48 million people in the U.S. struggle with hunger 鈥� meaning they do not always have access to the food they need to live an active, healthy life. aims to get more nutritious food to more people. In this post from our听Shape the Future Blog Series, Feeding 精东影业 shares how they are working to solve hunger in our nation.

1 in 7 精东影业ns face hunger. This means that likely, someone you know may not be getting enough to eat. Your neighbors, children鈥檚 classmates or even your friends could be food insecure.听

While hunger hurts everyone, its effects can be particularly harmful to children. More than 15 million children struggle with hunger. Good nutrition, particularly in the first three years of life, is important for establishing a good foundation that has implications for a child鈥檚 future physical and mental health, academic achievement, and economic productivity. As members of society, we all pay a price for child hunger, as the health of our nation鈥檚 children and productivity impacts our entire economy.

Using Multisector Resources to Meet Basic Needs and Achieve Long-Term Food Security For More People听听听听听听听听听听

While it is Feeding 精东影业鈥檚 mission to solve hunger and feed more people, they also know that to truly solve hunger, we must address its root causes and help people achieve long-term food security. When families struggle with hunger, they often struggle to meet other basic needs as well 鈥� such as healthcare, housing and employment. Feeding 精东影业 aims to leverage their network of 200 food banks across the nation and their provision of food to provide for people holistically, by connecting them with multisector resources to help them meet their other basic needs as well. In this way, Feeding 精东影业 hopes to help people facing hunger build a pathway out of food insecurity and into a bright and stable future.听

How Can Businesses and Individuals Help?

The rates of hunger in our nation are holding steady at all-time highs. If we don鈥檛 address the issue, those numbers could rise 鈥� even if they continue to hold steady, this has detrimental implications for the future health and prosperity of our entire nation.

While there are many ways to help Feeding 精东影业, financial support 鈥� particularly donations made through workplace giving 鈥� is one of the most efficient ways you can support Feeding 精东影业鈥檚 work to solve our nation鈥檚 hunger problem.听 Here are a few examples of what your donation can help Feeding 精东影业 accomplish:

• $1 helps provide 11 meals to people in need
• 1 meal is equivalent to $0.09
• $1 helps provide 10 pounds of produce
• $1 helps provide 14 pounds of food
• $1 helps provide $23 worth of groceries (wholesale value)

Your donation will help families all across 精东影业 鈥� like Daniel and Maricruz, whose story you can watch below or :

Our thanks to Feeding 精东影业 for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work, and more ways to help them, by visiting their website at .

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In 1979, John Wayne 鈥� one of the world鈥檚 most popular movie heroes 鈥� was fighting stomach cancer. He was known for playing men who were larger than life, straight shooters who refused to run away from a fight. The real John Wayne never ran away from a fight either. And that鈥檚 how he faced cancer 鈥� head on and helping others.

John Wayne had an amazing partner in the fight for his life, the late Donald L. Morton, MD. Dr. Morton was a world-renowned pioneer in the development of immunotherapy cancer drugs. Before his death, John Wayne made it clear that he wanted his name to be used to help benefit cancer patients everywhere.听 Today, his name lives on through the groundbreaking cancer research and teaching at the Institute.听

To this day the Wayne family honors their father鈥檚 legacy with their unwavering support and generosity. They work tirelessly to encourage other generous people, including donors who give through their employer’s workplace听giving campaign, to join them to make this life saving research possible.

Here are some accomplishments made possible by our generous donors:

• Developed by Dr. Morton, the sentinel node technique was a revolutionary approach to determine if tumor cells have spread to a patient鈥檚 lymph nodes. Originally developed for patients with melanoma, this technique has been successfully adapted for breast, colon, lung and other solid tumor cancers. It has resulted in a dramatic reduction in pain and suffering and eliminates more than $3.5 billion in unnecessary surgical procedures annually.
• Dr. Morton pioneered today鈥檚 cancer immunotherapy drugs and the Institute continues to advance this work to create future cures. Recently the FDA approved two of these amazing immunotherapies that are saving lives today.
• The John Wayne Cancer Institute houses a unique 鈥渘ational treasure;鈥� . This incredible repository provides opportunities for major breakthroughs in cancer genomics, molecular biomarkers, the discovery of novel cancer pathways, and potential therapeutic targets for chemo and immunotherapies.
• The has graduated more than 150 surgical oncologists; most have become professors, deans, or chairs at major academic institutions and health centers around the nation.

Follow to learn more about our research programs and specialties; , , , and .

