Apparel from California-based couture swimwear brand La Isla can not only spice up your summer wardrobe, but can also improve the lives of others.

Last month, the company launched its newest charitable campaign, La Isla 360. The way it works is simple: for every t-shirt that’s sold, one will be donated to someone in need. The t-shirts will be given to homeless shelters and children’s organizations, such as Children of the Americas.

“Running a business without lending a helping hand to those in need makes no sense to me,” says CEO and founder of La Isla, Enrique Sánchez-Rivera. “We are excited for the La Isla 360 program and hope that people recognize the value of shopping with a conscience.”

The brand’s 2012 collection includes hand-enbroidered bikinis, vintage-style women’s t-shirts, casual hats and handmade crocheted headwear. All embroidery is hand-done in Colombia by women who are the heads of their households, and all apparel is made with soy-based ink and organic cotton. Additionally, La Isla will donate a portion of its 2012 proceeds to the Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society.

“Our new collection is inspired by the world’s natural elements and native roots,” says Sánchez-Rivera. ”Bikinis, like any other clothing article, shouldn’t be just about fashion. We hope to bring forth the connection of our natural roots and personal tastes by making bikinis and clothing that can both make a statement and a difference.”

In almost every article or interview of Jack’s Mannequin, two details about Andrew McMahon — Jack’s front man — are always mentioned: (1) he was in Something Corporate and (2) he has lymphoblastic leukemia. But with Jack’s Mannequin now on their third full length album and his leukemia in remission for the past six years, it is safe to say Andrew McMahon is now in a different headspace.

“People and Things” — an all-encompassing title — is Jack’s Mannequin’s third album, which was released back in October of 2011.  It debuted at number one on Billboard’s alternative rock album chart and has received warm reviews from critics. The songs on the album range from the radio-friendly “My Racing Thoughts” to the anthemic “Release Me” to the piano ballad “Platform Fire.” Andrew has stated that the album in many ways is about love, relationships, and his marriage: his goal to write songs that offered less flowery language exposing the more honest underbelly of relationships. The song, “Television,” exemplifies this idea about Andrew’s literal inability to fall asleep without a television on; but the idea is extended to explain the intimate state of uneasiness in his relationship. Jack’s Mannequin is currently on tour in support of “People and Things.”

BLAST: How is the tour going so far?

ANDREW MCMAHON:The tour has been excellent. We’re on our fifth or six show. All the shows have been, truthfully, better than I expected. It has been a fun run. I’m in Chicago tonight actually, just pacing around the House of Blues.

BLAST: How is it there?

AM: It’s great. I love Chicago. I actually spent a little bit of time growing up here when I was a kid. I certainly feel at home when I make my way out here.

BLAST: You moved around a lot as a kid?

AM: Yeah. I actually lived outside of Boston too. (Andrew chuckles)

BLAST: Are you excited to return? Do you ever feel nostalgic for the east coast?

AM: I do. A lot of my nostalgia probably comes from my early travels with Something Corporate just because I was so young when I lived out there. I was in Massachusetts for my first few years of life and then Jersey for the following three. So I don’t have tons of memories from the east coast. But I think there is a sort of feeling of home when you go to places that you’re from and have lived. I definitely feel a kinship to the east coast. No doubt.

BLAST: Are you still doing yoga on tour?

AM: Oh yes, yeah, it is a big part of my life on and off the road now. When I’m on the road, I get a good three or four days of yoga per week. But it got a little tricky with all the show days and the record coming out and doing press and things like that. So I do it every other day, including my days off. It keeps me feeling pretty good.

BLAST: What else do you do to fill your time on the road?

AM: There is not a ton of free time on the road when you’re promoting a record. A lot of it will be sneaking around to radio stations or doing phone interviews. When I do have time, I try and read. And when I am on the bus, I try and put on a good movie and get myself to sleep. But I’m pretty busy out here.

BLAST: You have said before that you are a fan of Billy Joel, so does your song “Television” have any relationship to Joel’s “Sleeping with the Television On”?

AM: It’s so funny that you should say that because truthfully there was no relationship to it. Actually, as I was finishing that song, I was going through a bunch of old vinyl and I came across the Joel album. I forgot what record it was on. So I saw on the back of it and I was like, ‘Oh my God are you kidding me?’ So it is hard to say whether or not it had any subconscious influence on me. As a kid, I don’t remember ever listening to the song. I remember listening to his Greatest Hits volume one, while I was growing up as a Joel fan.  But yeah, I was definitely surprised to see the song title when I came across it.

BLAST: What television show do you usually fall asleep to?

AM: Truthfully for me, it is usually movies. I try to put in movies that I’ve seen like a million times, so that I can kind of zone out. It is usually The Big Lebowski, Super Troopers, usually a funny movie. But that tends to be my prescription before bed.

BLAST: Jack’s Mannequin’s bio by Warner Brothers Records says that People and Things “delves into the joys and conflicts of the first years of marriage” and you have stated that the album is about love and relationships. What does your significant other think of the album?

AM: (He chuckles) I think she likes it.  Yeah I hope so. I don’t think she would tell me otherwise. But I think in a lot of ways it’s kind of our album as well. I think it’s tricky for anybody in my life who ends up being the subject of the songs that I write. In my wife’s case, we’ve been together for the better part of ten years and [she] knows that it kind of comes with the territory. But as far as I understand, this is her favorite of the Jack’s records. I think I did alright by her.

BLAST: What music do you listen to that you wouldn’t normally tell anyone about? What’s your guilty pleasure music?

AM: I don’t know. I don’t normally subscribe to like the guilty pleasures thing. I like lots of different types of music and I tend to be pretty okay with that. I can’t really think of the type of example that I wouldn’t be so proud to share. You got me stumped on that one.

BLAST: That’s okay. You have said before that you love to explore other mediums of art. What kind of other art are you working on?

AM: Personally, in a hobby sort of way, I have been taking a lot of pictures. I got a new camera over the summer that I have been experimenting with and have a lot of fun with that. I used to do that a lot with my Polaroid, but it is a little bit more difficult to get the kind of film that I need for my old camera. I also do quite a bit of writing on the side, none of which has really come out, other than in the forms of blogs.

BLAST: How many tattoos do you have? Do you have a favorite?

AM: Let me count here: one, two, three, four, five. Five! So five. You know, I am pretty close to all of them. The cool thing about my tattoos is that they all represent a different time in my life. There’s the Starry Night on my left arm, which I am very close to. So I will go with that for now.

BLAST: Who would your perfect collaboration project be with?

AM: I’ve definitely been digging Danger Mouse. I like a lot of what he has been up to, something in that vein. I like the thing he did with Broken Bells; I thought that was really cool. There is certainly a lot of great stuff that he has been attached to.

BLAST: What’s the Dear Jack Foundation?

AM: It’s something that I started after my own experience with cancer. We do our best to raise money for organizations that are fighting leukemia and young adult cancer. It’s what we have been up to for the better part of six years. We help raise money for research. We try things with initiatives for young adults like sending kids to camp who are sick.

BLAST: Anything else you want to tell the Blast Magazine readers?

AM: Thanks for listening. And I hope to see you at one of the shows in the next few weeks.

Jack’s Mannequin will be in Boston on February 3 at House of Blues. The list of tour dates can be seen here.

By Kasey Miller at Emmanuel College

Photo Cred: www.laurenshope.com

The main reason people do not wear medical IDs is because they are ugly and bring attention to their medical conditions. Another reason is because people do not know what medical conditions are considered important enough to merit wearing a medical ID. The simple solution would be to ask your doctor. If your doctor thinks you should wear a medical ID odds are you should wear one.

