Students for a Cause: Texas A&M supports wildfire relief

Written by Marketing Intern Candace Nixon

Wildfires have been blazing through Texas this year destroying thousands of homes and taking many lives. The loss suffered by Texans everywhere has been catastrophic.  The fires have demolished farmer’s crops, engulfed entire towns, and left residents feeling powerless.

Texas A&M is probably best known for its strong sense of Aggie tradition and active student involvement.  One of the common traditions includes the “Maroon Out” game, where all Aggie fans wear maroon, virtually transforming their stadium.  This idea has crossed over a few times in Aggie history in order to show support to other cause. 

Only 10 days after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Aggies showed their support by designing and wearing red, white and blue “Standing for America” shirts to their September 22 football game.  This sounds like a feat any student body could handle, but the Aggies took it a step further. Not only did they quickly coordinate the shirt design and sales, but also perfectly coordinated these colors to the three different decks of their nationally famous football stadium, Kyle Field.  Approximately $180,000 was raised for the New York Fire and Police relief funds.

A&M altered this tradition again to support wildfire relief on their October 15, 2011 football game with “towel-out, white-out”.  The Aggie fans wore white and waved maroon towels throughout the game.  PepsiCo donated 10,000 towels to be sold with the proceeds donated to the American Red Cross of Texas and the Texas Volunteer Firefighters.   The event raised over $30,000.

To learn more about what you can do to support the wildfire relief, visit http://txwildfirerelief.org/

Wilton School Kids Give Back to the Community

Written by Marketing Intern Victoria Hanson

Learning from a young age to appreciate those around you and to appreciate what you have is very important.  Giving back to those you benefit from is equally important.

For the kids at Wilton Schools in Connecticut, they understand the importance of their school teachers, and what the community offers.  In response, they wanted to give back and strengthen their community.  Through establishing Bottle Up! for Wilton Schools, students gather recyclables, take them to a recycling plant and donate the proceeds.

As superintendent Dr. Gary Richards says, “These six students had a vision for their project and they worked had to make their vision a reality.  Their commitment speaks to their concern for our world and a belief in the importance of giving back to their community.  At a very early age, they have learned about the value of protecting our environment while also supporting our schools.

Students gather bottles, cans, and other recyclables all year long through the Wilton Go Green Festival and other events.  They learn about helping our planet, about giving back, about volunteering and about managing a bank account to store the collected money throughout the year.

The next step for these students was making presentations to other community organizations in hopes of expanding their cause.  Successfully, the Wilton Education Foundation has adopted the fundraiser and is working with administrators in establishing the program through Wilton’s others schools.  

Although Wilton school kids value volunteer work, and got involved early on, their message can benefit anyone:  Giving back not only strengthens the community, but benefits its members as well.  

Justin Bieber Gives Back through Christmas Album

 Written by Marketing Intern Alejandra Quinones

Justin Bieber’s latest album will be a first. Not only is it his first Christmas album, but it will be one of the first albums that Universal (Music) will allow to give back to charity. The album will be released on November 1st and will benefit two of the musicians favorite charities Pencils for Promise and The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

 The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. Children up to the age of 18 qualify, and the organization is devoted to granting these wishes no matter how outlandish they are. Not only has the pop-sensation donated money, he has also granted some wishes by visiting patients.

 Pencils for Promise is a non-profit organization devoted to building schools for under privileged children in developing countries. They do this by visiting communities that want to have schools, because when a community wants the education, they will sustain it for generations to come. After finding such communities, the organization gives them the materials to build a school and what they need to sustain it. Pencils for Promise wants to “put a pencil in the hand of every child” to empower them to leave a positive mark on the world. As Bieber would say, it’s an organization that “never says never.”

 Aside from the fact that the album gives back, it features some of Biebers favorite musicians. “I love Boyz II Men’s Christmas album, I love Mariah Carey’s Christmas album, and luckily enough, I got them both on my album. I wanted to make a Christmas album that everyone would remember. Those are albums that people remember, so to have them be able to collaborate with me was incredible” said Bieber in a recent interview done by MTV.

Halloween Festivities Give Back

Written by Marketing Intern Victoria Hanson

With Halloween quickly approaching, what better way to celebrate than by giving back?  With an array of ways to be charitable this holiday season, there is something for everyone.  From a virtual costume party, to trick-or-treating for a cause, each aspect of Halloween can benefit those in need.

When purchasing a costume, proceeds from transactions at the Goodwill or Salvation Army will directly support community programs.  Once you have a customer, you can attend a virtual costume party.  At UNICEF’s virtual costume party, a person can donate to UNICEF by posting pictures of their costume to the UNICEF site and sharing it on social networks.    

Once a costume is chosen and it is time for trick-or-treating, remember to gather candy for yourself and for others.  Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF was started over sixty years ago and helps children around the globe through participants collecting coins for the cause.  Through the small orange box, children can both trick-or-treat for themselves and trick-or-treat for children throughout the world.  Not only can children collect coins, but the charitable box contains a Microsoft Tag where donations can be made through a smart phone.  If collecting money is not your niche, collecting glasses works as  well.  OneSight, an organization for the visually impaired is asking trick-or-treat goers to gather prescription eyeglasses and non-prescription sunglasses to send to developing countries.  

