Making a Positive Difference

Extreme couponing, for a cause
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 23, 2011
A group of women meet every week in the basement of their Georgia church to clip coupons they will use to feed the community’s hungry. Since its creation in March 2010, Clipping for A Cause, a nonprofit funded by that church, has been spending smartly on products from cheerios to band aids, donating more than
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Nordstrom opens special store where all proceeds go to charity
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 22, 2011
Nordstrom has opened a new store in New York City, Treasure & Bond, and has committed to donating store profits to charity. The proceeds from the store will be donated to nonprofit organizations that benefit New York City children. Mother Nature Network, 8/18/2011
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Indiana fair honors five killed in stage collapse
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 15, 2011
Indiana's Lt. Governor, speaking at a Memorial service for the 5 people who died after the stage collapsed at the State Fair, acknowledged the people who came to the rescue of those injured as they "set aside their personal concerns and moved toward the accident and not away." She referred to that as "the silver
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Boy’s ode to fallen dad inspires tearful responses
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 11, 2011
He's only ten years old, but good for Brandon Nichols for honoring his "daddy" killed in Afghanistan and touching the hearts of so many people. Some who read what he wrote commented that it "puts their problems into perspective." CNN.com, 8/10/2011
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Celebs using social media to fight food crisis
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 10, 2011
In the dawn of the social media era, celebrities can extend their reach further, inspiring audiences to do some good at the touch of a button. In what is perhaps the greatest single call to action over the Internet, more than 150 entertainers, sports and fashion icons, and other notables are banding together to battle
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Twin Cities lead nation in giving back to communities
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 9, 2011
Metropolitan areas are stepping up to improve their cities. According to the Annual Volunteering in America report, Minneapolis-St. Paul lead the pack of urban hubs with the highest rate of volunteering among large metro areas. Experts say that Midwestern culture, which ingrains core and family values, has much to do with these numbers. Cities in
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My Faith: How storytelling saved my life
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 8, 2011
A recovering alcoholic and Yale graduate, Edward Grinnan got a job at Guideposts Magazine and began writing about his struggles with alcohol and near homelessness. Through telling his story, Edward was able to heal, and his tale reached out to others—inspiring self-change and hope. CNN, 8/7/2011
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Military Wife Magazine on NBC
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 2, 2011
Being separated for long periods of time is a reality all too common for military families. As the wife of a military pilot, Babette Maxwell knows these feelings of loneliness and wanted to do something to help military families cope with the enormous stress the war in Afghanistan has placed on them. Though she has
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Finding strength by building camp
- Making a Positive Difference
- August 1, 2011
Eric Lentz, who was given 12-15 months to live after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon-cancer, can be found spending his remaining weekends clearing out mulch and building nature paths in the Wisconsin forests, a project he has wanted to complete his whole life, building a camp oasis where troubled and at-risk teens can find
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9-year-old raises more than $100K for charity
- Making a Positive Difference
- July 27, 2011
When Rachel Beckwith turned nine in June, she didn’t ask for barbies or clothes. Instead, she wanted her friends and family to donate to charity:water, a decision she made after learning that millions of people don’t live to see their fifth birthday because they don’t have access to clean and safe water. This weekend, Rachel
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First lady teams up with grocers nationwide
- Making a Positive Difference
- July 20, 2011
Spurred by first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to bring healthy food options to every table in America, major grocer retailers including WalMart, Walgreens, and SuperValu, have vowed to create more stores in low-income communities that currently lack affordable and nutritious food. The move, which is being announced today, will help these communities in two ways—making
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Budget Excursions for Volunteers
- Making a Positive Difference
- July 18, 2011
Get a cut rate price for a deluxe room. Of course, there is one stipulation: You have to agree to volunteer some of your vacation time to being of service. At the Snake River Lodge & Spa in Jackson, Wyoming, a luxury resort, that means pitching in and removing barbed wire fences to help local
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Nonprofit Spotlight: A Home for Kids In Need
- Making a Positive Difference
- July 10, 2011
In Henry Country, Georgia, just a few miles outside of Atlanta, one in 25 children are abused, neglected, or abandoned entirely. A Friend’s House, in McDonough, Georgia, was founded in 1998, and is a home for these children in crisis. Since it opened its doors, A Friend’s House has provided over 1,660 children with meals and
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U.S. Volunteers Bring Relief to Japan on July 4th
- Making a Positive Difference
- July 5, 2011
While most Americans celebrate the country’s independence with a backyard barbeque and dazzling fireworks, these young volunteers are reeling in America’s 235th birthday half way across the world. It’s been four months since a 9.0 earthquake struck Japan, but this group helps to rebuild buildings and a sense of home for devastated victims. NBC Nightly
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Organic Valley and National Cooperative Grocers Association Join Forces to Improve School Lunch
- Making a Positive Difference
- June 30, 2011
Organic Valley, the nation's oldest organic farmer-owned cooperative, and National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), a business services cooperative serving consumer-owned food co-ops nationwide, today announced they are joining forces to improve school lunches (which, as we know, are in desperate need of improvement). Organic Valley and NCGA will launch a national promotion this fall to support
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