Dance for Donations, which appears to be Evarts’ project from the self-expression and leadership program, is being held Sunday, September 12th at the Cabana Bar in St. Leonards, from 12-10pm. A $10 minimum donation is required.

A variety of performers will be there to perform or play for the cause, including DJ Libre, DJ Samrai, Carlito Bangs and many more. To find out the latest news, visit the Dance 4 Donations Facebook page(where 277 are currently confirmed as attending the event) – or go directly to this contributions page to give directly to Open Family Australia.

Teubert’s project goes beyond simply providing care in her own salon – she has put together a team of people which has a group of participating salons, the support of the local YWCA, which has a shelter for battered women, and ultimately, the purchase and refurbishment of a travelling RV which will be a ’salon on wheels’ catering to victims of domestic violence. The project is named Ruby Violet both because of the color of bruises and the same initials as an RV.

Jane McCauley of the YWCA, Jeni Sauser of Studio 107, Rachel Walker of J.P. Cullens & Sons, and Chad Barnes are all taking leadership roles within the project. Allison Hokinson of the YWCA describes the value of the project in the Gazette:

“Their self-esteem is at an all-time low, and they’ve never been treated with such dignity and respect that you get during a salon appointment,” she said. “The project and its tag line ‘pampering with a purpose’ provides an opportunity for women to feel pampered again and to connect with another woman.”

Treatments are ongoing at local salons until the RV can be purchased and set up – fundraisers are planned to raise $15,000 for this purpose and for raising awareness.

Visit our story on Olga’s Beautiful Beings for another great example of salon treatment for those affected by domestic abuse.

Attendees, who contributed at least $10 to take part, were given fitness assessments by LA Fitness, saw a Judo exhibition, and got to observe or take part in Zumba Gold, a mix of samba and belly dance. Food and drinks were served, and a prize drawing took place in the afternoon, featuring prizes donated by the Florida Marlins and Miami Dolphins sports teams.

All proceeds went to Danita’s Children, which currently provides full time care to over 130 orphans. Orphan care is urgently needed in Haiti, where half the population is under the age of 18, and a great many of these people are orphans. They also serve almost 20,000 meals per month. To find out more or make a donation, go to http://www.danitaschildren.org.

The ‘Pure Love Project’ fundraiser was held on June 6 at Olde Blind Irish Dog Pub, and raised money for three groups: a dog rescue group, a cat rescue group and a pet food bank. These groups were Paw Prints Foundation, Cats in the Cradle Inc., and Save Our Pets Food Bank.

The work of O’Driscoll and the Pure Love Project eventually led to Georgia governor Sonny Perdue, who is himself a licensed veterinarian declaring Animal Friends Week in October. O’Driscoll sees public awareness and fundraising for rescue groups to be essential at this time, as due to the challenging economy, pets are being abandoned in record numbers. The Pure Love Project website gives more information about the three worthy groups its fundraiser supported.

The project, which was featured in a wide range of media outlets such as the Polish Observer, a Polish language news weekly released in the UK, involved a charity concert held June 27 at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in London. With entertainment provided by a gospel choir, attendees were encouraged to contribute to the cause.

Zmorzynska’s project, which she titled ‘Music for Bethlehem in Vyatka’ (Vyatka is the old name for Kirov) was designed to support a Roman Catholic priest, Father Grzegorz Zwolinski, in his efforts to aid single mothers. According to the Polish Observer, there are very few social services provided to aid mothers and their children.

Currently Father Zwolinski aids 11 mothers with food, lodging, clothing and supplies – through the project Zmorzynska is seeking to raise enough money for Zwolinski to set up a home for single mothers and their children to safely live in.

For more information, go to http://catholic.mainsolution.ru/ or email Zwolinski at annazmorzynska@hotmail.com.

Tickets for the event, which is taking place at The Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, cost $20 – the event begins at 6:30pm. To buy tickets or learn more about the event, email CampInspiration@aol.com or call Robinson at 310-683-9966.

Formed almost 20 years ago, HOLA has a unique partnership with the city of Los Angeles, leading to the creation of open space facilities for inner city youth – a soccer field, gym, and basketball courts. HOLA’s volunteer program, which includes experts in a variety of fields, supports youth ages 6-19 in fulfilling all their potential.

In 2007 Wrinn heard of the work being done by an organization called Sunflower House in South Africa, and she began with a simple garage sale to support their efforts. In 2008 she visited Sunflower House to see how No Child Dies Alone could positively impact their efforts. Last year, Wrinn went to Honduras to assess conditions there at a children’s cancer clinic and hospital.

Wrinn saw how basic pedicatric hospice training could make a huge difference for caregivers, patients and family members. No Child Dies Alone is committed to delivering the tools by which caregivers can take care of children, their families and themselves.

This fall Wrinn is delivering a caregiver wellness presentation to an international audience of children’s hospice professionals at the Children’s Hospice International World Congress in Washington, DC. To find out more about No Child Dies Alone and the work they are doing, or to make a donation, visit them online at http://nochilddiesalone.org

The event, dubbed ‘Lovecology’ was attended by over 500 singles, according to reports. Held at the CQ Function Centre in Melbourne, the event delivered free champagne and food to attendees as well as a variety of raffled prizes donated by corporate sponsors.

The event was a dress-up affair, with a $60 ticket price. DJ’d by Mark Pellegrini and Andreas, and featured a performance by the ‘lovecology’ dancers. To find out more about St. Vincent’s foundation and the work that they do, please go to http://www.stvfoundation.com.au.

The project, which Elyssa Renert formed in Landmark’s Self-Expression and Leadership Program and expanded by her friend Jill Ruddy, created 200 coloring books from the artwork from celebrated artists from the Miami area, which were distributed to the Miami and Joe Dimaggio Children’s hospitals.

‘Color us Well days’ were held in the hospitals in December, where the books were distributed, and the artists actually gave art lessons for the children at the hospital.

On May 13 an event is being held from 6:30-9:30 to both raise money to fight diseases and to highlight the contribution of artists to the project. The event, which is taking place at the Viceroy Hotel’s Club 50, will feature an art auction, appearances by the artists, and an interactive painting by John DeFaro.

Money raised from ticket sales and the art auction will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There will also be a raffle for attendees – the grand prize is a four-day Bahamas cruise donated by Norwegian Cruise Lines. Tickets will cost $10. For more information, visit Color us Well.

Allnut partnered with foster mother Sam Weir to give children something that was there own and for them to know someone cares about them. They combined to collect 500 teddy bears and 300 other soft toys through the Bears2Care and Cuddles2Keep organisations, and gave them away to foster kids through other organisastions.

Then Weir came up with the Kits2Kids concept, through which each young person got a kit of personal items. Weir also convinced Allnut that it was worth going through red tape to form their own non-profit, Foster Hope Charitable Trust. This enabled them to receive product donations from businesses all around New Zealand.

Child development expert Ngarie Wroslie has become part of the Foster Hope Team, coordinating donations into kits and making sure they are distributed to local foster care organisations.

To find out more or contribute to this worthy organisation, visit the website of Foster Hope now.