Can’t Help? Don’t Hurt.

“Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.”

 

–Dalai Lama

Changing the Present

Instead of buying someone a gift they’ll never use, give them an in-their-honor donation gift from Changing the Present.

 Changing the Present (changingthepresent.org) lets you choose the causes that mean the most to you–or your honored recipient.

 

Lend a Paw a Hand

New Leash on Life‘s Lend a Paw program rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to be companion & social/therapy dogs.

Find out how you can help “hard to place” pups at New Leash on Life (www.nlol.org).

Gwyneth Giveth

“I’ve been thinking about all the crap my children have and how much food we throw away. We have to do better.”

—Gwyneth Paltrow, who donated $75,000 to the Food Bank for New York City, which feeds more than 1.5 million people per year.

Find out how to contribute time, food, or money any day of the year at www.nycfoodbank.org.

Non-exclusive Roots

“The word philanthropy has its roots in the Greek language meaning ‘love for mankind.’ It was never meant to apply only to donors of thousands or millions of dollars.”

–Arthur Frantzreb

Kindness to Strangers

“I was fortunate to get a scholarship when I went to Lehigh University and Princeton…Somebody was kind enough to spend their money to educate people that they would never get to know. That’s what I think philanthropy is about.” 

–Lee Iacocca

Let There Be Light Kit

How to make yourself pretty & help kids who have lost their moms:

Buy a Mally Beauty’s Let There Be Light Kit (blush, eye shadow, lip gloss) at mommyslight.org.

100% of the proceeds will go toward helping kids carry on traditions they shared with their moms.

“Having lost my mother at a young age, I immediately felt a strong connection with Mommy’s Light. My mother has never stopped being present in my life and I know that keeping her spirit close is what has allowed me to feel fulfilled and complete. I am so happy to support Mommy’s Light, especially now that I am a mother, because I understand the profound difference it makes for children to keep their mother’s memory alive.”

— Mally Roncal

Pulled Ponytail

Dear Abby:

Why do people think it’s OK to go up to someone with long hair in a ponytail and pull it? I am growing hair for Locks of Love. It makes me furious when people come up and jerk it. Not only is is painful, but isn’t it a form of assault? What would be an appropriate response?

HAIR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

Dear Hair Today:

Pulling someone’s ponytail is a childish impulse, and yes, it is a form of assault–but probably not prosecutable. The proper response is, “Ouch! Don’t do that again. It hurts!”

(From www.DearAbby.com)

Herb Alpert Sweet on SoCal

Herb Alpert just gave $15 million to what will now be known as the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts.

In November, the eight-time Grammy winner–whose Whipped Cream (and Other Delights) sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S.–pledged $30 million to UCLA to form the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

More Bang for the IDOL Buck

Tonight’s Idol Gives Back (7:30-10:00 pm ET/PT) will raise awareness and funds for six worthy charities:

Children’s Defense Fund
The Global Fund
Make It Right
Malaria No More
Save The Children, U.S. Programs
Children’s Health Fund

Featured guests will include: Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Bono, Brad Pitt, Dane Cook, Robin Williams, Celine Dion, Forest Whitaker, Billy Crystal, Kiefer Sutherland, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Connolly, Elliott Yamin, Fantasia, Amy Adams, Mariah Carey, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Fergie, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, John Legend, Maroon 5 and Heart.