Thursday, December 11, 2008

It is more blessed to give than to receive



It’s a time of year that the spirit of giving often gets lost in the logistics of giving. We go to the mall, wait in lines, shake our fist at the slow traffic or gripe about the over-commercialization of the season. It’s the giving without expectation of something in return that we often forget about, particularly this time of year. For that reason, among others we’re spotlighting non-profit organizations on this week’s show. We’ve got quite a line up too. By now, because of the picture above, you may have guessed that the one and only Marlo Thomas is on the show. I think most people know her as much for her work with St. Jude as they do as TVs “That Girl” or as Mrs. Phil Donahue. We’re excited to have Marlo on the show. She’s a dynamic lady; you’ll love to hear more about St. Jude’s work to fight against childhood cancer.

It’s always tragic when a kid gets seriously sick. It makes it even worse when that kid is the son or daughter of a single parent.
The Andre Sobel River of Life Foundation was created to help just these types of situations. The River of Life Foundation helps with the purchase of medicine, arranges transportation and treatment that the single parent may not be able to afford as well as enhances and sustains lives in many other ways. River will advocate for airline tickets for a grandparent coming to help, or buy a wig for a self-conscious teenager returning to school after chemotherapy, or pay for ballet lessons for a neglected sibling. Instead of restriction, we give as freely as our River will allow. Valerie Sobel, who founded The River in honor of her son, will join Martie to discuss the foundation.

What if you could save a child’s eyesight for a quarter? Seriously 2-bits! 25 cents. Howard Schiffer started
Vitamin Angels, an organization which has set its sights on the issue of childhood blindness, with plans to eliminate childhood blindness by the year 2020 through the systematic distribution of vitamin A to at-risk children. In addition, Vitamin Angels sponsors programs to supply multivitamins to at-risk children and vital supplements to expecting mothers, worldwide.
Listen for Martie and Howard’s conversation about how just pennies can impact a life forever.

Martie also talks with Mary Morton of
Nourish America. Nourish America is committed to provide the daily essential nutrition that impoverished American children, families, pregnant moms, and seniors and others in need require to live productive, successful lives. Success of the program depends on the partnerships with public schools, churches, Head Start, Healthy Start and WIC programs, homeless and battered women shelters, public health departments, medical clinics, the American Red Cross, Volunteers of America, Salvation Army, Boys and Girls’ Clubs, Feed the Children just to name a few…or a dozen. The list goes on.

Our mission on the Martie Whittekin show has always been in the spirit of education and raising awareness. Our aim with this show is to introduce you to some organizations that are focused on helping people become healthy and stay that way. Often outfits like this don’t have the marketing budgets of the BIG charities, so they can use our help with getting their message out.

"Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life's blood. But everyone has something to give." Barbara Bush

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