Category — Good Deeds

Are you still hanging on to those old sneakers from 1985? Sure, they’ve probably taken you to great places, but come on, you know you’ll never wear them again. Why not give them a new life?

Donate your old sneaks to Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe Program. Your old sneakers will be ground up into a rubbery material and used for playgrounds and sporting surfaces. Cool, huh?

All brands of sneakers are accepted, but cleats, shoes containing metal, and wet or damp shoes are definite no-no’s.

Just drop off old sneaks at one of dozens of drop-off locations around the country or send them directly to the processing facility.

And who knows, maybe your old kicks might make their way to a playground near you!

-Jena Parise, Marketing Coordinator for KIWI Magazine

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

Ok, I know it’s early in the ve-game, but this experience has really made me think about people with food allergies, or worse, parents with allergic kids. I read all the labels, try to make sure there are no animal ingredients and away I go. If I make a mistake, the worse that can happen is that I figure it out later and avoid that product, lie to my readers and doom myself to eternal fire.

In other words, there is absolutely no risk. But any such ingredient can prompt an array of reactions in those with food allergies, from an itchy nose to anaphylactic shock.

Nutritional labels are nearly impossible to read with the tiny type and chemical speak. I took my 3-year-old daughter grocery shopping and it was impossible to read every label while simultaneously preventing an avalanche in the produce aisle in Whole Foods. (By the way, that’s a whole separate blog—those stacks of fruits and vegetables are rigged. One wrong orange or apple choice and thewhole thing comes tumbling down.) I didn’t feel the least bit confident that I had purchased only foods without animal products in any form.

When I got home, I had to go on several websites to make sure I had purchased a genuine vegan item. In some cases, I hadn’t. All told, I feel pretty lucky that we don’t have food allergies in my family and that this is a risk-free learning adventure. Except for the eternal fire part.

-”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

My husband describes me as Farfromvegan (his take on Volkswagen’s Fahrvergnügen advertising campaign), but my true identity lies in being a mom and writer. I live in suburban Baltimore and my craziest adventure of late was a week of Zen skiing. I put baby birds in boxes, call the state police if I see goslings trying to cross the highway, and have adopted two dogs from the SPCA.

But I eat meat. If stranded on a desert island, I would want to bring cases of yogurt. Brie is me. Hail Caesar salad. I’m a grilly girl.

For me, this vegan experience is a journalistic experiment as well as a way to shrink my personal carbon footprint. But now my carbon footprint won’t be made by leather shoes.

Just how challenging is it to become a vegan? I’ll find out soon.

-“Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

One edamommy attempts to cut meat out of her life.

Set meat free, why don’t cha babe

Get out my life, why don’t cha babe

‘Cause you don’t really love meat

You just keep meat hangin’ on

-Adapted from “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by The Supremes

I have to admit something. For every new challenge or adventure, I pick a theme song. There were some unfortunate choices in the ’80s when I tried out for high school cheerleading (“Eye of the Tiger”); became an aerobics instructor (“Kung Fu Fighting”); and got my first real job (“2 Legit 2 Quit”).

When I decided to go whole-hog vegan, the song that immediately came to mind was “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” Substitute meat for me in each line and you have a new vegan anthem. Presto!

Going vegan isn’t a delayed New Year’s resolution (although I have several of those). I was not inspired by some bug-eating reality show. I don’t intend to be a top model, idol, big loser, survivor, bachelorette, geek-loving beauty or a home-improvement show host. Just a vegan for as long as I can be-gan.

-”Edamommy” Mary Talalay is a writer for KIWI Magazine

As my children sat in the back of my car telling jokes with racial overtones, I longed for Sasha’s four-year-old stand-up act. Her repertoire consisted of two jokes, one about a cat and one about a hamburger. She always ended with the hamburger joke because it was sure to get a laugh. “What did the hot dog say to the hamburger?” she would ask. “Nice buns!” Her sweet face would light up at the punch line as she braced herself for the laugh.

I recall a baffling attempt at discussing diversity around the same time as Sasha was telling her hamburger joke. One day at the playground, she was staring at a child of a different race and she asked me, “Why does he look different?” I was about to jump start the diversity discussion when she added, “He wears funny mittens.” It wasn’t race she saw—it was his funny mittens. As the adult, I saw race and not the mittens.

I forged ahead anyway. “People come in all different colors, shapes, and sizes, and they wear different things, too,” I said. Sasha recently confided that at the time, she thought I meant something very different. For a long time she scoured the playground in hopes of finding a kid with a small blue triangle head, a big red rectangle head, or even a medium yellow square head. In preschool they take their colors, shapes and sizes quite literally.

