PetSmart Spring Charity Adoption

PetSmart Charities Spring Adoption Event to Give Hope and Find Families for 14,600 Homeless Pets

Over 1,000 U.S. and Canadian PetSmart Stores and 3,400 Adoption Agencies Partner in 32-Hour Effort to Save Lives

PetSmart Charities seeks lifelong, loving homes for as many as 14,600 abandoned and homeless pets during its Spring Adoption Event. Adoptable cats and dogs will be available at every U.S. and Canadian PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) store May 2-4. Contact local stores for specific agency hours of participation.

Each customer who adopts a pet will receive a "Welcome to Pet Parenthood" guide that includes information on how to raise a healthy and happy pet and more than $240 in coupons for dog and cat products and services. Visit www.petsmart.com or call 1-877-473-8762 to find a PetSmart Charities Adoption Center near you.

About PetSmart Charities

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues, and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities has funded more than $70 million in grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations and, through its in-store pet adoption program, has helped save the lives of more than 3.3 million pets. To learn more about how PetSmart Charities is working to help find a lifelong, loving home for every pet, visit www.petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0382588.htm

I beleive this article is PR related because of the PetSmart organization being local in Hickory so it appeals to the community. Also, there are so many people who love pets and it is a great chance for the public to participate in something fun and benefiting for animals. This event will be a big success I think.

Caudwell Children's Legend Ball

Whitney Houston will be performing at the annual Caudwell Children's Legend Ball on Thursday, May 8, in London. The event will be held at the Battersea Evolution and hosted by the charity ambassador David Gest. Caudwell Children is a British non-profit which focuses on donations to special children for medical treatment, therapy, specialized equipment, and dying-wish holidays. The charity has been working towards its goals since 1999 and has made over 2,000 donations to families with disabled children.

Last year’s ball featured Tina Turner and the event raised over $2 million. In addition to Whitney Houston’s performance this year, cinema legend Jane Russell will also make an appearance, as will other celebrities such as Piper Laurie, Angie Dickenson, and Tippi Hedren. The charity’s annual ball “…has become a not-to-be missed event; a star-studded night of glitz, glamour and out-of-this-world entertainment…”

I beleive this article is PR related for a couple reasons. The first being, there will be several celebrites that will perform at this event which always increases the amount of attendees as well as makes a great article for a person in communications to review. The second reason is because there is such an emphasis on chilren's healthcare now with the St.Jude Chilren's charities and the Atlanta Children's healthcare and many others. This is a great event for the public to either participate in, donate to or to read about.


http://goodcelebrities.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/74/

The United Services Organization

For over 67 years, the USO (United Service Organizations) has served as the primary bridge between the American people and America’s Armed Forces, delivering a unique combination of morale building, counseling, and recreational services to our troops and their families all over the world.

The USO is chartered by Congress as a nonprofit, charitable corporation. However, the USO is not a part of the U.S. government. Instead, it is funded almost entirely by donations from individuals, organizations, and corporations. A full 86¢ out of every $1.00 donated to the USO is spent on the delivery of programs and services to our troops.

The USO is perhaps best known for its celebrity entertainment tours – which transport the brightest stars of Movies, Music and Sports across the globe to perform for our men and women in uniform. Beyond this, however, the USO provides a remarkable array of vital services.

Whether its helping a young soldier find her way in a foreign airport... counseling a child whose parents are both overseas... or providing a place of refuge and a chance to call home for troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Korea: the USO delivers a touch of home to military personnel and their families at a time when it’s most needed and most welcomed.

In addition to handing out prepaid phone cards, the USO supplies departing troops with Care Packages of sunscreen, toiletries, and snacks that simply aren’t available where they’re going. USO volunteers meet arriving flights across the country every day, to makes sure that returning GIs are welcomed home as heroes.

This article is definitely PR related because it is focusing on the American troops that are overseas which is a very large concern for US citizens especially during the present time. There is mention of what the organization does from different scenarios to others donations. It even mentions the celebrity performances for the troops to make them feel appreciated and more at home. Of course celebrities are important and help capture the attention of the reader, however the main focus is on helping the troops.

The Yellow Ribbon Fund

The Yellow Ribbon Fund was created in early 2005 to assist our injured sevice members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center. Our mission began when the father of an injured Marine introduced two of our volunteers to staff at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval and they told us what needs were not met by other donors.

Every day, our wounded servicemen and women return from combat, many to long-term rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital. Beginning in late 2004, over 500 individuals and businesses in the Washington Metropolitan Area donated funds to help these service members and their families. In February, 2005, we created the Yellow Ribbon Fund specifically to welcome them into our community through Yellow Ribbon Fund volunteers--friends who care.

