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While many parents across the United States are deciding which gifts will circle the Christmas tree or be unwrapped in the candle light of a menorah, other families are having to make a choice of whether to buy a coat or pay rent.

  This year, between 2.5 and 3.5 million people in the United States will experience homelessness – those most in danger of the threat, are children and families – reportedly the fastest growing segment of people in America.   Our streets are now home to 1.3 million kids.

  The new face of homelessness begs that we not treat them as “invisible” or allow them to blend in with the decay or urban wall paper and be forgotten in the cold. One Warm Coat meets that challenge by engaging the public in a national effort that meets local needs by providing any person in need with a warm coat, free of charge. 

  Two years ago the U.S. Senate recognized the month of November as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. The date holds significance to One Warm Coat whose founder, Lois Pavlow, a long-time philanthropist, organized her first coat collection in San Francisco on Thanksgiving weekend 1992.

  Since then, more than 1 million coats have been donated in thousands of local communities across North America. 

 

There is a fundamental model of success in the One Warm Coat approach. First, the non-profit offers a guidebook of core requirements to ensure that the coats collected will go to reputable shelters and donation centers rather than thrift stores. 

  The simplicity of the idea is also the beauty of the idea.

  Lee Fox, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at KooDooZ Corporation, asked Sherri Wood, President and National Coordinator, if she would invite One Warm Coat youth advocates to share and inspire other kids to get involved in the cause. Within mere weeks of the newsletter distribution, Addison Graham got in front of a camera and shared the impact she has personally made in collecting more than 400 winter coats for those who would otherwise not have protection from the frigid temperatures. 

  November also earmarks the debut of “Cause4KDZ” a video blog launched by KooDooZ this month for the purpose of showcasing young change-makers and the causes they support. “Any age can bring positive impact and change,” said Fox. “While school-based community service remains robust, elementary classrooms are less likely to integrate service than secondary schools. So we have to find other ways to show the public how to engage their kids.  Organizations like One Warm Coat offers such a compelling opportunity for all ages."

  In 2008 more than 8.24 million teens (ages 16-24) volunteered out of a total 61.8 million Americans.    In comparison, it’s estimated that just over 4.2 million elementary, middle and secondary school students participated.  Still in alpha, KooDooZ is working closely with grassroots organizations, to engage youth in volunteerism, cause and social impact opportunities.

 

Micro-lending website Kiva.org recently hit a major milestone. Since launching four years ago, the organization has facilitated $100 million in microloan transactions between individual lenders and low income entrepreneurs all around the world. Lots of charities target the poor, you may ask, so what makes this organization unique? It’s the approach.

In order to achieve its mission of connecting people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty, Kiva employs a strategy of inclusion. It turns what was once an opaque process in both lending and charitable giving on its head, creating greater levels of personal involvement and future commitment.

A few weeks ago Kiva founder Premal Shah described this process to an audience of thousands at the 2009 Women’s Conference, saying: “When you give to big organizations, you don’t know where your money is going. Here you do. There are short feedback loops and direct transparency. When you browse entrepreneurs’ profiles on Kiva, choose someone to lend to, and then make a loan, you know exactly where your money is going. You can see that you are helping a real person make great strides towards economic independence. Because of the technology we enable, you get an e-mail from that person and establish a connection. That makes it personal.”

What Shah describes also encourages the experience of web-based world change to go viral. People excited about a new process tend to spread the word, and Shah says Kiva has benefited tremendously from this natural momentum: “We don’t even have a marketing person at Kiva, it all just spreads from word of mouth. For every dollar we spend at Kiva, we raise $10 online.”

Other firms are benefiting from technology-enabled connections, too. Ashton Kutcher’s company Katalyst, which is widely known among the Gen Y and Hollywood set for creating savvy social media campaigns, is now convincing large corporations that it’s time to go about communicating social issues and engaging stakeholders in totally new ways. Earlier this year the company joined forces with Kellogg company in order to confront hunger.

The result of the Katalyst-Kellogg collaboration was a web video featuring a cross section of user generated content, submitted by people moved to help end the growing hunger epidemic in the United States. The aim of the video was to encourage consumers to donate to Feeding America, the nation’s leading hunger relief organization. The video, accessible on on the KelloggCares Facebook Page www.facebook.com/kelloggcares and numerous other channels, was directed by Demi Moore.

“The web is by far the quickest and most efficient way for companies to activate and organize people,” explains Kutcher. “We don’t just use the web to evangelize a cause, we use it to mobilize.”

The core idea behind what both Kutcher and Shah stand for, in addition to transparency and openness, is effective engagement. Both feel an urge to harness the power of technology in order to elicit a greater level of participation from the public on key issues that affect our world. They strongly encourage more companies to do the same.

