Michelle
12-11-2006, 12:33 AM
Gifts that keep giving
These presents prove that charity doesn't end at home
BY DINA SANTORELLI
Special to Newsday
December 10, 2006
You don't have to give a third of your multimillion-dollar salary like Angelina Jolie to support those in need this holiday season. There are plenty of gift-giving suggestions out there that donate portions (or all) of their proceeds to various charities - and, in some cases, you even get to select the organization. Below are some ideas for the philanthropist on your shopping list.
Instead of giving your brother another turtleneck this year, why not send him to the set of HBO's hit series "Entourage" to meet Jeremy Piven? Or how about a lesson with Los Angeles Dodgers star Nomar Garciaparra? Log onto www.charity folks.com for an online auction that offers unusual and exclusive luxury products and experiences, such as four VIP premiere and after-party passes to see Ben Affleck's highly anticipated directorial debut, "Gone, Baby, Gone," and tickets to see either Aerosmith or Christina Aguilera in concert, both with a 25-minute backstage tour. And the best part of all is the proceeds go to a variety of charities.
Lia Sophia
Lia Sophia jewelry is creating "bling" with a social conscience this holiday season. Proceeds from the fall/winter catalog's featured "Tribeca" necklace will be donated to suit women in the nonprofit Dress for Success program, which offers women a business suit and support in finding and retaining a job. The Tribeca, fashioned out of wood, mother of pearl, antique brass and sateen glass beads of earthy green and rose, extends 28 to 31 inches and retails for $82. Each piece of Lia Sophia jewelry comes with a lifetime guarantee and is sold through women representatives in a party atmosphere. Visit www.liasophia .com for more information.
Putumayo World Music
With "New Orleans Christmas," Putumayo World Music has captured the distinct and vibrant voice of the Big Easy with a collection of holiday favorites decked in the blues, jazz and swing flavors for which the Crescent City is famous. The CD features the sounds of Big Al Carson, James Andrews, Ingrid Lucia and the Dukes of Dixieland, among others. Putumayo is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD, which retails for $14.98, to the New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity in support of its Musicians' Village Project. To date, Putumayo has donated more than $200,000 of the proceeds from the sale of its New Orleans CD to local charities and nonprofit organizations whose commitment to revitalization is helping restore the city. Visit putumayo.com for more details.
DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose, pioneered by teachers at a Bronx public high school in the spring of 2000, is a way to provide students in need with resources they often lack. Here's how it works: Teachers log onto donorscho ose.org and submit ideas for materials or experiences their students need to learn. You can choose to make a general donation or narrow your donation to a specific Long Island school or subject area.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is partnering with various firms to provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase popular holiday gifts while helping those in need. Products include an emergency hand-crank radio by Eton, holiday ornaments by Kurt Adler, infant care products by The First Years and a first-aid emergency preparedness starter kit by Target. Sales of these products result in donations up to $15 apiece for each product sold. To view the complete list of items that benefit the Red Cross, visit red cross.org/sponsors/how tohelp/dollars.html.
Target
As part of its ongoing commitment to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Target has created a special plush elephant gift card holder to benefit St. Jude's annual Thanks and Giving fundraising campaign. The plush elephants are priced at $2.99 and a minimum of $1.50 of each sale, which equals 100 percent of the net proceeds, will be donated directly to St. Jude's. The whimsical, snowflake-covered ears of the plush elephant were designed by 9-year-old Julia, a dynamic and creative St. Jude patient and Target House resident who is being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Bloomingdale's
Fill your little, medium or big brown bag with a charitable donation this year. The soft and cuddly Little Brown Bear, a Bloomingdale's exclusive, wears his signature green sweater trimmed in white. Every purchase of the $15 bear will generate a donation to AmeriCares, a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization.
NEADS
Probably the one thing you know that everyone needs this holiday season is a new calendar. The National Education for Assistance Dog Service/ Dogs for Deaf & Disabled Americans (NEADS (http://www.service-dogs.com/links/links/NEADS_National_Education_for_Assistance_Dog_Servic e-57.html)) offers its 2007 poster wall calendar, which features 12 months of NEADS dogs and puppies. NEADS is a Princeton, Mass.- based nonprofit organization that trains and provides rescued dogs and donated puppies to assist people who are deaf or physically disabled in leading more independent lives at work, home and school. The full-color calendar costs $9.95, with proceeds going directly to training more NEADS assistance dogs. For more information, visit neads.org.
