HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
It's not as hard to change the
world as we might think. Even the smallest gift can change
a child's life forever, and one person's vision can multiply
and become a movement. We've learned this from our wonderful
supporters, many of whom happen to be kids.
If you don't know where to start, here are some simple steps:
• LOOK AT WHAT MOVES YOUR HEART (for
example, hungry kids, victims of a particular disaster, kids
living on the streets, vaccinations and health care, etc.)
• DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING
• DREAM BIG
• SHARE YOUR VISION WITH OTHERS
• DO SOMETHING
Here are some stories from people who
have shown us how it's done.
Thank you, world changers; you're our
heroes!
“Help Feed the Kids Car Wash”
Stephanie Nobuo chose child hunger as her social issue for her government class. Stephanie, a senior from Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, CA, wanted to make a difference, so she organized a car wash to raise funds for Children’s Hunger Relief Fund to help hungry kids.
“I decided to do child hunger because I strongly believe that no kid should go on in life starving. … no child should starve no matter what the circumstance,” said Stephanie.
The car wash took place the weekend of April 12 and 13, 2008. “It was really fun because not only did I get help from my family, but also my friends. And the customers that I had were really nice and they said it was a good thing what I’m doing,” said Stephanie about the event.
Because of Stephanie’s desire to make a difference in the lives of others, she was able to raise $200 to go towards feeding hungry children around the world.
Celebrate a Birthday, Save Lives!
By C.J. Doner
This time when my birthday came around I really wanted to help others. After visiting Africa this past summer I decided to fundraise for my favourite CHRF Project in Africa.
The project is run by an incredible man who goes by the name of Reverend Emma. He and his staff of locals and a few volunteers from Europe run a full time Orphanage, School and AID's Clinic in Kampala, Uganda The kids' stories touched me very much and the children themselves were incredible people! But most of all I appreciated the diligence and perseverance of all of the staff. I respect them very much for how much they give to others and I wanted to help them by giving them some much-needed finances.
So for my 18th birthday I asked my friends and their families to donate money to the cause instead of buying me presents. My goal was to raise $1,800 and through everyone’s generosity I raised $3,600. Double what I had hoped for! By having the party at my house we saved money and everyone had a great time.
Thanks to everybody's generosity I had the best birthday of my life.
Charity Education 101
A few years ago, just prior to Christmas, Sharon Swanson read a newspaper article that told the story of an anonymous person who gave a well-known charity its yearly gold coin, which got her to thinking about giving to a charity.
Sharon, an English teacher at Niles West High School in Skokie, Illinois was inspired by this article and started a project to enlighten her students about the importance of charities. She collected several brochures from charities and had her students pick one to research and write about. If they found their charity to be unreliable, either from a financial or ideological standpoint, they could select a different one.
Each student had to use at least three additional sources, besides the charity’s website, when researching and they had to do an interview. At the end of the assignment, the class voted on which charity would benefit from their donation.
“I discovered this process to be an ideal way for me, too, to make my yearly charitable donation,” Sharon said. “So I told my class(es) that whatever they collected, I would match.”
This year, Children’s Hunger Relief Fund was the recipient of their project, thanks to the research of Rida Aslam.
When asked how Rida choose our charity, she replied, “I was just browsing charities on Charitable Choices (www.charitablechoices.org) and saw a tab for hunger, housing, disabilities. Once I clicked on Children’s Hunger Relief Fund, I read the introductory information the website provided, and I went to the actual website of the charity to browse around.
“When I saw all the different kinds of projects and how much of its donations it gave to its source, I decided that this will be my charity. I was really happy once everyone voted for my charity.”
Thanks to Sharon, Rida and their class, $225 was raised for Children’s Hunger Relief Fund, and the class was introduced to philanthropy and how their compassion can benefit the less fortunate.
Dance Away World Hunger
Cans for Charity helps the world community through small, project-by-project fundraisers based on the redemption of refundable containers. By collecting recyclable cans and bottles and properly disposing of them, Cans for Charity raises funds to make a difference in other charitable endeavors.
In a collaborative effort with the Concord Youth Civic Leadership in Concord, Massachusetts, Cans for Charity presented a check to Children’s Hunger Relief Fund for $2,000.
The Community Youth Alliance, along with the Concord Youth Civic Leadership organized a dance fundraiser called "Dance Away World Hunger." The dance was held on June 2, 2007 at Hunt’s Gym for 7th and 8th graders from four middle schools in the Concord/Carlisle area.
While the youths had fun, they were also raising awareness to the desperate situation in Darfur, Sudan. The dance raised $1,000. Cans for Charity matched their donation which increased the total gift to CHRF to $2,000.
Thanks to The Community Youth Alliance, Concord Youth Civic Leadership and Cans for Charity, enough was raised to provide food for about 29 families in Darfur for a month, along with cooking kits and temporary shelter.