Every day the Yellow Ribbon Fund hears of service members and their families who can use our assistance. We do our best by offering free car rentals, cab vouchers, hotel rooms, apartments, job mentoring and internship programs and free tickets to cultural and sporting events. It is the generosity of our friends and donors that makes this possible. We often hear from the families of how we have helped makes their lives easier in difficult and stressful circumstances.


This article is PR related because there is such a current emphasis on the war in Iraq. This charity assists veterans who are either homeless or less fortunate than they deserve. The war has always been a major issue because it affects the entire coutry. There are reporters in Iraq and other countries gathering information on the war for the U.S. to distribute in some form of media. The citizens of the U.S. depend on this information to perceive the situation in a foriegn country. This organization is benefiting many through caring and respectfulness.

Fall Music Festival & Celebrity Golf Classic

Please join us next year for the
22nd Annual B.R. Cohn Charity Events
Fall Music Festival & Celebrity Golf Classic
October 3rd through October 6th, 2008

B.R. COHN CHARITY EVENTS RAISES $300,000
FOR LOCAL SONOMA CHILDREN’S CHARITIES AND
NATIONAL VETERANS FOUNDATION

We are excited about this years fall music festival and are currently in the process of booking the line up. Once confirmed we will post it here along with on-sale dates and ticket prices. Tickets will be available through our website, Ticketmaster and in our tasting room. All wine club members will receive an email announcing information as it comes available and will be offered a pre-sale on VIP, Auction dinner and golf tickets to purchase. Please check back for updates.

In what has become one of the largest annual fundraisers by an individual winery in Sonoma Valley, Bruce Cohn and B.R. Cohn Charity Events distributed $300,000 to a variety of charities today during a luncheon at the B.R Cohn Winery in Glen Ellen. The proceeds were generated by the 21st Annual B.R. Cohn Charity Events Fall Music Festival and Celebrity Golf Classic. The two concerts on September 29-30, the Golf Classic on October 1, and the live auction/dinner on September 28 raised a record amount of money for both local charities and veteran’s services. In just three years, the winery has raised over $1,000,000 in donations for numerous charities.

The proceeds are earmarked for the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance, the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club Valley of the Moon, as well as the National Veterans Foundation, an organization that Bruce Cohn and the Doobie Brothers have supported since 1987.


This event is PR related for the fact that it is a celebrity golf tournament, therefore the public eye is interested in the outcome of the tournament as well as the proceeds that will be donated to the Sonoma Hospital. This event shows promise in making a difference in the lives of children.

SMX Social Charity Event sponsered by Best of the Web

"Best of the Web & IMNY Charity Bash Raises $5,000 for the Leukemia Society!"

On Monday October 15th, 2007 Best of the Web, together with the Internet Marketers of New York, hosted the first SMX Social Charity Event Blow-Out raising money and awareness for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The event was a huge success thanks to a great turn-out from the SMX Social Media Conference attendees as well as local NYC area internet marketers who made a point to come network with the influencers in our field. With more than 85 event attendees each contributing $40 to the cause and supporting an exciting raffle and prize drawing, we were able to raise a total of $5,111 that was directly contributed to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Amidst the backdrop of a beautiful fall evening in downtown New York City, the drinks were flowing, the energy was high, and the people were happy – some industry veterans even took the opportunity to show their “softer” side.

"This was our best fund raiser to date – bar none" says Brian Prince, CEO of Best of the Web. "We were able to rally the movers and shakers in the social media space to help promote awareness and attendance to this event. It was a tremendous team effort, and we thank everyone who stepped up to help us raise the stakes for such a worthy cause." Special thanks go out to Greg Niland for organizing, promoting and hosting the event, Chris "The Czar of Social Media" Winfield of 10e20 as well as to Marty Weintraub of aimClear for championing the cause in a major way – in fact, Marty’s poignant and touching post on his own battle with Stage 3B Lymphoma was the spark for the rally cry heard around the blogosphere to attend and support this worthy event. "The funds raised tonight will help the Society fulfill its mission - funding research for cures and helping patients and their families as they go through their cancer journey," said Michael Osso, Executive Director of the New York City chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

So a big thanks to all who helped organize, promote, and ultimately attended this historic event – it was a case study in using social media to increase awareness and better humanity – all in the name of having a great time with good friends and making the world a better place. At Best of the Web, we can’t wait until the next event to be held during SES New York 2008.