“Let people be the ambassadors of your cause,” Kutcher says. “There are now dozens of ways to do this. The biggest thing I advocate for is don’t go out and build a website. There are so many social media tools that already exist: Facebook, Twitter, iPhone applications...These are all tools that can be used to create social good. All you have to do is connect them. Just link these tools. Create a loop of technology to get your message out and create a world of good.”

Shah heartily agrees that linking technology applications creates superior social opportunities for companies, and points to how even the simplest advances – from e-mail to cell phones and mobile cash – have upped the ante for Kiva and helped his stakeholders tremendously. As for what the future holds, Shah seems optimistic: “What we are going to see in the next decade is going to be mind-blowing.”

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From Jeff Leahy, CRMS Head of School: Last night I had dinner in Tokyo with Taro Tomisawa, who graduated five years ago. Taro works for the Tokyo Foundation, a non-profit that focuses on "developing policy, investing in people, and transforming society". During dinner Taro shared with me that over the course of his time at CRMS doing community service became somewhat of a habit for him. He thinks that this is one of the main values that CRMS has to share with the world, and that this sense of supporting others is not readily found elsewhere. During his time in college and his year in Tokyo he has struggled to find the same amount of opportunities that he felt were so available at CRMS. Today he works in the government area of downtown Tokyo and has taken on an important role in the Foundation - keeping his CRMS legacy alive.

Post Independent (John Stroud) Glenwood Springs, CO - CARBONDALE, Colorado — Friends and fellow Colorado Rocky Mountain School juniors Kelsey Bohannon and JJ Worley recently found a way to help needy people around the world, and keep what otherwise would be trash out of area landfills.

Through the Soles4Souls shoe charity, they collected some 500 pairs of used shoes from throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. The shoes will be sent to a warehouse in Nevada, and eventually shipped to villages around the world where people cannot afford to buy shoes themselves.

“I heard about it and it just interested me as a way for people do something for those in need without sending money,” said Bohannon, 16, who lives in Glenwood Springs.

“Some people don't like giving money, because they're not sure what's really going to happen to it,” she said. “There's not much else you can do with used shoes, though. You know someone is going to be wearing them who needs them.”

Worley, also 16, from Carbondale, looks at it as a “one person's trash is another person's treasure” sort of approach to global charity.

“People really do get tired of donating money. This is a way to get rid of something you'd be throwing away anyway, and for a good cause,” she said.

Bohannon and Worley put up flyers around the valley and set up collection boxes at Summit Canyon Mountaineering in Glenwood Springs and at Dos Gringos Burritos in Carbondale.

“They asked me to come empty the box at Summit because it was overflowing,” Bohannon said. “The shoes filled up my car.”

Once they collected all the shoes they realized it would cost $230 to ship them to Nevada, even after the 80 percent charity discount from UPS. So they approached the Aspen Skiing Company, and it covered the shipping cost.

“We didn't even think about the money part of it,” Worley said. “We really want to thank the Skico for helping us out.”

They received some interesting shoes along the way, including some Go-Go boots, a pair of snowboard boots, and ballet slippers.

“Some of them are pretty fancy shoes, and not very used at all,” Bohannon said.

Miser's Mercantile, a local second-hand store, also donated some of the shoes it had in stock, and the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary collected a box of shoes as well.

The students may do another drive in the future, but their collection efforts are done for now. However, Independence Run and Hike, a local running and outdoor gear store, is also a collection location for Soles4Souls.

The store, located in the Gateway Plaza at Highway 133 and Cowen Drive in Carbondale, is collecting “gently worn” footwear and/or monetary donations to help ship the shoes.

The shoes sometimes go to victims of a natural disaster, or who are subject to living in extreme poverty, according to the organization's website, www.giveshoes.org.

“It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unused shoes lying in their closets,” it notes. “The charity can use each and every one of these pairs to make a tangible difference in someone's life.”

Independence Run and Hike owner Brion After said he is glad to contribute, both in the charitable sense and because of the reduced environmental impact of recycling used shoes.

“We believe in taking care of the land that takes care of us,” he said. “Partnering with Soles4Souls enables the local running and hiking community to be environmental stewards and assist those in need throughout the world.”  jstroud@postindependent.com

For more information on Colorado Rocky Mountain School please contact lraleigh@crms.org

"Want to know if the stimulus act will work or whether ethanol is the right choice for U.S. energy independence? Need advice on how to beat Wall Street?" So asked the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) at the annual Moody's Mega Math Challenge. For the past three years, Moody's has awarded college scholarships and summer internships to the high school students with the best answers to these questions. In 2010, Moody's is increasing to $100,000 of scholarships.