When buying Halloween candy, there is also a way to ensure you are benefitting the community.  Buying Fair Trade Candy ensures that candy manufactures treat their workers fairly, and under just working conditions. After you have collected your candy, there are still direct ways to give back.  Operation Shoebox, sends extra candy to those oversees.  From finding a costume, to trick-or-treating, every aspect of Halloween offers ways to benefit the community.

To find products that give back year around please visit Uptown Liz.

Ready, Set, Awareness! Danica Patrick Vs. Patty Loveless for COPD Awareness

Written by Marketing Intern Alejandra Quinones

DRIVE4COPD has kicked off a high-profile social media competition led by DRIVE4COPD celebrity ambassadors, NASCAR racer Danica Patrick and Grammy Award-winning country singer, Patty Loveless. The purpose of the race is to see who can get the most people screened for risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during the two weeks leading up to the Great American Screen Off on November 4, 2011.

It is a two week social media contest where Patrick will represent NASCAR and Loveless will be the head of the Country Music Association (CMA). DRIVE4COPD is the Official Health Initiative of NASCAR and CMA is a DRIVE4COPD partner, and they are coming together as rivals to bring awareness to this fast growing disease. Using social media (Twitter, e-mails to fans, Facebook), each team will encourage fans and followers to take the screener, share it to their loved ones and educate others about COPD.

COPD is a serious lung disease that makes breathing difficult. It cannot be cured but there are treatments that can tame the symptoms. Many people aren’t aware they have COPD, but it affects an estimated 24 million Americans, killing more people in the U.S. each year than breast cancer and diabetes combined. It is the only major leading cause of death that is on the rise, but as many as half of those that are diagnosed don’t know they have it. It is recommended that people age 35+ log onto DRIVE4COPD.COM to take a five-question screener. The test will determine their risk for the disease and it is encouraged to share your results with their healthcare professional.

The competition is part of a series of activities taking place to heighten the awareness of COPD, and will culminate on November 4th, 2011, the day of the Second Annual Great American Screen Off, which is the largest single day dedicated to screening for risk and raising awareness of COPD.

Help bring awareness to this disease by racing for awareness, go to http://www.drive4copd.com/ to take the screener and support the health of everyone.

Celebrities for a Cause: Dirk Nowitzki helps sick children

Written by Marketing Intern Candace Nixon

Dirk Nowitzki, star of the Dallas Mavericks, is more than your ordinary athlete.  As the 7 ft, 245 lb power position on the team, he owns multiple Mavericks franchise records, including three-point field goals, free throws, rebounds, and points in a single game.  The star has led the Mavericks to 11 consecutive NBA playoffs including the franchise’s first championship in 2011. The list continues with his athletic awards, but what makes Dirk unique is his super-star sized heart.

Dirk is known for being softhearted.  He is featured on Ashton Kutcher’s show, Punk’d where a kid continuously badgers him throughout his dinner.  He ends up autographing a trash bag full of articles, including baseballs, wrestling belts, and a Lebron James jersey. Dirk never lost his temper, a rare occurrence for the show designed to make celebrities crack.

In October of 2001, the Dirk Nowitzki Foundation began in Austin, Texas.  Their mission is to help provide education, health and well being for children around the world.  More specifically, Dirk focuses on helping kids who are sick or terminally ill.  He visits hospitals and spends half an hour with each child who wishes to see him.  He has worked with the Make-a-Wish Foundation and is a Big Brother with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation.  He also donates $100 for each three-pointer he makes to Jonathan’s Place, an emergency shelter in Dallas.

Click any of the above links to learn more about how you can help make a difference.

Bon Jovi Gives Back through Opening a Charitable New Jersey Restaurant

Written by Marketing Intern Victoria Hanson


Bon Jovi, famous American musician, decided to open a new type of restaurant. With one in six Americans going to bed hungry every night, Bon Jovi wanted to do something about it.
         
At first, he and his wife, Dorothea Bongiovi, volunteered at a food pantry near Saint Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church. However, the couple then decided to volunteer at the Lunch Break Program that feeds about 80 to 120 people daily. 
            
When Dorothea and Bon Jovi decided to do something different, they transformed a former auto body shop into “Soul Kitchen,” a pay-what-you-can restaurant.  Their restaurant serves quality food, while protecting the dignity of the diners.
            
With no prices on the menu, a person can decided how they want to pay for their food.  A person can not only leave money in an envelope, as what they see fit, or what they can afford, but they can work for their meal.  Diners can work with nearby charitable organizations, or they can work at the restaurant by bussing tables, doing dishes or working as a sous chef. 
            
By allowing a person to exchange volunteer work for a meal, Bon Jovi and his wife not only help the community, but ensure volunteer work is reciprocated back.  Although Bon Jovi opened the restaurant, he is still dedicated to helping others. A least once a week for the past few months, he works in the restaurant, showing the importance of everyone helping the community.


For more information about Uptown Liz, a company that contributes to multiple charitable causes, please visit http://www.uptownliz.com/Home.aspx.