BELOVED SAMANTHA PARKER HAS FOOD ALLERGIES

THE STORY
Over 15 million people live with food allergies. Nearly 6 million of those affected are children, which is about 8% of that age population. Although the video above brings light to the matter, it's much more difficult for youth to find humor in their own differences.

With such staggering statistics, it is hard to believe that awareness and education fall flat when it comes to Food Allergies. For young ones living with Food Allergies, they learn from a very young age that they are not like the rest--carrying around an Epi-pen, never sharing food with anyone, checking labels, calling restaurants ahead--the list goes on. Not doing any of these things, like the rest of their normal friends, could have a tragic or even fatal consequence.

Many parents have to fight school systems to enact food policies to make sending their tot off to school a little less terrifying. Even then, the only result is implementing a separate food allergy table at lunch-time. What does that do to an already alienated child? Isolates them even more.

THE GOODNESS
In the late 80's, American Girl's brand story originated with dolls that highlighted various historical eras, but through the years their focus has shifted. While the underlying gist of Kirsten and Addy was to educate toddlers on diversity and struggle, their narratives took place in the past and were ultimately harder for a child to fully identify with. 

In the 90's, the company introduced customizable dolls. As a child growing up with cookie cutter features options, there was finally a doll that they could relate to. Whether you were the whitest white, an interesting shade of olive, or a unique dark mocha, you now didn't have to question your existence while comparing yourself to Barbie.

This holiday season, American Girl has done it again. They've introduced an array of accessories that may help kids who oftentimes feel excluded, feel validated. One accessory that is gaining a lot of attention is the Food Allergy Lunch. It includes everything that an anaphylactic child would carry; medical ID bracelet, epinepherine injector, and allergy stickers. 

 

HOW CAN I HELP?

• Understand the seriousness of Food Allergies. Some people mistakenly think that it is a diet choice, yet it is a medical condition that can result in death. Use this link list to learn more:
• Food Allergy Initiative Links
• If you are attending or hosting a party that involves food, always ask guests about food allergies. There is an abundance of blogs and sites that offer delicious, food allergy conscious recipes. Here are some great ones:
• Gluten Free Vegan Mom
• Grateful Foodie
• Conscious Eatery
• If you have a young family member or friend that has an American Doll, consider buying this accessory! Even if they aren't personally affected by Food Allergies, bullying those who do have it is an unfortunate occurrence. This gift has the potential to teach them tolerance and acceptance! 
• Like all medical conditions, there are experts and researchers hard at work trying to discover new treatments, breakthroughs, and possibly cures. In order to keep these efforts going, they rely on donations. Donate or participate in a fundraiser! Here are some great opportunities: 
•  FAAN Fundraising  

 

LEGO: HOW TO RESPOND TO FAN MAIL AND ULTIMATELY CHANGE A BOY'S LIFE

THE STORY

Awareness for Autism has made great strides in the past decade. For those not closely familiar with the challenges of the syndrome; there are many and they are complex. The good news is that there are an abundance of professionals and resources out there that help improve the lives of those affected. One such resource is playgroups that are designed to help children with developmental and social kids. It's exactly that resource that introduced 10 year old James Groccia to his very first love -- Lego.

He was hooked.

After becoming smitten with a particular Lego item, he set out on a two year journey to save enough money. Holiday money, birthday money -- all of it went straight into the Emerald Night Train Set piggie bank. 

Once James finally had his $100, his Mom was heartbroken to see that the set had been discontinued and was now at limited edition prices. 

This bump in the road may have stopped most people, but James decided to reach out with a letter to the company. In it, he explained his love of Lego, his dream of owning the train set, his discipline in making that dream a reality, and the unfortunate roadblock.

 

THE GOODNESS

This letter may have stopped at the mailbox at most companies, but two days before James' birthday, a box arrived in the mail...from LEGO. In it, a letter read:

 “The Emerald Night Train is a wonderful set, so we can understand why it is your dream to own it. I commend your willpower and patience to save money for over two years just to purchase this. We have located an Emerald Night Train for you, James, and included it in this package! I am sure you will enjoy building it and cherish your time playing with the train. Fans like you are why we are so lucky as a company. Who knows, maybe you will be working for The LEGO Group one day! You certainly have the heart and passion for our bricks to do so! Happy building, James!”

His Mom captured the pure happiness that this simple gesture by Lego provided for her son:

 

HOW CAN I HELP?

• Learn more about Autism: here
• Do you know someone with a child with Autism? Ask them if they simply need someone to talk to about the challenges. Go grab coffee with them and lend your ear!
• Raise money or donate to an organization focused on research for Autism. Here are a few:
• http://www.autism.com/
• http://www.autismspeaks.org
• http://nationalautismassociation.org/

SAVE THE CHILDREN: I'M GONNA BE YOUR FRIEND

Kabir Dhanji—Reuters

After their last cow died, a Somalian father feared his children were next.  Determined to keep his family alive, they walked for 30 days and 30 nights to make it to Dadaab, a Kenyan refugee camp that is at quadruple capacity.  When they finally crossed the border, bandits robbed them of what little they had.  When they finally arrived, 5 year old Janaw weighed in at 20 pounds, and 3 month old Muhammad was as light as a feather.  