Lauren’s Hope medical IDs are negating the stigma of people wearing medical IDs. They are fashionable and, unless the person wearing the ID wants or needs to bring attention to their medical condition, no one knows that they are wearing one.

The front of the pendant looks like a carnation with a lot of colorful layers. In the center of the flower is a red medical alert symbol but unless you are strictly looking for it, you do not see it. If you are trying to look for it, you will see it.

“It’s so important to wear a medical ID and when Laurens Hope makes them so cute I don’t mind wearing mine! People need options when they have diabetes. We have minimal options in treatment, but in fashion they are limitless.” Says Allison Crace, a type one Diabetic.

On Lauren’s Hope webpage, you can choose from a variety of styles of medical IDs. If you prefer to wear something subtle, like a watch, they have that option. If you want something flashy that shows up when you wear it, they also have jewelry that fits that description. Whatever style you are, and if you have any known chronic illnesses, Lauren’s Hope has the type of medical ID you are looking for.

People with known chronic illnesses crave control – and Lauren’s Hope gives some control back to these people.

A Lauren’s Hope medical ID necklace looks like a normal necklace. This brings up the question: How does medical staff know if a person is wearing a medical ID? The answer is that emergency medical staff is trained to check for the little red medical alert symbol on the arms, neck or feet of any person seen by emergency medical staff.

The price of a Lauren’s Hope medical ID would be somewhere in the sixty dollar range. The price of not wearing a medical ID, on the other hand, is far more costly.

MIAMI — Musician and one-time Haitian Presidential candidate Wyclef Jean’s non- profit organization seems to be raising eyebrows once again. The ex-Fugee member and his organization, Yele Haiti, are accused of using charitable donations for personal gain and nepotism rather than helping those who were in need. According to the New York Post, donations to Yele Haiti grew to the large sum of $16 million in 2010, the most the charity had ever received. But less than a third of that — $5.1 million — went to emergency efforts, and $1 million was paid to a Florida firm that doesn’t seem to exist, The Post reported.

Jean, along with Hugh Locke, and Jean’s cousin Jerry Duplessis, founded the organization in 2005 to help with emergency relief, employment, youth development and education, tree planting, and agriculture. According to Yele Haiti, their mission is to “provide aid and assistance to the communities in Haiti in greatest need, where severe poverty, widespread unemployment, rampant malnutrition and crippling illiteracy are most pervasive. In doing so, we strive to balance emergency relief with support for long term sustainable initiatives that together are giving both hope and practical assistance to the people of Haiti.”

On January 12, 2010, when the massive, 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti, thousands of Haitians were killed and over a million were left homeless with nothing to eat. Yele Haiti acted quickly, soliciting donations to help those in need. Jean went as far as asking for $5 donations on Twitter to help those who had been affected, and in return, got the $16 million in donations.

Jean made it clear that he was no longer apart of the non- profit organizations executive board by saying of Yele’s active leadership. “I have acknowledged that Yele has made mistakes in the past, including being late in IRS filings, but that is old news. When I entered politics last summer, I transitioned from being a board member and chairman of Yele Haiti to a supporter,” he said in a statement.

Yele Haiti could not be contacted for comment.

I’ve been sporting a beard for most of the year, but this month, it’s all about the Movember Mustache.

A bunch of friends, family, and I are raising money for Movember. Each year, in November, the Movember charity is responsible for mustaches sprouting all over the country on men’s faces.

Movember raises money for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men. The charity gives funding to the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG – The Lance Armstrong Foundation as well as its own educational and awareness programs.

I started by shaving off the facial hair. Little by little, it’s been growing back, but I admit I still have to get rid of the beard and chin hair and really shape my Movember Mustache. In the mean time, our team has raised more than $1,200 so far.

To learn more, and to donate, visit my Movember page.

I like FlipFlop wine right away, because every time I buy a bottle, someone gets a pair of shoes in a third world country through the Soles4Souls charity.

As an Italian, when I do drink white wine, it’s usually pinot grigio, and FlipFlop makes a good one.

It’s crisp, like biting unto an apple. The taste does not overpower. In fact, I’d label FlipFlop Pinot Grigio very light. There is a citrus overtime and clean finish. It’s the kind of wine you want to serve ice cold outside, during one of those last hot days before fall truly kicks in.

On that note, the wine pairs excellently with summer foods like eggplant and acidy Italian foods like tomato bruschetta or a spicy chicken dish.

It’s not going to impress your wine connoisseur friends who are used to $50 bottles. At just $7, it’s a picnic wine, best served at parties and barbeques where quantity beats out swishing and sipping.

Fans of MTV’s “The Hard Times of RJ Berger” may know Caitlin Crosby as Amy the Tutor. Others may recognize the California-native from various episodes of “That’s So Raven” and “Malcolm in the Middle”, but we know her as a juggler, switching back and forth between making music, acting, and maintaining her passion for pushing teenagers to embrace their flaws and helping homeless families stay off the streets.

Crosby grew up singing in a youth group and musical theater during her younger years. Overcoming her bad case of the nerves on stage assisted in bringing her to where she is now.

“I was always really nervous,” she said in an interview with Blast. “I actually still do get nervous.”

Stage fright has not kept Crosby from singing, especially as she reflects on her first album FLAWZ and her recent project Crosby Skills and Nash, a musical tour with Jay Nash in which the duo took advantage of their famous surnames to spark the interest of music enthusiasts in the Southwestern states.

Crosby described the main message within the music, “It’s about different places that we’re raised in, how it conditions us to see life in a certain way, and not wanting to conform to what the surroundings say is true.”

“Living a Lie,” Crosby’s personal favorite track from the EP, encompasses the idea of finding truth and observing the way people live.

Inspired by Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Bono of U2, Crosby follows in the footsteps of artists who represent what they stand for as she continues to write lyrics solely based upon personal experiences.

“Every verse is about a different state I’ve been in,” she said. “It’s about painting a picture of the way people in that particular town live and how that mentality is considered normal.”

The lyrics highlight important issues such as racism, whether it’s coming from a mid-west point of view or if it originates from deep within Hollywood.

A lack of direction poses as a problem for moving forward within the music industry for Crosby.

She said, “It’s challenging because there’s no formula, but on the positive side it’s wonderful because there is no formula. Different people can find success in new creative ways.”

The musician aspires to write another album in hopes that it will inspire people to help people, but in the meantime Crosby looks to acting when the opportunity presents itself.

“Whenever I need a break from music I go to acting,” Crosby said. “I took a break from music for three years and got offered an indie movie about a singer and songwriter.” Crosby will be starring as Glennis alongside Bug Hall, Spencer Locke, and James Denton in the romantic comedy “Karaoke Man”.

Crosby spoke with enthusiasm about her latest role in “The Hard Times of RJ Berger”.

“I love the cast and crew. I love the character I got to play as well,” she continued. “It was fun to play a tutor and wear glasses and be kind of a bad ass.” Crosby also admitted to her love for Paul Iacono, Mr. Berger himself.

Crosby hopes to work on more film productions, but her busy schedule composed of running her two charity websites The Giving Keys and Love Your Flawz in addition to writing her next album, and attending auditions, hardly allows for the multi-tasker to even sleep.

At this point in time Crosby hasn’t found herself leaning more towards music or acting, but rather towards helping young people with issues like eating disorders and expanding her charity websites.

As she reminisced on her tour with Jason Castro, she said, “It was an amazing experience to meet and talk to all the girls at the merchandise tables and being able to help them through their issues like peer pressure and bullies.”

Crosby said she likes to connect with these younger people one-on-one and help them through their issues. She continues this hospitality with The Giving Keys and Love Your Flawz.