This event is PR related because the event was coordinated with the Internet Marketers of New York and is benefiting the Leukemia and lymphoma society. This event was publicized in the fall and included 85 attendees. The event was a great success that was concluded with raising over $5,000.


http://botw.org/helpcenter/smx_charity.aspx

Phones for Charity

There are over 800 million retired cell phones discarded in drawers, desks, and storages in the United States with over 140 million more entering the waste stream each year. Phones 4 Charity is a national program designed to remove used cell phones from the country's environment while directly benefiting charitable organizations.

Their cell phone recycling program is designed to help enable charities & organizations to raise funds when monetary donations from individuals and corporations are receding.

Phones4Charity ® corporate collection programs provide an excellent community and employee relations tool for your company. By launching a used cell phone collection campaign, your company can help the environment while benefiting a charitable cause.

I beleive this is article is PR related because it is about communication. There is a great dependency on cellular phones in our society today. It is the largest form of two-way communication other than the internet. Communication is a definite neccessity today and the eficient tools that are invented to help communicate better are essential as well. This organization helps people who are less fortunate, to have the opportunity to communicate fast and easy, with the use of a cell phone.

Bloomsday Charity

Bloomsday Charity--2008


This year the Lilac Bloomsday Association is pleased to be supporting the efforts of Cancer Patient Care, and we encourage you to do the same--when you sign up online or in a donation directly to Cancer Patient Care. Your donation will help provide social service support to cancer patients and their families in our region who have limited financial resources.

In addition, Bloomsday is pleased to present you with the opportunity to support cancer patients and their battle while honoring the battle of a love one, friend, or your own. You can purchase a top-of-the-line runner's singlet commemorating your race this year and supporting our chosen charity partner--Cancer Patient Care. Gold-colored to honor CPC's 50th anniversary, the singlet sports the Lilac Bloomsday Run logo as well as Cancer Patient Care's logo and a place to name those you are honoring on the back. Get our your sharpies--we anticipate thousands of racers will "Go for the Gold" this year. Honor loved ones who have battled cancer while helping cancer patients right here in Spokane and the Inland Northwest. This year your race and personal effort can help save someone's life!

http://www.bloomsdayrun.org/Charity.htm

This article is PR related because there is such an emphasis on cancer patient care. This article is informative of the Bloomsday Association and of the event they are hosting to help cancer patients. This gives people the opportunity to donate or to get involved with the race.

Save the Children's sponsorship-funded Literacy Program

When Emette entered first grade at his school on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, he joined Save the Children's sponsorship-funded Literacy programs at his school. These activities, both in-school and afterschool, help 7-year-old Emette improve his reading comprehension at the crucial age when such programs are most effective. When we visited Emette, he told us that his favorite subject is writing, "because it's fun." He also told us that the last book he had read was: My "R" Book. "It was about the letter 'R,'" Emette explained.

Our Literacy program focuses on children in impoverished, rural communities who are not reading at grade level. Each year since the program began in 2003, it has both expanded and improved in effectiveness. That means that more children in more schools are reading more books (160 books on average last year) and the children who regularly participate in these programs show significant improvement in reading.

Emette, who recently began second grade, is just one of the approximately 5,000 children participating in Save the Children's sponsorship-funded Literacy program throughout the United States. With the help of our sponsors, we are working every day to reach more children, because we believe that the ability to read offers children a chance to break the cycle of persistent poverty.

http://www.savethechildren.org/sponsorship/success-stories/emmettes-school-literacy-in.html


I think this article about helping in the area of education is very important from a PR perspective. Education is such a significant part of success for later in life. Some people are more educated than others and it definitely benefits those who are more educated. These kinds of programs are very effective for young readers still trying to comprehend sentence structures, spelling and other areas that need improvement. This program can help other children in need of some assistance with their reading or writing skills.

Children's Charity

Atlanta Charity Events Support Children's

Fundraising events are held throughout the year to benefit Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Among the many easy and rewarding ways to lend your support are through the ongoing fundraisers listed below. You can also help by attending a fundraising event, hosting your own event or volunteering at an event. Corporate sponsorships and event auction donations offer even more opportunities to support Children's.

Volunteers Support Children's in the Community and in Our Hospital.
Whether you are searching for a rewarding and special way to spend your time or looking for ways to renew your commitment to children, the patients and families at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta need you.

Because we believe "every child needs a friend," our volunteers are called "Friends." For the children and families who need the high-quality care Children's provides, the difference our Atlanta volunteers make is immeasurable.

http://www.choa.org/default.aspx?id=4461

I beleive that this article is an informative article of opportunities to engage in the lives of children and make a difference. The article is PR related from the standpoint of recognizing the need for helping children have better lives. The media is always searching for stories that have a siginificant impact on the audience and I beleive this article displays the importance of helping children in need as well as supporting the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta organization.

