Nominate a charity to receive a donation!

Hello lovely people!
        How is it going? I hope your day went better than mine. I had an 8.30am exam for the umpteenth time and was totally exhausted after it (only had about 4 hours of sleep). Pharmacy school is definitely challenging, but keeping my goal in sight always helps me get through it. I spent the rest of my day cooking and cleaning because sadly I had abandoned my place for a few days. But oh well, I'll survive!
        So....... I've been thinking about doing a fund raising event for a while now and have been brain storming over a few ideas. I thought of doing a bake/yard sale, but have done that a few times before and decided not to because I wanted something a bit more fun and interactive. So when the youth group at my church came up with the idea for us to pick a month and host an event, a light bulb came on. I thought about different events, but finally decided to host a game night and charge a little fee (about $10) that will be donated to a charity. It will be a night of fun games/people, food, drinks and music. I am also thinking of doing a little give away at the end of the event just to thank people for being involved and also provide information on the charity supported. Deciding a month to do this has been tricky for me because of my crazy schedule but I intend to do it within the next 3 to 4 months.
        I haven't decided what charity to support yet and will be needing your help with that. Please leave a comment nominating a charity that you think is deserving of the donation and state your reason why. The organization can be anywhere in the world (preferably one with a website or an account where the donation can be deposited) and should support a worthy cause. I will also set up a paypal account soon, so that more donations can be made. Anyone in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia) area interested in collaborating with me, please leave a comment indicating so and I will get back to you with the details (the more, the merrier). Also feel free to share your game ideas and any other suggestions you think will help make this a wonderful event. I will be keeping you all posted on my progress as I go along and will definitely need all of your prayers to execute this. I am UBER excited and I hope we can raise enough money for a very deserving organization. Well until next time, stay blessed and motivated! xxx

Child Fund International

Hey guys,
       I hope everything is going great for you all, and you are helping make someone's day great as well. I want to start by apologizing for my absence. I know I haven't made a post in about a month and I really regret that. Since I got back from my trip in January, school has been on full gear and I have had little to no time for myself. It seems like I can never keep up with the schedule because there are always exams, quizzes, projects and assignments to do. It just never ends!!! However I thank God that I have been able to find time to give back and still help others, I just haven't been able to share my experiences with you all. I had an exam today and my next exam is on thursday, so I finally caught a break and knew I had to definitely make this post.
           About 2 weeks ago, I made a dash to the mall to get a few things for valentine's day and was approached by a representative from Child Fund International (CFI). I thought she was a sales rep for some random product at first and did not want to stop. However, I am happy that I was in a good mood and decided to spare a few minutes. She gave me a few brochures and informed me about the organization and what it did. CFI was founded in 1938 and works in 31 countries, assisting approximately 15.2 million children and their family members, regardless of race, creed or gender. They work with children throughout their journey from birth to young adulthood, as well as with families, local organizations and communities globally to create the environments children need to thrive (information obtained from their website). During my brief meeting with the representative, I found out that she was a product of the organization's outreach program. Through their intervention and support, she was able to meet her adoptive parents and move to America when she was younger. The family welcomed her into their homes and cared for her like she was their biologic daughter. They paid for her education and provided her with the opportunities she has now. Her story was really touching, and inspired me to help support/sponsor a child in need. I pledged a monthly donation (children's greatest need pledge) to provide a child with food, water and basic necessities. I am so privileged to live/have the life that I do, that it was only right for me to give back and help a child who might end up starving to death if no one intervenes.
          You can make a one time donation or decide to make a monthly pledge like I did (you can stop monthly payments at anytime with no additional cost to you). The organization sends updates on the child/children you are supporting and a newsletter on how your funds are being used. There is also a sponsorship program that allows you sponsor a particular child in their directory for only $28 a month (basically a dollar a day!). The directory contains pictures and information about the needs of the child you decide to sponsor. You can also buy a gift/purchase the items in their gift registry or fund a project in an area of your choice. These children did not choose the families they were born into, and it is rather unfortunate that they have to suffer such hardship. Remember it could have easily been you in their place, and I am sure you would want somebody to come to your rescue. So please consider doing as much as you can to support the organization and help them expand their reach to more children. Be an extension of God's love on this earth!

For more information about CFI, here is a link to their website.
https://www.childfund.org/

Here is the link to make donations to the organization
https://www.childfund.org/ways_to_help/

Here is the link for further information on sponsoring a child
http://www.childfund.org/sponsorship/sponsorshiphomepage.aspx

National Alliance to End Homelessness

Evening everyone!!!!
       Oh my God I feel like I haven't blogged in years. I got back from a well deserved and enjoyed trip from Nigeria about a week ago and I have been trying to adjust to the cold and depressing weather ever since. Well let me start by saying HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone and apologize for not blogging for this long. I didn't have internet access on my laptop throughout the whole trip, and I tried blogging from my phone but it was very tedious. That being said, I entered the new year surrounded with love and the company of my family and friends and I hope everyone had the opportunity to experience the same. Unfortunately I know that wasn't the case and that prompted me to make a donation to the charity I did.
        The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) works collaboratively with the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to build state and local capacity, leading to stronger programs and policies that help communities achieve their goal of ending homelessness (gotten from the website). It was founded in 1983 to provide shelter and food to the homeless, however the founders soon realized that more had to be done to eradicate the problem. So they started a few programs to provide immediate housing and create plans to help communities reduce homelessness within 10 years. I realized that during the past holiday season, with the cold weather, there were people that did not have homes and families to go to and that broke my heart. So I decided to support organizations like the NAEH and also hold a coat/blanket drive in my neighborhood to help keep these people warm. I strongly encourage everyone to do whatever they can to spread love/warmth this season and I will keep you all updated about the drive. In the meantime, please consider supporting this organization with your donations and spreading the word.

Website for more information about the National Alliance to End Homelessness
http://www.endhomelessness.org/

Link to make a donation to the NAEH
https://help.endhomelessness.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=3