Your philanthropic support is powerful. When you give to the John Wayne Cancer Institute, you make healing and health possible for millions of cancer patients worldwide. Whether you represent your company, or are an individual employee, you can pledge support through your company’s workplace giving program. For more information about how to give to the John Wayne Cancer Institute through your workplace giving program visit听/charities/john-wayne-cancer-institute

Thank you for your compassionate and generous gift.

Join 精东影业’s Charities, now through December, as we highlight different nonprofits听and share how individuals and companies can听Shape the Future of various causes through workplace giving programs.

Our thanks to听John Wayne Cancer Institute for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by . To support their efforts, please donate to John Wayne Cancer Institute听through your company’s workplace giving program.听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like John Wayne Cancer Institute,听click here.听

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Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, yet it is the only cause of death among the top 10 in 精东影业 without a way to prevent, cure, or even slow its progression. It is an irreversible degeneration of the brain that causes disruptions in memory, cognition, personality, and other functions and inevitably leads to death. More than 5 million 精东影业ns aged 65 and older are thought to have Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. This number is set to grow dramatically, as baby boomers are turning 65 at a rate of 10,000 people per day. By 2025 that number will likely be 7 million, and it will rise to nearly 14 million people living with Alzheimer鈥檚 by 2050.

The disease ravages not only the physical and emotional health of the patient, but it can have a devastating toll on families and caregivers. The very nature of the disease, with behavioral changes and forgetfulness as primary symptoms, places increasing burdens on caregivers, who often must provide around-the-clock care for many years. Unpaid caregivers frequently experience high levels of emotional stress and depression, and commonly report a negative impact on their own health, employment, income, and financial security.

The economic cost to society as a whole can be just as devastating, as total payments for health care, long-term care, and hospice for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias are projected to increase from an estimated $214 billion in 2014 to $1.2 trillion in 2050 (in current dollars). This dramatic rise includes a 500% increase in combined Medicare and Medicaid spending.

, with discovery, early-stage research at its core, is critical to funding the innovative ideas of researchers at the beginning of their career who are gathering preliminary data that one day may be the focus of large federal funding. In other words, without major support of early-stage research, a breakthrough is almost impossible to occur.

鈥淲e are proud to support groundbreaking research. The scientists we fund are paving the way to a cure,鈥� said Dr. Guy Eakin, Vice President of Scientific Affairs.

Through the efforts of researchers worldwide we have come to a better understanding of this devastating disease, and Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease Research is committed to funding groundbreaking scientific research that may lead to a cure that can impact millions of people.

We have invested more than $93 million in support of the most promising new ideas in the field of Alzheimer鈥檚 research. This is a huge success when our average individual donation is only $29. With every donation we receive, whatever the amount, we are able to continue the fight to find a cure for this devastating disease.

Our thanks to听Alzheimer’s Disease Research for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by visiting their website at听.听To support their efforts, please donate to Alzheimer’s Disease Research听through your company’s workplace giving program听(CFC #30518 if you’re a Federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign).听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like Alzheimer’s Disease Research,听click here.听

The post The National Cost of Alzheimer鈥檚 is Projected to Reach $1.2 Trillion by 2050, But We Can Change This. appeared first on 精东影业's Charities.

Join 精东影业’s Charities, now through December, as we highlight different nonprofits听and share how individuals and companies can听Shape the Future of various causes through workplace giving programs.

Since 1971, the has worked diligently to shape a better future for the country by fighting hate and bigotry and seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.

The nonprofit civil rights law firm has toppled institutional racism and stamped out remnants of Jim Crow segregation; destroyed some of the nation鈥檚 most violent white supremacist groups; and protected the civil rights of children, women, the disabled, immigrants and migrant workers, the LGBT community, institutionalized persons, and many others who faced discrimination, abuse or exploitation.

More than four decades after its founding, the SPLC鈥檚 work remains as vital as ever. A look at just two SPLC initiatives demonstrates the innovative ways it continues to pursue its mission of promoting and protecting our nation鈥檚 most cherished ideals by standing up for those who have no other champions.

Defending the Poor

In the Deep South, the poorest region in the country, the SPLC is working to ensure that the impoverished, especially in marginalized minority communities, are not punished and exploited because of their economic status. Unfortunately, as more towns and cities increasingly rely on fees and fines to fund local government, indigent residents are finding that they are not only facing an economic gap 鈥� they鈥檙e facing a justice gap.

In Alabama, the SPLC has helped shut down modern-day debtors鈥� prisons that lock up people too poor to pay traffic fines and fees levied by local courts. SPLC client Harriet Cleveland paid $140 a month toward her traffic fines in Montgomery, Alabama, but $40 was going to a for-profit company overseeing the 鈥減robation鈥� of people in her situation.

