Everyone’s favorite sock brand Hanes announced the launch of its third annual Virtual Sock Drive to benefit The Salvation Army. For every person who visits Hanes on Facebook from Nov. 16 until Dec. 12, 2011, and clicks the “Donate Now” button, Hanes will donate a pair of socks toward the overall donation goal of 250,000 pairs – that’s a half a million individual socks!

The Virtual Sock Drive allows you to make a difference for those in need this holiday season with a simple click. Hanes is proud to continue its partnership with The Salvation Army and to make a meaningful donation to the organization that provides assistance for nearly 30 million Americans.

“We’re thrilled to receive this generous donation from Hanes again this year. Last year’s donation helped to keep many people warm and comfortable, especially during the winter season. Socks continue to be one of the most requested items at our shelters, so the Hanes donation could not come at a better time.”

said Major George Hood, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army.

Disclosure: I am part of Hanes Comfort Crew and if I will get the most donation clicks through my custom link in this post, Hanes will do a donation in my name. This would be a huge honor to me. If you like to support, please share this link http://www.facebook.com/hanes?sk=app_192683607478815&app_data=Katja_Presnal

The UN declared a famine in south Somalia. More than 11 million people in the Horn of Africa are desperately in need of food, clean water and basic sanitation.

You can help by donating to charities working and helping right now, and you can help by using your voice.

Please join me in telling Congress not to cut programs that fight the root causes of world hunger and keep families healthy for the long-term? Please go to ONE and act now. For less than 1% of the US budget, we’ve made sure that families could feed themselves and children could grow up healthy and strong. The House is scheduled to start making budget decisions on the FY2012 budget as early as next week, so ONE organization is asking you to act right now. ONE has proof that smart aid works. In Ethiopia, millions of people will be able to survive this drought because of an early warning system that was put in place with help from USAID–and because the Ethiopian government began distributing food before the crisis hit. The number of malnourished people in Ethiopia has fallen from 71% in 1992 to 46% today.

You can read more about the famine in Somalia, and get more details and a full list of key organizations that are providing aid in the region at msnbc.com, but here are the direct links to some of the organizations they recommend:
Save the Children
UNICEF
Red Cross
Doctors Without Borders
Oxfam International

$10 text message

Text FOOD to UNICEF (864233) to donate $10, enough to feed a child for 10 days or provide 321 sachets of nutrient powder.

Text AID to 27722 to donate $10 for The World Food Programme, who is reaching 1.5 million people in Somalia now, and is scaling up to reach 2.2 million more in the previously inaccessible south of the country. The World Food Programme is starting to airlift to Mogadishu to bring in special nutritious foods for malnourished children.

Source: ONE, msnbc.msn.com

This crocodile photo caught my attention at Facebook. Not just a picture of the crocodiles, but the accompanying text and the resource who posted it.

The photo is from Lacoste’s Facebook page and they wrote
“With the “Save Your Logo” program, Lacoste has committed itself to protecting endangered Alligator and Crocodile species around the world. Lacoste’s latest project aims to support the release and breeding of the Chinese Alligator in Anhui province, China.”

LACOSTE Protecting Endangered Alligator and Crocodile Species

I love the idea of Lacoste not just raising awareness of endangered alligator and crocodile species, but also taking action to preserve them. I wanted to learn more what this “Save Your Logo” program was and I was pleasantly surprised!

LACOSTE has been using the crocodile as a logo for over 75 years, and is the international brand the most clearly associated with crocodiles. Tennis champion René Lacoste’s nickname was the Crocodile because of his tenacity on the courts, and the famous tennis champion had an idea in the late 1920s to embroider a crocodile on the shirts he designed and the first LACOSTE crocodile polo was born.

Now LACOSTE it is actively supporting projects selected by the GEF (Global Environment Facility) in cooperation with the Fond de Dotation pour la Biodiversité to safeguard or protect the endangered crocodile, alligator, caiman or gavial species, whose loss would jeopardize the biological balance of their natural habitats. LACOSTE is helping to conserve biodiversity and protecting these species. Some of these species are now reduced to just a few individuals for example Alligators in China, Gavials or Crocodiles of the Orinoco River in the Amazon. All of this is made possible by LACOSTE’s partnership with Save Your Logo program.

Save Your Logo Program

44,000 species threatened on our planet, with at least 1 bird in 8, 1 mammal on 4 and 1 frog on 3. It has been estimated that 15 to 37 % of all species are doomed to extinction by 2050 unless wide scale conservation actions and effective measures are taken quickly and sustainably.

