiqued the ideas and offered suggestions and insights into what might work and what would not, within the reality of the project.

Leslie Asfour, the San Joaquin Delta College Interior Design Program Director commented, 
"This is the first time that the Interior Design Program has been involved in such an extensive and significant project in our community that will not only impact the homeowners and their families, but the students, as well. They have an opportunity to use their design skills to make a real difference in their own community." She added, "This is what education is all about and what the vocational programs in a college should be teaching; it's not just about learning a trade to be successful, but also about making the community and the world a better place."

And remember, for ways to support causes and shop for your favorite products visit Uptown Liz!

Donate for a Cause: Buy A Mom A Mammogram

Written by guest blogger Natasha Raju

According to the American Cancer Society, Breast Cancer is the most common cancer among American women, and is the second leading cause of cancer death following lung cancer. Thinking about these statistics makes me wonder about the women who are unable to afford getting checked due to financial restraints.

The good news is, A Silver Lining Foundation supports underserved individuals affected with cancer who are unable to find access and treatment options. In just eight years, they have provided support to over 450,000 individuals.

They also have specific programs in which you can help support. One of them, Buy A Mom A Mammogram, which guarantees women a cost-free screening mammogram and follow-up diagnostic.

Wouldn’t it be great if every individual affected with cancer were able to receive a screening regardless of finances? The Silver Lining Foundation is taking that step, and I hope there are many more to follow.

For ways to give back through shopping, visit Uptown Liz.