What drives a Wall Street firm to such generosity, especially now when every dollar they spend is accounted for to shareholders and the board? I have been working with corporate leaders for the past several years to help them shift their philanthropy and their service programs in order to advance the companies' own purposes while also benefiting the community. This is the only way that corporate social responsibility will actually be effective and sustainable.

And as I reported from the Clinton Global Initiative in

2008

and

2009

here in my posts, the tide has turned.

 

See continuation here...http://bit.ly/3NvtsR

Trees for Troops has delivered more than 50,000 fresh Christmas trees grown by American farmers to military families across the nation and around the world since 2005.   It is a program of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation (CSF), a non-for-profit charity, along with support from FedEx Corp. Since its inception, citizens have expressed interest in participating in the program, but didn’t know how to do that since they didn’t farm trees or work for Fed Ex.

Now in its fifth year, Trees for Troops offers a new way for others to support the program. CSF is recruiting volunteers to coordinate locally-hosted fundraising events during Veteran’s Day week. These grassroots events, called “TweetUp4Troops,” are a great way to show support for veterans, raise money for the Trees for Troops program and have fun! Whether you organize a car wash or trivia night, sell raffle tickets or find a creative way to allow your business to support the program, all contributions raised go to support  the Trees for Troops program and military families. To get involved by hosting an event in your area, visit www.TweetUp4Troops.org and fill out a Local Host Registration Form.
 
About Trees for Troops
Trees for Troops is the pilot program of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation. Created in 2005, the program works with corporate sponsor FedEx to collect fresh, farm-grown Christmas trees from American farmers to distribute to military families. In the past four years, the program has delivered more than 50,000 Christmas Trees to bases around the world.
 
About Christmas SPIRIT Foundation
The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable branch of the National Christmas Tree Association established to advance the spirit of Christmas for kids, families and the environment. Visit www.christmasspiritfoundation.org for more information.

 

Corporate Social Responsible News: Philanthropy New York's Diversity Report; ANA's Carbon Policy

Even with our students' robust academic and active schedules, we encourage them to participate in clubs of their choice. These clubs are student organized and run, affording more freedom in the activities offered and in opportunities for leadership. Students may get as involved in the clubs as they'd like and, of course, extra-curricular activities look good on college applications.

CRMS is currently the home of three global philanthropies including Peace Jam, Operation Smile, and Face Aids. Peace Jam and Operation Smile are currently working together in order to sponsor children all around the world for cleft-palate operations. The Operation Smile club started in January of 2009, and the CRMS community has already made it possible for three children to receive the cleft-palate surgery through different fund-raising events.

Another group of CRMS students recently started a Face Aids chapter supporting Aids research and funding throughout Rwanda and raised over $500 at their first fund-raising endeavor this past week. They are also reaching out to the other high schools in the area encouraging them to get involved.

This is just one way CRMS prepares our students for an extraordinary life. www.crms.org

For more information contact lraleigh@crms.org

via 3blmedia.com

The leaders of Ford Motor Company and the United Auto Workers are not only joining forces to help revitalize America’s auto industry – they’re also coming together to support the March of Dimes and raise $100 million to give babies a healthy start in life.

Tonight at the Library of Congress, the March of Dimes honored special volunteers and announced the first-ever March for Babies National Co-chairs, Alan Mulally, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company and Ron Gettelfinger, President of United Auto Workers. The two leaders have committed their organizations to raise at least $1 million toward the national goal.

“I was honored to be asked, along with Alan Mulally, to serve in this role,” said Ron Gettelfinger. “We’ve worked together in the aerospace and auto industries, and now we have come together to support a great American cause – stronger, healthier babies.  I never miss a chance to join the March for Babies in my local community,” said Gettelfinger. “This year’s campaign will reach nationwide, to all the men and women of the UAW. We’re focused on bringing people together to make a real difference.”

Mulally and Gettelfinger spoke about their dedication to the cause during a brief program that also recognized outstanding leaders. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D- Calif) received the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Leadership Award and Sen. Christopher ‘Kit’ Bond (R-MO) and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) were each honored with the March of Dimes Award for Lifetime Achievement in Public Affairs.  Greg Gumbel (CBS Sports), Kerri Strug (Olympic gymnast) and Bruce Johnson (CEO, Sears Holdings) received Volunteer Leadership awards for helping to raise public awareness of the cause.

