$100 Giveaway
417 comments » 
Today, I’m giving away $100. And I’m giving one of you the ability to choose who gets that $100. Today, we’re paying it forward.
We live in a world of wants. We make Amazon wish lists. We want new camera lenses. New clothes for fall. Tickets to sporting events. UGG boots. An iPad. (It’s possible I’m talking about myself here.)
We’re human, we want things. However, there are so many people that need things. Sometimes it’s easy to forget, but today, in the wake of remembering how lives were forever altered by the events of 9/11, in the wake of hurricanes and floods, after a spring of deadly tornadoes, we remember how many people are in need. And then there are the events you never hear about. Parents who can’t afford treatments or the time off of work for their sick children, the parent who loses a spouse with children to raise, and so many others.
We all hold causes close to our hearts for one reason or another. I donate every year to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because they were a huge help to our family when my dad had to travel from Pittsburgh to Boston for a bone marrow transplant, and continued to provide support after he lost his battle to a lung infection after the transplant.
Maybe your cause is breast cancer. Or heart disease. Diabetes. Autism. Cystic Fibrosis. Tornado victims. Earthquake relief in Japan. Bloggers Without Borders. There are so many things that touch each of us in so many ways. Maybe you’re training for a marathon in the name of a cause and want this $100 put toward your fundraising goals. Simply, this $100 will go to helping someone who needs it.
So how will this giveaway work? It’s easy!
To Enter: Leave a comment sharing the charity or fund where you would like to have the $100 donated.
Deadline: Monday, September 12, 2011 at 11:59pm.
Winner: As with all giveaways, the winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. I will donate $100 to the charity or fund indicated by the winning comment.
Disclaimer: Giveaway sponsored by Brown Eyed Baker. Charity or fund must be an established organization with a formal way of accepting donations.
Alzheimer’s Association definitely!
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I’m walking in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk in San Diego in November. My mom is a breast cancer survivor and we’re doing the walk for the first time. It would be nice to split the $100 with her to help towards our fundraising goals. We’re each about $1000 away.
http://tinyurl.com/3l6kks9
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My $100 would go to an organization called GenerateHope. GenerateHope helps women and girls get out of the sex trafficking industry via shelter, counseling, education, and support. http://www.generatehope.org/
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In honor of my husband who has lived 11 years with Type-1 Diabetes (aka Juvenile Diabetes), I would love to donate to the Diabetes Research Institute.
Praying for a cure ….
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Urban Humanitarian Project (www.uhp.org)…we are currently raising funds for MSF in Somalia, the Mount Gay Hospital in Grenada, and a mentorship program helping inner city kids from NYC!
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St. Jude. They are amazing
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Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen. http://www.daffyspetsoupkitchen.com/
I love this organization. Tom started the first pet soup kitchen in the country years ago, now he has them all over Georgia and has helped folks start others all over the country. Their main focus is to provide families with pet food so they don’t have to give up their pets in these difficult times when people are having trouble finding money for that. In addition they also provide breathing apparatus for pets to fire departments, do pet disaster rescue and relief after storms and other natural disasters, help clean up feral cat colonies, and have even created a memorial dog kennel at a Domestic Violence shelter after a woman was killed by her husband after being turned away from a shelter because of the dogs she just didn’t dare leave behind. This is a situation I had never even thought about, but I’ll bet it happens more often than we know. Daffy’s Pet Soup Kitchen has a lot of other programs going as well. They really deserve the support!
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Multiple Sclerosis awareness!
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I think donating $100 to No Kid Hungry would be amazing! For just $1 … a child is given 10 meals. I came across the foundation a year ago when I was at FN’s New York City Food and Wine festival and I have been a huge fan of it since.
Awesome idea!!! Just another way bloggers are doing good in this world.
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I would love to be able to donate 100 dollars to Trinity Presbyterian Church who is supporting a missionary family who are in desperate need of a car. They are a wonderful family who would give anything to anyone in need, and i’d love to be able to do the same for them.
