charity Archives - MomStart

Comcast Washington & Mary’s Place Team Up For Neighborhood Season of Giving Campaign #ComcastMarysPlace #InternetEssentials

December 7, 2018 by Beeb 6 Comments

This post is sponsored by Comcast; as always, all opinions are my own.

The holiday season is a time to reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for – and as we enjoy our warm homes and time with family, we also remember those that are not as fortunate and take time to share what we have. In the spirit of the holidays, Comcast Washington has launched a Neighborhood Season of Giving campaign to support Mary’s Place, an organization that works to help local women, children and families transition out of homelessness. In addition to contributing $250,000 to Mary’s Place, Comcast has also launched a clothing drive to help families in our community stay warm this winter. The initiative launched on Monday at the new Northgate Mall Xfinity store, where I was privileged to meet the inspirational Mary’s Place team, learn more about the issue of homelessness and participate in the clothing drive.

Comcast & Mary’s Place: A Natural Partnership

The collaboration between Comcast and Mary’s Place was kismet. One of Comcast’s offices in Seattle is located right across the street from Mary’s Place, and four years ago, the branch employees got together and decided to start a donation drive for their neighbors. What began as a small group of Comcast employees volunteering for Mary’s Place has snowballed into a huge initiative: Diem Ly, the Comcast Washington Community Impact Director, told me that she and her team speak with Mary’s Place two or three times each month to discuss what the greatest needs are in the community, and how Comcast can most effectively help. Because access to technology is such a crucial resource to help families out of homelessness, this was a perfect opportunity for Comcast to make a difference through its Internet Essentials program, culminating in a $250,000 contribution to Mary’s Place that will support the development of a computer lab where women and families at Mary’s Place emergency family shelters will be able to access technology and learn valuable skills.

Washington state Senator David Frockt speaks about the homelessness crisis during the Neighborhood Season of Giving kick-off event on December 3rd.

A $250,000 Contribution to Help Bridge The Digital Divide

Closing the “Digital divide” is a crucial piece in addressing the vast issue of homelessness. Since so many schools are extremely lacking in STEM programs, children from low-income households are often getting left behind their peers in learning the technology skills that are absolutely necessary in today’s workplace. In a world where waiters now take your order on an iPad, tech skills have become ubiquitous in most jobs, making it even more difficult for some of those experiencing homelessness to obtain employment. Comcast’s contribution will provide much-needed equipment and Internet access to facilitate vital job readiness training through digital literacy and coding classes that will be taught at Mary’s Place by volunteers. This technology will also remove other barriers for residents, helping them access various resources and move into stable housing.

The Real Face of Families Experiencing Homelessness

It’s all too easy to dismiss homelessness as something that happens to “Other people”. But this is not just a problem for those with mental health or substance use issues – in reality, almost anyone could lose housing in a crisis. How would you pay your mortgage if you suddenly lost your job? What would happen if your child became seriously ill? Many of us take for granted that we have a solid support network of family and friends who would never let us end up on the streets – but sadly, so many others are not as lucky as us. For example, up to 36% of children who grow up in foster care become homeless once they age out of the system; and those fleeing domestic violence are also at high risk, with studies showing that over 80% of mothers with children experiencing homelessness have also experienced domestic violence. These women and children didn’t do something “Wrong” to create their situation, and desperately want to improve their lives. That’s where organizations like Mary’s Place provide a crucial lifeline.

During the kick-off event for the Neighborhood Season of Giving campaign, I had the great pleasure of hearing a success story from a very inspirational woman named Norah. She grew up in the foster care system and experienced many trials and tribulations during her early life, including having a child at 16. A few years ago, Norah experienced homelessness and found herself couch surfing while her children stayed with family and friends. Through programs like Mary’s Place, she got the guidance and assistance she needed, including clothes for job interviews and access to computers to look for work. This enabled her to get a job with Comcast, where she says that she was greeted with open arms despite not having a permanent address at the time. Norah is a perfect example of how these initiatives empower families with the basic tools they need to change their lives.