Now firmly into elementary school, Sasha needed my message to be clear. In the car, I reminded myself that at heart, my children are amazing, sensitive and loving towards others of all cultures and races. They just needed a refresher course. I pulled the car over and calmly turned to Sasha and Eli to discuss the following points concerning jokes.

• It is never ok to make fun of other people.

• Treat others the way you want to be treated. Ask yourself, “How would that make me feel if someone said that about me?”

• Just because others make fun of people does not make it right. Stand up for what you believe.

• Just because others laugh doesn’t mean it’s funny. Ask them what they think is funny about the joke.

• Reject jokes that stereotype people. They perpetuate misunderstanding and hatred.

As children grow and hopefully have exposure to diversity, they need refreshers every once in a while to remind them of how to be accepting and understanding. People do come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, and the world is much richer because of it. Yes, laughter feels good, but jokes at the expense of others do not. Appropriate jokes that don’t degrade others can bring joy to the person delivering it and to their audiences. And there are plenty of good jokes far beyond the caliber of the hamburger one-liner. We can teach the importance of embracing ethnic diversity to our children as they grow up. Remember, it is a life-long process when striving for empathy, respect and tolerance. Now buckle up for the ride and don’t be afraid to pull over, refresh, and ask for directions when needed!

–June Grushka-Rosen M.Ed. is a Life Coach, Educator, Psychotherapist and mommy of two. To contact – June@urextraordinary.com

While driving my kids recently, I heard giggling from the backseat and felt overjoyed that everyone was getting along. That is, until I heard what the laughter was about. An innocent children’s rhyme that is all but innocent. I could not believe my ears—my children were in fact making fun of another culture’s appearances in their little rhyme… in my car…my children…with the values I have taught them…YIKES! How could they not understand that this was inappropriate and even hurtful to others? I tried not to go postal. I reminded myself that I was the therapist and the mother in this car—and driving. From my voice, they knew I was upset when I asked them to stop.

“You don’t let us have any fun,” said Eli. “It feels like we are the only ones I know who can’t make fun of anything. It’s not hurting anyone” Sasha chimed in. “Sam in my class taught me that joke,” she said. “He makes fun of all kinds of people, and kids think he’s funny.”

I was taken aback that my children had missed the idea that making fun of the way someone looks is hurtful. Apparently, my passion for human rights and equality did not guarantee that my children would be empathetic little apples that would fall from my tree. Children receive powerful messages outside our homes—in class, on the bus, at lunch, on the playground, and from friends and the good ol’ TV. There needs to be an ongoing effort regarding cultural and racial sensitivity. If moments can be teaching moments, this was gonna be a big one.

Talk to your kids about what makes a joke hurtful. Why do others laugh if it is so wrong? What could be said to those who tell the inappropriate joke? How can we celebrate diversity?

To be continued…

–June Grushka-Rosen M.Ed. is a Life Coach, Educator, Psychotherapist and mommy of two. To contact – June@urextraordinary.com

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

On January 21, 2008 we acknowledge and celebrate the late great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King is recognized as being one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. Originally a Baptist minister, his interest in the growing epidemic of violence towards black Americans led him to become a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and helped found the Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. All of his efforts led to the highly publicized 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. In 1964, Dr. King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violence means.

Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1986.

To get involved in this important celebration, introduce your children to Dr. King through books featured in the Kiwi Bookworms Club such as Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Additionally, there’s great resources on the web including FamilyEducation.com and or the Holiday Zone which even has the complete text of Dr. Kings famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Also, there are many local activities that can be found online. For example, as a part of Philadelphia’s annual “Dr. King: A Day of Service” proceedings, I’ll participate in several commemorative events. As alumni of Penn State Abington I will be on campus helping to organize students who will volunteer at several organizations throughout the Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia county areas, including The Attic and the William Way Community Center.

Also at Penn State Abington, is a one-man play written and performed by Michael Fosberg, called “Incognito.” The play addresses diversity and stereotyping and is scheduled on January 21 from noon to 1pm in room 108-109 Lares Building.

Later this evening I’ll attend the African American Museum in Philadelphia (701 Arch Street), where their Day of Service Tribute to Dr. King’s life and work will include music, dancing, a laser show, a community service project to aid the homeless and more. These activities are scheduled to run from 11am-5pm, for more information call (215) 574-0380, or visit www.aampmuseum.org.