Like Father, Like Son
"My dad is my inspiration," says
C.J. Doner "I've been
put in this place by God and given the opportunity to
help people."
Many parents have a profound effect on
their children, as is clearly evident with 16-year-old
C.J., a junior at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa
Rosa, California. Following in the footsteps of his
father, Colonel Doner, CEO of Children's Hunger Relief
Fund (CHRF), C.J. has the desire to help others in need.
While attending
Bible study one day, C.J. had the vision of turning his
first thought of a barbecue celebrating summer into a
fundraiser with voluntary donations - a
party with a purpose. Upon visiting CHRF's website, www.chrf.org ,
C.J. decided his cause would be 'Wells for Ethiopia.'
At the barbecue, C.J. related to 20 of his friends and
their families disheartening stories of the drought-stricken
Ethiopia - People drinking contaminated water and dying;
others walking considerable distances to bring water
home. Many of the attendees were unaware of the difficulties
occurring in Ethiopia.
C.J. had expectations
of raising about $100, but as the day progressed that
quickly changed. Adults became caught up in the event.
One donated $100, prompting another to pledge $200 and
a third $300. By the end of the evening, C.J.'s event
had raised $1580 - enough
to build a well to supply clean drinking water for a
village of up to 1,000 people.
After graduating high school,
C.J. plans to go to Africa to help firsthand. His dreams
are to work in distribution and supplies or at one
of the Samaritan Centers for homeless children.
After his
first visit to Africa, C.J. explained, "It hit
me that this was reality. I know there's suffering all
over the world, but Africa is just tormented by so
much. It seems to be a great place to start helping.
Father's Day Recital Raises over $900
 |
Participants of the recital -
Bottom Row L-R: Chukwu Iheke, Richard Nguyen, Erick
Balde, Andrea Cruz, Donald Pan, Kirstiana Bandong,
Michelle Valdovinos, Jackie Nguyen. Top Row L-R:
Gregory de Leon, David Delaney, Ravi Sankaran, Kim
Hinkley, Faith Iheke, Serena Sanders. Not Pictured:
Sierra La Mar, Akshay Mahajan, Pranav Lodha, Roshan
Lodha, Kavitha Hari, Anuj Desai
|
The piano students
of Kim Hinkley performed a Summer Recital on Father'sDay,
June 18, 2006 to benefit Children's Hunger Relief Fund.
The recital, held at All Saint's Catholic Church in Hayward,
California featured students from age 7 to "grown
up" playing a variety of styles,
from Chopin to "Star Wars."
This celebration
of music was an effort to make a difference in the
lives of hungry children all around the world. Their goal
of reaching $500 in donations was surpassed when they raised
over $950.
Thanks to Kim and her students for sharing
their evening of entertainment to help benefit the hungry
children of the world.
Kids in Redding, CA Raise almost $17,000
for Tsunami Victims! can do big things through you no matter
how old you are. When the 4 th, 5 th and 6 th graders
heard about the suffering of the Tsunami victims, they
decided to do something about it.
And boy did they! They shared their vision with the church
and got everybody into the act. They even had a contest
as to who could raise the most money. The 4 th graders
won but everybody ended up winners because they raised
over $16,000!!!
Wow! We think you guys are AWESOME! And so do the kids
and their families that you helped in Sri Lanka and India
.
Thanks, Holly, for your inspirational leadership, and
thank you 4 th, 5 th and 6 th graders at Little Country
Church for making such a BIG difference in the lives of
thousands of people. You're all world changers!
Tyler, who is in 5th grade, and his brother, Cole,
who is in 4th grade, spent two whole days doing chores
around the house to earn money from their parents for
tsunami relief. Together they raised $50.
Marissa,
who is in 4th grade, had received a ten dollar
bill for her 9th birthday. She gave it all to
the Tsunami Relief Fund.
Courtney is in 4th grade and raised a little over
$60 by going around her neighborhood with a shoebox
she decorated and asking for donations for the victims
of the tsunami. She raised the most money out of all
the kids in Jr. Church.
Sonoma Valley Chorale
Sings for the Children
The
Sonoma Valley Chorale dedicated their March concert
series, "Opera! As You Like It," to
the Tsunami victims. Thanks to the concerts' generous
attendees and members, they raised over $1,700! The performances
also received rave reviews.
The Chorale
has a 32-year history of charitable giving. "We
feel a real responsibility to try to make a difference.
Our music is a powerful vehicle for communicating love
and positive energy to our audiences, and it makes us
very proud to know that we can also reach out and touch
others outside of our audiences, when they need our help," said
Jim Griewe, Music Director.
Thank you, Sonoma Valley Chorale, for making such beautiful
music and sharing your generous hearts with the children
of the Tsunami!
Find out more about
the Chorale and their current programs at www.sonomavalleychorale.org .
