Photo via ABC News

Renae and Junior Biggs were well known “Dog Parents” to five Pit Bull ambassadors who were gentle examples of their breed. The dogs Kilo, Alexus, Angel, Romeo, and Dre frequently appeared at events and in parades. Renae needed surgery to remove a mass in her breast, and the couple withrdrew the money to pay for it at the hospital. Prior to the surgery date, the couple went to the pet store to buy food.

When they returned, their home was in flames and their beloved pets were pulled out of the fire and had succumbed to smoke inhalation. This couple lost their home, their family and the money that now caused Renae’s surgery to be canceled.  A ChipIn widget has been set up to help them through this crisis. You can contribute by PayPal or credit card through the secure widget. If you prefer, an address has been set up to accept gift card and check donations:

Biggs Five
P.O. Box 2141
Lutz, Fl 33559

Several locations in the St. Petersburg area are collecting donation of toiletries and clothing for the couple.

Drop off locations:

• Groovy Cats & Dogs,
  10213-B Lake Carroll Way
  Carrollwood, FL 33618
• Tires Plus (Tyrone Square Mall)
• Natural Paws
  10712 Countryway Boulevard
  Tampa, FL 33626
• Hillsborough County Animal Services
  440 Falkenburg Rd.
  Tampa, Fl. 33619
  attn: Sgt. Pam Perry
• Downtown Doggie Center
  1825 5th Avenue North
  St. Petersburg, FL 33713

1) Examine your cell phone to note whether it is in working order or not. Some recyclers are looking for only working phones, or pay a premium for them. The reason? Some phones are not recycled into raw materials, but are refurbished and resold as reconditioned phones. Non-working phones are also accepted depending on desirability of the model. Note the condition – Like New, Normal Wear, etc.

2) When you find the best deal offered for your model, follow the company’s outlined procedure.

3) Carefully pack and mail your phone. Many providers waive the shipping fee by giving consumers a USPS/Fedex account number or generate a printable label. Some shipping methods include tracking, but many do not. If you have a phone that carries a high value, it is best to ship it on your own dime so that the package is guaranteed trackable.

4) After the quoted period, you will receive a check or vouchers in the mail or payment via PayPal, depending on the company’s terms. Payment time ranges from one to five business days from receipt of the phone, but times vary.

When you receive your check, remember your favorite charity. You can direct the funds to your favorite cause for whatever program you care about most.

There are many people in the area who open their homes as puppy raisers, and donate monetarily as well. The organization is heavily support by the Lions club, who also have other vision related charitable programs. They always collect eyeglasses to send around the world to those it would make a difference too. Some people, including children, have severe vision limitations that do not cause them to be blind, but limit their ability to be successful at work and at school.

Sometimes, I look in the bin and see a huge amount of very outdated glasses. I am not talking about style specifically, but weight. Now, glasses are lighter. Technology has improved and they can make lenses a little thinner and frames a little lighter. There are not as many coke bottle glasses as there were before. It would be nice to donate glasses that are more recent, versus at the end of the road.

A few folks have been telling me about Zenni Optical and their $8 frames. They have frames that are slightly more expensive, but indeed have plenty at the $8 price point. I thought about buying a few cheap eyeglasses and donating them to the Lions. This way, they would have a few light weight pairs for someone needed them. Perhaps have a more modern look would help someone put their best foot forward, or just make it easier without the weight.

Some may point out that the frames are not made in the United States. So far, I have not found any that are. If you find a company, please point it out to me. However, this allows someone to buy what is at the optical stores at a more factory direct price. You can afford to be generous. In fact, what a better way to impact someone’s life for such little money. For $8-20, someone’s life can be dramatically transformed. They can see the rivets at the factory, learn to read, or simply lead an independent life if the correction needed is extreme.

Upon further research, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is not always the case. Mason, Ohio based OneSight hosts regional clinics and vision van visits in major cities where qualified individuals receive eye exams and are matched up with a pair of glasses. They’ll be in Chicago May 9th through 20th, and stop in Toronto May 30th through June 3rd. New Eyes for the Needy collects glasses from individual donors to ship overseas. In the United States, they provide a voucher program funded by monetary donations. The Lions Club supports vision programs, such as Leader Dogs for the Blind, in the United States, but primarily ships glasses overseas almost exclusively.