She paid thousands of dollars over several years, but when she had nothing left to give, she was thrown in jail 鈥� even though the practice of jailing indigent people for debt was outlawed in this country almost 200 years ago. The SPLC secured Harriet鈥檚 release and sued the city for violating her constitutional rights. The city agreed in a settlement to stop jailing the indigent and canceled its contract with the abusive probation company.

鈥淛ust like a mirage, it disappeared,鈥� Harriet said. 鈥淪o, thank goodness for that. That鈥檚 very, very inspiring to me.鈥�

The SPLC continued its campaign to stop this exploitation of the poor, filing a lawsuit in a neighboring town engaging in the same practices with the company. It charged the company 鈥� which had contracts with about 100 Alabama towns 鈥� with violating federal racketeering laws. The town settled with the SPLC and ended its contract with the company. Warned by the SPLC that such practices are illegal, more than 70 other towns cut ties with the company, which eventually closed down its remaining offices in the state.

This campaign is just one example of the SPLC鈥檚 work to defend the rights of the poor and ensure that they are treated with fairness and dignity. It鈥檚 work that is desperately needed as more people are discovering that justice is too often tied to their bank account.

Teaching Tolerance

The SPLC鈥檚 Teaching Tolerance project is also working to ensure a better future by providing teachers with free anti-bias resources, including award-winning classroom documentaries, lesson plans and curricula as well as its magazine, Teaching Tolerance, which reaches approximately 450,000 educators.

This year, Teaching Tolerance released a new classroom documentary to educate students about the struggle for the right to vote and to inspire young people to become more civically engaged. Approximately 40,000 copies of Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot have been distributed to teachers across the country, providing them with a powerful tool during the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.

The film comes on the heels of the project鈥檚 third report examining civil rights education. That report found that coverage of the movement in U.S. classrooms remains woefully inadequate. To help improve civil rights education, Teaching Tolerance released a best practices guide designed to help teachers and school leaders ensure their lessons about the movement are robust and meaningful.

The project has also worked to help teachers prepare students for life in our increasingly diverse country by creating Perspectives for a Diverse 精东影业, a literacy curriculum designed to help teachers from kindergarten to high school ensure that classroom lessons provide perspectives that reflect this diversity.

And for more than a decade, Teaching Tolerance has helped students step out of their cliques and challenge stereotypes as part of听its National Mix It Up at Lunch Day听鈥� an event designed to foster respect among students by asking them to sit with someone new at lunch for just one day.

The October event is designed to help educators create schools where students see each other as individuals 鈥� not just members of separate groups.

These are a just a few of the ways the SPLC continues its fight for the most vulnerable members of society. Whether this mission takes the SPLC into the courts, the classroom or elsewhere, it remains devoted to creating a better future by fighting hate, teaching tolerance and seeking justice.

Our thanks to听SPLC for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by visiting their website at . To support their efforts, please donate to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) through your company’s workplace giving program听(CFC #10352 if you’re a Federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign).听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like SPLC,听click here.听

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Keeping Families Together During Times of Medical Crises

RMHC DC plays an important role in keeping families together during times of medical crises. Their cornerstone program, Ronald McDonald House庐, allows families to access top medical care for a seriously ill child, even if they have to travel long distances.听 The Houses improve the family鈥檚 coping and cohesion and the child鈥檚 recovery and outcomes.听 They allow families to concentrate on spending more time with their children and provide families with emotional and physical comfort and support.听 While their child is hospitalized at a local hospital, families may stay 6 days, 6 months or longer at the House that Love Built, at little or no cost.

Providing Access to Comprehensive Health Care Services to Children at Risk

Did you know that each year, nearly 10 million children die worldwide, mostly from preventable and treatable causes?听 But those numbers don鈥檛 have to be that high.听 They don鈥檛 have to exist at all!听 RMHC DC strives to be part of the solution by providing free health care for some of our most vulnerable children – right in their neighborhood.听 Since 2003, their KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic/Ronald McDonald Care Mobile庐 has provided more than 20,000 patient visits to children and adolescents living in underserved communities of the District of Columbia who are at risk and have poor access to comprehensive pediatric health care services.听 During the last year, they provided more than 1,750 medical visits to 900 children who live in Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8.听 They also provided more than 267 mental health and social service interventions.听听听 The mobile clinic also provides oral hygiene education, as well as primary care and immunizations, vision care, and nutrition counseling.