I hope that you will take the time to honor this great man who has helped make our country a better place to live for all of us.

–Shaneka Holliday Dawsonia, Promotions and Special Events Manager, KIWI Magazine

And, yes, KIWI does know how to pick them! Liz Abzug, our esteemed advisory board member was just named by Women’s eNews as one its 21 Leaders for the 21st Century. The award goes to 20 women and one man who “are dedicated to improving the lives of women in their homes, in their communities, in their nations and across the globe”.

Here’s what Womens eNews has to say about Liz:

“Liz Abzug, a third-generation New Yorker, founded the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute, named after her mother, a former member of Congress and international women’s rights activist. This generation’s Abzug guides female teens as they study political advocacy and develop strategies to impact their communities. In November, Abzug brought together hundreds of women from all generations to commemorate the 1977 National Women’s Conference organized by her mother. Abzug’s goal is to ignite the flames of the next wave of women’s rights movement.”

Women’s eNews will do an expanded profile of Liz over the next few days, so make sure you visit their site. KIWI profiled the Bella Abzug Leadership Institute in our February 2007 issue. Click here to read “Mentoring Young Minds”.

Congratulations Liz! Thanks for being an inspiration to all of us at KIWI and to women and girls everywhere!

It is the season of giving. So why not go all the way and give a gift that your little one will love and so will the environment? Changing the Present allows you to adopt a penguin, feed a hungry child, and much more. They want to “change the present, one gift at time.”

So for this holiday season, why not adopt a penguin in your loved ones name? Your gift to Adopt A Penguin will enable Defenders of Wildlife’s work with automakers and members of Congress to raise the standard fuel efficiency of cars and trucks. This gift will help save the penguins, among other animals.

Available at Changing the Present, $50.

Can an evergreen tree get any green-er? Why, yes it can.

This year, the famed [tag-tec]Rockefeller Center Christmas[/tag-tec] tree is receiving the green treatment. Instead of old fashioned lights, the tree will be decked with energy-saving LEDs. The towering tree will be lit up with 30,000 multicolored LEDs (although, they are all green at heart). This simple replacement of lights takes the electricity consumption down from 3,510 to 1,297 kilowatt hours per day.

Also, one of the buildings in Rockefeller center is topped with 365-panel solar energy array that will generate electricity from the top of the building. This is the largest privately owned solar roof in Manhattan.

To top it all off, when the tree is taken down in January, it is cut and used to build houses for Habitat for Humanity. That’s a whole lot of green for one tree. Good thing it’s 84 feet tall!

“Have no fear when the waters rise
We can conquer this great divide.”- “The Great Divide” by Hanson.

Confession time: Hanson is a band I have loved for 10 years. 10 years of going to concerts and 10 years of buying CDs, singles, T-shirts, posters and keychains. Yes, I was one of those crazy girls. But I must say, following this band has given me pride, especially lately.

First, Hanson released a single off their album The Walk entitled “The Great Divide,” where proceeds went to AIDS relief in Africa (lyrics are above). Did they stop there? No. For their The Walk Tour, they partnered with Toms Shoes. Toms Shoes is an amazing shoe company. Each pair of shoes that is purchased, a pair is donated to a child in need. Hanson sold Toms Shoes at each one of their concert dates. Hanson also held one mile walks in each city to raise awareness about the plight of kids in Africa. To top this, they did these walks barefoot.

All of this was leading up the 50,000 shoe drop in South Africa with Toms Shoes. Last week, Hanson went to South Africa to see all their hard work realized. They visited schools and put shoes on children’s feet.

It is amazing what people can do. Hanson is a family band with children of their own, and they are using their music & celebrity for something good. We love that here at KIWI. We applaud you, Hanson, for not being Paris, Lindsay, or Britney. I knew there was a reason I loved you guys from the start!

For more information visit Hanson.net and Toms Shoes.

Pictures from Hanson.net gallery.

So, I know this has happened to everyone. Here it goes: After running from work to practice to dinner, you are standing in the check out line and you realize you left your trusty canvas bag at home. Now you are stuck with the dreaded plastic bag. Of course you didn’t bring your canvas bag with you. At the beginning of your day, stopping at Whole Foods to grab milk and bread was not on your list of things to do that day.

And so the story goes. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. My purse is too small/stuffed with things to carry what I am purchasing and my canvas tote is all too conveniently located in my kitchen. What to do?