You have to have somebody in your corner, you can’t do it alone. It takes a village – and thankfully, Mary’s Place can be that village.” -Norah

Winter Clothing Drive: How You Can Help

The kick-off event ended with Comcast loading up the Mary’s Place truck with 50 bags of clothing that were donated as part of the Neighborhood Season of Giving initiative. And to help faciliate even more donations, Comcast are hosting a clothing drive at their Northgate Mall Xfinity store through January 6th, 2019. So while you’re wrapping up your holiday shopping at the mall, don’t forget to grab some socks or mittens and donate them at the Xfinity store on your way out! Warm clothing is requested and will greatly help families experiencing homelessness during the cold winter months. Professional attire is also welcomed, and will be distributed to people just like Norah to help them dress for success as they attend job interviews. The new Xfinity store is located at:

Comcast Xfinity Retail Store at Northgate Mall
401 NE Northgate Way, #400A
Seattle, WA 98125
Located between Macy’s and Red Robin.

To learn more about the work that Mary’s Place does, please visit MarysPlaceSeattle.org; and you can get more information about Comcast’s Internet Essentials program by visiting InternetEssentials.com.

Comcast Changing Lives: Internet Essentials

October 14, 2018 by Momstart 5 Comments

This post is sponsored by Comcast and our opinions are our own.

Last week I attended an event with Comcast and Olympic Gold medal winners Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux. These two women are inspiring others to be strong and make a difference wherever they go. They have so many important passions like equal pay, fitness in children, and social responsibility.

Jocelyne and Monique have been fighting for gender equality and equal pay for hockey players. They are quite passionate about how this transcends to all employment opportunities. As they continue to work towards this equality they told us that they had to do a lot of research. They had to learn about the wages men were getting and it was a challenge to push forward but they did. They also fought hard for maternity leave saying, “you shouldn’t have to choose between being a mom and your career in hockey”. This carries over into so many different career paths in our country. They recently joined the “Know Your Value” platform, an NBC News digital media platform that supports women to advocate for their value that was founded by Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

What were they doing in Seattle?

Jocelyne and Monique are using their platform to help bridge the gap for children in lower-income areas. With the help of Comcast they are giving away computers to students across the country in an initiative to raise awareness to Comcasts Internet Essentials. They gave away 150 computers to 5th and 6th grade students in Seattle just last week. Students were so excited they were in tears from receiving this amazing gift.

For 7 years now Comcast has been offering a subsidized internet plan for low income families. For only 9.99 a month families can get a Terabyte of date allowing students to be able to do the homework they need to do to be successful in life.

Imagine this:

(this is a story we were told during the round table Comcast event)

A young child has to go to the library to get her homework done. She has to put her name on a list because the computer has to be shared. While she is waiting for her turn she works on her other homework. Once it’s her turn she has 30 minutes to use the computer. If she doesn’t finish she has to put her name on the list and wait again. She does this until the library closes at 9 PM and then walks home. Comcast asked her how often she did this and she said every day Monday – Friday. They gave this student a computer and 1 year free of Internet Essentials. When she told her mother what was happening her mother was so appreciative. What may seem so small to some of us is going to make a huge difference in this young girl’s life. She will be able to get her homework done at home.

How do you qualify for Internet Essentials?

There are quite a few ways to qualify for Internet Essentials. For families, if your student goes to a school where 40% of the students are on the free lunch program, all families are elibilble for Internet Essentials. The program is also open to low-income veterans. Comcast is reaching out to people in low-income areas through different charitable groups. They are working with HUD through public housing initiatives. They are also working through the VA, the Elizabeth Dole program and Psych Armor Institute.