“The March of Dimes is a remarkable organization and the outstanding individuals honored tonight are terrific role models for all of us,” said Alan Mulally. "On behalf of all Ford Motor Company stakeholders, I am honored to serve alongside Ron Gettelfinger and these outstanding volunteers for the good of healthy babies."

Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President of the March of Dimes, shared startling statistics showing that nearly 13 million infants were born preterm worldwide in 2005 and more than a million infants die each year from their early birth. The United States’ rate of premature birth has increased by 36 percent in the last 25 years and is a significant contributor to rising health care costs. 

“The leadership of volunteers enabled the March of Dimes to conquer polio,” said Dr. Howse. “We are confident that the team of Gettelfinger and Mulally, along with 3 million volunteers can reduce the toll of premature birth and help lead the way toward a time when every baby in every community is born healthy.”

About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.  Companies and individuals can join the 2010 March for Babies online at www.marchforbabies.org/kickoff2010.
 
For more information, contact:  
Megan Hutchison (816) 423-6019 (Barkley Public Relations)

via 3blmedia.com

 

国际人道法及国际人权法是互为补充的。尽管两者角度不同，但都致力于保护人的生命、健康和尊严。

国际人道法适用于武装冲突局势中；而国际人权法（至少是其中的部分内容）则在任何时期（不论战时或 平时）都为个人提供保护。虽然一些人权条约允许政府在紧急状态下限制人的某些权利，但是国际人道法不允许践踏人的权利，因为它就是为应对紧急情况（即武装冲突局势）而形成的。

国际人道法的目标在保护没有或不再参与敌对行动的人员，其中的条文规定了冲突各方应承担的责任。国际人权法则首先适用于和平时期并适用于每一个人，其首要目标是保护个人免受政府专制行为的影响。国际人权法与作战行为无关。

执行国际人道法和国际人权法的责任主要落在国家肩上。国际人道法赋予国家采取可行的和法律的措施执行该法，如制定刑法，传播国际人道法等。同样，国际人权法也在国际责任方面要求通过相应的国内法，对国家进行约束。国际人道法也提供了几种具体的机制以助该法执行。特别应强调的是，各国也有义务确保他国遵守该法律。国际人道法里为此制定了调查程序、保护国机制和国际事实调查委员会等条款。此外，红十字国际委员会在确保国际人道法受到遵守方面被赋予了关键的作用。

与国际人道法相反，国际人权法的执行机制更为复杂，还包括一些地区体制。人权法的监督机构如联合国人权委员会依据《联合国宪章》或特别人权条约而成立（如人权委员会依据1966年关于公民权利和政治权利的国际公约成立）。人权委员会和它的分委员会已发展了其“特别报告”机制，建立了工作小组，其任务为以国别或专题对人权状况进行监督和报告。六个主要的人权条约都规定成立独立的专家委员会（例如人权委员会）负责监督条约的执行情况。根据某些地区性条约（欧洲和美洲）建立了人权法院。联合国人权高级专员办公室 (UNHCHR) 在全面保护和推动人权方面发挥主要作用。其任务在于加强联合国人权机制的成效，并建立国家、地区和国际人权机构，以促进和保护人权及传播人权文件和信息。

人权文件

现行的众多法律文本包括：

1) 普遍性的文件

• 1948 年联合国大会通过的世界人权宣言
• 1948 年避免和惩罚种族灭绝罪公约
• 1966 年关于公民权利和政治权利的国际公约
• 1966 年关于经济、社会和文化权利的国际公约
• 1981 年关于消除所有形式对妇女歧视的公约
• 1984 年关于反对酷刑和其它残酷、非人道或羞辱待遇及惩罚的公约

2) 地区性文件

• 1950 年的欧洲人权公约
• 1969 年的美洲人权公约
• 1981 年的非洲人权和人民权利宪章

“核心”部分

国际人权文件包括一些条款，授权国家在面对严重公众威胁时，暂时撤销公民的一些权利。每项条约所载的若干基本权利除外，它们在任何情况下都必须受到尊重，不论所载属于哪一项条约，都绝对不能撤销。特别包括生存的权利、禁止酷刑及不人道处罚或待遇、奴隶及奴役，以及法律原则及法律的不可追溯效力。这是各国不论在任何情况下，即使是冲突或内乱时，都必须尊重的基本权利，被喻为人权的“核心”。

结合之处

由于国际人道法正好适用于武装冲突的特殊情况，国际人权法中规定各国必须在任何情况下尊重的内容（即“核心”部分），其趋向与国际人道法所提供的基本及法律保证相吻合，例如，禁止酷刑及草率处决（参见第21页，《第一附加议定书》第75条及《第二附加议定书》第6条）。

humanitarian law　＜－＞　human rights law