Helping after the Hurricane

Non-profit Launches TV Series to Tell Volunteer Stories of Post-Katrina Recovery
Aug 24, 2007 | 397 words , 0 images

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On August 29, 2007, TravelTelevision.org, a Montgomery County, Maryland-based non-profit corporation commemorates the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina with the launch of a television series and a website, ProjectKatrinaVolunteers.net. The television series, airing on the Dish Network and public access channels around the country will share stories of volunteers who have devoted so much time and strength to rebuilding the disaster region. The website provides a unique forum in which volunteers can share their stories and encourage others to spend time rebuilding the Gulf Coast region through discussions, videos and photographs, and blogs written by volunteers.

After the sirens were quiet, and the insurance adjusters and news crews left the area, the devastation remained throughout New Orleans and vicinity. Many people across the United States asked themselves what they could do to help, and the answer came in the way of a decision to volunteer their vacation time and provide hands-on help wherever and however they were needed. This patchwork quilt of individuals and organizations has no central location or vehicle for debriefing, planning, and sharing their stories.

I think this article is volunteer and public relations based because Hurricane Katrina was such a large natural disaster that affected everyone. This article shows the efforts of volunteers before and after Hurricane Katrina. I t also shows a website that people can go to if they wish to share their stories related to the issue.

Charity First Hand

2008 Primary Bear Charity Challenge
By Liz Carey
Wednesday January 16, 2008

Jim Kappler wants to see the charitable side of the presidential candidates — and whether or not they color inside the lines. Mr. Kappler, an Anderson resident, has asked each of the presidential candidates to take five minutes for charity.
His goal? To have them color a drawing of a teddy bear, autograph it and send it back to him. He, in turn, will auction off the political artworks on e-Bay and use the proceeds to help needy people here in the Upstate by sending the money to the Brighter Christmas Fund. He said he wants the South Carolina primary to be more than the first primary in the South. He wants it to be the “First in Generosity and Charity.” “There is something truly appealing about the mental image of a person who might become the President of the United States of America, the leader of the Free World, and the most powerful person on Earth, sitting down with a box of colors and coloring a Teddy Bear,” Mr. Kappler said in an e-mail earlier this week. “In doing this charitable act, all of the Presidential Primary candidates who participate in the 2008 Primary Bear Charity Challenge will improve the quality of life for many in Anderson County, South Carolina, regardless of the election results.”

So far, he said, he has received favorable responses from the offices of Democratic hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Republican candidate Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas.

Kimberly Fulton, state scheduler in South Carolina for Hillary Clinton’s campaign, said Mr. Kappler’s idea was the first request of its kind, to her knowledge.
“I told him that I would try to make that happen,” she said. “No one else has asked her to do anything like this, at least not in this office.”

Kassie Dulin, spokesperson for the South Carolina headquarters of the Mike Huckabee campaign, said she had received the e-mail from Mr. Kappler Sunday afternoon, and would try to find time for the candidate to break out a box of crayons.
“We get all kinds of requests in the office,” she said. “It’s always interesting to see what the day will bring.”

Both candidates are expected to be back in the area before their primaries. The Republican primary will be held Saturday. The Democratic primary is slated for Jan. 26. Mr. Kappler said this is about more than a charitable project.
“This is kind of a test of these people’s ability to lead, and their character,” he said. “If they can’t put something up on e-Bay at a moment’s notice, what would they do in a crisis situation? And if a candidate isn’t willing to take five minutes out of their day that could help someone else, what does that say about their character?”

And you thought politics was all about elephants and donkeys.

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2008/jan/16/2008-primary-bear-charity-challenge/

Values of Volunteering

Statistics roughly show how volunteering can significantly be represented as a dollar valueIn 2005 North Carolina's estimate for the hourly dollar value of a volunteer was about $15.93. The estimated dollar value of a volunteer's time was at $18.77 per hour in 2006. This estimate recognizes the individuals who dedicate their time and efforts to making a difference. This also helps the non profit organizations realize how much extra help volunteers really do contribute.

In Hickory, North Carolina the Women's Recource Center is always welcoming volunteers to be a part of the Women2Work clothing closet. The volunteers are asked to maintain the closet, assist women who are looking for professional clothing to re-enter the workforce. The skills required for this volunteering position include good communication and listening skills, light lifting and need to have sensitive needs to the clients.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/results/opp_detail.jsp?oppid=123470