French Save Your Logo program’s idea is very simple: more than 300 large global companies, like Lacoste, have chosen symbols of biodiversity as logos and use an image of animal or plant species that are or will be threatened. Save Your Logo help brands whose logo contains a symbol of the biodiversity (animal or plant) in the species preservation that has contributed to their success by providing support action to conserve biodiversity.

Lacoste with its crocodile is a prime example and so is Save Your Logo’s other partner brand MAAF Assurances’s Dauphin. Other examples are the Lion of Peugeot and the MSN butterfly. Today only a handful of companies have partnered with Save Your Logo. It is the 1st global initiative in biodiversity involving public and private funds, with institutional partners such as the Fund for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), World Bank and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It sounds like a great program, and I am hoping to see more companies to sign up with it Save Your Logo. On the marketing perspective I like how the conservation is focused on each brand’s brand equity, to the actual animal or plant in their logo.

Join me for the Moms4Moms Twitter event with prize giveaways on Monday, April 25, 9-11 PM EST, using the hashtag #moms4moms to support a different kind of Mother’s Day message this year.

Moms4Moms is a group of moms who use social media that teamed up together to form Moms4Moms and will use the power of social media to support moms around the world this Mother’s Day. I am so proud to be part of this amazing group of ladies. We partnered with Christy Turlington Burns’ “Every Mother Counts” organization to raise funds for moms in need.

Every Mother Counts is Christy Turlington Burns’ campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health. The keystone of the campaign is www.everymothercounts.org, an interactive platform providing the tools to raise awareness, education and action.

Americans will spend approximately $14.6 billion this year on Mother’s Day gifts. Despite this celebration of motherhood, hundreds of thousands of women worldwide die during pregnancy and childbirth. The U.S. ranks 50 in terms of maternal health care — meaning 49 other countries provide better care!

Did you know?
• One maternal death every 90 seconds — in the U.S.!
• 15% of all pregnancies result in complications during labor and delivery and sometimes are fatal.
• Pregnancy is the biggest killer of girls ages 15-19.
• For every woman who dies in childbirth, 20 more suffer from debilitating complications.
• We have the knowledge to prevent 90% of all maternal deaths.

Moms4Moms asks: what if 1% of that $14.6 billion could be given to this cause?

We want to raise awareness and funds for the organization Every Mother Counts, join us at our Facebook page, which focuses on two initiatives: micro-donating, which encourages everyone to give as little as $5, and old cell-phone donation through the group Hope Phones, which refurbishes old phones and donates the proceeds.

Moms4Moms is a movement started by Holly Pavlika, founder of the blog Mom-entum, and executive vice president and managing director of Big Fuel. She partnered with 12 influential moms and bloggers to create Moms 4 Moms Day. We would like to invite you to blog about this effort on April 27 to spread the message, hopefully across the U.S and globally.

Join us tonight at the Twitter party to win amazing prizes, and please consider blogging about this on April 27th, and donating for our cause. Thank you for making a difference with us!

In a nutshell Freewaters makes high quality flip flops and is on a mission to find a solution to global drinking water pandemic. It’s like TOMS Shoes but sandals, and instead of shoes, water. Freewaters was started by two industrial designers and longtime friends Martin Kim and Eli Marmar. They had design experience from wet suit design to snowboard boot design and a passion to make the world a better place. They came up with an idea of making the most comfortable sandals of all times, and solve the water problem of the world as well. Not like small tasks to tackle or anything. I love how they decided to live life to the fullest by combining their passion and professional experience.

They are helping to bring clean drinking water by donating proceeds of each pair of sandals sold. When you purchase the sandals, one person will get clean drinking water for a year. Their first project was to build a series of freshwater wells to provide safe and reliable drinking water to rural communities in the western region of Kenya.

FREEWATERS – The Company with Soul & Best Soles

But Freewaters is much more than a company with a soul and a charitable mission. Their sandals are much more than your normal beach flip flops, they are designed to fit perfectly and be comfortable making the sandals the perfect only pair of shoes you will want to use the entire summer long. They have three different patented design elements for their sandals. The firm density foam in the heel and arch area provides support and impact resistance but the softer part in the front makes the shoes more comfortable to walk on. Their ergonomic Heelium Series features lightest midsole design ever and its done differently than any other brand does their light weight sandals making them less expensive. These sandals are so light and comfortable you will think you are barefoot. The Patent Pending Seamless Stretch Strap eliminates any pressure as your foot flexes forward as the seamless neoprene panel provides comfort and fit, and the sandals are made using running shoe technology to truly make them the most flexible, comfortable sandals ever. The shoes are also made with different types of eco-friendly materials making them also eco-friendlier option in the flip flop market.