Working together, individuals, companies, and organizations鈥� support can help change a child鈥檚 life.听听听 Broken down into real life, it costs $175 for five flu shots, or $147 for a family to stay one night at the local Ronald McDonald Houses.听听 Because of their community of friends鈥� help over the last 35 years, families have been able to stay 175,500 nights at either of their Ronald McDonald Houses; thousands of children received free health care through their KIDS Mobile Medical Clinic/Ronald McDonald Care Mobile; and thousands of families have used their Ronald McDonald Family Room庐 (RMFR)听 at Children鈥檚 National.听 A families鈥� presence in the hospital 鈥� just steps away from their child – helps children cope better.听听 Using their RMFR potentially leads to a more positive hospital experience for the family.听

Working together, children will have a better tomorrow.听 Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington DC is grateful for the community of friends who give the gift of hope and health.听

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鈥淧artnerships between public and private sectors are powerful mechanisms to tackle questions that cannot be resolved by a single entity. This is particularly true in the biomedical field where the dizzying rate of innovation and awe-inspiring discoveries can be translated into new therapies, diagnostics and prevention strategies that have a direct impact on the wellbeing of people everywhere and of every age. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health is uniquely positioned to create and manage such partnerships 鈥� with a proven record of success and the trust of all our collaborators and partners, we can make great things happen,鈥� says Dr. Maria Freire, FNIH President and Executive Director, FNIH.

In this post from our Shape the Future Blog Series, FNIH shares how their work is helping advance the future of biomedical research.

Making Multi-Partner Projects Succeed

The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) connects with leaders in all of these sectors, which allows them to catalyze unique collaborations. 听The FNIH has created management and funding models that make multi-partner projects succeed. 听To fit the project needs, these alliances vary in size and scale, successfully generating and implementing new research models that can lower costs and accelerate the pace of biomedical research in the United States and across the world.

Advancing biomedical research can save lives by generating key information that helps diagnose, prevent and cure disease and disability. 听Indeed, it is because of such advances that we now understand that many treatments can be tailored to the needs and genetic make-up of an individual 鈥� so called 鈥減recision medicine鈥�. 听Since its inception, the FNIH has worked closely with scientists, physicians and regulators in projects that have generated new ideas, overcome obstacles and achieved groundbreaking research results that could ultimately lead to new medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, including some for uses in precision medicine. 听The current FNIH portfolio has more than 120 projects, which range from $1,000 patient-care initiatives, to training a new generation of scientists, to multi-million-dollar global research programs and clinical trials in areas such as heart and lung disease, cancer, brain research, Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, diabetes, arthritis, among others. The potential for life-saving impact on patients is enormous and demonstrates why funding for medical research must be, and must remain, a national priority.

Sufficient Funding is Imperative for Achieving the Next Great Discoveries for Health

Without sufficient funding for biomedical research and regulatory infrastructure, we cannot find the answers to basic biological questions that lead to new treatments and potential cures that halt or slow the diseases that afflict us today. 听As a society, if we are to continue progress in revolutionizing our ability to conquer diseases and disability, investing in biomedical research and bringing multiple partners听together nimbly and proactively is imperative. It is also clear that we must ensure that we have a robust pipeline of scientists and physicians to support this critical enterprise. Without this talent, we cannot hope to have the next great discoveries for health.

That鈥檚 where corporate partnerships and programs like workplace giving campaigns play an integral role. Workplace giving generates over $4 billion annually 鈥� much of which is unrestricted, sustainable support.听 Since its inception, the FNIH has raised more than $800 million in support of over 500 programs that benefit biomedical research and the mission of the National Institutes of Health. Support from employers and their employees through workplace giving programs empower FNIH and its partners to overcome obstacles and achieve groundbreaking research results, which will ultimately help save lives.

Watch:

In this PBS video, Dr. Maria Freire discusses the future of biomedical research.

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Wish kid Kellan never got the chance to know a life without disease. While healthy babies were born all over the world, Kellan had to fight for what others came to naturally: survival. His small, defenseless body was suffering from a cancerous tumor that transformed his childhood into one marked by chemotherapy, extensive treatment, and paralysis. At 3 years old, he was wheelchair-bound.

Caring people in his community offered him a chance to have anything, meet anyone, be anyone or go anywhere. And Kellan鈥檚 wish was to have a path to his backyard so that he could truly 鈥渞un鈥� around just like his siblings.

The Make-A-Wish experience exists for children like Kellan, who deserve to know a normal childhood 鈥� and for his parents, who must find other ways to celebrate his growth. It exists because we cannot stand by while the prospect of a child鈥檚 future is dimmed or, in some cases, extinguished.