Comcast Corporate Responsibility

As part of its effort to promote equal opportunities for all in its own workforce, Comcast publishes an annual diversity and inclusion report, sharing information about workforce, governance, procurement, programming, and community impact. According to this year’s Corporate Social Responsibility and Diversity and Inclusion reports, Comcast:

Provided approximately $470 million in cash and in-kind contributions to nearly 5,000 nonprofit organizations

At year end 2017, women or people of color made up 61% of the company’s overall workforce

Hired over 15,000 military community members since 2010

Helped more than 4 million individuals access low-cost internet service at home through Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program

During the company’s 17^th annual Comcast Cares Day, more than 115,000 Comcast NBCUniversal employees and their families, friends and community partners spent nearly 700,000 hours volunteering at over 1,200 projects in 23 countries around the world

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea: SONIC’s Limeades for Learning

May 21, 2018 by Momstart 2 Comments

Sonic sent us a gift card for sharing this idea.

It’s getting close to the end of the school year and you might want to get your teacher a gift to show them appreciation. Teacher Appreciation week might have been a few weeks ago, but there is always a reason to appreciate the teachers and Sonic has been doing that all month with their Limeades for learning partnership.

“SONIC^® Drive-In (NASDAQ: SONC), a longtime supporter of public school teachers through its philanthropic initiative Limeades for Learning^®, today launches the third-annual #ThanksTeach social media campaign to recognize, celebrate and reward teachers throughout May in honor of Teacher Appreciation Month. All month, SONIC is sharing inspiring stories of real teachers making a difference in the classroom, and encourages others to join in and say thank you to important teachers in their lives by sharing the hashtag #ThanksTeach. To top it all off, SONIC is donating $1 million to public school teachers in SONIC markets from coast to coast. “

You can get in on the fun using the Smile to Say #ThanksTeach Facebook camera filter and sharing your photo with the hashtag #ThanksTeach.

Throughout the month of May, SONIC will celebrate these unsung heroes across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube by sharing the stories of real public school teachers using the hashtag #ThanksTeach and encouraging others to do the same. SONIC also invites Facebook fans to Smile to Say #ThanksTeach via a Facebook augmented reality (AR) application that springs to life when the user smiles into the camera on their mobile phone, creating a video or photo that can be easily shared.

Since 2009, SONIC has supported and celebrated public school teachers through Limeades for Learning in partnership with DonorsChoose.org to provide teachers with essential materials and supplies needed for their classrooms. To date, SONIC has donated more than $9.7 million in financial grants to public school teachers, funding more than 18,983 classroom projects and benefiting more than 569,490 students. This month, SONIC is donating $1 million to public school teachers in SONIC markets who have requested to be eligible for SONIC funding.

Our Teacher Appreciate Gift Idea is to give your teacher a gift card to Sonic. Or buy them a Limeade!

Roar For Change

May 4, 2018 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Today is May the Fourth, you know Star Wars Day. But I think every Friday should be Star Wars day until May 25th when Solo: A Star Wars Story comes to theaters. But why stop there? We could just keep it going as long as another Star Wars movie is on the horizon. Anyway, who’s excited about Solo: A Star Wars Story? Raise your hand I know you are…..

We are getting our tickets very soon. But for now we are participating in Roar For Change. What is Roar of Change you ask?

Roar For Change is a challenge from Chewbacca. Chewbacca is challenging everyone, fans and families to share their own version of Chewbacca’s iconic roar. For each public share on social media using the #RoarForChange hashtag between May 3 and May 25th 2018, Star Wars: Force for Change U.S. will donate $1 to UNICEF USA up to 1 million. That means, put on a mask, make your best Chewbacca roar and share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and include the hashtag #RoarForChange.

So be sure to do your best it’s for charity and all!

If you happen to be in San Francisco today you can meet Chewbacca at the Disney Store and he will be happy to roar with you. Otherwise, if you go to a Disney Store near you between today May 4th and Sunday May 6th and Roar using the hashtag #RoarForChange you will receive 10% off your Star Wars purchase.

Partners from across the Star Wars galaxy have joined forces to celebrate the initiative. LEGO is taking to the streets of New York with the first-ever Brick Millennium Flacon pedicab to promote Roar for Change and give fans the chance to roar alongside Chewbacca in Bryant Park also today. So if you are in New York go look for him there. He’s pretty sneaky being in two places at once like that and all. Also, Hasbro and Funk each met to challenge Roar for Change and created celebratory videos to help unlock the donation to UNICEF.