She describes the magic behind The Giving Keys, “I pay homeless people to engrave keys and the profit goes to keep those same homeless people off the street. You can get whatever word you want on the key and on whatever necklace you want.”

On the other hand, Love Your Flawz encourages people of all ages to upload a picture of themselves to Crosby’s photo community holding a sign which depicts a unique flaw of their own that they love. Scrolling across the banner of the website one can see words of wisdom like “Cellulite Happens”, “My Scar Saved My Life”, and “My Flaws Make Me Real”.

For more information on Crosby’s music, acting, and her passion for charity, visit her homepage or check out The Giving Keys and Love Your Flawz.

LOS ANGELES — The Night of Sweet Relief concert is set for October 15.

Thousands are expected to gather nationwide in arenas, theaters, clubs, and local bars to celebrate live music and support musicians.

Night of Sweet Relief is an annual multi-venue event produced by musicians, venues, promoters, ticket companies and media partners to engage music fans to go where the music world really happens today — live and on stage.

“This is a night to get off the couch, away from the TV, movie, or video game and into the excitement of live entertainment,” said Rob Max, Executive Director of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. “Listening to music is great, but seeing the artists perform live, playing right in front of you on stage is an experience you never forget.”

Participating venues will include The Roxy, the Viper Room, El Rey, Amoeba Records, Tipitina’s, Slims, Exit/In, Swizzlesteve Inc, the Fonda, Satellite, the Glass House and many more.

Proceeds will go to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to assist musicians facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

Brian Fox, a local sports and celebrity artist of national renown, donated a one of a kind painting depicting Mark Wahlberg in “The Fighter” to the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation. The painting, unveiled and autographed by Wahlberg at his Celebrity Golf Tournament Pre-Event Party, is the product of over 100 hours of work.

The Pre-Event Party took place June 24 at Tasty Burger on Boylston Street. Proceeds directly benefit the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of inner city youth through a working partnership with other organizations.

Fox, who is practiced in painting both sports figures and celebrities, found depicting Wahlberg in his role as legendary fighter Micky Ward to be both a satisfying combination of his two subjects and a wonderful way to contribute to the community.

Fox notes that in addition to respecting Wahlberg for his incredible acting talent, he is also has a great appreciation for his continued commitment to to his local roots and the community that defined his childhood.

On working in Boston, Fox states, “I enjoy working as an artist in this area. I have been extremely fortunate to paint many athletes from all over the world, but I do enjoy when the opportunity arrives to paint the Boston teams.”

Fox described the donation of the painting as one of the high points of his career, noting, “I feel blessed and thankful to be able to do this for a living, and to work with athletes, celebrities and organizations to give back as much as I can.”

PopCap games, the studio behind such cult favorites as Plants VS Zombies, Bejeweled and Chuzzle announced today that they’re kicking off an auction to benefit children’s charities in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Up for grabs are original artwork, personalized sketches and one of a kind items, and all of the proceeds go to the Starlight Children’s Foundation in the United States and SpecialEffect in the United Kingdom.

“This auction is our way of letting consumers peek behind the creativity curtain at PopCap, but more than that, it’s a wonderful opportunity for us and fans of our games to support children in need,” said Ben Rotholtz, Vice President of Marketing for PopCap Games. “Every piece in the auction is unique and each reflects a facet of PopCap’s history in a whimsical way.”

PopCap is no stranger to the giving; since the company’s founding, the company has donated money and games totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars to support children’s charities including Make-a-Wish Foundation, Child’s Play, Children in Need, Childhaven, Drawing Dreams Foundation, and Art with Heart, among others.  Popcap also included the below video to promote the auction.

“PopCap’s games are well known to provide therapeutic effects to adults and children alike, but now consumers have the opportunity to take home a tangible piece of PopCap happiness,” said Elaine Siver of Starlight Children’s Foundation. “Thanks to PopCap’s support, we will raise a lot of awareness and thousands of children will continue to be helped given our mission at Starlight Foundation.”

The auction can be found here and Blast encourages its readers to bid and donate generously.

They came because they’d read a story.

In November 2007, a group of Bostonians converged at the Irish Immigration Center in downtown Boston, the workplace of Irish-born opinion columnist Thomas Keown. Some came because they’d been inspired by Keown’s article entitled “Give a Little Bit” which had appeared in the Metro two months prior. Others came because they’d received an email from Keown with the subject heading, “Our very own Irish Potato is starting a nonprofit.” Both the article and the email told the story of Anthony Mulongo, an up-and-coming Kenyan journalist whose life was forever changed by a girl named Gift.

As a teenager, Mulongo was chosen by the Kenyan government as one of the eighteen brightest students in the country to be enrolled in an intensive journalism school. He began a successful career as a reporter for national television and newspapers. Like all Kenyans, Mulongo saw street children frequently, but he never felt moved to do anything to ease the plight of these poor children whom most believed to be pests, until he met Gift and witnessed her story.

Six-year-old Gift was skeletal, her stomach protruding from starvation and malnutrition. Dirty and exhausted, she was carrying her infant brother on her back. Her mother had died of AIDS, so Gift had no choice but to dig through the trash to try to scrounge up food for her baby brother and herself. When Mulongo met Gift, he lifted her little brother off her back, only to find that he had died at some point in their journey. Gift had no idea until that moment.

This was a critical moment for Mulongo. He knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t do something to help. The choice he made changed the course of his life—as well as the lives of Keown and the others in the Irish Immigration Center. He decided to adopt Gift and raise and educate her as he would his own daughter. Additionally, he gave up his career as a national journalist and instead wrote advocacy pieces about street children.

When Keown visited Kenya on vacation in the summer of 2007, his plan was to spend time on the beach, see exotic animals, and drink cheap beer. But his friend Dave, who had done some pro bono legal work in Kenya, suggested that he look up Mulongo. Using quarters and a pay phone, Keown called Mulongo and the two men made plans to meet for lunch.

Keown got on a train from Nairobi to coastal Mombasa, the city closest to where Mulongo lived. When the train arrived in Mombasa, Keown was overpowered by the stench of rotting filth. He looked out the window and saw street children just like Gift who were digging and pawing through a mountain of trash, scavenging for something to eat.

When Keown found out that Mulongo was doing something practical to help children like those he had witnessed on the train to Mombasa, they connected instantly. Over a meal of bony chicken and watery soup, Mulongo told Keown how he had adopted Gift and, by this point, over 30 other street children as well. He and all the children lived in a small, three-bedroom house with a tin roof called “Mudzini Kwetu,” which means “our home.” Each of the girls living there had chosen her favorite color of paint and tattooed the house with her painted handprints, marking it as her own. The house’s walls were covered with bright yellow, red, and blue handprints, as high as the girls could reach. Mulongo’s goal was for these children to feel that they were part of a family and that the little tin house was where they belonged.

Keown went with Mulongo to see Mudzini Kwetu for himself. He met Gift, who was now 13 years old and acted as an older sister to the 33 girls and one boy who were living in Mudzini Kwetu. As the first child to be adopted by Mulongo, Gift was happy and healthy—living proof that a loving family and a good home can heal even the deepest scars.

But some of the other children, who had recently been rescued, were still physically and emotionally wounded, such as the three sisters who, for privacy, are known as K., A., and R. Like Gift, they had to forage for food after their mother died of AIDS; K. was 12 years old, A. was six, and R. was just a year old. After six months of living on the street and fighting for survival every day, they were discovered by the police. But the police didn’t help these girls; they turned them over to the authorities and they were sent to juvenile prison just for living on the streets. When Mulongo heard about the sisters’ plight, he and a pro bono lawyer fought to get them released into his care. They had to fight especially hard to get K. released because she was considered destructive and dangerous. When Keown met her, she was indeed bitter, angry, and mistrustful, as much from her months in prison as from her time on the street. The youngest sister, R., was still bony and malnourished.