If you would like to donate your old eye wear, consider also buying a few inexpensive, but more current frames to be transformed into prescription eyeglasses for children and teens. Sites like Zenni Optical offer frames starting at $8 that you can buy online. I remember how brutal some of my classmates were to each other sometimes in junior high. Having financial hardship is tough enough, and young teens sometimes struggle to let it fly under the radar of your peers. Sending along a few pairs of glasses in very classic, basic styles that could look fashionable for a number of years, or something that is relatively up to date would be appreciated by them immensely. While they may be appreciated by Retrophiles, sell your large-framed Julie Kotter glasses online instead of donating them, and use the proceeds for something new to send along.

There are many groups that gladly accept the donations of complete Children’s Costumes right now. A horse, firefighter or princess costume could stock a “make believe” trunk in a homeless shelter’s children’s play room or in an under funded kindergarten classroom. Summer youth ranches and programs for at-risk kids and teens and summer performing arts groups could use them for productions–both meticulously planned and impromptu.

Skip the trendy characters and scary faces to ensure the longevity of your donation. Far more classic choices last beyond the trick-or-treat season and are relevant for years to come. This year, help some deserving kids start the party early.

This has been a very busy month for RoboCop. It all started with a Tweet to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, suggesting a RoboCop statue for the City of Detroit. At least the Mayor was gracious even though he may have thought it was the most preposterous idea he ever heard. The idea caught fire despite the lack of corner office support, and an ardent group of RoboBackers has raised over $60,000 to make the dream a reality. While it may seem frivolous to some, what is wrong with having a little fun? Besides, perhaps the gawkers will patronize the local restaurants surrounding the site. The statue will be erected in TechTown, near Wayne State University.

In response to the publicity the idea has received, Peter Weller, RoboCop himself, encourages people to support RoboCharity – the effort that has spawned off of the publicity in order to support Forgotten Harvest. Forgotten Harvest collects left over foods from restaurants in the Metro Detroit area and delivers the surplus to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and others in need. While Weller previously released a slightly humorous video, he has taken off the RoboGloves here:

To keep up with RoboStatue, click here. For more information on RoboCharity.

One legitimate organization that is filling a direct need is Shelterbox

Author Maureen Johnson alerted us of the Shelterbox drive she was doing to help those devastated by water and rumbling in Japan.  If you want to make sure the funds go directly to this area and not other places where Shelterbox is working, use Maureen’s name when it asks whose name you would like to donate in. She does not receive any of the proceeds. It merely tracks the donation for the correct fundraiser. Last time she ran a fund drive, $15,000 was raised to fund 16 Shelterboxes. That is enough to possibly house and helo about 160 folks!

.Inside the heavy green box:

• A high-quality tent that sleeps 10.
• Thermal blankets and ground sheets to protect against contaminated ground.
• Survival tools, such as a small hoe, wire cutters, a small axe and the like.
• A portable multi-fuel or woodburning cooking stove, plus utensils and bowls.
• Small toys or gifts for children such as paper and markers, etc.

The actual ShelterBox can also be used to keep things off the ground, to place blankets in and use as a baby crib, or to keep a small or injured pet safe (without the lid on, of course). It can also be used for hauling as it slides along the ground or floats when empty.

The contents are adapted to the environment. In some cases, cots may be substituted or if disaster relief is well-networked, recipients may only need tents.

To Donate, CLICK HERE, or read more about Shelterbox or Ms. Johnson’s original post.

When people donate cars and trucks, the organization issues you a receipt. They may issue you a simple form recording their receipt of the vehicle, like an invoice. When it sells at auction, you will receive a receipt for your taxes. Other groups give you a donation receipt on the spot. Check to make sure you know the group’s procedure.  All, or a percentage of the sale may be written off as a charitable donation in the calendar year in which it was received.  The cars at auctions are sometimes purchased by dealers and refurbished as used cars, for hobbyists looking for a good body to restore or for parts. Other groups sell the roadworthy cars on lots, which not only help out the charity with cash, but provide low cost vehicles for people who are trying to get on their feet.  I know several folks, including myself, who were able to purchase a reliable vehicle with cash. They continued their schooling, were able to get a job or merely ended their isolation with a set of wheels. One set of wheels leads to an upgrade of something even more reliable as they get on their feet.

