Give Support
Trick or Treat for UNICEF
(800) 367-5437| unicefusa.org
While kids and families are going door-to-door on Halloween to collect candy, they can also collect funds for UNICEF. Funds donated to the 65-year-old Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF campaign will help UNICEF provide children around the world with medicine, nutrition, clean water, emergency relief and education. UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first, and ensure all kids have a safe and healthy childhood. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. For more information visit unicefusa.org/trick-or-treat. Send donations to U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 125 Maiden Lane, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038 or submit donations at Coinstar kiosks across the country.
Help Breast Cancer Survivors Row Through Recovery
(203) 610-0246| recoveryonwater.org
Join the fight against breast cancer by supporting Recovery on Water (ROW), a Chicago rowing team for survivors of breast cancer who want to take an active role in fighting back against their cancer. ROW was founded in 2008 by rowing coach Jen Gibbons, and Sue Ann Glaser, a breast cancer survivor, after new research found that exercise could dramatically decrease chances of relapse. After joining ROW, survivors show a 55 percent increase in exercise-type activity. In one year, the team’s membership has doubled to 60 women. In order to make the experience accessible for all breast cancer survivors, the team has scholarships in place. Help sponsor a breast cancer survivor’s team membership by donating online at recoveryonwater.org/donate.
Play Ping Pong and Help Babies in the NICU
(312) 334-6658 | jacksonchance.org
The Jackson Chance Foundation created the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Transportation Program to alleviate transportation expenses for families while their child is in the NICU. By providing families with parking and CTA/Metra vouchers, the foundation hopes to give families the opportunity to spend more time with their babies. The program, which is entirely funded by JCF, currently runs at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, but there are plans to partner with more hospitals in the near future. Support JCF’s cause by making a donation online at jacksonchance.org/donate; or by attending or sponsoring the foundation’s 3rd Annual Ping Pong Ball on Thursday, October 29 from 5:30 – 10 p.m. at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago. Event tickets can be purchased at jacksonchance.org/pingpongball/.
Provide a Good Meal for a Grieving Family
(847) 770-3579 | amealtoheal.org
A Meal to Heal is a non-profit organization that provides comfort and healing for those who have experienced a death in the family by sponsoring meals for them at their favorite restaurants. The meals are provided to the families in the form of restaurant gift certificates so the families can go out to dinner at their own convenience. The organization was founded by Lake Forest resident John Kelly after the death of his mother. After her death, Kelly says he had a meal with his five siblings that provided a sense of bonding and healing, and he wanted to pass along those feelings to others. Families are selected for A Meal to Heal through word of mouth in the community, reading the news or through direct contact from a family member. Provide a meal for surviving family members by making a donation online at amealtoheal.org/get-involved or sending restaurant gift certificates to PO Box 61, Lake Forest, IL, 60045.
Give Time
Wear Blue and Stomp Out Bullying
(877) 602-8559| stompoutbullying.org
October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. STOMP Out Bullying™, the leading national anti-bullying and cyber bullying organization, created Blue Shirt Day, recognized on the first Monday of every October (October 5, 2015) as a day to raise awareness around bullying prevention. Celebrities like Lea Michelle and Emma Roberts have joined the 2015 campaign and appear in the promotional videos on the organization’s website. STOMP Out Bullying™ teaches effective solutions on how to respond to bullying, provides help for those in need and at risk of suicide, and raises awareness through peer mentoring programs in schools, public service announcements by noted celebrities and social media campaigns. Help your kids raise awareness by encouraging them to contact their schools and ask about incorporating anti-bullying programs into the curriculum or by encouraging them to apply to be a STOMP Out Bullying™ Teen Ambassador on stompoutbullying.org.
Make A Difference In Your Community With Your Neighbors
USA Today and Points of Light
(800) 416-3824| makeadifferenceday.com
The largest national day of community service is Saturday, October 24. This day is known as Make A Difference Day, a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. The holiday, which is in its 24th year, is a USA Today initiative, backed by Gannett and done in collaboration with Points of Light. On this day, volunteers from across the country will come together to work on projects that will improve their local communities. When you start a project within your community and enter the project on the Make A Difference Day website to recruit volunteers, you can enter for the chance to win one of the $10,000 grants awarded by Newman’s Own. There are 14 grants awarded every year. Start a project or look for a project in your community by going to makeadifferenceday.com.
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