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I would love for that money to go to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta @Scottish Rite. This hospital is an amazing place to be at (for a hospital that is!). However, I would be just as happy if it went to ANY children’s hospital.
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Focus on the Family is a wonderful organization helping families through all kinds of difficult situations. I would love to be able to give them this donation! Thank you.
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I would love for the $100 to go to World Vision, an organization that provides water systems for Africa. Thanks for paying it forward to whomever wins!
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My $100 would go to the “Be The Match” foundation. Because every little kid deserves a chance to grow up, and every mom/dad deserves a chance to watch them do it.
http://www.marrow.org/Home.aspx
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I would love for the money to go to Heifer International (heifer.org). They provide families and villages with livestock so that they may pull themselves out of poverty. Such a wonderful organization!
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My $100 would definitely go to the ASPCA. I truly support the fact that “we are their voice”.
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Carol Marine and her family lost their home and her art studio and paintings in the fires in Texas earlier this month. They had only moments to get to safety from these wildfires. Carol is an artist featured on Daily Painters .
http://www.noonesthebitch.com/http:/2011/09/05/carol-and-david-lost-their-home-a-fundraiser/
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I would donate it to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Make-A-Wish-Foundation-of-Nebraska/275639903425
A friend of mine works for Nebraska Make-a-wish and I see all the fantastic things they grant for kids who otherwise would not have the chance.
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If I had an extra $100 (which I don’t due to vet school poverty for the next three years!), I would donate to Heifer International. Their work draws the attention of the developed world to the importance of agriculture in buidling communities. In addition, gifts of animals and plants helps entire communities become sustainable through the “teach a man to fish” concept. Rather than providing food, education, and resources for a few days or weeks, teaching families to start their own business allows developing communities grow toward stability.
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The Juvenile diabetes research foundation is a cause very close to my heart. I have several friends and loved ones who suffer from this very debilitating and life-threatening disease.
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I’d love to see the $100 donated to my favorite charity – Trickle Up. This group provides micro loans (as little as $50) for women in third world countries to start a business. Read about the good things they do:
http://www.trickleup.org
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I would donate the money to the National Kidney Foundation in honor of my grandfather: http://www.kidney.org/
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I would love to see a $100 donation go to the American Cancer Society. They do so many good things for people going through this horrible disease. I would love to see the cure in my lifetime! Survivor since 2008.
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I also support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – I’m a healthcare professional with firsthand involvement in diagnosing and monitoring many of these patients, so this organization is close to my heart. But since you already support them, my second charity would be March of Dimes – what an incredible organization, helping to save premature babies’ lives every day.
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My friends have adopted two children from Sierra Leone (and three from Ethiopia). Sierra Leone has been involved in a terrible civil war for many years now and many have lost parents and entire families. The Raining Season is an indigenous organization that provides the orphans with housing, education, and love. We support them and it would be great for them to get a $100.00 donation from you!
(Overview-The Raining Season is a non profit foundation aiding those recovering from a brutal civil war in Sierra Leone West Africa. The mission is to provide a hopeful future to orphaned children and impoverished families in Sierra Leone, West Africa through meeting basic necessities that include: Housing, Nourishment, Education, and Small Business Grants. The Raining Season also works to provide grants and networking support for those wishing to adopt from countries within Africa.)
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A few months ago, I signed up to be a virtual walker for the 2011 Fayettville Walk for Lupus Now which takes place this Saturday. A friend of mine who suffers from Lupus is walking along with her family and friends. I signed up as a virtual walker because I live in Phoenix and am unable to travel to walk with her. My goal is $100. I have only been able to raise $15 thus far, but I am working on something this week to be able get that marker to $100. The additional 100 would be fantastic.
Thank you for doing this! <3
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I’d give mine to The First Tee of Battle Creek — it is a youth development organization that uses the game of golf to teach kids important characteristics such as honesty and integrity. That’s what makes this country of ours such a great place.