When you decide to donate your car, make sure that the title is clean. In other words, you must be the owner of record. If you have a car sitting in your garage that a relative asked you to “do what you want with it,” you must have them sign the title over to you, unless they authorize the organization to pick it up. The receipts would then be in their name. Secondly, out of courtesy, remove all personal effects and give it a good vacuum. Make sure that it is in an accessible place.  Of course, you want to be there when it is picked up, but if it is in a driveway unblocked by other vehicles or at the edge of an open garage, the truck can take it without damaging any property.

Have you ever donated a car, or have you benefited from buying a car that was donated to a charity lot? If so, comment and tell me what you think. If you are in an end of the year crunch for an extra donation write-off, why not clean out that space behind the garage? Someone might be able to use their “after Christmas” money as the last little bit they need to buy it off the charity lot, or some organizations will give you a receipt outright.

The biggest obstacle for some is not the lack of skills to retain a job, but simply to get there. Sure, it may be easy to afford bus fare or a car payment if you have a job, but if no one in your family has a reliable vehicle, its not possible to get a few paychecks under your belt to pay for daily expenses. So many folks are not lazy, and they are not unreliable. They don’t want to be, but walking is not possible due to the distance.

Goodwill of Metro Detroit is asking for donations to get a few great workers and potential workers on the bus. A twenty dollar bill will pay for at least a week of bus fare to get them rolling to job interviews and ultimately, to work. Would you be willing to take coffee from home for a week or two instead of buying it out so that someone else has the chance to support themselves and their family?

You may think, “They have GOT to have the money somewhere.” Well, they might not. They may have been unemployed for quite some time. A breadwinner could have left the home. The money might go to food, or funding a prepaid phone or keeping a home phone on so that they would be able to get the callback from the interview.

For more information, visit the Goodwill Detroit website. http://goodwilldetroit.org/events/gotb.aspx  Can you spare $20 (or more) to give someone a lift in life?

When you are a part of a Christian church or Bible study, you are often connected to many others through sister churches, even if you are not part of a denomination that has a diocese or other structured network. In the case of many Jewish temples, the rabbi is hired by the members of the temple, versus being assigned. There is charity work and taking care of neighbors, but because the network is not a pre-structured one, the community beyond the individual temple is sometimes splintered or scattered unless individuals reach out to one another.

This month, a Jewish Charity was soft-launched.  It bears the memorable, to the point, but curious name of “HelpThisJew.com.” Years back, there was advertising from another group looking for money to fund the relocation of Jews who desired to live in Israel, and I thought at first mention, this is what this must be.  However, it is not.  It is a site created for the simple purpose of allowing Jewish folks to find others that are in need.  Individuals or case workers can request assistance.  The community then donates to fund the request.  All requests must not exceed $1000.  The story of the individual, without identifying personal information, is listed on the site, and if you feel moved to help the person or family out, you can give as little as a few dollars.

Examples of requests: A man who is too frail to ride on a community bus requests funds to receive car transportation to chemo treatments. A case worker asks for a funds for a boy who loves with his mother and a mentally ill, abusive father.  The funds would help him go to a summer camp and go away to school to take him away from an abusive situation without taking him away from a loving mother and siblings.

All requests are properly vetted by Rabbis, Social Workers and similar professionals to ensure against fraud and to make sure the individual receives the funds.  Those that are helped are encouraged to donate back when they are on their feet, but they do not have to make a repayment. HelpThisJew.com is a 501(c)3 chariy. Therefore, all donations are tax-deductible in the United States.

One might say that “why can’t anyone participate?”  Everyone can donate regardless of faith or background.  There are many sites that provide charity for various groups, but the site is unique in that it is the desire of the founders to reach out to their own community .

This familiar widget can be created on the ChipIn site very easily, and the code can be tailored to a variety of formats that a wide variety of platforms can understand. Just be aware, that if using on Wordpress, you can only use it if you host your blog on your own domain as it is against Wordpress TOS. Also, the shockwave script only appears in “publish” or “preview” mode.Please do not attempt to actually donate to this one, because it won’t go anywhere. It is for illustrative purposes only. It is not connected to a Paypal address.