A new company flip & tumble has the answer to the plastic bag predicament. flip & tumble have designed a reusable bag built to carry anywhere. In four easy steps, the bag becomes the size of hand-held ball. The 24-7 bag is so compact, it can be carried with you 24-7, hence the name! You just scrunch, flip, flip and tumble away until your bag is the size of an orange. In their words, they “are committed to making the everyday a little less so.”

Convience and eco-friendly can rarely be found in the same sentence, but the 24-7 bag fits the bill. According to their website, one reusable bag can “easily save 1000 plastic bags in its lifetime.” What’s even better? Send your 24-7 back to flip & tumble, and they recycle the bag for you.

For more information, visit flip & tumble’s website.

Congratulations to Jenny Bowen and Half the Sky! Jenny will carry the torch in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, helping to share the Olympic spirit with China’s orphans. She was selected as one of the 8 foreigners living in China who were picked to carry the Olympic Torch.

According to China Daily “262 people from 47 countries and regions vied for the eight available slots and another 245,000 voted with their mouse. Altogether, 1.5 million people comprising 156 nationalities visited the campaign webpage.”

Many of you may recall that Jenny Bowen was KIWI Magazine’s first “Mom with a Mission” in our September 2006 issue. She’s the executive director of Half the Sky, an organization she founded in 1998 in order to enrich the lives and enhance the prospects of orphaned children in China. I began to support HTS when I returned from China with Maylee in 1999. Jenny and her group have been an inspiration to me and to all adoptive parents. She is doing what we wish we could have done—helping the children that we weren’t able to bring home with us.

Jenny is hoping to have 8 children from HTS programs from 8 provinces run with her. She said in a recent email to her supporters:

“I do not yet know if I will be permitted to run with the children. That
will be up to the Olympic Committee. But you can be sure of one thing:
Whether or not I am allowed to run WITH the children, the world will know
that I am running FOR them.”

We now have an extra special reason to watch the Olympics. Jenny, we will be cheering for you and all of China’s children!

-Maxine Wolf
CEO & Publisher

Who doesn’t love Build-A-Bears? I know I do. (I have one and I’m 23! And look how cute that ghost is!). They are so cute and it’s wonderful that kids (and adults) can create their own stuffed animal friends– pick exactly which animal, what clothes it should wear, and even give it a name with a birth certificate.

KIWI loves companies like Build-A-Bear, ones that encourage a child’s imagination. We love it even more when they give back to the community and to the Earth– that’s why this fuzzy friend is our pick of the week, this week. In honor of Build-A-Bear’s 10th Birthday, aka their “Year of Friendship,” they planned an extensive party– full of giving back! Among their plans are their “Stuffed With Hugs” and “Huggable Heroes” programs. “Stuffed With Hugs” invites kids to make bears to donate to children’s organizations– for free! “Huggable Heroes” works to encourage children to give back to their communities.

Our favorite part is that this adorable company is going to plant more than 280,000 trees in celebration of their 10th birthday! The first 10,000 trees were planted in Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests in Arizona on October 16. These trees are a result of the “Friendship Forrest” campaign held in the workshops in the US, UK and Canada where guests were asked to donate a tree in honor of a friend or family member.

So thank you beary, beary much Build-A-Bear!

We love when the good is pointed out- that’s part of our job here at KIWI. With so much bad news from day to day, good news is sometimes hard to come by. That is why I choose Forbes.com’s Top 15 Green States for this week’s pick.

Using a scoring system of 50 based on carbon dioxide emissions per capita (or “carbon footprints”), strong policies to promote energy efficiency and high air quality and the amount of green buildings with the LEED certifications. There are some surprises on the list, like New Jersey, usually jokingly referred to as the “armpit of America.” (KIWI is based in NJ and NY, so we’re pretty thrilled! Both of our states made it into the top 10. )

THE TOP 15 ARE:

1. Vermont
2. Oregon
3. Washington
4. Hawaii
5. Maryland
6. Connecticut
7. New Jersey
8. Rhode Island
9. New York
10. Arizona
11. Massachusetts
12. Idaho (pictured above)
13. Colorado
14. California
15. Minnesota

We would like to thank Forbes for such a great list! Also a huge congratulations to the states for their rankings and their efforts to save energy and the environment.

October is the beginning of fall and the time of ghouls, ghosts, and goblins. It is also “International I Walk to School Month.” In this month, 42 countries will participate in the month dedicated to walking to school– wow!