But what if, as a society, we decided to turn away from Kellan? What if he woke up every day of his life watching the other children leap and fall and twist and dance, but was never able to follow? One day, he grows up. If his life is even a little less hopeful, if he doesn鈥檛 have the memory of a community inspired by his courage, if he never got to experience the basic freedom of moving without assistance around his home, then we have failed him.

One of the core Make-A-Wish values is community, because it takes the talent, time and care of so many people to serve seriously ill children. The Make-A-Wish vision is to someday be able to grant the wish of every eligible child. But as of now, there are still so many children who have yet to receive that kind of support.

鈥淲hen a child faces a serious illness, the entire family lives with constant fear, doubt and instability,鈥� says David Williams, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish 精东影业. 鈥淥ur supporters make it possible for us to help families feel like they can overcome the obstacles before them.鈥�

Over 27,000 volunteers believe in the Make-A-Wish vision and in 2014 contributed their determination to grant more than 14,200 wishes. Together, the Make-A-Wish community works toward a mission that captivates and inspires innovative volunteering initiatives. Donations at every level contribute to the special additions and flair that can transform a child鈥檚 initial wish idea into a surprising and joyful experience, from $4 a month providing a Make-A-Wish kid with a send-off party to a one-time gift of $250 enabling a family to attend a luau on a Hawaiian wish.

Together, we can acknowledge the meaningful lives of every child like Kellan through our combined imagination and creative determination. In transforming their futures, we transform our own. His father put it best when he stated, 鈥淚n a time when you see such sad news stories 鈥� we have this. A story about a little boy and a community coming together to give him independence.鈥�

Share the power of a wish. Give at work to 11375

鈥� 精东影业’s Charities (@AmerCharities)

Join 精东影业’s Charities, now through December, as we highlight different nonprofits听and share how individuals and companies can听Shape the Future of various causes through workplace giving programs. 听

Our thanks to听Make-A-Wish庐听for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by visiting their website at听.听To support their efforts, please donate to Make-A-Wish 精东影业听through your company’s workplace giving program听(CFC #11375 if you’re a Federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign).听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like Make-A-Wish,听click here.听

听

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One organization we’ve been featuring is the . 听Earlier this month, one of many cases the SPLC has been working on received a final ruling, and it is a great example of how your support through workplace giving can shape the future of people’s lives.听

Back in 2010, the SPLC filed a class action suit regarding students in Alabama who were sprayed by Birmingham police听with an aerosal weapon called Freeze + P, a mix of pepper spray and tear gas. Recently, a听federal judge in Alabama has found that the Birmingham Police Department violated the constitutional rights of students in public schools by using pepper spray to deal with minor discipline problems and by failing to听ensure that children were decontaminated afterward.

, and pledge听your support to SPLC through workplace giving to help them continue their work.听

Give at work to to fight hate, teach tolerance & seek justice. 10352 Please Retweet!

鈥� 精东影业’s Charities (@AmerCharities)

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The need for cancer prevention and early detection programs is more urgent now than ever.听 This year alone, more than 580,000 people will die from cancer.听 One-third of these cancers are preventable because they are linked to poor diet, lack of immunizations, physical activity and obesity and lifestyle choices such as smoking and over exposure to the sun.

That’s where the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s work comes in. 听The Prevent Cancer Foundation is the only nonprofit organization devoted solely to cancer prevention and early detection in the United States.听

Get to Know the Prevent Cancer Foundation:

• They have been funding science that matters for nearly 30 years – over 450 grants and fellowships so far from studies looking at links between naturally-occurring elements in the diet and cancer to research leading to advanced technologies that detect lung, breast, skin and oral cancers.

• Each year, they host a national conference focused on increasing cancer screenings.听 The 2015 conference brought together cancer screening stakeholders from 37 states, 15 精东影业n Indian/Alaska Native tribes and organizations, 2 territories, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, Japan and Israel.

• Their Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program brings together a bipartisan and bicameral group of Members of Congress and their spouses to help prevent cancer through education, awareness and outreach activities.听

• They even have an inflatable walkthrough Prevent Cancer Super Colon听that travels around the US spreading the word that colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable!

You听have the power to save lives and change the future by supporting the Prevent Cancer Foundation through workplace giving. 听If you work for the government, you can designate听the Prevent Cancer Foundation as your charity of choice in your Combined Federal Campaign.听 Look for them under Health First in the 精东影业鈥檚 Charities CFC catalog under 鈥淐鈥� for 鈥淐ancer Research and Prevention Foundation鈥� (CFC code 11074). 听If you are a company, or individual employee, you can pledge support to the Prevent Cancer Foundation through your company’s workplace giving program. 听For more information about workplace giving and how to get started, click here.