The seven-month-old twins, Agnes and Macharia, were two other newly rescued street children. Agnes and her brother Macharia, the only boy living in Mudzini Kwetu, were found by the police starving and screaming in the slums of the nearby town Mtwapa. Residents of Mtwapa said the infants had been there for three days. Unlike the officers who stumbled upon K., A., and R., these officers knew about Anthony’s home for street children and brought the twins directly to him. Shortly thereafter, they found the twins’ mother, drunk on cheap liquor. “Save the girl if you want,” she said, “but throw the boy in the dustbin. He’s not going to survive anyway.” While at Mudzini Kwetu, Keown held Macharia in his arms; six weeks later, despite receiving the best care and medical treatment available, the little boy died.

Though these children came to Mulongo broken and abused, he believes that they will be the seeds of change that will break the cycle of poverty and injustice in Kenya. As a network of educated Kenyans who grow up together, they will enter industry and government, asking themselves and each other, “How do we make life better for children who are living on the streets like we were at their age? How do we build schools, provide clean water, and create good homes for them? How do we change the systems of injustice that contributed to their lack of resources, put some of them in jail, and made others live as sex slaves?”

Mulongo’s vision resonated with Keown. Up until that point, Keown had spent much of his adult life feeling cynical about large charitable organizations whose efforts didn’t seem to produce any tangible results. Sitting in Harvard Square with his friends, he had had many conversations over $3 coffees or $6 beers, discussing how there must be better uses for their beverage money but not knowing where to give it so that it would make a real impact. But Keown saw the difference that Mulongo was making. He was providing a home, a family, and an education for children who had suffered abandonment, starvation, disease, physical and sexual abuse, imprisonment, and neglect. And more than that, he was proposing a plan to equip these children to confront the country’s systemic injustices.

When Keown returned to America after his Kenya vacation, he continued to be inspired by Mulongo’s decision to devote his life to helping street children. He wrote his next Metro article about how everyone should follow Mulongo’s example and give up a little of themselves to make a positive impact on others’ lives. “Mulongo sacrificed everything,” he wrote, “but if we all give a little, no one has to give it all.”

Swarovski crystal, rose quartz, and sterling silver bracelet for breast cancer, $190

Each holiday season, millions of people spend their earnings on gifts for friends, relatives and sometimes even strangers. More and more frequently, however, buyers are skipping the sentimental and opting for the sensible.

Gift cards have become the default. This common cop-out blames the recipient: he would prefer to pick out his own items than be stuck with an ill-fitting sweater or ironic necktie.

But when a person opens a gift that is thoughtful and personal, it becomes memorable. Rarely do you get the same tender feelings from a slice of plastic sandwiched between cardboard. This year, why not take a swing at the sentimental?

An excellent way to do this is by giving a gift that benefits a higher cause. Based out of Cohasset, Mass., the jewelry company EK Designs has created a Causes Collection devoted to worthy programs such as Autism Speaks and the Gal-to-Gal Foundation for breast cancer. The Causes Collection donates up to 30 percent of each jewelry sale to the charity it represents, and each piece of jewelry is accompanied by a poem or inspirational message specifically related to its cause.

Jewelry design first began as a hobby for owner Elizabeth Kissick while she made her living teaching preschool art. Eventually, her jewelry’s popularity grew and she was able to leave her career as a teacher to focus on her line.

Bracelet for suicide prevention with mother of pearl toggle, $165

The company started with Mother’s Name bracelets, which spelled out children’s names in beads, and the Causes Collection came a bit later with Breast Cancer Awareness bracelets. Kissick said, “My grandmother, whom I never met, died of breast cancer and my aunt also had it. There were so many people I knew that had breast cancer and so I thought, ‘Why don’t I build a bracelet to beat it?’”

From there the Causes Collection expanded, funding national charities such as the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local charities such as the Jonathan Rizzo Foundation, named after a 17-year-old Boston College High School student who was murdered in 2001. “If a single parent is having trouble paying for heat through the winter, the donations from the Jonathan Rizzo Foundation bracelets will go to that; it will go to local people who need the help,” Kissick said.

The line also offers jewelry that benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “Five years ago, even three years ago, you couldn’t say that you knew someone who died from suicide without being embarrassed. People hid it a lot,” she said. Dangling off of bracelets from the suicide prevention line is a life preserver charm, which to Kissick means, “We’re all together in this.”

Kissick continued, “People are just looking for hope, anything they can grab onto to keep them going.” Kissick also gets something out of the creation of each Causes piece. “I can help people with my jewelry, and I feel like I won the jackpot,” she said.

EK Designs offers another bracelet that gives the same message of hope as the Causes Collection jewelry but with more of an individualistic sentiment: the Pass It On bracelet. Kissick said, “You wear the bracelet yourself, and when you see that somebody is experiencing hardship, whether you know them or not, you take the bracelet off your wrist and give it to them. They wear it until they turn a corner, and then they pass it on to someone else.”

Sterling silver earrings that benefit Autism Speaks, $70

Kissick shared an experience in which her own Pass It On bracelet was given to a beautiful stranger in the restroom of the Liberty Hotel. The woman, who had originally been diagnosed with terminal cancer, just received the news that she would survive and shared it with Kissick and several other women in the restroom.

“I was wearing my own Pass It On bracelet and was able to give it to her,” Kissick said, and the bracelet initiated a bond between the two women. “That’s what the jewelry is all about, to bring that out, to bring people up. To remember that we’re so lucky to get to live.”

So if you’d like to re-establish the connection between gift giving and thoughtfulness this holiday season, skip the plastic and contribute to something more than personal abundance. The Causes Collection as well as EK Designs’ other collections can be found at the EK Designs website, www.ekdesignsjewelry.com.

GP for Child’s Play (GP4CP.org) a Boston based charity organization will host its second annual fund raising event on Saturday at the Microsoft New England Research & Development Center from 7-11 p.m. in Cambridge. 

Last year, the event met the $2,000 fund raising goals set by the organizers, confirming its status as an annual event.  For 2010, the organizers have already beat their goal of $3000.

GP4CP.org organizes the event around various games and gaming systems as a nod to the charity Child’s Play, the focus of the fundraising efforts. Child’s Play is a game industry charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with toys and games in a network of over 60 hospitals worldwide. In five years the charity has raised millions of dollars around the world.

Sponsors of the event include Microsoft New England Research & Development Center, Turbine, Boston Post Mortem, and us, here at Blast Magazine. 

“Last year’s event was such a success, and we were so thankful for everyone involved,” said Jeremy Monken co-founder of GP4CP.org. “The gaming community came together in a big way for a great cause, and we cannot wait to see what we are capable of this year.”

The idea for the event began in 2009, when Shaun Greene and Monken began working in the video game industry as game designers for Muzzy Lane Software. Monken and Greene, along with their friends Annmarie Latta and Geoff Anderson, had all been fans of Child’s Play for a while and wanted to do their part.

“Originally, we were just going to throw a party at our house with some friends,” said Anderson. “Within a month, the event had snowballed into a big game night fundraising event at the Microsoft New England R&D Lounge and we ended up raising $2,000.”

The fundraiser feature donations of time, money, food, and raffle prizes by various local organizations including Harmonix, Fire Hose Games and Demiurge, as well as donations from other businesses such as Warner Bros. Games, Electronic Arts, ThinkGeek, Bethesda Softworks, and The Bartending Service of New England.