Why? The meaning of this month varies in each community. Some communities focus on the development of healthy habits, like the exercise walking to school allows. Other communities choose to focus on the environmental friendliness of walking to school.

Below is a list from www.iwalktoschool.org of activities to celebrate the wonderful act of walking to school.

Examples of Walk to School activities:

• Designate “Walking Wednesdays” to encourage walking one day a week and potentially extend the event to a month or a year-long activity
• Develop walking themes for each day of the week: bright, highly visible colors day, “walking hat” day, bring a healthy lunch day, etc.
• Set up a competition with awards for the classes with the most walkers
• Offer an option to students who ride the bus or carpool to walk once they arrive at school.
• Organize a walking school bus from nearby neighborhoods. For information on how, visit www.walkingschoolbus.org
• Plan a school-wide event to recognize the day such as a picnic, an assembly, an awards ceremony or a pizza party for the class with the most walkers
• Fill the month with activities throughout the day that pertain to staying physically fit, eating healthy and caring for the environment.

Check out their website for more information and how to get involved.

Need an excellent school pack for your son/daughter? Loved our eco supply and eco school fashion article in the Sept/October issue? Well, you now have the chance to bid on great supplies left over from our shoots! And the best part? The auction is part of Christie Brinkley’s “Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools, Healthy Environment” and benefits New York Coalition for Healthy School Food and Wellness in the Schools. KIWI’s editorial director, Sara Gragnolati, put together two school packs (boy and girl version) for Charitybuzz, an auction site whose motto is “do good– live well.” The bidding ends on September 27th, so start waving your numbered paddle!

Boy Pack includes:

Patagonia backpack
Patagonia synchilla marsupial
Mimi Sardine lunch tote
SIGG bottle
Wrap-n-Mat
Stockmar beeswax crayons
Smencils eco pencils
Subscription to Kiwi Magazine for you and five friends

Girl Pack includes:

Patagonia backpack
Patagonia retro vest
Circle of Friends shampoo pack
Mimi Sardine lunch tote
SIGG bottle
Wrap-n-Mat
Smencils eco pencils
Subscription to Kiwi Magazine for you and five friends

I think anyone can agree that these packs are perfect back-to-school accessories. Precisely why we made this worthy cause our pick this week, so hurry up and start bidding! Click here to learn more about the auction and all the great items up for bid.

I think it has been made abundantly clear that I love TV and movies. And I love it even more when TV (like NBC) and movies (like Evan Almighty) go green. But lately I have been viewing all the green hype with a little bit of skepticism. Sometimes I feel like the “green” label is slapped on and there is no real environmental effort behind it. For instance, what exactly made the Emmys green? Well, like any good blogger, I did my research. This year’s Emmys were chock full of recycled paper, hybrid cars and bio-diesel fuel. Yay!

My favorite efforts of the green Emmys can be seen here, in a FOX in-depth look into the eco-friendly Emmy Awards. It’s a short video, but very cool inside look into the eco backstage of the awards. A couple of things the small screen did to help reduce the footprint of the golden statues.

1. Solar panels were used to power the whole red carpet.
2. The red carpet will be recycled.
3. The stage’s blue rug was made from recycled plastic bottles.
4. The wood room where the stars went to relax (“the green room” haha) was made from old high school bleachers.
5. The coveted swag bags were made of canvas.

Of course, there were more green efforts, but these five are so cool. I love that the green room was made from high school bleachers. That is just too cool. And just because we all need a little more of The Office in our lives…

I really hope that environmentally friendly practices become a way of everyday life! Let’s keep it coming!

-Stacey

Everyone knows the three r’s of the green movement- reduce, reuse, recycle. One question that arises from this mantra is what can I actually recyle, reduce and reuse? Sure, we all know paper and glass, but what else? Thanks to Co-op America, we now know more! Co-op America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982 whose mission is to harness economic power to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.

According to Co-op America, here is a list of of “21 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle” (or reuse!).

1. Applicances
2. Batteries
3. Cardboard boxes
4. Cds/DVDs/Game disks
5. Clothes
6. Compact fluorescent bulbs
7. Compostable bio-plastics
8. Computers and electronics
9. Exercise videos
10. Eyeglasses
11. Foam packings
12. Ink/toner cartridges
13. Miscellaneous
14. Oil
15. Phones
16. Sports equipment
17. “Technotrash”
18. Tennis shoes
19. Toothbrushes and razors
20. Tyvek envelopes
21. Stuff you just can’t recycle– Co-op America recommends that when practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

For complete instructions on how to recycle and reuse these 21 items, go to Co-op America’s site right here.