Star Wars: Force for Change is a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney. It harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. Since 2014 Star Wars: Force for Change has raised over $16 million to date for charitable causes around the world.

Share Why Your Dog is a Star & Purina Will Donate to Mutt-i-Grees! #BHDogShow

March 27, 2018 by Beeb Leave a Comment

We’re a proud Purina Partner and have received compensation for this post.

Every dog owner knows that their furry friend is the real star of the family – which is why Purina is rolling out the red carpet to celebrate a star-studded event and raise money for a worthy cause! In honor of the Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina airing this Easter Sunday, Purina are inviting dog owners worldwide to do what they do best: Share a photo of your cute pooch! Through the “Every Dog is a Star” initiative, Purina is committing to donate $5 (up to $25,000) to Mutt-i-Grees when you share a photo or video of your dog star with the hashtag #BHDogShow. If you’re not already familiar, Mutt-i-Grees is a program by North Shore Animal League America that helps children build valuable life skills by interacting with shelter dogs. It’s easy to participate:

Share a photo or video between March 26th and April 8th showing why your dog is a star on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram tagging @Purina and using the hashtag #BHDogShow. For each original post, Purina will donate $5 (up to $25,000) to Mutt-i-Grees.

That’s it! These donations will help Mutt-i-Grees expand their program to more schools around the country to help teach empathy, kindness, and show the positive impact that pets have on our lives. An excuse to look at cute doggie photos AND raise money for a great cause, what more could you ask for?!

My dog is a star because he’s a survivor!

Our family Labrador, Bob, has been a true star this week. On Friday, he suddenly lost use of his paws and could barely walk. He was rushed to the vet and discovered that he had a compressed/bulging disc. Bob underwent surgery on his spine to repair it and, thankfully, will regain full use of his legs and make a total recovery. It’s been such a stressful ordeal – he had to travel 200 miles for treatment and spend all weekend at the vet after the surgery. He came home yesterday, and has four weeks of recovery ahead of him; he has strict orders to stay put in his bed, and is only supposed to go outside to potty 3 times a day. He can’t walk by himself yet, so he has to be carried out in a harness vest and take a plethora of medications three times a day. Through it all, Bob is still his sweet self despite everything he’s going through. He’s so happy to be at home again with his family and is taking everything in stride. We received a fun Hollywood-style gift bag in the mail today to get us ready for the Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina, and it’s perfect timing – this good boy deserves to be spoiled right now! He’ll be watching a lot of TV with Grammy while he’s laid up, so they can enjoy the first-ever Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina when it airs this Sunday, April 1st on USA at 6/5 p.m. ET/CT. There will be appearances by human and canine celebrities alike as they crown one special dog as its 2018 champion, so it’s sure to be a fun distraction after this long week! Perhaps the band Dogstar can come out of retirement and provide the music??

Don’t forget to share your pics with #BHDogShow – and feel free to link them in the comments so I can see all of your adorable dogs!

So Easy To Host a Coat Drive: One Warm Coat

December 22, 2017 by Momstart 14 Comments

This is a sponsored post.

Tis the season of giving and it’s so important to do so. We love to help out others and thanks to my blog, we’re able to use your platform to make a different in our community. It’s so much easier to help others when you have the resources to do so. But let’s say, you want to help someone but you feel you don’t have the resources to do so. You actually can make a big difference and you probably didn’t even no it. One Warm Coat is a resource you could use.

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing a free, warm coat to any person in need. And they make it extremely easy and fun for you to participate, or even do your own coat drive.

Imagine not having a coat to keep you warm as the temperatures begin to drop. Now you and your children can help!