“Child’s Play is a fantastic charity, donating time and raising money for children’s hospitals around the world,” said co-founder of GP4CP.org, Annmarie Latta. “We were honored to be able to help in any way, and are proud to be a part of everything Child’s Play has accomplished.”

For more information please visit: http://www.gp4cp.org/

Many celebrities, including Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Ryan Seacrest, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Elijah Wood, Serena Williams, Janelle Monae and Swizz Beatz are getting ready for a new campaign called “Digital Life Sacrifice,” which will benefit Alicia Keys’ AIDS charity, “Keep a Child Alive.” The charity organization was started in 2003 in order to support people in Africa and India who are affected by HIV/AIDS.

This is how this works. They will sign off social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter starting Wednesday, which is World AIDS Day. And, they will not come back until the charity campaign raises $1 million.

Alicia Keys told the Associated Press, “It’s really important and super-cool to use mediums that we naturally are on.”

Game On! Fenway is teaming up with pie lovers and cocktail lovers alike to raise money for Community Servings, a Massachusetts-based non-profit that gives home-delivered meals and nutrition education to the critically and chronically ill.

On Nov. 8, Game On! Fenway will be hosting a Pie in the Sky Cocktail Challenge, in which Boston bartenders from the city’s hottest restaurants will compete to create the best pie-inspired drink. The cocktails will be made with Maker’s Mark bourbon, Effen Vodka, or Effen Black Cherry Vodka.

The winning cocktail will be decided by the event’s attendees. Each participating restaurant will add its cocktail to their menu for the month of November, and $1 from each drink sold will go to Community Servings.

Details

When: Monday, Nov. 8 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Where: Game On! Fenway, 82 Lansdowne Street, Boston.

Tickets: Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased at www.pieinthesky.org or by calling 617-522-7777. Tickets are $25 at the door. All proceeds will go to Community Servings.

Take a look at Stacy Lyons’ Facebook profile — she describes herself as "The girl that loves to have fun and make you smile. The one who makes friends with anyone willing to laugh with her, who cherishes all nights that will forever remain with her and shaped the person that she has become. The girl who knows that no matter how bad things can get, she’s got the people that matter most to her to lean on and make her smile."

This vibrant, funny and unwaveringly positive 26-year-old woman has been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer.

Doctors have given her no more than two to three years to live, but Stacy, along with her friends and family, are confident she can overcome this illness.

A rally was held for Stacy on August 12 at Firefly’s in Marlborough to raise money for the cost of Stacy’s treatment. The night featured music, hors d’oeuvres and a variety of items up for raffle.

With over 500 people it was great to see family, friends, and supporters come out for one cause.

If you were unable to attend the event, but would like to make a direct contribution, checks can be addressed to:

Stacy Lyons Benefit Foundation
c/o Justine Willard
51 Gloucester Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02115

or online through PayPal

If you’d like any additional information about Stacy or the benefit, feel free to e-mail them at SMLBenefitFoundation@gmail.com.

Most 13 year old girl’s lives revolve around school, friends and the boy that sits across from them in math class they have a crush on. Life doesn’t seem to go much further then the latest sale at the mall.

Leah Petty and Claire Miller are not like most 13-year-old girls. For the past three years, the Newburyport girls have been raising money for the children of Cambodia.

Petty, who lived in Singapore at the time visited, Cambodia for the first time and was touched by what she saw.

"It really struck me how people were living here," said Petty. That fateful visit made Petty want to do something to help. She contacted a group in Cambodia called Journeys Within Our Community, and contacted a friend back home in the US, Miller, and that’s when the ball was in motion.

JWOC was founded by Brandon and Andrea Ross, owners of Journeys Within Tour Company in response to guests and travelers desire to give back and make a difference. JWOC believes in its slogan, "See a Problem, Solve a Problem" and has been doing that for the last five years

"We are so amazed by Leah and Claire," said Ross. "To be so young, yet to be able to really embrace the idea that they can make a difference in the world. It’s very inspiring and they embody everything that JWOC stands for: To see a problem and to solve it!"

For Petty, working closely with JWOC founder Ross proved to be a rewarding experience. "I really admire Andrea. It’s been to work with her and ask her questions. I want to do what she does," said Petty.

To raise money Petty and Miller have had countless bake sales. Also they have made magnets and sold photos they took of Cambodia while they were visiting the country. Two weekends ago, the girls had a yard sale to raise money for Cambodia. Thanks to generous donations from family and friends, the girls raised over $1600. To date the girls have raised over $4000.

While the girls efforts have been tremendous thus far, they are still not done hatching up plans to raise money. Petty, who just moved back to the States, is thinking about throwing a pool party in her back yard. "I have a pretty big back yard," said Petty. "We could have a band playing and to come in everyone would have to pay five dollars or something. I am still thinking it out."

Petty admits that when she first wanted to help Cambodia, her family was a little surprised by her altruistic intentions. "I am the third child and I am always like ‘I want this or that’ so they were a little surprised I wanted to do something to help other people," said Petty.

While her family was at first initially surprised by Petty’s generosity, she continues to amaze them and others. "As an organization you always hope for people to be inspired by what you’re doing and to help you fundraise so you can continue to make a difference. Leah is different because she inspires us," said Ross. "It has been such a pleasure to watch her really take her cause and make it happen. I don’t know many kids who would give up their birthday presents and ask for donations instead, or who spend the summer brainstorming ways to fundraise and then carry them out."

Petty has been to Cambodia twice and says her second visit was the most powerful. "I actually got to socialize with the kids I was helping. It was nice to get a feeling from the kids and meet them instead of just seeing them," said Petty.

"I have spent time with Leah in both Cambodia and Singapore and she is a warm and outgoing young woman, she has endless energy and has a truly good heart," said Ross.

Petty encourages everyone to get involved and to help Cambodia or any third world country. Petty is a true believer that every little effort makes a difference.

"Anything you do will help them. They have so little. They will appreciate it.”

CAMBRIDGE — With the devastating situation in Haiti, Soul Clap put on a fundraiser and give back to their community. 100bedsforhaiti.com is looking to help with medical supplies that would benefit Haiti and they collaborated with Soul Clap to have it during their infamous 90s night which is held once a month at Middlesex Lounge.

Event information

The Haitian people have emergency needs now as H´pital Sacr© Coeur has many patients still assigned to cots and stretchers for lack of hospital beds. But many are long-term patients and will need physical therapy, rehabilitation, and surgeries. Additional medical conditions will result from lack of durable beds. Also, H´pital Sacr© Coeur must expand to meet the needs of an increasing population. By sending more quality beds, nurses and doctors can ensure that patient recovery happens faster and meet the populations’ needs. Quality hospital beds are durable and, in the long run, are an economical investment into Haiti’s overall long-term recovery."

For information on how you can help, please visit 100bedsforhaiti.com.

Tis still the season to be giving, even if the holidays are long gone. The Greater Boston Food Bank named January “Super Hunger” month. This is the time of year where many Massachusetts residents have to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Even now, more people are suffering from the economical climate than the meteorological climate. 

"Right now, the members of the hunger relief agency are serving 11 percent more clients,” said Food Bank spokeswoman Stacy Wong. “The need is up. We are in a recovery period; however, there is no job growth so there are a lot of families in need."

Statistics show the Greater Boston Food Bank distributes around 600,000 pounds of food to more than 83,000 people each week. They rely on nothing but the generosity of tens of thousands of financial and food donors every year. Fourteen thousand volunteers each year go around to communities from Boston to Framingham; Haverhill to New Bedford; Cape Ann to Cape Cod.

The amount of work that goes into feeding families in need is inspiring. Unfortunately, a recent US Department of Agriculture report shows that more than 8 percent of all households in Massachusetts are suffering from "food insecurity," meaning they lack access to sufficient amounts of nutritious food. The Food Bank reveals a strong relationship between hunger and job performance, and both are constantly affecting each other in the inverse as well.