For a legitimate group, not only does it motivate donors, but the constant updates cut out the “middle man” and save time for volunteers seeking updates as well. Funds are processed through Paypal, which is very familiar to those donating on the internet already. A widget is best used if a small, reasonable goal is targeted as people like to be part of the “winning team” and feel that they are making a difference versus a small drop in a bucket that may never be filled.

However, the widget went from being used by legitimate causes to just about anyone. Because the address that is receiving the donations is hidden, it can easily create a situation where someone is falsely collecting funds. However, it was more frequent for individuals to not pretend that they were collecting for something they were not, but counting on you seeing so many widgets that you will get them confused. Another scenario is that because you do see a widget, you think they have been “checked out.” One young lady was asking for over $20,000 to build a “No-Kill Sanctuary for Dogs.” Behind the scenes, there was never going to be a shelter. She had made graphics to look convincing, but in reality, she was trying to gain trust with shelters in order to attempt to take unaltered dogs to start breeding and fighting them. She was “found out.”

The more innocent misuses are people using them to fund their savings goal, or dream of buying a boat. In of itself, if everyone is aware that they are gifting money to the person and it is not a donation, to each his own. Perhaps ChipIn should create a widget that clearly carries a disclaimer.

Technologically, the widget will not appear in Wordpress based blogs in draft mode and is sometimes only viewable when published. This is an improvement. The widget is compatible with blogger.

In my opinion:

From a technology perspective, ChipIn is a valuable widget and gets high marks. A s a consumer, you should do the same research of the person behind the widget as if they were handing you an envelope or asking for a donation in person.

During the summer months, Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., is selling flip flops as a fundraiser. They are not your typical flimsy piece of foam with a hole in the middle. There are slider sandals, shown at left, with tops are Velcro for folks who hate the feeling of the plastic or leather thong between one’s toes.  Please don’t be tempted to wear wool socks with them.  You can, but it might not be a fashion statement unless you have an injured foot.  Then, its totally acceptable.  There is also a traditional flip flop with small paw prints across the band.

The shoes bear an SSP logo and feature a paw print embellishment.  Price is $13.00 plus shipping and handling. For every pair sold, $3.50 goes directly to Saving Shelter Pets, Inc.  Some folks may wonder, why sell shoes?  Why not just give SSP $3.50.  Well, you certainly can do that, but if you have been wanting to buy a pair of sandals for the beach anyways, isn’t it great to know that part of the proceeds will go to a good cause?

Sizes range from XXS (Youth size 13) to XXL (Ladies size 11).  Ladies 11 works out to about a men’s size 9, but check the measurements, as men’s shoes tend to run wider.

To order, visit the order page at the Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., website=>>> HERE.<<<=

Gift cards are always a popular item at charity auctions, There were a couple that did very well at the Saving Shelter Pets, Inc., fall online auction as well as at a few auctions that I was in attendance at live for different charities. They are almost surefire, as bidders will initially hedge their bets on snagging the gift card for less than face value. If it goes for less than the monetary amount, the charity still wins, but most of the time, the folks bidding don’t mind bidding up to face value or slightly above. An overlooked purpose of gift cards is to donate them outright to the charity for their own use. Office supplies, cleaning fluids and groceries can all be procured without the lengthy process of tracking down the volunteer with the check book when the folks holding down the fort need them.

FriendGiftr is a relatively new site and service that sells gift cards through Social media, such as myspace, Bebo, Facebook and even your mobile phone. If you and the recipient are both on Facebook, you can send them a gift card through an app. With the number of grass roots charities on Facebook these days, it is so easy to send them some love. I fished around on the FriendGiftr blog (though I wish the verbiage was a bit more prominent on their main site:

We also let you exchange the gift card or split it across multiple merchants, so you can get the gift card you really want (after all, most of us at one point or another got a gift card we just really didn’t want, and therefore never used; however, we’re trying to solve this by empowering you to pick the gift card you really want after it’s been bought for you).