How It Works: One Warm Coat provides the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive in 6 easy steps! The organization’s website helps organizers (individuals, schools, community groups, church groups and businesses) plan, promote and implement a coat drive. Once a drive is registered, One Warm Coat will send Ambassadors all of the materials they need to host a coat drive, including a banner, box labels, stickers and more. Once coats are collected, they will be distributed within their community to any person in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation through the organization’s network of non-profit partners. To donate a coat, search the One Warm Coat drive locator to find an active coat drive near you.

Coat drives are easy to host and an ideal activity for:

•         Parents, teachers and students looking to make a positive impact on their community through a service project

•         People seeking to add a philanthropic component to an upcoming family gathering or party

•         Community members finding ways to give back during the winter months

•         Professionals who would like to engage their colleagues in a good cause

•         People who may be moving or looking for ways to recycle

•         Corporations and Brands who want to make a difference in the communities where their employees and customers work and live

So it’s actually fun because your kids can feel involved. They can decorate the box, they can use the provided stickers, they can donate a coat they no longer fit in. They can ask their friends. It can be a great bonding experience all while making a difference and helping One Warm Coat reach their goal of collecting 1 million coats this season.

About One Warm Coat:

The organization began in 1992 with its first coat drive on a Thanksgiving weekend in San Francisco. Since its inception, One Warm Coat has grown as a national organization collecting more than 5 million coats and supporting 3,500 coat drives each year. In dedicating the last 25 years to providing a warm coat to anyone in need, free of charge, One Warm Coat’s efforts have been recognized with a number of awards, accolades and rankings including Top-Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits and Gold Star Nonprofit by Guidestar. The organization has collaborated with top companies such as J.Crew, Coca-Cola, Delta and Brooks Brothers among many others to give warmth to those in need. To learn more about One Warm Coat, visit https://www.onewarmcoat.org/

Enjoy a 5-Course Dinner to Benefit Mexico Earthquake Relief

October 18, 2017 by Beeb Leave a Comment

If you’re planning a night out this weekend, consider heading to Hudson’s Bar and Grill at The Heathman Lodge in Vancouver and enjoy a 5-course dinner to benefit relief efforts for the devastating earthquake that hit Mexico back in September. This special dining event will take place on Sunday, October 22nd, with 100% of the proceeds from this wonderful dinner being donated to rebuilding efforts in the community of Santa Cruz Cuautomatitla. Here are all the details:

To help rebuild infrastructure damaged by the Mexico earthquake in September, Hudson’s Bar and Grill along with Heathman Helping Hands, the company’s non-profit community fundraising organization, is hosting a 5-course charity dinner from 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Sunday, October 22, 2017.

“As soon as I heard about the devastation, I knew I had to help,” said Hudson’s Executive Chef, Ray Delgado, who grew up in the outskirts of Mexico City. Delgado organized the event efforts, working with vendors to donate product and staff to donate their time, so that 100% of sales for the dinner can be donated directly to construction efforts in the community of Santa Cruz Cuautomatitla.

The community of Santa Cruz Cuautomatitla, suffered heavy damage during the earthquake including the loss of the community’s school, church and over 250 homes. There is currently no shelter available for those affected during the quake, leaving many families homeless during the country’s rainy winter season.

The five course menu crafted by Chef Ray includes roasted turnip soup with black beluga caviar and toasted pine nuts, butter basted large scallops and seared foie gras with apple-fennel relish, forest mushroom stuffed pheasant, double RR ranch filet mignon and chocolate espresso cake, all paired with top regional wine selections.

To learn more, sign up for the dinner or to make a donation for the Mexico earthquake relief, please contact Marketing Manager Leah Sarkkinen at (360) 816-6138 or leah.sarkkinen@cohoserv.com.

