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Giving: A.B.C.

Giving: A.B.C.

May 17, 2012

While I was in Chicago recently, I had the great good fortune of meeting Liam Krehbiel, founder of the new nonprofit, A Better Chicago.   A Better Chicago uses a venture capital approach to help low-income youth, adults and families to get the education and skills they need to stand on their own two feet. I get so excited when people truly think (& act!) outside of the box. This is exactly what Liam has done with this new model of philanthropy. It’s not the same-old, same-old which is an incredibly Silver Lined inspiration. Liam kindly took the time to answer a few questions to explain the what, why and how of A Better Chicago.  I hope that you enjoy getting to know A Better Chicago as much as I have! What is your mission? Our mission is to invest in a portfolio of high-performing nonprofit organizations that are dramatically advancing opportunities for …

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Photography and Philanthropy

I have recently come across the stunning photography of Nick Brandt. His exquisite images are simultaneously inspiring and haunting. Jane Goodale aptly describes his iconic photography when she says: Nick’s photographs arouse deep emotions. They inspire a sense of awe at the beauty of creation and the sacredness of life. It’s almost impossible to look through his work without sensing the personalities of the beings whom he has photographed. There is a major Silver Lining to Nick Brandt’s work.  In 2010, he founded the Big Life Foundation,  a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of Africa’s wildlife and ecosystems. A specific focus on Big Life is to decrease the prolific poaching in the region. Within just one year of inception, this new level of coordinated protection has already elicited a dramatic reduction in poaching in the ecosystem. Big Life’s teams are now apprehending poachers almost every time they kill, with a number of …

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Shopping for a Cause!

Shopping for a Cause!

April 10, 2012

Today, Tuesday, I am super excited to co-host a trunk show for one of my favorite designers, Lyn Devon.  Lyn is widely heralded as the fresh new voice of American luxury sportswear and recognized as a chicster (I can only imagine what being a chicster feels like!). Lyn is not only talented, but incredibly generous (Silver Lining). Season after season, she gives a very handsome % of sales to the Dream Foundation of Santa Barbara. If you’re in Santa Barbara and would like to come by, let me know!  We would love to have you!

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Livestrong Community Impact Project

Last summer, the HOTY (a/k/a Husband of the Year) and I had the great and wonderful opportunity to talk with the extraordinary men who make LIVESTRONG tick: founder Lance Armstrong and President & CEO Doug Ulman. What a Silver Lined day that was! Now, I always knew that LIVESTRONG is incredibly, more like outrageously inspiring, but until my unfortunate run-in with FBC (a/k/a f-bomb breast cancer), I did not know the depth and breadth of just how Silver Lined LIVESTRONG really is. Though they do a gazillion magical things to help patients living with and beyond cancer, I’d love to tell you about one of the initiatives that they are working on now: the LIVESTRONG Community Impact Project. Oh my gosh, this program is so incredibly fabulous and wonderful! Here’s how it works: The Community Impact Project replicates evidence-based programs that support people affected by cancer within one city, state or region of the United …

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St. Jude Children’s Research Center

Throughout my treatment for FBC, time and time (and time!) again, I expressed gratitude for the fact that it was I who was diagnosed and not our daughter, a/k/a Sweetly Six. I don’t think that there is anything worse than seeing your child sick and in pain. In the event that a cancer diagnosis does happen to a child, the Silver Lining is that treatment has come a long, long way. Much of this progress has come from the work done at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. A few years ago, I had the great and wonderful opportunity to teach a Pediatric Palliative Care course at St. Jude’s. Being able to work at there was a great Silver Lining in my life. I had the opportunity to learn so very much about the wonderful organization and about its founder, Danny Thomas. Here are some of amazing facts about St. Jude’s: St. Jude Children’s …

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SL Giving: God’s We Love Deliver

I recently heard a great, goose bump story of generosity. A friend attended a birthday party at which many speeches were given. In gratitude for the kind sentiments bestowed on her, the birthday girl stood up and said that for every person who made a speech, she would make a contribution to the charity of their choice. How outrageously fabulous is that? One of the things that makes life so great is balance. So, amidst all of the Fashion Week fun, I thought I’d share the story of a great organization doing tremendous things in New York: God’s Love We Deliver. The mission of God’s Love We Deliver is to improve the health and well-being of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses by alleviating hunger and malnutrition. They prepare and deliver nutritious, high-quality meals to people who, because of their illness, are unable to …

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Adventure + Giving = Meadowood + Share our Strength

Over the holidays, the HOTY and I had the most exquisite dining/fundraising experience at The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena in the Napa Valley (resulting in a couple of those pesky pounds that I have picked up, I’m sure!). Meadowood, by the way, is one of our all-time fave spots for rest, relaxation and romance. Every year, Meadowood has an annual Twelve Days of Christmas festival, with 12 famed chefs partnering with 12 preeminent Napa Valley vintners to present 12 feasts on 12 nights. Pretty amazing! The Silver Lining is that proceeds go to Share Our Strength®, a Washington-based charity that fights childhood hunger. Share Our Strength® began in the basement of a row house on Capitol Hill in 1984, in response to the ‘84-‘85 famine in Ethiopia. Brother and sister Bill and Debbie Shore started the organization with the belief that everyone has a strength to share in the global fight …

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Giving: Dream Foundation Part Deux

Thank you for all of your great feedback on the Dream Foundation. I’m so crazy about the organization. After I posted the story, it occurred to me that you might like to hear the story of one dream recipient during this holiday season. All Stacey wanted was a Gift Card to buy presents for her children on this, her final Christmas. But when an amazing team of volunteer Dream Foundation Elves caught wind of this family in need of some cheer, they created a true holiday miracle, descending on Stacey’s home and covering it with lights and decorations, arranging Christmas trees with presents for everyone. And the ultimate Silver Lining: Santa himself! Imagine the surprise when Stacey’s daughters walked in and saw Santa Claus waiting for them; the looks on their faces were priceless and they danced on their tip-toes with delight. The whole family – especially Stacey – beamed …

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Giving: Dream Foundation

For the past several years, I have had the great honor and privilege to be involved with one of the most amazing organizations imaginable: Dream Foundation. Dream Foundation is the first and largest national organization committed to delivering end-of-life wishes to people 18 years of age and older. As a hospice nurse and social worker, this work has incredible meaning to me. I worked with so many people who had dreams that unfortunately (often tragically) went unfulfilled. There are three main programs of Dream Foundation that serve a wide array of people. The Dream Granting Program is the heart and soul of the organization. Dream Foundation is passionate about making dreams come true for adults suffering life-limiting illness, and in doing so – improving the quality of their lives in ways medicine alone cannot. Through this non-traditional, palliative form of healthcare, Dream Foundation provides those at the end of life’s …

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Giving: Cleaning for a Reason

I have recently learned of a wonderful, Silver Lined organization called Cleaning for a Reason. As a nonprofit serving the entire United States and Canada, they partner with over 1,000 housekeeping services to offer professional house cleanings to help women undergoing treatment for cancer, any type of cancer. To date, they have helped over 9,000 women using more than $2 million in donated cleanings. How wonderful is that? If you know any woman currently undergoing chemotherapy, please pass the word to her that there is a cleaning service that provides FREE housecleaning – once per month for 4 months while she is in treatment. All she has to do is sign up and have her doctor fax a note confirming the treatment. Then, Cleaning for a Reason will have a participating maid service in her zip code area arrange for the service. Easy peasy. This organization serves the entire USA and currently has …

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