Helping Out highlights some of the many charitable events and activities going on in the Charleston area. Submissions should be sent to dailyjournal@scbiznews.com.
Charleston Habitat for Humanity is holding a ReStore Party from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday to raise money and awareness about the ReStore, which sells used items to fund Habitat’s local housing ministry.
The evening will include discounts on ReStore items including furniture, linens and books; raffle prizes from local shops, restaurants, and spas; and a barbecue dinner catered by Locklear’s Restaurant.
Guests can save 20% off all furniture and 10% off all linens, plus one book free with the purchase of two books.
The party is at the ReStore at 731 Meeting St. in downtown Charleston.
Contributions will help purchase materials for Habitat for Humanity’s new home construction and home repair projects.
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Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area Inc., a dropout prevention program that works in Charleston and Berkeley counties, has been designated a Nationally Accredited Affiliate Organization of Communities In Schools – National, headquartered in Alexandria, Va.
Of the nearly 200 affiliates in the Communities In Schools network across 26 states and the District of Columbia, Communities In Schools – Charleston is among the first 10 to receive this accreditation title and the second in the state of South Carolina.
Communities In Schools – National launched the Total Quality System in 2008, with the goal of promoting uniformity of quality and improved outcomes for students being served by the organization. The system establishes a set of standards and best practices that define what it means to be a successful Communities In Schools affiliate.
Communities In Schools – Charleston achieved all 28 general organizational and business standards levels, as well as standards for their developing and comprehensive school sites.
Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area Inc. is a local nonprofit organization that provides academic support and social services to students and their families in 19 public schools.
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The Palmetto chapter of Women In Defense will present the WID’s Military Woman of the Year award to a member of the Charleston military community before the start of Saturday’s Charleston RiverDogs game.
The game will start at 7:05 p.m.
Women In Defense, a National Security Organization and affiliate of the National Defense Industrial Association, cultivates and supports the advancement and recognition of women in all aspects of national security.
The organization was established in 1985 to provide women a formal environment for professional growth through networking, education, and career development.
For more information about the award, contact Christina Lock via e-mail or at 843-412-6886.
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Pet Helpers is holding a Tom Cat Blitz cat neuter-a-thon on Aug. 29 in which male cats will be altered for $15.
Cat owners must show proof of current rabies vaccination and distemper combination vaccination for their pet, or they can get the vaccines the day of the surgery. With surgery, the cost for each shot is $5. Microchips will be also available at the reduced price of $10.
Cat owners must make an appointment, and only tame cats are eligible. Pet Helpers Spay and Neuter Clinic is at 1447 Folly Road on James Island.
According to Pet Helpers, 10,616 homeless pets entered Charleston County shelters in 2009; of those, 4,188 were euthanized.
The Tom Cat Blitz makes the surgery more affordable in order to help control the population of kittens and cats in the Lowcountry.
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During August, Artist Jeffrey Kennedy and the King Street Marketing Group will host the second “The Ants Go Marching Down King Street ... and Broad!” a traveling art show in downtown Charleston that will feature Kennedy’s colorful, larger-than-life ant sculptures and draw attention to Darkness To Light’s fifth annual Prevent-a-Thon.
The ant sculptures, some as small as a kitten and some as large as a horse, will be placed in stores and restaurants. They will begin on Upper King Street the first week of August, then will “march” to middle King Street the second week and lower King the third week, turning onto Broad Street for the final week of August.
Kennedy has supported Darkness to Light with his sculptures since their debut at Piccolo Spoleto in 2003. Darkness to Light founder Ann Lee says she saw a connection between strong little ants that move mountains carrying one grain at a time and the one-person-at-a-time awareness campaign for child sexual abuse.
Darkness to Light is a Charleston-based, national nonprofit organization whose mission is to end child sexual abuse through awareness and education. The Prevent-a-Thon is Darkness to Light’s monthlong event to mobilize the community to address child sexual abuse.
See a complete list of locations on King and Broad streets that will host “The Ants”; it will be updated each week as the ants move from location to location.
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Wings for Kids founder and CEO Ginny Deerin has been named Nonprofit Leader of the Year by Trident United Way.
In bestowing the honor, the Women’s Leadership Council of Trident United Way showed a tribute video in which speakers hailed Deerin for her leadership, not just in founding the Wings for Kids program but in seeking progress throughout the community.
“She is extraordinarily warm and caring,” said Carol Fishman, who sits on the boards of Trident United Way and Wings for Kids. “Ginny personifies how an organization should be run.”
Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said, “I shudder to think where Charleston would be without Ginny. If there’s a worthwhile issue in the community, you can bet that Ginny Deerin is ... part of it.”
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Mount Pleasant Towne Centre and Subaru of Charleston are sponsoring “Stuff the Subaru” to benefit the Charleston Animal Society at the premiere of Cats and Dogs 2 on Friday and Saturday at the Palmetto Grande theater.
The Charleston Animal Society needs supplies and funds to support its animals and its programs, and the public can pitch in by dropping off needed items at the movie theater. The five most needed items include supplies to support the high number of felines in the shelter and items that will enhance the animal enrichment program: Kong rubber dog toys, dog ropes, cat litter, catnip and Clorox wipes.