Celebrating Nurses with Gifts: Pampers Thank You Nurses

May 10, 2017 by Momstart 35 Comments

This is a sponsored post with Pampers. Momstart is a Pampers Baby Board Member

Thank you so much guys for helping us nominate nurses for the Pampers Thank You Nurses program. Remember back in January when I shared my daughter’s birth story, we also asked all of you to nominate a nurse to be recognized by Pampers? In collaboration with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), Pampers selected three nurses for the second annual Pampers Swaddlers Thank You Nurses Awards out of more than 3000 Labor & Delivery nurses, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurses and Postpartum nurse nominations from around the country. The nominations were heartwarming, beautiful, and inspiring. It was a difficult decision, but the panel has chosen a winner for each of the three categories: Laurie Milliken (Labor & Delivery), Elizabeth Giambrone (NICU), and Billie Warren (Postpartum).

I’m really excited because I also get to brighten the day of nurses in my community. Nurses play an essential role in facilitation relationships between newborns and their parents and I’m grateful to the nurses that helped me. I’m really fond of NICU nurses because my nephew was born two months ago and he was over a month early. I know the nurses were there for him and my sister.

Pampers gave me a stipend to celebrate the nurses at a hospital of my choice. I chose the same hospital where my children were born. Now I had no idea how many nurses work at my hospital. I called the NICU and asked how many nurses work just in the NICU and they have 87 nurses that rotate and they have 12 nurses on each shift. WOW!

I wanted to do something for each and every one of them so I purchased a TON of chocolate.

My daughter and I went to a local chocolate store and we bought boxes and boxes of different chocolate. We purchased sugar free, nut free and one of almost everything in the store. We also purchased some drinks, and crackers in case there are a few that don’t like chocolate. I was told that many times that people do something nice for the nurses they only do one shift and often times the night shift is forgotten. My daughter and I created some thank you gifts that I think they will really like. We’re stealing from a friend of mine (Summer, she also contributes here at MomStart). She is running off the Unicorn Frappachino craze. We made these.

Each cup has tissue paper representing the fun colors of unicorns. Then there is a cookie straw, with a gift card and a little note saying how much we appreciate how the nurses are daily using their gifts to make a difference.

We made 25 of these, 12 for the first shift, 12 for the second shift and one for the nurse manager.

I’m so thankful to Pampers for making it possible for us to work in our community and bring extra smiles to these NICU nurses!

Get Ready—Red Nose Day Returns May 25

April 17, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Red Nose Day USA, the non-profit fundraiser that’s working to end child poverty in the U.S. and abroad is getting ready for their return on May 25th. They have been working in the U.S. since 2015 and Red Nose Day has raised over $60 million. This money is granted to nonprofit partners running programs across the country that keep children and young people safe, healthy, and educated.

The festivities kick off today (Noses On!) and people across the country can visit their local Walgreens and Duane Reade to purchase an iconic Red Nose or take on an entertaining initiative of their own to support the campaign’s mission. This year, Red Nose Day will occur on May 25^th and NBC will air a primetime special dedicated to the cause, including an exclusive mini-sequel to the family favorite Love Actually!!

The Red Nose Day site has some great examples of how you can get involved. They have an amazing group of partners to aid in their cause to end child poverty. Below are just a few examples:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Fund 850 10-week summer camp programs to combat learning and nutrition loss among low-income youth.
Feeding America: Support child hunger initiatives at all of Feeding America’s 200 member food banks, serving every state and county in the US – and providing more than 10M meals to children at risk of hunger.
Children’s Health Fund: Deliver essential health services to thousands of vulnerable children in 14 states and DC who lack access to high-quality primary and preventive care.
Save The Children: Improve education outcomes for young children through impactful early childhood development programs in four key US states. (Early Head Start, Head Start, Early Steps to School Success.)

Have A School Fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese

January 25, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Plan your Fundraisers and Fundraising Events @ Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Chuck E. Cheese’s Fundraising is extremely an turn-key option for raising money for your children’s school.
Kids LOVE Chuck E. Cheese’s. Fundraisers at Chuck E. Cheese’s won’t feel like the average “fundraiser” because the whole family will be having a blast at Chuck E. Cheese’s!
Chuck E. Cheese’s has donated over $14 million to schools and non-profits through fundraisers.
Register today to learn how your school can host a Chuck E. Cheese’s Fundraising event!