Charity
Leon Powe has partnered with strive for___, a nonprofit that connects mentors with Bay Area foster children.
Oakland Native and professional basketball player Leon Powe has partnered with strive for___, a dream‐building nonprofit that connects mentors with youth in foster care in the San Francisco Bay area. A former foster youth himself, Mr. Powe credits his relationship with a close mentor for much of his success. strive for___ is proud to have Mr. Powe as a spokesman and Advisory Board member. By speaking about his own experiences with foster care, mentorship, and achievement, he will inspire foster youth to dream big and work hard.
strive for___ asks youth in foster care (ages 12‐17), “What do you strive for___?” and then provides the guidance that is essential to achieving dreams – mentorship. The organization’s mission is to ensure that all foster youth in San Francisco have access to high quality mentorship. Inspired by their dreams, Strivers (foster youth) collaborate with Believers (mentors) to change the course of their lives.
Whether in high school or on the Cal court, Mr. Powe has set numerous records in an impressive basketball career that includes an NBA championship with the Celtics in 2008. Drafted by Denver, Mr. Powe has played in Boston, Cleveland, and Memphis, but returns to the Bay area to tell youth his story and to host basketball camps that offer them a chance to pursue their goals.
Mr. Powe’s message stresses the temporary nature of foster care and the long term promise of mentorship. As Strivers, youth are able to focus their energies on what they can control – their futures beyond foster care. Although being in foster care is an integral part of a Striver’s identity, it’s not the whole story. Mr. Powe truly believes that his experiences as a teen in foster care have shaped him into the person he is today. “The Strivers can look to me as an example and know that they have the potential for success,” said Powe. “I’ve experienced what they are going through, and I’m proof that anything is possible.”
Indeed, strive for___ knows that the strong, enduring connections Strivers cultivate with their Believers will sustain them through the difficulties of leaving foster care and transitioning into adulthood on their own. Strivers come to know other youth in foster care and the adults who will become their trusted guides through an initial phase of group mentoring and e‐mentoring. Once relationships are forged, Strivers work one‐on‐one with one or more mentors to design a plan for achievement.
To learn more about strive for___, go to www.strivefor.org. strive for___ is a fiscally sponsored project of the Study Center, a tax‐exempt 501(c)3 with over 30 years of local experience.
strive for___ Contact:
Dennis Lyandres
dlyandres@strivefor.
Category : Blog
Normally everyone forgets about tragedies a few weeks or months after they happen. Not so with this group.
Despite it being two full years since the 7.0 magnitude earthquake leveled the capital city of Port-au-Prince, more than 40 high profile personalities will use their Twitter and Facebook accounts this Thursday, the 12th, to rekindle interest in helping Haiti.
The lineup, which includes Maroon 5, Sting, Alicia Keys, Lady Antebellum, Hugh Jackman, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, Martha Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Don Cheadle, Deepak Chopra and NBA stars Kevin Durant, Paul Pierce, Blake Griffin, and Chris Paul, has a combined total of 125 million social media followers.
“Before the earthquake, Haiti was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere,” explains Hunter Payne, producer of the campaign and President of Aid Still Required. “The last thing it needed was a disaster.”
The earthquake exacerbated ever-worsening conditions on the island. The number of orphaned and abandoned children has doubled since the quake, the incidence of rape has increased markedly, and Haiti’s floundering education system took a severe hit when schools toppled.
“On our trip there this past summer it was difficult to see much progress,” says Andrea Herz Payne, Chairman and co-founder of Aid Still Required. “At the same time we saw how eager the Haitian people are to improve their situation. There was no way we could come home and forget about them.”
Haiti was once a lush, thriving paradise. A few hundred years ago it provided France with about a third of its domestic product. But after gaining independence from France in 1804, the populace turned to subsistence farming, deforesting the countryside in the process. Today 98% of Haiti is barren, and the resultant flight to the cities has left urban areas impossibly overcrowded.
When the earthquake hit Port-Au-Prince, it destroyed hospitals, air, sea and land transport facilities, and communication systems, and left over a million survivors homeless and hundreds of thousands starving and without proper sanitation or clean drinking water. Today, the people of Haiti continue to live in a state of emergency.
“The usual pattern is for the public to contribute generously in the moment of a disaster and then forget about it,” says Hunter. “But disasters don’t heal themselves ““ they take time, energy and resources over a protracted arc. We hope this campaign will go a long way to engendering this kind of thinking not only about this tragedy but all others as well.”
Proceeds from the campaign are funding reforestation projects, infrastructure and teachers for orphanages, and trauma relief programs for PTSD and rape victims.
Donations – http://aidstillrequired.org/donate
Campaign Sponsor ““ Snoball ““ “˜Empowering change through social giving.’ https://snoball.com/
Contact info@AidStillRequired.org for more information.
Category : Blog
Along with his friends at Wears My Shirt, Patty Mills co-created a series of basketball-inspired tee shirts to assist victims of the 2011 natural disasters in Australia. The designs reflect the various college and professional teams of which he’s been a part, and incorporate images from his home in Australia. They have been selling online and in select retail locations since early 2011.