"This is a great time of need," said Wong, "and we are telling everyone that they can give whatever they are comfortable with giving. Money, time or food. It takes a lot to feed 80,000 people a week"

The Greater Boston Food Bank accepts money, however small an amount. For every dollar you donate, the Food Bank can distribute $4 worth of food. So every little contribution counts for a lot.

And, of course, you can donate food.

You can also volunteer and help distribute food amongst the areas in need.  One of the best ways to contribute is to host a fundraiser or a food drive.  All the proceeds go to helping the hungry men, women and children of Massachusetts.

"I know without (the Greater Boston Food Bank), people would not be able to make it," said Jack Nolan, Acquisition and Distribution manager for the Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter. "They are a great organization. I know there are people looking for eggs, cereal, meats, peanut butter, and the Food Bank provides that."

This is your chance to make a difference in your community. The Greater Boston Food Bank invites everyone to contribute in their own way. No matter how small a donation seems to you, it is a great gesture of generosity to your community. It will mean so much to so many in this struggling economy. Log on to gbfb.org to learn how your donation can change someone’s life.

SOMERVILLE — Everybody loves great bargains in this economy, especially for designer clothes. And it is the season for giving and making others happy. One website covers all these bases, making shopping a charity cause. TraTutti.com is a consignment website that prides itself in saving and giving. It resells lightly worn designer clothing for low prices and donates a portion of the profits to Boston based charities.

"We donate 20 percent of what we make to six charities," said website founder Ashley Judge. "Tra Tutti keeps forty percent of the money, and the last forty percent goes to the consigners who donate the clothing."

Tra Tutti donates to AIDS Action, Big Brother Big Sister, Dress for Success, MSPCA, The Home for Little Wanderers and Rosie’s Place. When you shop from Tratutti.com and buy something, you can choose which of these charities you want your twenty percent to go to. When you finish up and pay, Judge writes a check and sends it to the charity of your choice. There is a reason their motto is "couture with a conscience."

Judge considers herself a young entrepreneur. She has a large background in non-profit business, managing events for Goodwill and then becoming the Manager of External Affairs for Ambassador Swanee Hunt in Cambridge. Then she decided to create a company based on a new business model.

"I wanted to take this nonprofit experience and combine it with my other two passions: bargain hunting and fashion," explained Judge, "Tra Tutti is absolutely a for-profit entity, but we’re a ‘social enterprise,’ a business for the common good with goals of success that don’t just include being financially successful.”

This is how it works: if you own any designer clothing in good condition, then you can send it to Tra Tutti and they will sell them for you. You can even have Judge and her crew goes through your closet and helps you clean out what you no longer wear. When it’s sold, Judge returns forty percent of the profits back to the consigner. Then Tra Tutti keeps the remaining forty percent. This way, everybody benefits.

Every few months Tra Tutti also holds a sales event with Kick Ass Cupcakes. This is a joint venture with Kick Ass Cupcakes owner Sara Ross. She also sees the appeal of donating to charities.

"Kick Ass Cupcakes donates hundreds of cupcakes a week to charity events all over the city," said Ross.

These events, called "Couture and Cupcakes," allow shoppers to check out a selection of designer clothes while enjoying free cupcakes and champagne.

"I think this is a great idea", said one Tra Tutti shopper, who declined to give her name, "It’s not going to make me feel guilty because usually when you shopping you feel guilty because your selfish. But in this case you’re shopping and you’re making everybody happy and your making these charities happy."

The next Couture and Cupcakes even will be in February, so log on to TraTutti.com for details. While you’re there, check out the selection of great clothes for great prices, and don’t forget to choose your favorite charity you want your money to go to.

We’re all gamers around here at Blast, and the GP4CP charity event tonight in Cambridge is something you shouldn’t miss!

We’re sponsoring this fundraising event which will feature game playing, game giveawys, food, drinks, friends and fun. Anyone who wants to come out with us and support the Child’s Play charity is welcome!

The money from event registration, raffle ticket sales at the event and online donations (which enter you into an online raffle for some cool stuff) all goes to Childs Play and then into the hands of hospitalized children all over the world.

We teamed with our friends at Popcap Games to giveaway a bunch of their stuff tonight, too!

Who: Gamers, game-makers and anyone who wants to have some fun for a good cause.

What: A charity fundraiser and game night for Childs Play. We’ll have a bar, food, board games, video games and a raffle for some cool gamer prizes.

Come for the good deed, stay for the Rock Band.

When: Saturday, December 19th 6-11 p.m.

Where: Microsoft NERD Lounge, 11th floor.
One Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02142

Why: To show the Boston area what a positive impact gamers can have and to welcome Penny Arcde Expo to the neighborhood before their first East Coast event in 2010.

KingsIsle Entertainment, makers of free-to-play MMO Wizard 101, today announced a unique partnership with Child’s Play and a Children’s Center that’ll donate 100% of profits from a new in-game microtransaction to the worthy causes.

From December 14, 2009 to January 5, 2010 those who purchase the new mount Meowmodon for 7,500 Crowns/$15, will see every penny of that investment go to Austin’s Children’s Center, which provides emergency shelter and care for abused and neglected children as well as Child’s Play, a charity dedicated to providing games and toys to children in hospitals worldwide. Proceeds will be split evenly between the two organizations.

"We have an opportunity to give back by tapping into the power of our Wizard101 community — our 5 million players can make a real difference to deserving children," said Elie Akilian, CEO of KingsIsle Entertainment. "We chose these organizations because we wanted to support the communities that we are a part of — one located in the same city as our design studio and another with global reach, just like Wizard101."

Meowmodon, the mount itself, resembles that of a black and white Tiger and will offer a 30% increase in speed, which is always nice.

SHADE Foundation of America was founded in 2002 following Shonda Schilling’s battle with melanoma. Over 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year, and it’s estimated that of those, more than 60,000 diagnosed in 2008 will be melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Today, 1 in 5 children will grow up to develop skin cancer, which is currently the number one cancer killer among women ages 25-29. However, skin cancer in 95% preventable and 95% treatable if caught early. For more information, log onto www.shadefoundation.org.

Blast is proud to sponsor Bubbles and Bites 2009 with Shonda & Curt Schilling.

Bubbles and Bites is a charity event to benefit SHADE Foundation of America. It’s a holiday champagne dine-around reception featuring Curt and Shonda Schilling, a holiday gift silent and live auction, as well as champagne and cuisine by Boston’s most notable chefs including: Todd English, Jeff Fournier, Dante de Magistris, Rodney Murillo, Peppino of DaVinci, Brian Poe, Tony DiRienzo and many more. The event emcee will be Kathryn Tappen, who serves as NESN’s Boston Bruins studio host and as an anchor and reporter for “SportsDesk,” NESN’s popular sports news, information and highlights program.

WHEN: Wednesday, December 9th

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. — VIP Meet & Greet reception featuring photo opportunities with the World Series Trophies

6:00 p.m. — 9:00 p.m. — Main Event

WHERE: Ritz Carlton Boston Common

10 Avery Street

Boston, MA 02111

TICKET INFO: Ticket information is available by logging onto www.shadefoundation.org. Tickets start out at $150 per person for general admission. $250 for VIP reception. $250 per couple offered until November 15, 2009.

This year marks the 22nd year of one of Boston’s most exciting musical festivities, Steppin’ Out, a fundraising and gala event.