The sandals start from $26 up to $100 and they have several different styles for men and women. These are the perfect vacation shoes to walk from beaches to museums. You can enjoy the upcoming summer walking in comfort while you know you will have done something for solving the water problem of the world.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan has caused immeasurable human suffering and physical damage. Current OFFICIAL figures are that 8,450 people died and that over 12,909 are missing. In an effort to raise money for Japan, actor Josh Duhamel (“When in Rome,” “Transformers”) is hosting a Relief Run in Santa Monica, CA this coming Sunday, March 27. If you live in California, this is your chance to join in for a fun event for a great cause (and run with Josh!). The event is geared towards families and youth. Runners are asked to pay a minimum entrance fee of $10 which will go entirely to the American Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund. Find out more at ReliefRun.com.

Note from Josh Duhamel:

If you’re like me, you’ve seen the pain and suffering going on in Japan right now, and really feel the need to help, to physically help-to actually DO SOMETHING. Well, we can! Join me on Sunday, March 27, 2011 for a 2 mile run on the beach in Santa Monica to raise funds for the Americas Red Cross’s Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund.

On 3/15 Save the Children estimated that as many as 100,000 children may have been displaced in Japan. The British charity said it was concerned that some of the children affected by the disaster may have also been separated from their families because the earthquake and tsunami struck in mid-afternoon when many children were at school or nursery. Stephen McDonald, who is leading Save the Children’s team in Japan, said the most pressing worries for children living in evacuation centres were lack of water and psychological problems associated with trauma and stress.

Social Media Moms is a group of moms in social media who support each others and drive the conversation in the blogging community to maintain and improve integrity by leading by example, and I am proud to be part of it. We teamed up to use this Monday to raise awareness and money for Save the Children organization to help the children in Japan. Together we can make a difference. Let’s make a difference today. Please donate to the Save The Children emergency fund for their efforts to help children in Japan.

If you are a blogger, please consider posting with a purpose and joining us.

Gingerbread houses have been a Scandinavian Christmas tradition for a few hundred years bringing joy to people and families together – I still remember the times gathering around the kitchen table to assemble one with my mother and sisters. A different kind of Christmas tradition faces millions of people each year; cold streets and cold park benches, no warm meal, nor gingerbread houses. This clever gingerbread house campaign was made by Stads Missionen in Stockholm, Sweden to raise awareness and funds for homeless. Next time you walk by the Salvation Army red Christmas pot – please make a donation.

Welcome our Men’s Lifestyle Writer Matt, aka Katja’s husband and a new daddy blogger.

It’s hard being working parents in today’s society.
With office work hours that don’t always conform to the 9-5 bustle of yesterday, mobile email and internet browsing, work hours sometime spill over into dinner and lunch hours making it hard to get a good meal for yourself let alone your hungry little ones when they come home from a rough and tough day at the schoolhouse. I wish I could say they go for the apples, rice cakes, or whole grain oats every time like daddy always does, but usually a cookie or two derails them, or they find chocolate or popcorn that was hidden for that late night mommy daddy TV time.

I recently attended the Frigidaire® and Jennifer Garner Save the Children’s CHANGE program debut in the Chelsea district of NYC. Save the Children’s CHANGE program is dedicated to providing nutritious snacks and promoting healthier lifestyles for children living in poverty in the United States.

The event was headed by General Manager of Frigidaire®, Marty O’Gorman, with actress Jennifer Garner, who is the ambassador for the Frigidaire ‘Make Time for CHANGE’ campaign, as well as Lucinda Scala Quinn, Executive Food Director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and co-host of “Everyday Food” on PBS, and Jonathan Waxman, chef-owner of Barbuto in New York City’s West Village (which I’ll be visiting soon), as well as West County Grill in Sebastopol, California, and author of “A Great American Cookbook.”