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My local (D.C.) human society would really benefit from this gift!
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I would donate to Angela’s Wings to help our good friends’ adoption of a Ukrainian girl with Downs.
http://angelaswings.tumblr.com/
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I would absolutely donate that money to the Lancaster County Humane League. We can’t forget about our furry and feathered friends.
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My son Shelby is raising money for Fields of Growth International for his Eagle Project. Fields of Growth is made up largely of lacrosse players who support and work with community-based organizations in small East African communities to build schools and homes, take care of orphaned and vulnerable children, support HIV outreach programs, and help them become self-sufficient (thru things such as the poultry project). Lacrosse players bring equipment and their love of the sport to the communities while supporting these wonderful people and their projects. What they do is truly amazing. You can find more information on this site:
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/shelbyhastings/shelbyhastingssfundraisingpage
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I would really love you to donate it to HART. This animal shelter does a great job in rescuing animals.
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What a beautiful opportunity! I would love to have $100 to donate to our Lomax food pantry who, I just read in the Sunday mass bulleting are “in need of monetary donations”. I know the Church would show me how to get into contact with them to help them out if I were to get picked!!!
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i would love to have that $100 go to BC Children’s Hospital. My son had open heart surgery at 2 1/2 months old and the doctors and nurses were the most amazing group of people I have ever encountered.
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I would donate the $100 towards Gracie’s Room First Hugs Program. 100% of all donations goes directly to the orphans.
We help special need orphans receive one on one care and medicine. some of the children have never been held before entering our program!
Thanks
Krista Dolan
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I would love to donate to a local shelter organization. The Denver Dumb Friend’s League.
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Amazing! I would choose the National Marfan Foundation to support research and education in memory of my little brother, Joey!
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I would love to a small non-profit in AZ called Room For Joy! http://www.roomforjoy.org Room for Joy inspires and enhances the lives of chronically ill children by giving them the bedroom makeover of their dreams!
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I would donate $100 to an organization called YelpBR in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This is a fairly new animal adoption group, where they take animals from our local shelter and give them more time to find homes. Our parish currently gives dogs about a week to get adopted, which is such a shame, but there’s not much funding from the parish for the shelter, so this group came in, they take in 30-40 dogs and give the dogs as much time as they need to find new homes. The organization is near and dear to my heart, since we adopted Millie from them almost 2 years ago.
This is such a wonderful giveaway idea.
I hope you choose this charity, because YelpBR could use every little bit of help they can get to take care of these dogs! 
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I have committed to walk the Avon Breast Walk in Manhattan in October and this would go toward my $1800 that I need to raise. I have only started raising the money and way behind.
I have done 3 marathons raising money for children…..this one is difficult because I am asking the same people and I think they feel that is enough! Also, walking a marathon and then walking 1/2 marathon the next day is extremely harder than running a marathon.
http://www.avonwalk.org/
Anyone can make a donation…..it would be greatly appreciated.
thank you, Patty Robinson
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I would donate to the Moore Co Humane Society, where I picked up my fav, Milo, five years ago. He’s been the best thing that ever happened to me, and I’d like to keep them going so that others in the area can rescue a pet and enjoy a life with him the way I’ve enjoyed my time with Milo.
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I would donate Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation.
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What a great idea! I would want the $100 to go to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. They do an awesome job of feeding less-fortunate individuals in our area.
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It would be awesome if $100 would be donated to THON. THON is a charity that Penn State University does holds annually. All year long, about 15,000 Penn State students hold different events to help raise money for kids with cancer – festivals, “canning”, etc. Near the end of the school year, in the spring, they have a dance marathon (usually around 700 dancers participate), at the end of which they reveal the amount of money raised. Since 1977, THON has raised more than $80 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
I have seen the positive influence from this charity first hand as my niece was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2010. My sister and brother in law have gotten gas cards for their travel, free meals in the hospital cafeteria, paid prescriptions, and treatments have even been paid for. This money goes to all families – not just those who are in need. It also pays for research on childhood cancer.