Based on Boston’s rich musical history (Boston boasts one of the oldest choral companies in the United States, and one of the most acoustically exact concert halls in the world), Steppin’ Out focuses on the city’s tradition of jazz. Past headliners of the event include famed percussionist Tito Puente (2007), jazz and R&B singer Roberta Flack (2003), and contemporary R&B singer Lalah Hathaway (2008).

This year will bring as many as 20 musicians to feature the talent of local and national artists. Included with the amazing evening of music is dinner, community and corporate awards, and an evening of socializing. Last year nearly 3,000 music lovers and community supporters came out to the event for the Dimock Center.

The Dimock Center, which the Steppin’ Out event benefits, was originally founded in 1862 as the New England Hospital for Women and Children and is considered a National Historic Landmark. It holds nine acres in Roxbury in order to deliver sincere care for over 46,000 patients and clients in its Health Center alone each year. The Center offers services ranging from health screenings, immunizations, women’s health, HIV/AIDS services and more.

Steppin’ Out provides the Dimock Center with funding that is vital to maintaining the center’s outstanding service.

Ruth Ellen Fitch, President and CEO of the Dimock Center, began work at the center in August of 2004, and was previously practicing law with Palmer & Dodge LLP. There she became the first Black female partner at a large Boston law firm.

Before practicing law, Fitch was Director of the METCO program for the Brookline Public Schools and taught at University of Massachusetts, Boston. She has contributed to the community as serving as a member of the Board of the Boston Public Health Commission, Director of Health Law Advocates and as a Director of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. Now she continues to provide in the health field at the Dimock Center, whose vision is a healthy community, and whose mission is to "commit to enhance the quality of life of each individual (they) serve".

The Dimock Center has announced this year’s Honorary Chairs for Steppin’ Out as Governor Deval L. Patrick and First Lady Diane B. Patrick, with the Gala Chair being Clayton H. W. Turnbull (The Waldwin Group, Founder and CEO).

The event will take place November 7 at The Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel.

To purchase tickets online, click here.

Exercise is one of the top preventative actions one can take to decrease chances of developing breast cancer. Commonwealth Sports Club (1079 Commonwealth Ave.) couldn’t think of a better way to get involved than to hold our own Zumba and Spinathon to raise money for breast cancer research.

Instructors are donating their time to hold a 3 hour spinathon and a 2 hour zumbathon, with a suggested donation of $5 per hour per participant for charity.

Zumba is a high energy, latin dance class that can easily be adapted for people with a limited range of motion, and spinning burns the most calories of all our group fitness classes, at an average of 500 calories per class.

Commonwealth Sports Club is also holding a raffle to help raise money for the cause. The staff at CSC and Joint Ventures Physical Therapy have donated their time to offer raffle prizes such as an acupuncture session, personal training packages, pilates packages, and massages. Other prizes include CSC gear, $25 Visa Gift Cards, and a $100 gift certificate to The Kells Bar and Grill, Blast’s perennial party spot, donated by restaurant owner and sports club member Jerry Quinn.

There will also be inspirational artwork sold with part of the proceeds going to breast cancer research.

Be there from 6-9 p.m. tonight, and make your workout for a good cause.

RANDOLPH — On May 13, Blast was privileged to sponsor and attend a fundraiser fashion show for Friendship Home, a wonderful non-profit organization dedicated to adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

The Massachusetts-based Friendship Home held its fashion show at The Lantana in Randolph. It was truly a unique and heart-warming event.

For more information, or to help out, visit FriendshipHome.net.

Media credit: Katie Tello for Blast

Blast is proud to announce it has signed on as a media sponsor for the upcoming charity fundraiser for Friendship Home, a non-profit organization dedicated to adults with developmental disabilities and their families.

The Massachusetts-based Friendship Home, a non-profit organization working to enrich the lives of adults with developmental disabilities and their families through quality respite care and creative programs, is pleased to announce the Fashions with Our Friends fundraising fashion show at The Lantana in Randolph, on May 13. A truly unique and heart-warming event, this years fashion show will feature Friendship Club members from Duxbury, Norwell, and Quincy walking the runway modeling fashions from local merchants.

Thanks to the support of local businesses and community members, Friendship Home is planning to break ground on their state-of-the-art respite care and activity center in Norwell for adults with developmental disabilities. The home will provide a place for life skills education, overnight stays, and fun activities for special friends while offering much needed respite for their families who often care for them 24 hours per day without relief. Currently, there are over 2,500 individuals who could benefit from such a facility, with currently only one bed available for their use on weekends. Friendship Home will provide opportunities for education and socialization as well as support for families that are often overwhelmed and isolated. These services are currently offered for four hour periods twice per month in each of three Friendship Club locations.

The Fashion with Our Friends show includes dinner, a raffle and entertainment along with the club member’s fashion show and grand finale performance! Tickets are available on our website for $50 each or through our office — www.friendshiphome.net or call 781-740-9507 for more information.

About Friendship Home

At Friendship Home, we are parents, friends, business people, and volunteers from many walks of life, committed to creating a safe, warm, and nurturing home for our sons, daughters, and friends. Our mission is to enrich the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families through quality respite care and creative learning experiences. Friendship Home provides an opportunity for community members to help families build a stronger community. Once completed, Friendship Home will be a respite and activity center where people with developmental disabilities can stay for periods of up to two weeks, giving them a safe and stimulating environment, while offering needed respite for their caregivers. For more information visit www.friendshiphome.net or call 781-740-9507.

VAST isn’t coming to Boston’s Harper’s Ferry for another month, but leading man Jon Crosby had exciting news about the upcoming album “Me and You,” set to release on VAST’s website next week.

The full-length album will cost $1.99 to buy and $0.60 of every album sold will go to one of seven to 10 charities Crosby and his manager choose. Each person who buys the album will get to choose which charity the money is sent to.

“I feel like [the charity idea] is fresh and we always try to do interesting things,” Crosby said about the choice to donate a third of each album’s cost to charity. “We’re really proud of this album, and we want it to reach more people than April did.”

Though the charities have not yet been selected, Crosby has a few he is seriously considering. Among them are the Victoria Fund, which helps victims of the fires in Australia; The Innocence Project, which is a group of lawyers who help people get fair trials; and Smile Train, which helps families pay expenses for their children who get surgery.

“Because the internet is global, it’s been hard because our fans are all over the world,” said Crosby, who tried to pick charities that would appeal to a wide variety of fans. He wanted to try to help those all over the world, not just in America or other places that are struggling.

The album will be released on VAST’s website (www.realvast.com) over the next few weeks for $1.99, but will not be released on iTunes and Amazon.com until May. A hard copy of the album, signed by the band, will sell for $10.

“We believe records have been too expensive for a long time and that’s hurt the music industry,” said Crosby. “If people can get something for free, we better sell it for cheap.”

Crosby said linking charities to the album seemed like the right addition to this album. Since he has been producing his own albums since 2005, Crosby doesn’t have to worry about hiking album costs because he has to pay a middle man and record company.

“If more bands were to do these types of things, it would be an injection into the music community, because I feel right now the music is kind of stagnant,” Crosby said.

To find out more about VAST, stay tuned to Blast next week when we release the full Jon Crosby interview.

There’s no dearth of accessories these days that raise money for charity. People across the country sport bags, clothing, bracelets, and whatever they can get their hands on to support their cause of choice. But back in 2001, when Elisa Ilana founder Laurie Langdon-Gerber was opening her first store in an Omaha, Neb. shopping mall, the concept was less familiar.

“There was not this big pink [breast cancer support] craze that there is now,” she says. “It was kind of a new concept, making jewelry that was affiliated with cause marketing.”