If the gift card is not something they can use for an auction or for supplies to help their bottom line, they can also exchange the card at FriendGftr for something more appropriate. There is a whole list of possibilities, including Drs. Foster and Smith, CVS, Travelocity, and more for a group to use or to pass along as incentives. Of course, it goes without saying that it will be easier this year come Christmas time to send gifts to your 31 cousins you keep in touch with on Facebook.  The only negative I see is if they got the notification email and didn’t redeem it because they thought it was spam.  All the more reason to send the recipient a follow up note.

Have you been gifted with a card? If so, I’d be curious to see what your notification email looked like.

Sometimes, I look in the bin and see a huge amount of very outdated glasses. I am not talking about style specifically, but weight. Now, glasses are lighter. Technology has improved and they can make lenses a little thinner and frames a little lighter. There are not as many coke bottle glasses as there were before. It would be nice to donate glasses that are more recent, versus at the end of the road.

A few folks have been telling me about Zenni Optical and their $8 frames. It is not a bait and switch. They have frames that are slightly more expensive, but indeed have plenty at the $8 price point. I thought about buying a few and donating them to the Lions. This way, they would have a few light weight pairs for someone needed them. Perhaps have a more modern look would help someone put their best foot forward, or just make it easier without the weight.

Some may point out that the frames are not made in the United States. So far, I have not found any that are. If you find a company, please point it out to me. However, this allows someone to buy what is at the optical stores at a more factory direct price. You can afford to be generous. In fact, what a better way to impact someone’s life for such little money. For $8-20, someone’s life can be dramatically transformed. They can see the rivets at the factory, learn to read, or simply lead an independent life if the correction needed is extreme.

At the age of 58, Jimmy Ruch was a man dying of small cell lung cancer. The disease is caused when small malignant cancer cells form inside the lung tissue. His wish for his friends to find a way to raise awareness, and they not only created a website to raise awareness of these disease caused by smoking, second hand smoke, and asbestos exposure, but they created an auction website to raise funds as well. Bidazzled is an auction site created in his memory under the auspices of the Ruch Foundation.

The auction site is a bit different as there are no private sellers. Much of the merchandise appears to the factory sealed. As a participant, you buy bid packs. You pay for each bid you make with credits. Instead of bidding the maximum dollar amount you would pay for the item, you could make a single bid. It is similar to what they used to call a chinese auction. The winner is the last one to bid. One may think that it would be impossible to win, but there are safeguards in place. One can only use as many bids as they have purchased. Sometimes bonus bids are accrued, and credit is given if an auction isn’t one, but you are limited by the bids you have available. In other words, it is not like other auction sites where a bidder can place a skyhigh bid they don’t think anyone else will touch. Also, you are able to win up to five items a week, so participants are required to think carefully on where they are going to use their bids on.

The only constructive criticism about the site is the apparent inability to search.  This may contribute to the thrill of the hunt, however.  I scrolled through several pages of items and was impressed by the different electronics and movies that I saw and have, in fact, been looking for.  Saving up to 80-90% off of the retail prices of items are definitely something that outweighs that by far.

Right now, Bidazzled is offering a bonus. You can use the code BBP1202A to receive 15 bonus bids. If you choose to purchase bids, bids are available in packs of $25.00 or more.  You can have a great time, get some rock bottom deals on electronics and more that you have been looking for, as well as help a good cause.  It will help the Ruch Foundation on its funding of smoking cessation programs, and provide information about treatment for the disease.

I just discovered that there are prepaid cards, like the Vision Premier Prepaid Visa, that offer direct deposit.  They act in lieu of a bank account and the money gets placed right on the prepaid Visa instead of going into the bank. I always was curious as to why someone would not want to have a bank account. Are they running from the law? I recently discovered there are other reasons why you might want to cash checks somewhere else.

If you are a student away at school, you may not have a local branch of your bank near school. It also has benefit to people who spend months traveling by RV. You don’t have to worry about someone being at home to deposit your checks, and if you cannot find a bank branch on the road, you can still have instant access to your money. It you lose the card, no one will have access to your nest egg because it is entirely separate, yet you will still have the funds from your check available on it.

I am wondering if the prepaid cards would work for the purpose of tithing.  I am wondering if someone could set it up where part of their check gets deposited to an organization’s card.   That might be too complicated and there would be too much of an exchange of personal information, but you never know.