What Your Support Can Do

There are many ways your donation can help the Prevent Cancer Foundation. 听Here are a few:

• Your gift of $10 screens 1 man for prostate cancer
• Your gift of $25 screens 1 man or woman for skin cancer
• Your gift of $50 screens 1 woman for cervical cancer
• Your gift of $125 screens 1 woman for breast cancer

The Prevent Cancer Foundation’s potential to save lives depends on you.听 Your donation today is an investment in a healthier future where fewer people will have to hear the words, 鈥淵ou have cancer.鈥澨� Give generously.

Fund science that makes a difference! to CFC #11074

鈥� 精东影业’s Charities (@AmerCharities)

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Join 精东影业’s Charities, now through December, as we highlight different nonprofits听and share how individuals and companies can听Shape the Future of various causes through workplace giving programs. 听

Our thanks to the Prevent Cancer Foundation听for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by visiting their website at .听To support their efforts, please donate to the Prevent Cancer Foundation through your company’s workplace giving program听(CFC #11074 if you’re a Federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign).听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like the Prevent Cancer Foundation,听click here.听

听

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UCP stands for 听“United Cerebral Palsy,” but Cerebral Palsy isn’t the only focus of UCP’s work. They are a network of affiliated nonprofit organizations working to ensure a Life without Limits for both听children and adults with a broad range of disabilities and their families.

In this part of our Shape the Future blog series, UCP discusses their work and what kind of impact they’re having.

Tell Us More About The UCP Network.

UCP鈥檚 nearly听range from large providers like Gillette Children鈥檚 Specialty Healthcare in Minnesota, to smaller but no less impactful organizations from New England to California. Our affiliates鈥� influence can be felt as far away as Canada and Australia.

Each organization acts independently to provide the advocacy, support and services needed in their communities. Many have programs in place to address direct needs for therapy, housing, transportation, employment and family support. Many spend time advocating for public policy changes at the local, state and even national level. Many work to raise awareness of the issues facing people with disabilities and their families, and all work to secure the necessary resources to carry out UCP鈥檚 mission.

Who, Exactly, Do You Serve?

UCP is proud to serve people with a range of disabilities, their families, and by extension their communities. Sometimes, you will hear that 65% of the people served by UCP affiliates have disabilities in addition to, or other than, cerebral palsy. While percentages vary by affiliate and can change over the years, the truth is that UCP places a priority on serving people in need, regardless of diagnosis. UCP providers typically serve people with the most severe and multiple disabilities. . And, we work to raise awareness of the major issues common to many people with disabilities: access, resources, support and respect. At the local level, UCP affiliates work hard to provide the supports and services most needed in their communities. Their capacity to serve is only bound by the resources they have available.

If You Serve People with All Disabilities, Why Are You Called United Cerebral Palsy?

We are proud of our heritage.听, going back to 1949. In the 1940s, there were not many options for families of and people with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. What began as the brainstorm of a few parents of children with cerebral palsy quickly grew in to a nationwide crusade to improve the lives of people with all disabilities. From it鈥檚 inception, UCP brought issues about cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities to the forefront of the national media.

While the words 鈥淯nited Cerebral Palsy鈥� do not fully express the scope of our work, UCP has served as a trusted name for millions of people for more than 60 years. As with many iconic brands, which have grown and evolved over time, the true heart of our identity lies in the associations people make when they hear our name, not in the name itself.

Why Don鈥檛 You Just Focus on Cerebral Palsy?

. If we can advocate for a public policy that provides access to more affordable housing options for with disabilities, should we apply that policy only to people with CP? If we can encourage respect for all people, should we only try to put an end to bullying against children with CP? If we can inspire an innovator to design a device that is more accessible, should we insist that only people with CP be able to use it?听United Cerebral Palsy works hard to help individuals听overcome barriers to a Life Without Limits, and we have found that sometimes the biggest barriers of all are the ones that come with assigning labels and defining limits.

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We can all help create a life without limits for people with disabilities:

鈥� 精东影业’s Charities (@AmerCharities)

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Join 精东影业’s Charities, now through December, as we highlight different nonprofits听and share how individuals and companies can听Shape the Future of various causes through workplace giving programs. 听

Our thanks to UCP for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by visiting their website at .听To support their efforts, please donate to UCP through your company’s workplace giving program听(CFC #88763 if you’re a Federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign).听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like UCP,听click here.听

The post Creating a Life Without Limits for People With Disabilities appeared first on 精东影业's Charities.

