Posted by: T.J. DeGroat on December 23rd, 2009
“Our mission is not in a recession.” — Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
It seems that every day there’s another news report about how holiday gift sales are shaping up this year (they’re rebounding! They’re slipping! They’re steady!). Forecasters are still unsure about how the figures will shake out, but one thing is certain: U.S. charities are struggling to attract the same level of giving in 2009 that they received in prior years. And they aren’t counting on a big boost from people giving donations as holiday gifts either, according to a recent report. Thirty-eight percent of Americans said they were going to include charitable gifts among their holiday presents this year; that’s an 11 percent decrease from last year, according to a Harris Interactive survey released last month.
Overall, the same number of Americans are passing along dollars to charities, but they are making smaller donations. That’s bad news for charitable organizations, whose services are becoming more important as the economy continues its rocky ride. Nancy Brown, whose quote begins this entry, said her Dallas-based organization ended its fiscal year on June 30 with an 11.8 percent decrease in donations. That’s a sobering figure, especially for those of us focusing energy on philanthropic efforts.
The news isn’t all bad. Brown did note that the number of volunteers participating in the Association’s efforts actually increased this year. People without the disposable income they enjoyed earlier in the decade are still finding ways to give back. It’s all about doing what you can, giving what you can.
On that note, we’ll be providing more opportunities for people — and corporations — to get involved with our endeavor beyond simply making straight donations. Take a look at our reshaped focus and stay tuned for updates as we continue to work toward bringing some extra warmth to the lives of children in need around the world.
Happy holidays from the SWM team!
Tags: Christmas, Economy, Generosity, Holidays, Philanthropy, Smitten With Mittens, SmittenWithMittens, T.J. DeGroat
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Posted by: T.J. DeGroat on December 9th, 2009
With plans in motion to target Antigua, Guatemala, as the first mittens drop-off point, I’ve been doing some research on the country, whose history is as complicated as that of its neighborhood, Mexico, but not nearly as well-known. There are many reasons why this Central American country strikes me as an intriguing place to begin the SWM journey. With its rich Mayan culture and its natural wonders, such as Lake Atitlán and its adjacent volcano, Guatemala is home to some of the most beautiful sites and landscapes in the Americas. But it also is a nation that has struggled with poverty, governmental corruption and civil war.
Just last week, a retired military officer was convicted for masterminding the “forced disappearance” of civilians during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. In the first conviction against an army officer since the war ended in 1981, Col. Marco Antonio Sanchez was sentenced to 53 years in prison. Witnesses tied Sanchez to the disappearances of eight people. Overall, the war razed hundreds of Mayan villages and caused the deaths of an estimated 200,000 people. The Guatemalan civil war, which saw left-wing insurgents battle U.S-backed military governments, was the longest and, according to many, most brutal in modern Latin American history. (It’s worth noting again that Guatemala’s military governments were, like many other violent Latin American dictatorships, backed by U.S. administrations.)
The war created a generation of orphans — a problem that continues to plague the country. In more recent years, disease and natural disasters have added to the number of children without one or both parents. In 2005, as many Americans struggled to understand how Hurricane Katrina could cause such devastation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, mudslides triggered by Hurricane Stan created as many as 2,500 orphans in Guatemala, which considered itself a forgotten victim of the season’s many destructive storms. UNICEF estimated the total number of orphans in the country at a staggering 360,000 in 2007.
Antigua has become relatively well-known to Americans in recent years because of its growing tourism industry, which has expanded exponentially since the violence of the last century subsided. Home to about 35,000 people, Antigua (which means “old” in Spanish) formerly was the capital of Guatemala. Its population peaked at about 60,000 way back in the 1770s. These days, besides being known as a great home base for visitors looking to explore the Guatemalan Highlands, Antigua is known for its elaborate religious celebrations during Spring and for its many Spanish language schools. A friend who spent some time in Antigua a couple of years ago was struck by the area’s charm and natural beauty, but also noted the extreme poverty in some pockets.
I’m looking forward to discovering more about this area as the entire SWM team continues its work to bring a bit of extra warmth to children who need it. Stay tuned for more.