One more thing – and this is probably even more valuable than the money itself – is the happiness this organization has brought to my 5 (now 6) year old niece. The student volunteers are SO great with the children. They often go to my sisters house to play with my niece, and they’ve gone to see her in the hospital. She LOVES playing with the students, and they always bring her such joy and happiness when they come around.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this charity & would be delighted if they received the donation.
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I would love if the money could go to Alex’s lemonade stand.
Alex Scott was a brave little girl who battled cancer but not without a fight and a legacy for all to admire. Her strength and courage could teach all of something. I often think how can I complain when this little girl went through so much and fought so hard to raise money before her passing.
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My sister is a breast cancer survivor and I would love to donate the $100. to the American Cancer Society on her behalf!
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Greengate School in Woodland CA could use any funds to help purchase equipment such as standers and gait trainers to help severely disabled students have an opportunity to MOVE!
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My son has autism. The Nassau Suffolk Autism Society of America – provides many events to help kids with autism socialize – it’s done a world of good for us.
http://www.nsasa.org
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There are so many deserving charities. I’m a TNT (leukemia & Lymphoma Society) triathlon and marathon coach and have fundraised and participated in events for the last 10 years-starting the year after my father died from Lymphoma. Just returned from Washington DC after participatuing in the Nation’s Capitol Triathlon (unfortunately because of the heavy rains the previous 2 weeks they had to cancel the swim portion because of debris and currents). I would love for it to go to LLS-but any one of the charities posted deserves and will also be grateful.Thanks for doing this
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Holy cow, do we have something in common! My Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia in October ’09 and had a bone marrow transplant in July 2010. He is currently doing well, but we worry about graft vs host and infections all the time. I’m so sorry your dad lost the battle. My sister and I joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk Fundraising event last year, and will this year as well. So yes, that’s the cause near and dear to my heart. Or Be The Match! Also an incredible organization!
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Joanie on September 12th, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Awesome Job Kim! I blow up the balloons (well-hold them onto the helium tank while they inflate
) for our local walk!
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DonorsChoose.org!
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Oh please pick me!!! My daughter was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic in June and we are participating in our first Walk for a Cure for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation this weekend!!!!!! Thanks for doing such an awesome giveaway!!!!!
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My two grandsons were diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes when they were 18 months and almost 3. A year later they were diagnosed with Celiacs Disease. SIne then for the past 6 years I have been raising money to find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes. I have also had many students throughout the past 20 years with this incurable disease. This $100.00 would be sent to the Juvenile Diabetes Research FOundation to help fund a cure.
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First off…thank you.
Boys Town.
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A charity that is close to my heart is Ascent Russian Orphan Aid Foundation (http://www.iorphan.org/). Unfortunately, a staggering percentage of children from former USSR are abandoned, and of those children, only one in ten becomes a functional member of society. There is a chronic shortage of workers available to help the kids, room to house them, and barely enough to provide their basic needs…This foundation is set up to help provide orphans and orphanages with the resources they need to learn, succeed, develop interests and to learn trades….giving them a shot at a bright future
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the wounded warriors project
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The draught and famine in East Africa really worries me, because there people are starving for water and simple foods like rice while we have the privilege to have three meals a day and spend indulge in daily baked goods. Therefore, I choose UNICEF to give money and aid to the starving people of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
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I would give $100 to my host sister in Guayaquil, Ecuador. It costs about $150 to send an elementary school student to school for one year (paying for mandatory uniforms, textbooks, and other materials). When I was last in Guayaquil, she expressed her concern for not having this money to send Catalina, her daughter, to school this year.
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I would give the money to one of my fifth grade students to put toward their camp costs. It is $155 to go to camp each year, which is a hardship for some of my families. This money would go a long way!
