Tag Archives: Charity

Chino Shoeboxes “Virtually” Change Lives

operation-christmas-childChino – Chino-area residents rallied together to pack 8,400 shoebox gifts last month for children worldwide struggling with war, disease, poverty and other difficult circumstances. Although the collection sites are closed for 2014, Chino residents can still contribute to the local collection number by packing a shoebox gift online at samaritanspurse.org.

With Operation Christmas Child’s virtual-packing tool, it is quick, easy and convenient to pack a Christmas gift for a child in one of the hardest-to-reach countries. The online tool allows anyone to go from a virtual shopper to a vital influence in just a few clicks.

At samaritanspurse.org, visitors select a child’s age and gender, shop through an online selection of culturally relevant gifts, “build” their shoebox and finish it off by uploading a photo and writing a note of encouragement to the child who will receive it.

samaritans-purse

From packing, to shipping, to delivery, Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes continue to change the lives of children the world over. (Photo Courtesy: Samaritan’s Purse)

For many, building a shoebox online provides the perfect complement to a busy lifestyle and a perfect way to provide a tangible expression of love to children living in desperate situations. The virtual-packing tool also offers participants the option to challenge friends to participate, or the opportunity to give a donation that lets others build online themselves.Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief and evangelism organization headed by Franklin Graham. Through simple shoebox gifts and a message of hope through Jesus Christ, children learn they are loved and not forgotten. Since 1993, Operation Christmas Child has delivered gift-filled shoeboxes to more than 113 million children in more than 150 countries. In 2014, Operation Christmas Child hopes to collect enough shoebox gifts to reach another 10 million children.

 

Riverside: Give BIG Riverside County

STAFF REPORTS

give-big-riverside-co            Riverside – On Thurs., Nov. 13, Give BIG Riverside County will host a 24-hour giving campaign to help raise money for your favorite charitable cause within the county. According to their website, BIG’s goal is to engage everyone who cares about their community to help raise $350,000 in just 24 hours.

Sponsored by many businesses including the Corona Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce, The Norris Group, and Bank of America, supporters of Riverside County non-profits can go online from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 13, and make a donation to the causes they care about.

In addition, one donation made each hour within the event has the opportunity to receive a “Golden Ticket”. By random selection, the Golden Ticket’s charity will receive an additional $250 donation.

For more information on this worthwhile event, visit GiveBIGriversidecounty.org

La Puente: Local Girl Runs For Charity

Blanca-Ramirez-of-Operation-Smile

Blanca Ramirez at the Great Wall of China (Photo Courtesy: Operation Smile)

STAFF REPORTS
La Puente – 12-year old Blanca Ramirez is running for charity. She has a goal to become the youngest person ever to run seven marathons on seven continents…before her next birthday.

It sounds more than ambitious, but Ramirez is nearly half way there already. She has run marathons in Africa, Asia and the United States, and is looking forward to running in South America this month, Australia in November, and Europe in early 2015. That just leaves Antarctica, which is scheduled next March.

Ramirez took to running as a family affair, but then she had the idea to globalize her running for charity. She runs to benefit Operation Smile, one of the largest surgical organizations in the world, and also the largest volunteer-based medical charity providing free cleft surgeries. They have provided over 220,000 free surgical procedures to children with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities. Every three minutes a child is born with one of these conditions, which makes it difficult to eat, speak, hear and breathe properly.

Ramirez’ effort to raise awareness for such a worthwhile cause is definitely something to smile about. You can follow her journey and find out more about Operation Smile by visiting Team Blanca at http://teamblancausa.com/#operationsmile.