We all wish we could be a super hero from time to time. (Captain Planet anyone?) That’s what makes this video from Sienna Miller and Global Cool extra funny.

Just a little laughter to end our summer holidays and start Autumn off right! Not only is it funny, it’s environmentally friendly. We should all try and be environmental super heroes, but we’ll keep our underwear on the inside, thanks!

Welcome back to work and school!

This week’s pick is the ever animal friendly ASPCA, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This weekend I visited a local art show in Philadelphia during First Friday in the Old City section. During my walk around the open art galleries, I went into the F.U.E.L. gallery (the old Real Worl: Philadelphia house) where they were exhibiting an unsettling art show about puppy mills.

The art show was a little disturbing, but I left thinking about the ASPCA and the work they do. Puppy mills are tragic and harmful, and I applaud anyone doing their part to rid the world of inhumane practices towards animals. More importantly the ASPCA outlines 10 simple ways to help fight puppy mills. To see their 10 ways, click here.

Trying to rid the US of puppy mills is actually only a small part of the crusade of the ASPCA. They have just launched their Mission: Orange, “… a focused effort to create a country of humane communities, one community at a time, where animals receive the compassion and respect they deserve—a nation where there is no more unnecessary euthanasia of adoptable animals simply because of a lack of resources and awareness.” So, in honor of the animals we love, KIWI is cheering loudly for the ASPCA.

Bonus: They also have an adorable kids page, AnimaLand.

Courtesy of the ASPCA®. Copyright 2007 ASPCA®. All rights reserved

Everyone remembers where they were when Princess Diana died. 10 years ago, in a tragic car accident, Princess Diana was taken away from the world. Before her death, she was considered “The People’s Princess.” She was a classically beautiful women with a heart of gold– she dedicated much of her time to charity work.

Keeping her spirit alive are her two sons, Princes William and Harry. Today, the date of what would have benn her 46th birthday, in London they are having a memorial concert to celebrate the life of Diana– the women she was and the causes she supported.

The proceeds from the concert will benefit three charities, The Princess Diana’s Patron and Memorial Fund, Prince William’s Centrepoint, and Prince Harry’s Sentebale, among others.

With every type of performer from Duran Duran to Fergie to English National Ballet, it surely will be a concert that no one should miss. Also, most importantly, a concert that Diana herself would have wanted to be at.

For more information on the concert, visit the official Concert for Diana website. The site will also tell you what television stations you can watch the concert on.

The Concert for Diana will definitely be a memorial concert to remember or quite possibly, the best birthday party ever.

Everyone who thinks giving blood is scary, say I. I! Or at least, I used to think so.

This week, for the first time, I gave blood. I was surprised to find out that it is actually relatively painless and quite quick. My friends and I donated through a local radio station’s blood drive and even though the wait was long, it was worth it. I found out that one pint of your blood can save up to 3 lives.

Think about that- giving up about one hour of your time can save 3 people’s entire existence! Also, 60% of Americans are eligible to donate, but on average only 5% of Americans actually give blood. We should change this statistic!

There are four steps to giving blood:

1. Registration
2. Health History & Mini Physical
3. Actual Donation
4. Refreshment- free cookies and juice!

Visit www.redcross.org or www.givelife.org for more information on how and where to give blood.

Fun Fact: The Red Cross calls your bandage “a badge of honor.” Donate and wear it proudly!

Here is my badge, along with my friends!

-Stacey

So this weekend I did something crazy. I cut off all of my hair!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Stacey and I am a new team member here at Kiwi Magazine. Well, I did cut my hair off- 10 inches to be exact. Why you may ask? For Locks of Love.

Locks of Love is a non-profit dedicated to making wigs for children who no longer have hair due to alopecia or cancer. Each donation must be 10 inches in from the longest tip to top of the pony tail/braid. It was really hard to let go of my hair, but it makes me feel better knowing that I helped someone who really needed it.

Here are the guidelines for acceptable hair donations:

• Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable.
• Hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
• Hair that has been bleached (usually this refers to highlighted hair) is not usable. If unsure, ask your stylist.
• Hair that is swept off of the floor is not usable.
• Hair that is shaved off and not in a ponytail or braid is not usable.
• Layered hair is acceptable if the longest layer is 10 inches.
• Layered hair may be divided into multiple ponytails.
• Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum 10 inches.
• 10 inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length needed for a hairpiece.

Start growing your hair today! For more information go to the Locks of Love website.