Run or Walk to Help Save Lives

There are quite a few charities that are close to my heart. There is one, in particular, that I strive to support each and every year, in every way I can. I participate in fundraisers, I walk/jog a 5K in the city and I donate money/products to help the team. That charity is the March of Dimes. We are a part of a family team called Team Kaydence. Kaydence is an angel baby born to Chuck's niece in 2005. She was born at 22 weeks gestational and weighed in at 1lb. and 10 3/4 inches. The doctors and nurses said that nothing could be done for her and so they put a tiny hat a dress on her, wrapped her up in blankets and allowed the family to spend time with her. She breathed on her own for 47 minutes before leaving this earth to be a butterfly. We raise funds in her memory and in honor of her younger brother, Jaxten, who was born premature and spent weeks in NICU until he could safely go home. They also have a younger brother, named Nolan, who was able to make it to full term! It is a sad story but out of it came this passion and drive to help so many other families that need our help. We are trying to help in the efforts to raise awareness, help fund research and funding to those who need it. We are helping to save babies' lives and help lessen the risk of birth defects. The team has several fundraisers but this year, I wanted to do more. I have become aware of the draw of virtual runs through a few of the groups I am in so I decided to start and host a virtual 5K in memory of Kaydence! I have setup an event on Active.com and so anyone can participate and help us save babies' lives and change millions of families across the nation. The run details can be found here. Please, consider running or walking to help us out or help spread the word so we can help as many people as possible!

Monkey Do Project



 



I came across this organization through a group I am in on Facebook.  It is called the Monkey Do Project.  This is from their site:

 

The mission of The Monkey Do Project is simple:

The Monkey Do Project works to assist the most distressed areas of the Appalachian region by feeding the entire being: physical, spiritual and emotional. We are a nonprofit project that will donate the time and items needed to meet those basic physical, emotional and spiritual needs. We strive to be an ongoing “outreach” for the Appalachian community, and help plant seeds of growth and change within the community—homes, schools, churches and businesses. 

 

This organization relies on donations from all over the country to help those that need it.  What a great thing they are doing to change lives!

 

I am always trying to teach my kids about helping others when we can.  That there are people with less than what we have and if we can help them, we will.  We make donations to several organizations and I am happy to add Monkey Do Project to that list. 

 

You can see their ongoing donation needs list here.

 

 

This holiday season, as we all struggle to get our shopping lists done and the gifts wrapped, stop for a minute to think about those that are struggling to keep warm or struggling to have basic necessities for their families. Please help, if you can.