Why People Give

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Ali's Story

Ali Edwards is a Mom in Eugene Oregon who raised money for Autism Speaks; she has a five-year-old son with autism. She had never asked anyone for money before, but learned about Six Degrees and quickly became the #1 fundraiser on the website by getting the word out on her scrap booking blog.

Ginny's Story

How exciting to see a simple principle like ‘six degrees’ work so effectively to bring such good! The SixDegrees.org challenge to become a celebrity for my own cause has given me the opportunity to raise both money and awareness for the Child Rescue Centre in new ways.

The Child Rescue Centre (CRC) is truly a place of miracles. Many children in Sierra Leone, West Africa endured horrific experiences during their country’s brutal ten-year civil war, which ended in 2002. Some lost whole families and were left to live on the streets. The CRC offers safety and hope to children who have been rescued from their desperate conditions, by providing food, clothing, education, healthcare and a safe, nurturing environment. Helping Children Worldwide supports the CRC with educational programs, operational support, and vocational training initiatives, among other things.

Children who once wondered where their next meal would come from are now able to enjoy their childhoods and make plans for their futures. They have hope and they have big plans! One child hopes to become a lawyer. Several younger children are interested in studying medicine, and one young man wants to be the president of his country when he grows up. Watch the short video below to see the children singing/studying/riding bikes/etc.



Just think - these children in Sierra Leone are just a couple degrees from many caring Americans! It is awesome to see the power of goodness and generosity at work in the lives of so many, and to know its effects will be long lasting in the lives of these children.

To learn more about the history of Sierra Leone’s civil war please watch the Oscar-nominated movie Blood Diamond and read the bestselling book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah.

Mary's Story

Mary orchestrated tremendous support for 11th Hour Rescue. She is a member of this 100% volunteer based organization that literally saves dogs at the last minute from being destroyed. This money raised will allow them to continue to care for the dogs in the rescue program and furthers their overall mission of saving wonderful, highly adoptable companion animals in kill shelters....animals whose only crime is they are out of time.

The internet is a powerful tool which the dedicated volunteers of 11th Hour used to reach out to the community to ask for their assistance in taking on the Six Degrees Challenge. The community responded with generosity and allowed us, in three short weeks, to take the 4th badge position. People really wanted to help and were as excited as we were about the challenge.

11th Hour Rescue focuses on the elimination of the “disposable” pet concept and we strive to educate the community on the importance of spaying and neutering animals. Visit us at www.ehrdogs.org

Robin's Story

A 38-year-old mother of two with MS, Robin has dedicated her life to fundraising & advocating for a cure (read her full story). She has her own Perfect Health Foundation & clothing line, is a speaker at MS events, and recruits huge fundraising teams.

Kristy's Story

We [Bubel Aiken Foundation] are blessed to have many faithful supporters who are connected through several message boards. Once we established our badge through a volunteer’s help and then put it up on our “Approved Fundraiser” page, the word spread quickly. Daily updates, encouragement, and advice flowed freely. The end of the drive happened to coincide with our annual “Champions of Change” gala and the fever of the drive led to even more anticipation for this highly-anticipated event. We were truly blown away by the final totals and are appreciative of our supporters’ passion which translated into funds that will help us to accomplish our mission.


Creating communities where ALL children can learn, live, and play together.

-Kristy Barnes

Ken's Story

My partner Jeffrey and I are committed to making the world a better place for our son Jackson and for all kids. We believe that families are defined by love and commitment and that's why we jumped at the opportunity to harness the power of our social networks to ignite social change with the SixDegrees.org fundraising badge.

I chose Family Pride for my charity badge because the organization’s vision is that all loving families should be recognized, respected, protected and celebrated. Family Pride works with other progressive advocacy groups, local parents groups, families, friends and allies to empower gay and lesbian families - changing hearts and minds across this country.

At the beginning of the celebrity badge campaign, I set a goal of 1,138 donations because that’s the number of federal laws and provisions that guarantee rights and privileges for married couples and therefore the number of federal laws and provisions that exclude families like mine. I’m thrilled at the success of my efforts.

Like all parents, we want to leave a better world for our son - a world that is more just, more loving and more equal, so it was an inspiration to see so many individuals across the country spread the word of my badge to friends, family and coworkers. The badge created a virtual community of citizens that took a stand for this shared vision of family equality.

At the end of the day, this struggle is not about gay or straight, it's about family. For more information about Family Pride visit www.familypride.org.