Chef Hilly's Kitchen
Looking for something to give your employees or the perfect stocking stuffer? Chef Hilly's Kitchen's coffee shooters, which come in a 12-pack that sells for $11.95, benefit the Joy to Life Foundation, an organization that helps fund mammograms for medically underserved women. Log onto joytolife.org or chefhillys kitchen.com for more information.
VistaPrint
VistaPrint, an online supplier of graphic design services and customized printed products, is partnering with America's Second Harvest and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to offer specially designed holiday cards. You can customize and personalize these cards online at vista print.com by uploading graphics as well as family photos, and VistaPrint will donate 50 percent of the proceeds of the cards to each charity, depending upon the card selected. Cards from America's Second Harvest have been designed by a number of children who participate in various ASH Nationwide Food Bank programs, while IFAW cards showcase animals that have been helped by the efforts of the organization.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association/New York City Chapter (http://www.disablednyc.com/resources/links/Alzheimer39s_Association_New_York_City_Chapter-783.html) is selling jewelry for men and women with the proceeds supporting programs and services for New Yorkers affected by Alzheimer's. The assorted "forget-me-not" jewelry features necklaces, bracelets, earrings, key rings and cuff links designed in the shape of forget-me-nots - symbols of both love and the Alzheimer's Association. The jewelry, ranging in price from $8 to $80, is available from the Chapter's "in-house shop" at 360 Lexington Avenue or by visiting alznyc.org.
Celebrity Ceramics
Massapequa-based Duffy, Barrett & Taggart offers Celebrity Ceramics, featuring reproductions of art renderings and doodles from various celebrities, including Nelson DeMille, Ed Lowe, Marc Brown, Phyllis Diller, Eli Wallach and Grace Slick. Priced at $15, each kiln-fired ceramic tile measures 6-by-6 inches and comes with a 5-inch tabletop easel for display. Fifteen percent of the sale price from each tile will be donated to Long Island Cares, The Harry Chapin Food Bank. Visit licares.org for more.
These presents prove that charity doesn't end at home
BY DINA SANTORELLI
Special to Newsday
December 10, 2006
You don't have to give a third of your multimillion-dollar salary like Angelina Jolie to support those in need this holiday season. There are plenty of gift-giving suggestions out there that donate portions (or all) of their proceeds to various charities - and, in some cases, you even get to select the organization. Below are some ideas for the philanthropist on your shopping list.
Instead of giving your brother another turtleneck this year, why not send him to the set of HBO's hit series "Entourage" to meet Jeremy Piven? Or how about a lesson with Los Angeles Dodgers star Nomar Garciaparra? Log onto www.charity folks.com for an online auction that offers unusual and exclusive luxury products and experiences, such as four VIP premiere and after-party passes to see Ben Affleck's highly anticipated directorial debut, "Gone, Baby, Gone," and tickets to see either Aerosmith or Christina Aguilera in concert, both with a 25-minute backstage tour. And the best part of all is the proceeds go to a variety of charities.
Lia Sophia
Lia Sophia jewelry is creating "bling" with a social conscience this holiday season. Proceeds from the fall/winter catalog's featured "Tribeca" necklace will be donated to suit women in the nonprofit Dress for Success program, which offers women a business suit and support in finding and retaining a job. The Tribeca, fashioned out of wood, mother of pearl, antique brass and sateen glass beads of earthy green and rose, extends 28 to 31 inches and retails for $82. Each piece of Lia Sophia jewelry comes with a lifetime guarantee and is sold through women representatives in a party atmosphere. Visit www.liasophia .com for more information.
Putumayo World Music
With "New Orleans Christmas," Putumayo World Music has captured the distinct and vibrant voice of the Big Easy with a collection of holiday favorites decked in the blues, jazz and swing flavors for which the Crescent City is famous. The CD features the sounds of Big Al Carson, James Andrews, Ingrid Lucia and the Dukes of Dixieland, among others. Putumayo is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the CD, which retails for $14.98, to the New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity in support of its Musicians' Village Project. To date, Putumayo has donated more than $200,000 of the proceeds from the sale of its New Orleans CD to local charities and nonprofit organizations whose commitment to revitalization is helping restore the city. Visit putumayo.com for more details.
DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose, pioneered by teachers at a Bronx public high school in the spring of 2000, is a way to provide students in need with resources they often lack. Here's how it works: Teachers log onto donorscho ose.org and submit ideas for materials or experiences their students need to learn. You can choose to make a general donation or narrow your donation to a specific Long Island school or subject area.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross is partnering with various firms to provide consumers with the opportunity to purchase popular holiday gifts while helping those in need. Products include an emergency hand-crank radio by Eton, holiday ornaments by Kurt Adler, infant care products by The First Years and a first-aid emergency preparedness starter kit by Target. Sales of these products result in donations up to $15 apiece for each product sold. To view the complete list of items that benefit the Red Cross, visit red cross.org/sponsors/how tohelp/dollars.html.
Target
As part of its ongoing commitment to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Target has created a special plush elephant gift card holder to benefit St. Jude's annual Thanks and Giving fundraising campaign. The plush elephants are priced at $2.99 and a minimum of $1.50 of each sale, which equals 100 percent of the net proceeds, will be donated directly to St. Jude's. The whimsical, snowflake-covered ears of the plush elephant were designed by 9-year-old Julia, a dynamic and creative St. Jude patient and Target House resident who is being treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Bloomingdale's
Fill your little, medium or big brown bag with a charitable donation this year. The soft and cuddly Little Brown Bear, a Bloomingdale's exclusive, wears his signature green sweater trimmed in white. Every purchase of the $15 bear will generate a donation to AmeriCares, a nonprofit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization.
NEADS
Probably the one thing you know that everyone needs this holiday season is a new calendar. The National Education for Assistance Dog Service/ Dogs for Deaf & Disabled Americans (NEADS (http://www.service-dogs.com/links/links/NEADS_National_Education_for_Assistance_Dog_Servic e-57.html)) offers its 2007 poster wall calendar, which features 12 months of NEADS dogs and puppies. NEADS is a Princeton, Mass.- based nonprofit organization that trains and provides rescued dogs and donated puppies to assist people who are deaf or physically disabled in leading more independent lives at work, home and school. The full-color calendar costs $9.95, with proceeds going directly to training more NEADS assistance dogs. For more information, visit neads.org.
Chef Hilly's Kitchen
Looking for something to give your employees or the perfect stocking stuffer? Chef Hilly's Kitchen's coffee shooters, which come in a 12-pack that sells for $11.95, benefit the Joy to Life Foundation, an organization that helps fund mammograms for medically underserved women. Log onto joytolife.org or chefhillys kitchen.com for more information.
VistaPrint
VistaPrint, an online supplier of graphic design services and customized printed products, is partnering with America's Second Harvest and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to offer specially designed holiday cards. You can customize and personalize these cards online at vista print.com by uploading graphics as well as family photos, and VistaPrint will donate 50 percent of the proceeds of the cards to each charity, depending upon the card selected. Cards from America's Second Harvest have been designed by a number of children who participate in various ASH Nationwide Food Bank programs, while IFAW cards showcase animals that have been helped by the efforts of the organization.
Alzheimer's Association
The Alzheimer's Association/New York City Chapter (http://www.disablednyc.com/resources/links/Alzheimer39s_Association_New_York_City_Chapter-783.html) is selling jewelry for men and women with the proceeds supporting programs and services for New Yorkers affected by Alzheimer's. The assorted "forget-me-not" jewelry features necklaces, bracelets, earrings, key rings and cuff links designed in the shape of forget-me-nots - symbols of both love and the Alzheimer's Association. The jewelry, ranging in price from $8 to $80, is available from the Chapter's "in-house shop" at 360 Lexington Avenue or by visiting alznyc.org.
Celebrity Ceramics
Massapequa-based Duffy, Barrett & Taggart offers Celebrity Ceramics, featuring reproductions of art renderings and doodles from various celebrities, including Nelson DeMille, Ed Lowe, Marc Brown, Phyllis Diller, Eli Wallach and Grace Slick. Priced at $15, each kiln-fired ceramic tile measures 6-by-6 inches and comes with a 5-inch tabletop easel for display. Fifteen percent of the sale price from each tile will be donated to Long Island Cares, The Harry Chapin Food Bank. Visit licares.org for more.