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What a great idea! So generous of you too! If I win, I would like the money to be donated to the March of Dimes. Thanks! = )
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I would like to donate to Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation. My friend and teammate, Jill Costello, passed away from lung cancer just over a year ago. She was an athletic non-smoker in her early 20′s and she touched so many people’s lives as well as significantly increased the awareness of lung cancer, which has been looked over due to the stigma associated with it. She was extremely active with this foundation and one of her last requests was that we all still do all we can to ultimately beat lung cancer.
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I would donate to faces of loss, they are an amazing organization that helps people like me who have dealt with pregnancy loss.
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carroll county rape crisis center.
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I would really like to donate to the ASPCA because I believe that animals are just as important as humans and deserve to be treated right and taken care of just as they take care of us.
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I work for an agency – Children’s Aid Society in Alabama – which helps families stay together and come together through adoption. I’m a huge fan
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The ASPCA. Yes, humans are very important, but innocent animals are too often forgotten and left in pain. I support them financially as well as with my services, and there is nothing better than helping the truly innocent.
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I would have the $100 donated to the Michigan Parkinson’s Foundation. https://www.parkinsonsmi.org/transactions/donations.php My mother-in-law, Rita, has pretty advanced Parkinson’s and it is shocking to see how quickly we have lost the wonderful woman we once had in our lives. It is so frustrating for her to have become trapped in her own body and not be the active, social, independent woman she was. My friends and family are participating in a walk-a-thon on Oct. 1st for the Michigan Parkinson’s Foundation.
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I would choose the Red Cross.
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I would donate the money to my school’s Student Council. Every fall/winter they prepare food baskets for approx. 70 families in the school district – families who can’t afford much at all. They give each family a turkey, non-perishables, and winter accessories through the Christmas vacation.
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My dear mom passed away on 9/10/2002 from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,) also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s kinda the polar opposite of Alzheimers, and therefore, much crueler. The mind stays razor sharp as your body slowly becomes increasingly paralyzed, including the muscles responsible for speech, swallowing and finally breathing. It’s a slow, agonizing torture that no human being should ever have to endure.
http://www.alsa.org
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I would donate to Canine Companions, a local animal rescue group. I adopted my two dogs from them and I would love to be able to donate $100 to their charity.
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I would give it to JDRF. My friend walks for her son every year… this would be a great gift for her and her son!
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I would like $100 to go to my daughter’s spanish immersion elementary school. Each year the parents raise money to provide each classroom with a native spanish speaking aid. With the super tough economy in Michigan, funding is at an all time low (and so are donations). Your contribution could help a teacher provide much needed assistance in a classroom. Thanks!
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American Humane Society
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The money would go to Breast Cancer Awareness. I’m on a team for an upcoming run.
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Cystic fibrosis… Thank you so much!
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I would love to see the money go to Operation Baghdad Pups; it helps soldiers who bond with the many stray animals who are unquestionably all victims of this conflict be able to rescue the animal and bring them back to a true forever home. http://www.spcai.org/baghdad-pups.html
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I would like to throw Wags & Whiskers Animal Rescue of MN into the ring. They are a wonderful organization dedicated to rescuing dogs (and cats) from bad situations. My dog was adopted from them and we volunteer and foster for Wags – they are an organization I really believe in!
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St Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis is my “go to” charity! We’re tight on money this year so we have not donated yet, which is killing me… so this would be awesome!
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Last year, when I celebrated my 6th year as a breast cancer survivor, my daughter said, “Mom, it’s time to walk.” My 25 year old daughter and I are participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk Nov. 18-20 in San Diego. I was diagnosed at 48 with no family history of breast cancer and no qualifying risk factors. That is not true for my daughter. She will live with this fear for the rest of her life. We are walking for research and treatment. I was diagnosed in April, 2005. In Dec., 2004, because of research, the Oncotype Dx Test was approved for use. This test changed the course of my treatment. $100 would support our efforts to raise $$ for breast cancer research and treatment.
