How to Help Women Who Blog Save the World, Part II

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December 12, 2006

Hi everyone,

My word, you people are busy.

It's not enough that you bake, embark on new, meaningful relationships with household appliances, write holiday cards (or try to), get nominated for Best Parenting Blog in The Weblog Awards, and put Baby Jesus' head back on with a glue-gun...

...you're still out there saving the world. That's why this email newsletter is called How to Help Women Who Blog Save the World, Part II. (If you missed Part I, it's still here.) And if your good works aren't on this list, I invite you to add your favorite causes to the bottom of this newsletter post, thanks! Here goes:

Meet Tanner, the nephew of Her Bad Mother blogger Catherine. Tanner has Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative disease that replaces muscle with connective tissue. He will lose control of his ability to walk, breathe and have a heart beat, in that order. Before he is 30. "One could get to a point of feeling helpless,"wrote Jenn Satterwhite for BlogHer. "But if you know Catherine and the friends of Catherine, you know that is just not going to happen!"

Indeed. In honor of Tanner and Catherine, Julie of Mother Goose Mouse and Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored launched Her Bad Auction, a site devoted to supporting Tanner and raising money for muscular dystrophy research. "Tis the season to give," write Julie and Kristen. They recommend you start here:

"1. Buy tickets for the series of individual raffles starting December 13....All proceeds go to MD Canada. Winners will be announced on Monday, December 18.

2. Donate directly to Muscular Dystrophy Canada in Tanner's name. Let Catherine know by sending an email to herbadmother@gmail.com.

3. Have your child(ren) write a letter to Tanner. See here for details.

For the third year in a row, Chez Pim and her merry band of food bloggers (including BlogHer editors Elise Bauer, Kalyn Denny and Alanna Kellogg) are raising money to help feed the world. Pim writes:

"Last year, we raised $17,000 to help UNICEF. This year, Menu for Hope III raises funds to support the UN World Food Programme, which provides hunger relief for needy people worldwide. To us Food Bloggers, food is a joy. On our blogs, we celebrate food as a delight or even an indulgence. Unfortunately, for many others who share our world do not share that privilege. For them, food is a matter of survival. This "Menu for Hope" is our small way to help..."

Here are the categories:
Have a meal of your life..
Delicious experiences..
Feasts for the eyes: books and more..
Tasty treats.

Cooks' tools..
Drink yourself silly..

"

At Kalyn's suggestion, BlogHer has donated a complete pass to BlogHer '07 in Chicago that covers both days, all sessions and all parties. Here's how to donate.

BlogHer Contributing Editor Beth Kanter recently investigated how to adopt a family affected by Hurricane Katrina. Here's an excerpt

"It has been well over a year since Hurricane Katrina hit. The camera crews have long gone. Yet there are families who still struggling with rebuilding their lives. But thanks to three virtual entities (www.postsanta.com,www.hurricane-katrina.org, and www.katrinasangels.org),Christmas will be joyful one for these families.

"The three Web sites not only highlight the ongoing difficulties for those in the New Orleans area trying to rebuild their lives, but they are also a vital link between those in need and those who want to donate food, money, even Christmas trees. Their shared vision is to catalyze their online endeavors to help the Gulf Coast recover.

"Hundreds of Katrina families have written "Dear Santa" letters online like this one. Post Santa is now seeking out prospective Santas for these families. Katrina's Angels, which has also been prescreening deserving families, will help donors fulfill wish lists and handle the New Orleans-area distribution. And the effort all came together onBeyond Katrina."

Thanks everyone. Now I'm off to support each cause. And remember, if your good works aren't on this list, I invite you to add your favorite causes to the bottom of this newsletter post,

Best,
Lisa

Lisa Stone is a BlogHer Co-Founder. Her personal blog is Surfette.

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