Moms who read blogs and ruin surprises

Denise — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:02:31 -0500

I thought I might get away with the blog post I made about giving my mom the gift of maternal health for Mother's Day. Hah. I should have known better. She read the post, which she loved (it made her cry.)

I sent the actual card yesterday, thinking she might not see it til much closer to Mother's Day because she has a new Dell laptop that wasn't playing nice with her modem and router. And, we all know how long it can take someone to resolve a Dell problem... hah.

But again, I was foiled.

My sister spent five hours working on her system and got her back up and running last night - so she got the actual card....which she also loved.

It was a huge hit for Mother's Day - the blog post first, then the card and donation. I highly recommend both particularly if you have a mom who reads your blog posts. :-)

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Mother's Day + Economic Stimulus + Comment Love = 3 Occasions to Donate to Save Women's Lives

Amy Gates — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:08:00 -0500

After reading Denise's BlogHer post last week that the gift of maternal health is the perfect Mother's Day gift, I thought "this really is perfect!" I blogged it and suggested that not only is it a great cause, but it is also a great consumerism/stuff-free gift, something that I feel, in our consumerism-driven society, is so important, but so often forgotten.

I had plans (and still have plans) to donate in my mom's honor for Mother's Day. I knew it wouldn't be a surprise to her since she faithfully reads my blog, but what I wasn't expecting was that she would beat me to the punch and make a donation in my honor first! My mom chose to honor me for Mother's Day with a gift to Help Afghan Women Deliver Healthy Babies Safely, a cause that I would've chosen myself. My mom said that she thought I would "appreciate that much more than flowers or anything else" and, aside from perhaps a massage (*wink*), she is right. I am happy my mom chose to donate as a gift to me and I hope she will be happy when she receives that email saying I've donated as a Mother's Day gift to her as well.

Speaking of honoring women on Mother's Day, Jen Lemen suggests honoring a woman you admire by making a donation in her name and then telling her about the ways she's inspired you. She wrote a wonderful "primer to help you make a perfect match between that woman who inspires you and an organization that's changing the world."

Aside from Mother's Day being the perfect opportunity to donate to Global Giving, Britt Bravo recently asked, "Will You Donate Your Economic Stimulus Check?" Britt said, "FinancialAidPodcast suggests paying down your debt, putting it in a savings account, or donating to a charitable organization." BlogHer Community Manager Denise left a comment suggesting people use their economic stimulus checks to make a donation to Global Giving. Another wonderful idea.

Smtwngrl at Writing: My Life recently came up with a very creative way to raise money for Global Giving. She originally vowed to donate $0.10 for each comment she received between May 5 and May 9 to one of the Blogher-supported organizations (for a maximum donation of $100). However, after realizing that her original goal may have been a little too lofty, she upped the ante, "In addition to my $25 Mother's Day donation in my mother's name, for every unique commenter each day this week (May 5th through May 9th) I'll donate $1 (up to $100) toward the maternal health cause that receives the most votes." What are you waiting for? Head on over there and get the comment love a flowing. You still have three days to get those comments in and spread the word.

In addition to the original five worthy maternal health causes (see below), Lisa Stone announced earlier today that BlogHers Act and Global Giving have added the Myanmar relief effort to provide emergency relief to thousands and thousands of people devastated by Cyclone Nargis. The storm has killed over 22,000 people, thousands more are presumed dead, and the million who's lives have been spared are without shelter and with only a few days food supply. Lisa encouraged everyone to donate and blog this.

She also announced that BlogHer and Global Giving will be matching your donation. "Whichever of the now six projects recommended via the BlogHers Act fundraising widget receives the most donations between now and the end of the week will get a $1,000 donation from BlogHer, which Global Giving has agreed to match. The other five worthy projects will also get a donation of $200 each from BlogHer."

Karoli at Odd Time Signatures answered Lisa's call to action and donated to Global Giving again, this time to the Myanmar people, blogged it and encourages others to "please dig deep" and "consider rounding up your loose change around the house, under the couch, hidden in old handbags, wallets and drawers."

I think it's important to note that no amount is too small. Every little bit adds up and can help the people, including mothers and children, in Myanmar, as well as other maternal health projects around the world. We're at $3415 donated so far. How much more can we raise between now and Mother's Day? How will you help?

More about each of the BlogHers Act/Global Giving projects:

Provide Emergency Relief - Myanmar Cyclone Victims: Donate as little as $10 to support urgent disaster relief efforts by helping provide food, clean water, and supplies for those affected by the cyclone, which has killed thousands and caused extensive flooding and damage.

Maternal Health Projects:

* Mother and Child Clinic in Nepal: $10 - 2 days' operating costs for the Clinic OR a year's worth of care for 5 women and children

* Help Afghan Women Deliver Healthy Babies Safely: $25 - 20 women will have improved quality of life through reproductive healthcare and education

* Ensure Healthcare for 40,000+ Displaced Darfurians: $25 - Trains 2 Traditional Birthing Attendants (includes 3 training sessions and training materials)

* Empower Women to End HIV/AIDS Stigma, South Africa: $50 - 2 women living with HIV/AIDS can receive counseling

* Noon Meal Improves Girls' Learning in Burkina Faso: $15 - Provides a noon meal for 50 students for one day.

Take Action Now:

1) Grab a button or donation widget to place on your blog.

2) Share this information with your readers by blogging about maternal health, the Myanmar relief effort, or the individual project you're supporting.

3) If you blog it, leave your link at the bottom of this post, so others can read your thoughts on these issues. (And so we can feature you on BlogHer.com and in our newsletters.)

4) Donate to save women's lives, today.

Contributing editor Amy Gates also writes about attachment parenting, activism, green living and photography at Crunchy Domestic Goddess.

BlogHer - Mother's Day + Economic Stimulus + Comment Love = 3 Occasions to Donate to Save Women's Lives - Comments

Moms who read blogs and ruin surprises

Mother's Day + Economic Stimulus + Comment Love = 3 Occasions to Donate to Save Women's Lives