Marni is supporting The Children's Imaginary World for the second year in a row. These bags were created by street children from Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Tibet, India, and Sierra Leone and the proceeds will go to help encourage their talent as well as get them off the streets. What a more wonderful way to show your support than by getting one of these adorable bags. Looking at the drawings on these bags tug at my heart, and purse string. At Marni online for $150.
Pediped is having their sale again and once again, they are donating 50% of the sale prices to Make-A-Wish Foundation. If there ever was a win-win, this is it! Cute, comfortable shoes on sale and your money spent goes to charity. Done and done. The Josh in Navy/White/Gray (Flex) is now only $22 and the Sam in Neapolitan Stripes is also $22. These colors are perfect for the summer.
Associated Content has a very easy list of places you can donate that will provide immediate assistance to Haiti toward recovery efforts. The earthquake that hit Haiti today was 7.0 and many building have collapsed, including schools. We know it is very devastating even though there are not a lot of reports yet. You can donate to the Red Cross by texting the word "Haiti" to 90999. A $10 donation will appear on your phone bill. It takes 10 seconds to do. The story has other easy ways to help.
Save up to 40% on select Pediped shoes from now through Feb. 5th and they will donate 50% of the sale price to Make-a-Wish. This is the perfect time to stock up on your favorite designs and make your purchase meaningful at the same time. I am getting the Ashley (Choc Brown/Fuchsia, $23) with all the cute hearts, perfect for Valentines. I'm sure my friends will appreciate this more than chocolate for their tots =) And their boys designs are just as cute, like the Josh (Navy/White/Blue, $23).
One man is doing this and is succeeding at it, "one child at a time". Greg Mortenson is the co-founder of the Central Asia Institute which develops and runs schools in remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. His belief is that peace can be achieved by getting rid of ignorance and hatred and the only way to do that is through education. His schools are primarily girls because he says, "When you educate a boy, you educate an individual but when you educate a girl you educate a community." These are such powerful concepts and it hit me like a brick wall when I heard an interview with him on NPR. His book, Three Cups of Tea
You can help Greg's goal of peace and hope by donating to the Central Asia Institute. He is 100% privately funded and this is important because that means he can keep politics out. His schools are not an extension of the US government and military. The staff of CAI are from local villages who know the cultures of tribal communities. This is the only way to achieve sustainable and successful development of these programs. There is no imposition from external judgments, of what "we" think is best for "them". This is a very special program and awareness is key but obviously donation is the most important. Please consider a donation of any amount.
Left: Heidi Klum; Right: Shaquille O'Neal
Our favorite Pediped shoes is holding an auction of celebrity autographed shoes to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation. All of the proceeds from the auction will go directly to the charity. The auction will start this Sunday, October 25th, 2009 and go to November 5th, 2009 on Charitybuzz.com. Your signed shoes will come in a nice cherry wood display case. Some of the celebrities include Heidi Klum, Shaquille O'Neal, Tiger Woods, Jessica Alba, Jon Stewart, Angie Harmon and believe it or not, your very own Snobs, Kelly Cook and Tina Craig. Go to Pediped for a full list of celebrities (and to see pictures of us alongside real celebrities!). Please bid on our shoes!!! Click here for Kelly's shoes. Click here for Tina's Shoes.
I heard Bono speak at last year's women's conference and not only is he talented and HOT, he is inspiring. Makes me feel like I can and should do more. Something as little as buying the (RED) products whenever possible can make a big difference, that's why I am a huge supporter. The Bugaboo Bee Teasu(red) special edition stroller contributes 1% of all revenue to the Global Fund to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. I love the Bee, I wish I was still in the market for a stroller, it has all the functionality of the Chameleon with the convenience of a one piece breakdown. Show that you care and look great while doing it. Exclusively at Neiman Marcus for $599.
Need something a bit more creative than a bake sale to raise money for your cause? Verimeri has the most ingenious concept ever! The fundraiser tees are designed by tots, then everyone votes and the winner gets to have their design made and sold with 20% of proceeds going to the cause of their choice. Now talk about getting involved, this is the most hands on and personal way to raise awareness as well as teach your tots the importance of helping others. A couple of examples of winning tees: I love this one, I always tell my tots how lucky they are because positive attitude is the secret to happiness. The Lucky Ducky by Hannah Katzenstein, age 7 from Los Angeles, $24. Also,Conserve by Ean, age 11 from Wichita Falls, $24.00.
It's a bit early to start thinking about Holiday gifts but it is never too early to plan. I file things away in the back of my head so that the hectic shopping season doesn't become overwhelming. And I am always looking for unique ideas to do both good and fun. Like Ocean's "Adopt a Creature" program. Along with helping a creature in the wild, your gift recipient will receive one of 6 sea creature cookie cutters or one of 4 sea creature plush toys to remind them of the good that was done. There is a special gift package in honor of Casey Sokolovic who baked thousands of sea turtle cookies and held bake sales that raised over $3,000 to provide funding for a sea turtle hospital in North Carolina. For more information on Casey, visit the Ocean hero page. Adopt one creature for $35, a gift pack with oven mitt and framed adoption certificate for $75 or adopt all 6 creatures for
$100 (comes with mitt and frame). View all creature and adoption options here.
OK you hipsters out there, here is the line you've been waiting for. Famed LA tattoo artist Mark Mahoney is designing a line for tots that is responsible, adorable and charitable. No wonder it is a celeb favorite among A-Listers like Angelina Jolie, Tori Spelling, Marcia Cross, Poppy Montgomery, Kim Raver and Jennie Garth, just to name a few. A generous donation of 20% goes to children's charities! Only high quality cotton is used but the prices are really amazing. The Butterfly Dress is only $36. And their sale items are even better, the Hooded Dress on sale is $18! Great for the summer - easy to wear, comfortable and beyond adorable. Shop Baby Eggi. Free shipping through June 30th.