This is just one story out of thousands that are emerging from the East Africa crisis.   In a nutshell that does no justice, a mix of drought, famine and extremist conflict have caused innocent Somalians to experience displacement, severe malnutrition and in many cases, death. (@Cnn) More specifically; endless drought is preventing  families to continue cultivating their self-sustaining farms.  With a dismal national economy, due in part to exceptional political unrest, these families have nowhere else to turn for survival.

The political unrest is a truly dark cloud that has been hanging over the country since 1991, when their central government collapsed.  Currently, extremist group Al-Shabaab, have ruthlessly waged 'jihad' on those against them; which has included the kidnapping and killing of innocent Somalian families, as well as humanitarian aids.  The group has gained control over a large part of the country, including parts of the capital.  Their rise has created a level of danger that has lead the suspension of humanitarian aid and a great exodus, just like 5 year old Junaw's, from the country.

THE GOODNESS


While many people are reaching out with good-hearted kindness to help resolve this desperate conflict, there is one specific initiative that is feel-good and noteworthy.  Save the Children's "I'm Going To Be Your Friend" campaign,  named after a line in Bob Marley's High Tide or Low Tide, has leveraged several talents to bring awareness to the crisis.  The organization has collaborated with award-winning director Kevin Macdonald to craft a short film on the situation.  This film is set to the famous Marley song and is being promoted by modern-day musicians including Lady GaGa, Rihanna, and Kanye West.  


"With over 150 global stars already signed up and more joining by the hour, the combined ttal of their fans and followers on social networks is over 700M people." Since the very first step to justice is awareness, it's hard to ignore powerful numbers like these.  Although there are things that we can't change, like the overall conflict in Somalia, there are ways we can help those who are innocent victims of such things. 

HOW CAN I HELP?

• Learn about what's going on - try BBC's Q&A or simply Google Somalia and dig around.
• Educate yourself about this specific campaign here, or on CNN, or on Mashable.
• Download the song on i-tunes here.  Just $1.29 can help supply blankets to severely malnourished children.
• Spread the word to your friends! Use your voice, Facebook, Twitter, and other Social networks to let your network know how they can help.  Just "liking" a post that is about the campaign on Bob Marley's Facebook page, or re-tweeting an influential celebrities tweet about it, like Selena Gomez's, is an easy, yet effective way to help!

http://lightbox.time.com/2011/08/12/pictures-of-the-week-august-6-august-13/#6

TOMS: ONE FOR ONE

THE STORY
It's about time that a business model appears absolutely beautiful.  5 years ago, a young Blake Mycoskie traveled to Argentina and was startled to find children with no shoes to protect their feet.  In developing countries, children must walk barefoot to school, to water, and to medical help.  Although Blake may have heard statements like this before, he finally understood what they entailed.  He was suddenly overcome with a strong desire to change grim facts like these.

THE GOODNESS
Blake put a clever and refreshing idea into action that leveraged the markup on fashion items for the sake of goodness.  He immediately created Tom's, a company that would match every purchase with a pair of new shoes for a child in need. The first wave of matching occurred later that year when Blake returned to Argentina with friends, family and staff, with 10,000 pairs of shoes in tow.

Fast forward a few years and Tom's is still rapidly growing.  Their most recent expansion involved the introduction of a sunglasses line with the intent to help Nepalese children with their vision loss.  Those interested in how the proceeds are handled can view their Giving Report in PDF or on Facebook.

We can only hope to see Tom's thrive in this way forever, as the brand will constantly contribute to improving the world for well-deserving, innocent children everywhere.

HOW CAN I HELP?

• Learn more about the Tom's One for One movement here and stay up to date with the brand on their blog.
• Host a screening party
• If its your own living room, your church, your class, or another creative space, request the Tom's documentary on their site and share it with whoever has 
• Buy a pair!
• The shoes are ridiculously comfortable and affordable at around $40+ and come in many fun colors. Click here to browse the vast selection.  
•  The sunglasses price points falls slightly higher (providing sight to a child is a bit more expensive than footwear) if you are in the market to invest in a good pair, they are very chic and durable.  They even offer a chance to try on the glasses virtually! 
• Spread the word!  
• Be on the recommend look-out!  If you overhear your friend's intent to purchase a pair of new shoes or sunglasses, suggest Tom's.  (If you want to put on an aggressive sales hat and this friend is celeb-starved, find out if one of their favorite entertainment personalities have been spotted with the brand here and casually drop the name to them.)
• Tom's includes a brand banner with purchase, encouraging buyers to snap a shot with it and upload it to their site. 
• Simply tell everyone about your own Tom's and how the purchase made you feel- if they copy you, imitation is the purest form of flattery.  
• Host a "Style your Sole" party
• Throw a party to benefit Tom's by inviting friends to come over and decorate the shoes.  All you have to do is order pre-order white shoes 2 weeks before the party (they offer 10% off if you order more than 25 shoes), collect around $44 from each guest, and provide art supplies.  *Momma Alert: This is an awesome idea for a children's party if your in the business of instilling a great, fun lesson to your kid(s)!