*Photo courtesy of Skip Hunt
Tags: Antigua, Guatemala, Orphans, Smitten With Mittens, SmittenWithMittens, T.J. DeGroat
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Posted by: Adriana Gascoigne on December 6th, 2009
Smitten With Mittens is excited to announce its new partnership with Global Action for Children. Through this partnership, Smitten With Mittens will be selling its fair trade mittens to support the advocacy efforts of Global Action for Children, a well-known organization that works to generate awareness, policies and funding so that every child has the chance to grow up safe and healthy.
Formed in 2003, Global Action for Children advocates on behalf of the world’s orphaned and vulnerable children on the following issues:
*Basic education
*Child marriage
*Child sexual abuse
*Child survival & immunizations
*Children in conflict
*Community care
*Foreign aid reform
*HIV/AIDS
*Malaria
GAC is successful because of its independent and bipartisan approach to advocacy. They do not accept government funding. As a result, policy work is in the best interests of children and not in the self-interest of GAC. Moreover, GAC understands that supporting the world’s children is a cause that can unite leaders from all ideologies.
GAC’s growing list of success stories includes:
*Generating the support to pass the Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act (P.L. 109-95) in 2005. It was the first comprehensive legislative response to the global crisis surrounding orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
*Coordinating our partners in the AIDS-Free Generation coalition to boost the UNAIDS resource needs assessment from $1.2 billion to $4.5 million to account for 19 million orphans between 2008-2015.
*Leading efforts to authorize $3 billion (10 percent of PEPFAR funding) for OVC programs from 2009-2013.
Placing op-eds and letters to the editor about orphans and vulnerable children in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Vanity Fair.
Investing in orphans and vulnerable children is an investment in our collective future. Smitten With Mittens is thrilled to partner together with Global Action for Children in this important work. We will be launching our Smitten store soon where you can buy colorful mittens to help us in our effort to support children in need worldwide. Stay tuned!
Tags: Developing countries, Economic Sustainability, Global Action for Children, Orphans, Smitten With Mittens
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Posted by: T.J. DeGroat on November 21st, 2009
“Generosity is one of the most widely shared values in the United States. It reflects our compassion and our entrepreneurial spirit, as well as our democratic values.” — Claire Gaudiani, The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy and Can Save Capitalism
Like most kids, I used to shift uncomfortably and giggle when asked to share what I was thankful for during Thanksgiving dinner. But as I entered my 20s and my perspective widened, I realized how much I had compared to so much of the world’s population. When Adriana first mentioned the idea of distributing mittens to some of the developing world’s orphans, I had one of those realizations. There are countless children in our own country and around the globe who lack the very basic necessities: food, shelter, potable water and, yes, mittens. (And we’re not just talking about physical mittens; it’s about what mittens represent: warmth, love, security. But I’ll dive into that discussion another time.)
So this Thanksgiving I’ll take an extra moment to give thanks for all the luxuries I have, for my loving family, my caring friends and for the opportunity to work with the Smitten WithMittens team as it prepares for its first drop-off, benefiting orphans in Antigua, Guatemala. It’s been a joy for me to see the organization grow from an idea Adriana excitedly mentioned to me way back in 2006 to a team of people sharing some of their time and expertise to provide a little extra warmth to kids who so often are forced to go without.
As we enjoy this upcoming long weekend and Thursday’s typically overwhelming Thanksgiving meal, I encourage readers to think of ways they can give back, starting, of course, with a donation to this growing group. But whether your gift is a financial one that benefits us or just some extra kindness toward someone in your life, consider taking steps toward helping others. After all, as the quote at the beginning of this entry points out, philanthropy is as American as Thanksgiving itself. That’s just one more thing the SWM team and I are thankful for.
Tags: Generosity, Philanthropy, SmittenWithMittens, T.J. DeGroat, Thanksgiving
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project since the beginning. He helped round up a variety of ideas, resources and even inspired the first iteration of the “mitten-heart” logo. I’m really happy and proud to have T.J. on our team. I know that he’ll be a true asset because of his proven track record and capabilities as well as his instinctual nature of being a giving, generous and warm person.