Mills said, “The (late 2010 and early 2011) disasters that took place in my homeland have weighed heavy on my heart and I want to do all I can to help. My goal is to raise at least $50,000 USD for relief efforts.”
So far Mills has raised $40,000 from sales of his Australia Assist T-Shirts and will present a check for that amount to the PREMIER’S DISASTER RELIEF APPEAL just prior to this Friday’s NBL game between the Melbourne Tigers & the Perth Wildcats.
In order to reach his ultimate goal, another design has just been created and is available for sale at WearsMyShirt.com. The new design, named “AMBUSH ARMY,” is available in adult and youth sizes for $25 USD and has a photo contest associated with it where the winner will win a signed Patty Mills game jersey, shorts and shoes!
“This campaign has been made possible because Patty cares deeply about helping people in his homeland,” said Josh Unruh, Founder and President of Wears My Shirt, the company that co-created and promoted Patty’s “Assist Australia” campaign. “It’s great when you see celebrities do even more for charities than just write a cheque and walk away. Patty has proven how effective it is to motivate and inspire people around the world to engage with a cause he cares about,” said Unruh.
About Wears My Shirt
Wears My Shirt helps charities raise awareness for their cause through online communities and t-shirts. Anyone can visit www.wearsmyshirt.com, “FOLLOW” a charity and buy a t-shirt to support their partner charities.
About Patty Mills
Patty Mills is the first indigenous Australian to ever play professional basketball in the United States, and current plays the point guard position for the Portland Trailblazers. He is also one of the youngest people to play for the Australian national basketball team.
Category : Blog
NEW YORK, November 11, 2011 “” The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) today announced that Nike’s total funds raised for the Foundation, generated by the 10-day eBay auction of 1,500 pairs of limited edition 2011 NIKE MAG shoes, topped $4.7 million. The funds will go straight to the Foundation’s aggressive research programs to help speed a cure for Parkinson’s disease.
Not only did the release of the 2011 NIKE MAG shoes generate a remarkable sum for Parkinson’s research, it also brought the critical unmet medical need in Parkinson’s disease to the attention of new audiences. On the first day of the auction, the Foundation’s Website (www.michaeljfox.org) experienced a greater than 1300-percent increase in traffic over the same day in 2010. Over the course of the 10-day auction, the Foundation’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/michaeljfoxfoundation) added almost 10,000 new fans.
Through the $50-million Brin Wojcicki Challenge, effective through 2012, the proceeds of the auctions will be doubled “” bringing the total funds generated to $9.4 million. The Challenge was announced earlier this year and is made possible by the leadership of longtime Foundation friends Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, and his wife, Anne Wojcicki, co-founder of personal genetics company 23andMe.
“The enthusiasm this project ignited, and the funds and awareness the shoes generated for Parkinson’s research, are both humbling and inspiring,” said Fox. “Our Foundation is truly grateful to Nike for this unique partnership that brought Back to the Future fans, sneakerheads and the PD community together in the quest to eradicate Parkinson’s from the space-time continuum.”
Appearing on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on September 8, Fox revealed the 2011 NIKE MAGs to the world, officially kicking off the eBay Fashion Vault auctions that closed on September 18. The shoe was an exact replica of the originals he wore as Marty McFly in Back to the Future II, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent “NIKE” in the strap.
“We are thankful to the communities and individuals who showed their support to Michael and his Foundation,” says Mark Parker, Nike CEO. “We hope their actions will have a lasting impact on the Foundation’s goal to end Parkinson’s disease.”
The much-anticipated release of the “greatest shoe never made” sparked a whirlwind of excitement spanning the globe with the unveil of a “˜Lost Scene’ created to honor the original Back to the Future films and characters. The episode has been viewed over 2.9 million times on YouTube to date.
At the 2011 NIKE MAG launch party in Los Angeles, British rapper and avid sneaker collector Tinie Tempah won the distinction of owning the first pair of the 2011 NIKE MAG with his $37,500 bid at live auction. The unprecedented fervor continued throughout the online auctions and beyond, with an average selling price per pair of $3,600. An additional 10 pairs were sold at live auctions, from Paris to Tokyo. Christopher Lloyd, who reprised his beloved role in the Back to the Future “˜Lost Episode,’ donated his own pair of NIKE MAG shoes back to the cause, autographing the box for good measure. Mr. Lloyd’s shoes drew $13,500 for Parkinson’s research at a live auction event held September 17 at NikeTown New York. Combined, the live and online auctions raised a total of $4.7 million, which reflects all final settled transactions, authenticated by eBay and Nike.
Fox concluded, “Creating a future without Parkinson’s requires the involvement of many. Thanks to Nike and everyone who took part in this incredible event, our ranks have grown exponentially.”
Category : Blog
In May, the Department of Public Social Services began the most comprehensive and coordinated public awareness effort to increase access and participation in food assistance and reduce food insecurity in the second largest and most populated County in the Nation.
Tina Thompson has joined with the Department of Public Social Services to help educate the public about CalFresh services available to eligible families.
Category : Blog