We are all connected to a child with a life-threatening illness through six degrees or less. Whether you are impacted directly, or indirectly, these children touch our hearts with their immense bravery, strength and courage. exists to ensure that these children and their families are given that extra bit of hope, happiness and love to confront the immense challenges of living with a life-threatening illness.

27,000 Children Are Diagnosed With a Life-Threatening Illness Each Year

Each year 27,000 children between the ages of 3-18 are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Of those children who are eligible for a wish through their local wish granting organization, about half wish to visit a Central Florida attraction or theme park. Before Give Kids The World Village existed, many wishes were going unfulfilled because the planning and logistics were taking too much time.

To date, 140,000 families have fulfilled their wish at Give Kids The World Village. Last year, Give Kids The World Village served 7,474 families, and they will serve even more in 2015.

鈥淲e have an incredible vacation planning team that plans every aspect of a child鈥檚 wish to Central Florida, including transportation, attraction tickets, and accommodations in a villa at Give Kids The World Village or a partner hotel. We can proudly say that we can accommodate a wish within 24-hours, so that a child鈥檚 which to Central Florida will never go unfulfilled.鈥�

How You Can Help Create the Happiness That Inspires Hope

Give Kids The World Village is the number one destination for wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses, and each year, the number of children Give Kids The World needs to serve significantly increases.

As a 74-acre property equipped with 144 villas, entertainment venues, eateries, and much more, Give Kids The World plans to expand its Village over the next few years, by adding 24 villas so they can accommodate the rising number of children wishing to come to Central Florida. In order to complete this expansion, and continue providing the vacation of a lifetime to children who wish to visit Central Florida and experience all the magic it has to offer, Give Kids The World Village needs support from donors. Workplace giving campaigns are a wonderful way companies can help.

Every donation matters in keeping the magic alive for children living with a life-threatening illness. In addition to helping fund Give Kids The World鈥檚 expansion, here are some other ways employee donations can help Give Kids The World fulfill wishes:

• $25 can provide a family with unlimited ice cream from our infamous Ice Cream Palace. The Ice Cream Palace opens at 7:30 in the morning and serves frozen treats all day. Families can enjoy hot fudge sundaes, milkshakes and more! We provide various options, like soy-based and rice-based ice cream, so we can accommodate many different diets.
• $50 can help support our horseback riding and fishing programs. Every Wednesday and Saturday morning our families can enjoy a horseback ride around Keaton鈥檚 Korral. Families can also request fishing equipment and test out their skills in our stocked pond.
• $100 can help fund our daily entertainment parties. At the Village, each night brings another reason to celebrate. For example, every Monday, our families participate in Halloween, and every Thursday, we have our Winter Wonderland. (A certain special guest from the North Pole visits with each family.) We also host BBQ pool-parties at our wheel-chair accessible pool, a Village Idol competition, and a Pirates and Princesses Party (swashbuckling encouraged)!
• $250 can support our daily gift-giving program. While wish families are enjoying themselves at the theme parks, the GKTW Gift Giving Fairy visits each villa and leaves special gifts for the families to enjoy when they return. Many of these gifts are personalized for each child to make it that more special.
• $1,000 can help preserve the memorable, joyful, moments of a family鈥檚 special wish trip. Each family receives camera gear so that they can photograph and record their favorite memories at GKTW Village and the neighboring theme parks. Volunteers also snap photos of our families during their stay at GKTW Village. Each family is given a disc to take home so they can cherish their favorite memories forever.
• $5,000 can provide a family鈥檚 weeklong, cost-free, wish-fulfilling trip to Give Kids The World Village. A wish-fulfilling trip at GKTW Village can have a dramatic effect on a family, giving them time away from a hectic schedule of doctor鈥檚 appointments and treatments to focus on each other and strengthen family bonds to sustain them throughout their life鈥檚 journey.听

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What form of happiness will your donation make? to CFC #11874

鈥� 精东影业’s Charities (@AmerCharities)

Join 精东影业’s Charities, now through December, as we highlight different nonprofits听and share how individuals and companies can听Shape the Future of various causes through workplace giving programs. 听

Our thanks to Give Kids The World Village听for sharing their mission and impact with us. 听You can learn more about their work by visiting their website at .听To support their efforts, please donate to Give Kids The World Village听through your company’s workplace giving program听(CFC# 11874 if you’re a Federal employee participating in the Combined Federal Campaign).听

If your company would like to start a workplace giving program to support nonprofits like Give Kids The World,听click here.听

The post Keeping the Magic Alive for Children With Life-Threatening Illnesses appeared first on 精东影业's Charities.