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MealsfromtheHeartland.org
This is an organization that was founded in Iowa in 2007. Through the work of monetary donations and volunteers, they package and distribute nutritionally balanced meals to people who need them. They’ve fed hungry people in South Africa, Haiti, various places in the US, and probably more that I’m currently forgetting. The way their meals cost out, a donation of $100 would feed about 500 people. Amazing how a little can do a lot. Thanks for this giveaway – it never hurts anyone to think about ways to help.
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Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation (http://www.streetkidsinvietnam.com/).
I believe the strongest impacts come from small charity programs that have close direct contacts with the recipients on day to day basis.
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My charity of choice is the American Heart Association. I lost my father when he was 56, suddenly & unexpectedly, when he passed after a run. A 3-time marathon runner, a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do and having participated in countless tri-athalons, the fatal heart attack was a shock.
Less than two years ago, we lost my husband’s 31-year old sister, due to mitral valve prolapse, a heart condition we were unaware of. She left behind a husband, 6-year old daughter, 4-year old son, and and 8-day old daughter.
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I would love to donate $100 to Love 146, which is aims to end child sex slavery and exploitation. It is estimated that trafficking generates around $32 billion annually. This makes trafficking in persons the second most lucrative crime in the world.
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How refreshing to see a giveaway that isn’t about what I can get for myself, but what I might be able to share with those who can really use some help. I volunteer with Motley Zoo Animal Rescue here in Washington, and I would love to give this $100 to them. They often rescue animals that have medical conditions and would therefore be automatically put down in shelters. Thanks for the chance to help them!
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I would give this $100 to the Alice Paul House. They are our local domestic violence shelter. This donation would do tons of good.
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Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (American Cancer Society)
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Smile Train!
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I would like $100 go to No More Radiation: Giving Japanese Families Tools to Measure their Safety. This cause just started and this initiative aims to distribute radiation measuring devices (called geiger counters) to families with children in the effected Fukushima area where the big earthquake and tsunami hit in March in Japan and affected by the radiation from Fukushima Power Plants. Japanese government is not doing anything to help people so this cause was started. Hope I will win and can donate $100 to this great cause to help people in Fukushima, Japan!
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Autistic children need our help
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Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue! That is our favorite charity.
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secondhandhounds.org
This is a local volunteer-based animal rescue. They care so much and deserve as much help as they can get!
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I’d donate it to the American Cancer Society… too many lives have been touched, altered forever by cancer.
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my friend really wants to go to this camp but we need money 4 her to go 4 the plane ticket. we would be so graetful!
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Susan G. Komen for the Cure. My mom is currently in chemo for stage 2 breast cancer, and I dream that one day soon we can say that no one has to worry about cancer anymore.
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Operation Smile
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Not sure if I made it in time…11:59 in pacific time? I’m a west coaster and just getting to my Google Reader.
What a generous gift Michelle! I would put the money towards Susan G. Komen’s Race for the Cure. I’ll be walking in a 5K in two weeks with my step-mom. In just under a month I will be celebrating 1 year cancer free!
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AROC – Arab Resource and Organizing Committee – http://www.araborganizing.org/
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What a nice thing to do Michelle! Thank you for including us in your goodwill. My charity would be the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Every year my family raises money (over $15,000 in the last 4 years) buy riding in the LiveStrong Challenge in the fight against Cancer. We lost my father to Cancer in 2008 and have been fighting this battle in his memory every since. You can see more of our LiveStrong experiences here: http://www.cristinscookies.com/search/label/LiveStrong%20Challenge Thanks again for what you are doing and including us too! Cristin (Pinkie) of Cristin’s Cookies
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What a wonderful idea. I would like to donate $100 to the Sjogren’s Syndrome Foundation (http://www.sjogrens.org/), a little known but rather prevalent disease that I suffer from. It’s changed my life so completely.
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