Thanks Alex
Alex, a junior high
student in Michigan, saw a news program about people
suffering because of the war in Darfur, Sudan -- and
wanted to help. She collected money from
friends, family, and local businesses to contribute to
CHRF relief efforts.
Maya's Book Project Is Changing Lives in Uganda !
"I love helping other
people be happier with their lives,
so I was more than happy to
hear that the orphanage in Uganda that I contacted
through Children's Hunger Relief Fund would love to
receive books that my friends and family and I donated
in honor of my Bat Mitzvah. It is a tradition in Judaism
to do an act of good will or charity in honor of the
person's coming of age. I will continue to send books
to Uganda, as I have so many to offer!"
"I'm glad that
the bishop and the orphanage are enjoying my monthly
shipments of books."
Maya (14) lives in Geneva, Switzerland . Every month,
she sends a shipment of books to Charis Center, one
of our sponsored orphanages in Uganda . This is a wonderful,
life-changing gift for the children there, who normally
would not have access to such wonderful materials. Maya,
your good will and charity are reaching hundreds of children
and opening up new worlds to them through your books!
They are also very encouraged to know that a girl in
Switzerland is thinking of them every month. Thank you!
Bishop Obokech at the Charis Center in Uganda wrote
this letter to Maya's mom, Helena.
Dear Helena,
The latest shipment of books arrived two days ago
and I must say thanks to Maya and you all for the shipment.
The books so far received are now in a library for
the children. We were motivated to set up the library
because of Maya's commitment to send the books on a
regular basis. We also made some collections of books
and put them in the library.
Your
daughter, Maya, must be a brilliant compassionate
young girl. I have shared with all the children at
the Center and the staff about Maya's contributions
and my appointing her as the Center's Ambassador
to Switzerland and the neighboring countries.
Of late,
I have been thinking of selling an idea to Maya.
Would Maya consider coming to Uganda with
her friends to visit her friends here at the Center?
I can picture a great impact it would have on the children
here and on her team. And you never know what would
develop thereafter.
May
I once again thank you for encouraging Maya. Please
give our love to her.
+John
Bristol Group From the Heart Holds
Benefit for the Children of Darfur
Kim Power and a group called From the Heart in
Bristol, England coordinated a Halloween Party to raise
funds for suffering children in Darfur, Sudan . They
had a bonfire, pumpkin making and musical entertainment
featuring local performers. The Physical Jerks (their
real name!) and others performed dance acts.
The event was a huge success and raised over $1,200!
The kids and their families had a great time while making
a real difference in the lives of the smallest victims
of the Darfur tragedy.
Thanks, Kim, and the From the Heart group for sharing
your compassionate vision with your community and making
an even bigger difference for the Darfuri children.
When's your next party?
Marion, Owner of Zone Hampton Gym, and Her Dedicated
Spinners Raised Over $11,000 for Tsunami Relief!
In
response to the tsunami disaster, Marion and her spin
class in the Hamptons, NY held an extended two hour spinning
session. In case you don't know, "spinning" is
a low-impact aerobic workout on high performance stationary
bikes. A one hour session can leave you pretty tired.
So, a two hour spin-a-thon took some dedicated perseverance!
Everyone walked (or limped!) away from the event feeling
good about pushing themselves physically because all
of the money raised went to help victims of the tsunami.
On behalf of the children: Thank you, Hampton spinners!
Kindergarten Class at Ingleside Elementary in Athens, , TN Raise $1,373 for Tsunami Relief!
The kindergarten class at Ingleside Elementary School
in Athens, TN decided to give up their ice cream money
to help the children of the tsunami. But they didn't
stop there! They put other money in jars and asked other
people in town to help. Everybody pitched in.
Wow. Thank you, kids of Ingleside, for caring about
other kids thousands of miles away and being willing
to do something about it -- even giving up your ice cream
treats! Plus you got other people involved too! You are
an inspiration to all of us!
Droege's ATA Black Belt Academy raises support for Tsunami
Victims
Olivia and Erika, students of Droege's ATA Black Belt
Academy, raised support for the Tsunami victims by selling
baked goods. The sisters helped their mom bake the goods
and took care of the selling too.
Todd, a 7 th degree Taekwondo black belt, and his wife
Susan, Facility Director, have children of all ages involved
in their program and are especially proud of students
such as Olivia and Erika for having great leadership
skills and empathy toward others at such a young stage
in their lives.
Activity Department of Tanglewood Manor in NY raises
support for Tsunami Victims through selling Balloon Bouquets.
Tanglewood Manor and
Memory Gardens Activities Department raised money for
children affected by the devastating Tsunami. The department
took preorders from family and staff on the bouquets
at $5 each. The balloon bouquets consisted of four Valentine
themed balloons tied to a weight. The activities department
made more than 40 bouquets with all proceeds going to
Children's Hunger Relief Fund to help children recover
from the Tsunami Disaster.