精东影业鈥檚 future depends on our ability to train future generations to fill necessary workforce positions, and to continue innovating so that 精东影业n businesses can meet new challenges and open new sectors.听 Yet, our country is not producing enough college graduates to meet the growing demand 鈥� 16 million too few by 2025, according to the Kresge Foundation.

To understand the economic impact of this impending gap, one only needs to look to the Pew Charitable Trust, which states that each college degree completed translates into an average $1 million in increased lifetime earnings.听 Taken together, 精东影业 is facing a $16,000,000,000,000 hit to the US economy in opportunity cost 鈥� simply due to a lack of college graduates.

Why is 精东影业 not producing enough college graduates?

One major reason is cost.听 Since 1985, the cost of attending college has risen 600% – placing a college education out of reach for more and more 精东影业ns.听 听Rising costs lead to lower completion rates and fewer degrees.听 Nationally, 1 in 3 college freshmen drop out before their second year, and for first-generation college students, that number is 90% 鈥� simply due to lack of resources.

精东影业 is losing its next generation of best and brightest because they are being priced out of higher education.听 For them, the door of education 鈥� the door to a more successful future 鈥� is closing.

精东影业 is again approaching the time when college will be the purview of the elite 鈥� the exclusive club that only a few can enter, not because of talent or intelligence, but simply because only a few will be able to afford it.

Not too long ago, the doors to a college education were closed to vast segments of 精东影业n society, also due to reasons beyond ability.听 As a young lawyer, Thurgood Marshall opened the doors to a college education for anyone who was smart enough, thus creating new economic opportunities for millions of talented 精东影业ns.听 Marshall went on to open other educational doors for all 精东影业ns, and became the first African-精东影业n U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

Today, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) continues Justice Marshall鈥檚 legacy. Created in 1987 to provide scholarships for students attending 精东影业鈥檚 47 publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), TMCF has awarded over $250 million in scholarships, and programmatic support in leadership development and capacity building for our member-schools and their nearly 300,000 students.

Comprising only 3% of 精东影业鈥檚 colleges, HBCUs produce half of all black teachers and award a disproportionate amount of bachelor’s degrees in fields like biology, math and computer science.[1]听 听HBCUs are the country鈥檚 top producers of undergraduates going on to earn doctorates in science and engineering,[2] and over 80% of all students enrolled in HBCUs attend TMCF member-schools.听

While the Princeton Review states that HBCUs have environments that support retention and graduation, college costs still can be too much for individual students and their families. 听Overall, 97% of students attending TMCF member-school seeking some type of financial aid to underwrite their college education, and 70% of all students are eligible for Pell Grant for low-income families.听 Additionally, over 60% of students attending TMCF member-schools are first-generation.

Strategically targeting the needs of high-achieving, low-resource students, TMCF programs have a transformative impact.听 Despite the poor national graduation and persistence levels, TMCF Scholars have a 97% graduation rate.听 Moreover, TMCF First-Generation Scholars persist from their first to their second year of college at a rate of 85% – due to TMCF鈥檚 unique wrap-around supportive programs.

But, TMCF can only help a limited number of students.

For each TMCF scholarship recipient, there were eight other qualified students who we could not help 鈥� solely due to limited financial resources.

For each $1 in support TMCF awards, there is $10 in additional need.

Fortunately, the solution is simple.听 Each donation to TMCF, no matter how small, helps expand our ability to keep the doors of a college education open for even more students.

By , you can maximize the impact of your donation. 听For example, a $25 donation deducted automatically from each paycheck (26 pay periods) 鈥� adds up to $650 over the course of a year.听 With a matching gift from your employer, your gift of $25 per week becomes $1,300 to TMCF.听

Indeed, each $125 per paycheck donated by employees, with an employer match, translates into one one-year scholarship for a high-achieving, low-resource student.

精东影业鈥檚 future is shaped by our actions today.听 Each graduate that walks through the college education doors today with a completed degree will have a brighter tomorrow. With your Workplace Giving donation, you can help TMCF keep the doors to a college听education open for another student, helping us shape a better future for 精东影业 鈥� one student at a time.

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Your donation to = a student’s greatest chance at success

鈥� 精东影业’s Charities (@AmerCharities)

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The post Keeping Educational Doors Open to Shape a Successful Future for 精东影业 appeared first on 精东影业's Charities.