The Charleston Animal Society will host pet-themed games in the movie theatre lobby to raise money. Prizes include movie tickets, items from Hairy Winston Pet Boutique and gift cards from Towne Centre.
Kittens will be available for adoption for a reduced fee of $50. Donation items can be delivered to the front entrance of the theater.
Kay Hyman, director of marketing and public relations for the Charleston Animal Society, said, “Cats and Dogs debuts in a time of great need for our animals and for animals everywhere. At the Charleston Animal Society, the summer months present an especially difficult challenge because the shelter faces its highest intake of kittens and puppies. The more opportunity we have to make the public aware of our animals and our services, the more lives we can save.”
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Blackbaud Inc. has released a new book, Cultivating Lifelong Donors: Stewardship and the Fundraising Pyramid, which includes best practices for building long-term giving programs. The nonprofit software and services company is also hosting a free web seminar series that will cover the topics in each chapter of the book.
Nonprofit professionals can visit Blackbaud’s website to download a complimentary electronic copy of the book and register for the web seminar series.
“The Cultivating Lifelong Donors book and web seminar series are designed to help nonprofits build giving programs that span the entire supporter life cycle,” said Lawrence Henze, managing director of Target Analytics and co-author of the book. “As we wrote the book and developed the seminars, we wanted to help nonprofits build strategies for cultivating donors from initial engagement up through ultimate giving.”
Cultivating Lifelong Donors: Stewardship and the Fundraising Pyramid, written by four nonprofit experts, covers key methods for construction of a successful fundraising pyramid and ways to steward and engage donors at each giving level.
The Cultivating Lifelong Donors web seminar series will feature the following four sessions:
- Get Engaged – Donor Engagement through Social Media
Frank Barry, professional services manager, Blackbaud
Aug. 4, 1 p.m.
This session will explore how social media can help support nonprofits’ existing overall fundraising goals by assisting in cultivating supporter relationships, building cause awareness, boosting online fundraising and connecting with new supporters. - Keeping Them – Stewarding “One-Time” Donors for Lasting Support
David Lamb, prospect research consultant, Target Analytics
Aug. 11, 1 p.m.
This session will explore the phenomenon of one-time and disaster donors. Attendees will discover tactics for retaining these supporters and how to kindle each spark of compassion into a flame of philanthropy. - Pyramid Power – Transitional Giving for Building Strong Fundraising Pyramids
Lawrence Henze, managing director, Target Analytics
Aug. 18, 1 p.m.
This session will explore the topic of transitional giving prospects: annual-fund donors who demonstrate potential to become mid- to high-level prospects. Participants will learn how to identify transitional giving prospects and how to implement targeted development strategies to encourage movement up the giving pyramid. - Peak Performance – Strategic Stewardship for Planned Giving Programs
Katherine Swank, consultant, Target Analytics
Aug. 25, 1 p.m.
This session will explore how building an intentional bond with planned giving prospects improves nonprofits’ chances of receiving increased gifts from them now and increased or additional legacy gifts in the future.
Nonprofit professionals can sign up online.
Cultivating Lifelong Donors: Stewardship and the Fundraising Pyramid is the fourth book of Blackbaud’s Desktop Reference Series.
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This year, the U.S. Department of the Interior is offering a special edition Federal Duck Stamp envelope, or cachet. Money raised from the sale of the stamps will be used to acquire wetlands for inclusion in national wildlife refuges along the Gulf Coast.
Hunters, birding enthusiasts, stamp collectors and other conservationists can purchase the commemorative stamp cachets for $25, or $10 more than the cost of a regular Federal Duck Stamp, to help conservation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.
“When the Dust Bowl of the 1930s destroyed many wetlands, our nation’s sportsmen lobbied Congress to support the creation of the Duck Stamp for wetland acquisition and conservation,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. “Today, the wildlife of the Gulf Coast faces new threats — from the current oil spill to disappearing wetlands — that we must rise to confront. This special edition duck stamp cachet will provide hunters and other conservationists the opportunity to once again go beyond the call of duty by conserving disappearing wetlands for generations to come.”
The commemorative envelope features a silk rendering of a photograph of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on the Gulf Coast of Florida by David Moynahan and the 2010-2011 Federal Duck Stamp, which depicts an American wigeon painted by Robert Bealle of Waldorf, Md.
All migratory bird hunters must buy a $15 Federal Duck Stamp, formally known as the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, each year in addition to state licenses, stamps and permits. The design of the stamp is determined by an annual art competition, and the stamps have become popular with stamp collectors and wildlife art enthusiasts as well as those who want to contribute to wetland conservation.
Since 1934, Federal Duck Stamp sales have raised more than $750 million to acquire and protect more than 5.3 million acres of wetlands, including habitat on hundreds of the 552 National Wildlife Refuges spread across all 50 states and U.S. territories.
The public can purchase the special edition Federal Duck Stamp cachet from Amplex Corp., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s distributor, at 800-852-4897 or online.