Langdon-Gerber reconnected with her son’s former sixth grade music teacher, who had breast cancer, in the mall where her store was located. Moved when she heard about her friend’s diagnosis, Landgon-Gerber began to contact charity organizations to see if she could donate some of the proceeds from a specialized jewelry line to their causes.

“Believe it or not, we actually had people turn us down,” she laughs. But once production got underway, it took off, and even her son’s former teacher got in on the action. “She came in during chemo and radiation so that she had somewhere to go that was a support group, and she helped to make the bracelets,” says Landgon-Gerber.

Soon, the word spread and more organizations contacted Elisa Ilana to have designs made for their causes. One of the requests gave birth to the Liz’s Legacy collection, which honors the memory of Liz Karnes, who was married to former Nebraska Senator David Karnes. She lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 2003, and Langdon-Gerber hopes Elisa Ilana’s line dedicated to Karnes would raise national awareness about her life and legacy.

“When they approached me with this, we kind of had a national presence,” she says. “So I was hoping to lend … their foundation a boost.”

Landgon-Gerber and her small design staff have hand picked every charity their designs benefit, from AIDS to diabetes to soldiers’ families.

“We chose the things that we actually were passionate about,” she says.

All these years later, with a second store opening and a thriving online presence, Elisa Ilana is still a pioneer in the business, and they are dedicated to donating 10 percent of their proceeds to the specified cause.

“The jewelry isn’t significantly different today from when I originally designed it because I like the design,” says Langdon-Gerber.

Elisa Ilana’s designs feature handmade sterling silver, 14 carat gold, freshwater pearls, and Swarovski crystals. The awareness line’s most popular piece, the pink Spectacular bracelet, is inspired by the trademark color scheme for breast cancer.

“The different piece parts that are in my jewelry all have significance,” Landgon-Gerber says. Take, for example, Elisa Ilana’s signature piece, rings that move over the beads. The movement that the design lends to the jewelry represents that “the move toward a cure never sleeps,” she says.

And the awareness brand grows with a limited edition piece every few years. The designs are sometimes purposefully designed to mark a milestone, like a 10-year cancer survivor.

“The last one we did was made from genuine 14 millimeter pink tourmalines, and they were in a variety of shades and colors and so forth,” says Landon-Gerber. “Within the next couple of years we’ll have another limited edition.”

Don’t look for an East Coast retail location anytime soon, though. Elisa Ilana is considering a Las Vegas installment in the future, but in the meantime, the company continues using its online store as the main sales outlet. Check out‚ www.elisailana.com for more information.

On January 29, Friendship Home will be holding “The Groundbreaking Gala,” a fundraising event open to the public in hopes of being the final push to raising enough money to break ground on the Friendship Home facility.

Friendship Home will be located in Norwell, Mass. and aims to provide a safe environment for individuals with developmental disabilities to receive respite care and educational programming. Current programming includes recreational, social, and educational opportunities for adults with disabilities, but with the completion of the new facility, Friendship Home will be able to provide not only day and evening activities, but also overnight accommodations. Once completed, Friendship Home will be a two story, 12,600 square foot facility able to accommodate adults with disabilities for up to two weeks, giving them a safe and stimulating environment while providing respite for their caregivers.

The significance in a facility like Friendship Home is that most services for people with developmental disabilities drop off around the age of 22, since school programs provide a lot of help up until that age. Friendship Home, however, focuses on adults.

“It actually was started by two women, Wilma Goodhew and Joan Mullare, who are both parents of adult children with developmental disabilities. They spent a lot of time being very involved in advisory committees and parent support groups and through conversations with other families facing the same challenges, they decided to build a facility for programs and respite so if families had other things to attend to, their kids could have a safe, fun place to go” explained Lauren Payne, the Executive Director of Friendship Home, Inc., concerning the history of the group. Originally called The Friendship Club, Goodhew and Mullare’s community of friends would meet together for about four hours at a time, cooking meals, doing crafts, and participating in community service projects.

The fundraising event January 29 will be from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston. To purchase tickets for the event, which will be $100 a piece, visit www.friendshiphome.net.

Donated prizes for the event include a ride in the Goodyear Blimp, 4 Red Sox tickets and dinner with Time Rice, tickets to the U.S. Open, a trip to a vacation home in Nantucket, a signed guitar, and many others. Doris Buffet will also make an appearance, since part of the reason for the event was based on a challenge she set for Friendship Home.

“If we raise $450,000 by February 1st, she’ll give us an additional $250,000, which will allow us to finally break ground” Payne said.

It was October 2005, and professional photographer Karen Sparacio was in Uganda. She was there to photograph a relief organization. Ayaa Grace, an Alhcoli woman, invited her to visit the Acholi Quarter.  What the Sparacio saw changed her life and, soon, the lives of hundreds of Ugandans as well.

Sparacio took in the creative and colorful jewelry that these women were making out of what little they had.  She brought some of the jewelry back with her to the states to see if she could sell some of these beaded works of art to help raise money for the women.  The few she brought with her sold quickly, and she returned to Uganda in January 2006, to initiate the beginnings of Project Have Hope.

The Acholi Quarter was a rundown civilization, a slum, outside of Kampla.  The state people live in was unparalleled to the sincere and pure souls that the photographer saw there.  Sparacio spent two and a half weeks photographing the Alcholi women and capturing the illuminating spirits of the women in this slum.

Project Have Hope is based in Malden, Mass. Sparacio learned the unique craft of the Alcholi women and took back these skills with her to the United States.  Like the Acholi women, she and other volunteers make colorful beads out of recycled paper.  She then sells the jewelry at local craft fairs and online at www.projecthavehope.org.

Project Have Hope has helped hundreds of women since its inception in 2006. With the money earned from jewelry sales and donations, Project Have Hope has created programs that provide women with the skills to work and become educated; the organization also rekindles the hope that may have faded from these women along the way.  With the money raised, Project Have Hope started a literacy program for 22 women who had never before even stepped inside a classroom.  Karen Sparacio’s organization also began a vocational training program.  Currently, 18 women are enrolled, and when the training is complete, they will receive a loan that will enable them to immediately start their lives in the working world.

What began as a small loans program for 30 women to start small businesses, has grown to a “high risk jumbo loan,” for women with strong and viable business ideas.  The high risk loan will take these women two years to repay.

“[The main goal of Project Have Hope] was to help women create something that is sustainable once I’m gone,” Sparacio said. “Realistically, I know I can’t do this work forever. So my goal is to help provide the women with the education, skills and finances needed to help them support themselves without the need of outside, foreign assistance.”

Sparacio has spent thousands of hours working on Project Have Hope. When asked what she has gained through this journey, she simply says, “Friends.” Many of the women she meets in Uganda have been raped and assaulted, their children have been abducted and husbands have been beaten or killed.

“But they smile widely and often, laugh gregariously, and move forward with each passing day,” she said. “I am honored to consider many of them as friends. They are the people who remind me, even when I do not see them everyday of what is important in life.”

It must be true that life’s greatest gifts are not seen, but felt.

Sparacio remembers one boy who had been abducted at the young age of 8. He was forced to become a child soldier, but escaped nine months later. Sparacio took the boy to live with his Aunt in the Acholi Quarter. Through Project Have Hope, he has been sponsored in school for the past two years.  Whenever he sees Sparacio, he walks with her and holds her hand.

In January, the boy saw her sitting alone and asked if he could sing her a song. He began to sing the children’s song “Head and Shoulders…Knees and Toes,” while simultaneously touching each body part.

“He grinned happily and proudly as he sung. No matter how bad of a day I am having, I think of him and smile. What a sweet, kind child!” Sparacio said. “To at least some small degree, I was able to give him back his childhood and give him hope for the future.”

For more information on Project Have Hope, visit ProjectHaveHope.org.