After an amazing warm up magic and entertainment show by artist Max Darwin, the kids and I headed over to begin making healthy snacks with Jennifer Garner and Lucinda Scala. We started by mixing up a yogurt, granola, raspberry, and blueberry parfait mixed with a little maple syrup. It was so easy for the kids to pick out the ingredients and get the parfait tasting exactly how they wanted. Next up was a whole wheat bread sandwich with turkey or ham, cheese, and fresh lettuce, sliced with a cookie cutter into fun shapes to give it just a little extra fun factor. Lastly, was a pita bread pizza with ricotta cheese spread over the pita, and basil, tomatoes, and cucumbers to make a happy face on the pita.

It was a great time, and so easy to see that you don’t need fancy ingredients to make healthy snacks, just a little imagination and a hungry tummy.

You can participate to the Make Time for CHANGE campaign by stopping the clock at make-time-for-change.com, and every day you participate, Frigidaire will donate $1 to support CHANGE and Save the Children’s work to help children in need in the U.S., as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause.

Written by Skimbaco Men’s Lifestyle Writer Matt Presnal. Matt writes from the perspective of a modern dad. When not running after three kids, cooking gourmet family dinners and Whrrling trips to the zoo, Matt is skiing black diamonds or test flying helicopters.

Did you know teachers spend an average of $1200 of their own money on classroom supplies each year?
That’s $4 billion annually!

That’s why OfficeMax joined with Adopt-A-Classroom to create “A Day Made Better“—a national cause event founded to erase teacher-funded classrooms. This year, “A Day Made Better” will take place on October 6 where 1,000 teachers will be surprised in their classrooms each with $1,000 worth of essential supplies from OfficeMax. That’s more than one million dollars donated to help teachers! Principals at needy schools nominated the teachers for demonstrating dedication, innovation, and passion.

To pay-it-forward, OfficeMax, Mom It Forward and Skimbaco Lifestyle have teamed up to create awareness about the issue of teacher-funded classrooms and to give you the opportunity to get involved and help a teacher in your community on behalf of the “A Day Made Better.”

Here’s how…

Simply nominate a teacher of your choice to win this giveaway by following the entry requirements. Be sure to check out the prize and criteria!

Prize

One exceptional teacher will receive a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR gift card to OfficeMax. This can go a long way when it comes to classroom supplies!

Criteria

This is a giveaway that is meant to be given away. What does that mean? You get to nominate a teacher by sharing why this person is exceptional and deserving of this giveaway. The best part, every story told helps raise awareness in an effort to erase teacher-funded classrooms. The winning teacher will be chosen based on the following criteria, so be sure to tell us why your teacher is most deserving:

• Dedication: does everything in his/her power to deliver the best possible education for his/her students.
• Innovation: thinks outside the box and engages his/her students through creative learning activities & programs.
• Passion: expresses a genuine passion for education and shares this enthusiasm in the classroom.
• Need: demonstrates a need for essential classroom supplies.

Entry Requirements

To enter your teacher, you are required to do two things.

1. Nominate them through a blog post or on Whrrl.

Write a post on your blog.

• You can include photos, video, etc. but please stay under 400 words or 3 minutes.
• Please include these links: http://adaymadebetter.com or @adaymadebetter.
• Include a link to your post in the comments section.

OR

Create a story on Whrrl.com.

• Go to our custom Whrrl page at http://whrrl.com/search?q=omx, click “Start A Story” and upload photos and text about why your teacher is most deserving.
• Be sure to include the #omx hashtag in the text of your story.
• Post a link to your Whrrl story in the comments section.

2. Post these messages on Facebook and/or Twitter.

• Teachers spend avg $1200 of own $$ on school supplies annually! Help erase teacher-funded classrooms. http://bit.ly/3VUNvC PLS RT #omx
• Nominate a teacher 2 win $100 in OfficeMax classroom supplies. Enter here: http://twurl.nl/3qv04u PLS RT #omx
• Join the “A Day Made Better” movement to end teacher-funded classrooms at http://bit.ly/UJ3LF #omx

More than 30 sites are participating in this campaign between now and Sunday, October 4. Visit http://momitforward.com for a list of all the giveaways! You may enter a different teacher on every site, but you may only win once!

Thanks so much for helping pay-it-forward to teachers in your community! Please join us on Tuesday 29 from 9 to 11 pm ET for Girls Night Out (#gno) on Twitter if you’d like to meet the team behind the cause: @officemax, @adaymadebetter and @Adopt_Classroom and I am @katjapresnal. Hope to see you there!

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