Social Impact Social Media

If you didn't have the chance to see it I think  the most beautifully performed and inspirational version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" I have ever heard was performed as  an Internet exclusive onThe Corbert Report. It was a performance by the MusiCorps Wounded Warrior Band. This particular performance  infused  the incredible vocal compliment of renowned performer Aaron Neville with the voice of  Lieutenant   Corporal Tim Donley  . The band has also performed with Yo-Yo Ma and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd and The Bleeding Heart Band.  en.wikipedia.org The MusiCorp program, and the band, have been praised in The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post as well as by Congress...... and featured on CNN, ABC and CBS. MusiCorps began when composer and founder of Renovation In Music Education (RIME), Arthur Bloom, was invited to visit a soldier recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The soldier , a musician who had been badly injured by an roadside bom

Named for Hiedelberg Street in Detroit The Hiedleberg Project began with Tyree Guyton decorating houses in a  Detroit community that resembled a burnt out war zone in 1986. Today the project uses art to teach community children about art and the environment while instilling a sense of community. Through the organization's ingenuity they have engaged students and professors from Wayne State University to the University of Michigan and Harvard. blac media The photo here is of artwork from Tim Burke's Detroit Industrial Gallery Working with children that walk past rubble, debris, crime and abandon houses day after day The Hiedelberg project networks urban vacant lands into art/play/garden spaces while teaching children the philosophy of  "art-as-life." They have a Young Adult Heidelberg program that is nurturing and mentoring young adults, 18 - 25, to become community leaders and nurture the growth of art in Detroit. To aid the growth of art in De

odd-fellows.org   Sitting at "Five," the bar at Hotel Shattuck Plaza in Berkeley, CA I struck up a great conversation about social responsibility and giving back with Chris and Roy-- 2 independent contractors taking a break from their work. Their passion and personal mission is to reach out and help  teens "aging out" of our social services system and kids with terminal illnesses whose parents -- as a result of drug addiction, finances or other circumstances -- really aren't there for these kids. Through our conversation I learned about  a national organization called  Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) and their charitable work including education- literally getting kids to college and striped bass fishing trips - giving many kids  their first experience outside of gang and violence riddled neighborhoods. They even have a summer camp program. What's more I mentioned to Chris and Roy, in passing, my own little effort with my kids of li

Started in the UK and spreading  to  25 countries and counting The Robin Hood Tax initiative is a collaboration and partnership between many nonprofit organizations, politicians and activist volunteers in countries including England, Canada, the United States, Spain, Mexico, Norway, Germany, The Netherlands and more. The idea is to turn our global financial crisis into an opportunity to provide funds to address gender equality, climate change, international maternal healthcare.  The thinking is-  as result of the financial crisis  created by  hedge funds, banks and other financial institutions  these issues have gotten worse.  An example from Britain is that according to an IMF report as a result of the global financial crisis 1 in 5 British families has to choose between food or paying for heat. robinhoodtax.org Now think of conditions in  impoverished developing countries that were in the worse economic circumstances to begin with and where the  result of the financial

It all started when Jessica Maddin was inspired to send an email to the CEO of 24 Hour Fitness and within 10 days had received an unbelievable amount of donated goods. Since December 2013 Jessica’s Hope Project has shipped nearly 2,000 nutrition-based care packages to deployed troops. They are raising money to cover shipping of more care packages and keep the momentum going. The nonprofit says that according to data from the U.S. Marine Corps, “The average deployed individual loses 50 pounds per deployment.” The mission of the Jessica’s Hope Project is to keep this from happening by providing protein bars, muscle milk and vitamin supplements to as many military individuals as possible to maintain their physical well-being and mental sharpness. In many locations where troops are deployed there are very few, if any, food options other than MRE’S (made ready to eat) which were not designed to be the daily sole nutritional source for 2000 daily calories – and apparently the MRE

This Southern California nonprofit group home provides special education and counseling to children of abuse, mental illness or in foster care. The main campus is 17 acres and includes 6 group homes serving kids 7 – 18.  hillsides.org Founded over 100 years ago HILLSIDES, based in Altadena, CA,   has made its mission is to create safe places for children, strengthen families, provide special education; and advocate for children’s rights. This Southern California nonprofit creates safe places for children in its residential treatment program where children living in the group homes, are in foster care or that have been referred by the Department of Mental Health or public school districts. On the Hillsides’’ campus   they have the chance to live in a secure, stable environment enabling them to heal and rebuild trusting relationships with adults. Hillsides works with many social and child services organizations, including Los Angeles County, Pasadena, Glendale, and San Gabrie

missionbox.org Since 1987 the Appalachian Community Fund (ACF) has been making a difference – helping create social change in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. ACF funds and encourages grassroots social change in Central Appalachia. ACF works to build a sustainable base of resources to support community-led organizations seeking to overcome and address issues of race, economic status, gender, sexual identity, and disability. As a community-controlled fund, ACF offers leadership to expand and strengthen the movement for social change through its practices and policies. Their efforts range from mentoring teenagers and guiding them toward college, supporting women in emotional crisis to keeping the only public clinic serving the poor open. And ACF has forced changes in the Federal Black Lung Program for miners and those in mining areas and they have helped protect endangered forests in the Appalachian region. To find out more so you can help spread the word t