Category Archives: Events

May11

#GlobalMoms at Moms+SocialGood in NYC

Posted on May 11, 2014 by documama

For the second year in a row I told my husband in advance what I wanted for Mother’s Day, it was the same thing I requested last year. My wish was not for a thing, but an impactful experience. My Mother’s Day gift was to help me coordinate, wrangle, and cover the needs of our four kids while I took two days away from home to attend what I consider the ultimate celebration of mothers. Organizing my four kids crazy schedules for two days without me is a generous gift I assure you, as some of you other moms might understand. It is no small task. That said, to be present at the Save The Children’s launch event of the State of The Worlds Mothers Report at the UN on one day, attend the second annual Moms+SocialGood conference the next, while spending quality time with my dear childhood friend in between, was the type of gift that fed my soul.

Posing with fellow Global Team of 200 member Harriet Shugarman Executive Director of ClimateMama

The Moms+SocialGood event celebrates the power we all have as mothers to change the world, and highlights the amazing actions extraordinary mothers are taking every day to do so. It is the culminating event of the Global Mom Relay that has run for the past two months, passing the baton between stories and causes shared daily through social media. Johnson & Johnson generously donated $1 per shared post to support the United Nations’ Every Woman Every Child Initiative. These donations will be used to help improve global maternal and child health, and welfare through the Girl Up initiative, Shot@Life campaign or MAMA (Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action).

New mom Olivia Wilde, Photo Credit: Stuart Ramson | United Nations Foundation

Held at the Paley Center for Media in New York City the Moms+SocialGood event was hosted by the United Nations Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, BabyCenterTM, The Huffington Post and the 92Y. The day was filled with celebrities turned activists, like Padma Lakshmi, and new mother Olivia Wilde, and every day women turned heroes like Elizabeth Smart and Hlengiwe Lwandle. Hlengiwe, is a mother living with HIV, who avoided passing the virus on to her baby by taking anti-viral medication during pregnancy. She now mentors other HIV positive mothers with Mothers2Mothers. All of the speakers and performers of the day use their voices to amplify their message towards meaningful change, and serve as examples of how each of us can make an impact.

Moms+SocialGood highlights the role of social media, technology and philanthropy as a means for progress.

Padma Lakshmi, Endometriosis Foundation of America Co-Founder Photo Credit: Stuart Ramson | United Nations Foundation

One of my favorite moments of the day came at the introduction, when Kathy Kalvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, and Pat Mitchell President and CEO of The Paley Center for Media took the stage. Pat Mitchell immediately addressed the missing Nigerian school girls. She issued a call to action for social media influencers to keep the focus on the return of those girls, and not to let up until they return safely. Kathy Kalvin also opened by reminding us of the great progress that has been made so far in terms of maternal and child health, but there is much work still to be done. She reminded us that we have many of the solutions, weather it’s vaccines or bed nets, we know how to solves the problems, we just have to get it done.

Speakers and panelists such as Kathryn Bolles, Director of the Health and Nutrition Global Initiative with Save The Children gave a stirring presentation on the important work they do towards saving moms and kids in crisis. HRH Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan joined the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Sandra Hassink and Leith Greenslade UN Special Envoy on the MDGs on a panel on investing in mothers and newborns, and improving global health. Amazing panels continued throughout the day and included, moving performances by Saul Paul, and spoken word artist Sarah Kay:

They are all are worth watching, and you can do so via the Livestream videos that were watched globally during the event. Prepare to be inspired.

One of the last speakers of the day was Elizabeth Smart, activist and author who brought the day full circle by offering words of wisdom to the still missing Nigerian schoolgirls. She said that she would give them the same advice her mother gave her when she was rescued from her own abduction experience.

Elizabeth Smart, Photo Credit: Stuart Ramson | United Nations Foundation

You can not be devalued by someone else, if you are abused you still have worth. It does not make them less in any way, it can’t destroy them.

Her message to them was hope for their futures. Her message to society was to shatter that shame in loss of virtue idea that is so destructive. This is a crime that happens everywhere in the world and we should use our voices to make it an ongoing conversation until it ends.

Join the Global Moms Challenge of taking up action, using our voices for positive meaningful impact.

Happy Mothers Day!

Shot@Life Champions w/ President of the American Academy of Pediatrics Dr. Sandra Hassink

Apr25

A Way To #HonorYourMom This Mother’s Day

Posted on April 25, 2014 by documama

A Way To #HonorYourMom This Mother’s Day

Photo of my sister-in-law, my mother, and me.

Mother’s Day is coming up on May 11th, and I have to admit that it brings a tinge of bitter-sweetness for me. My own mother passed away just three months before I first became a mother myself, so of course I think of her, and miss her on that day of the year more than all others. I say just a tinge though, because the bitter of missing her is nearly obliterated by the sweet immense joy, chaos, and love my own four children bring to me each day. Still, for that reason Mother’s Day is an emotional one for me. As anyone who has lost a parent knows, it doesn’t matter how old you are, or how prepared you believed you were. It is an acutely felt loss, where the umbrella of the generation before you is closed, exposing you to the world in a new unsheltered way. Granted I was an adult when she passed away, and so I am grateful for the thirty-three years of my life that I had her, I know how fortunate I am to have had that.

Children need their mother; they need their mother’s love and protection, the devotion above all else that only a mother gives. I know I was blessed to have grown up with that, but I don’t think I knew how much I truly needed her until I gave birth to my own first child. Like most of us I had just lovingly taken for granted that she was there. Quite suddenly when I gave birth to my own daughter, I understood. As a new mother I felt I needed her more than ever, really it was not that I needed her more, but that I wanted her more than ever. It is impossible to register what your own mother went through with pregnancy, birthing, nursing, caring, and nurturing, the scope of physical, and emotional outpouring that motherhood demands, until you are in the midst of it yourself.

With my own little people , Photo by Michelle Amarante

I can no longer express that gratitude to her in person, but I think, and hope that I did well enough when she was still alive. Instead I know that I can honor her by being the best possible mother that I can be to my own children. I try to pass on her legacy of love, and compassion. That is why I think Samahope’s #HonorYourMom campaign resonates with me so deeply. It gives me the opportunity to honor my own mother while giving another mother the opportunity for her children to grow up under the umbrella of her love by providing a safe birth. So if you are thinking about ways to #HonorYourMom that would be truly meaningful this Mother’s Day, check out the Samahope #HonorYourMom campaign page and see the beautiful tributes that have already been posted. Here is how it works:

1. Pick a photo of you & your Mom – Upload a childhood picture of you and Mom on the #HonorYourMom website, and write what makes her so amazing to you. (You can also add an Instagram video.)

2. Donate in your Mother’s Name – Make a donation to support safe births and life-changing medical treatments for other moms in need.

3. Your mother will get a gift she’ll cherish – A special dedication page is created for your mom, and she’ll get a personalized gift in the mail for Mother’s Day.

Those of us fortunate enough to know our mother’s love, and to be able to pass that on to our own children, can’t take those gifts for granted. Too many mothers still die in childbirth; too many children are forced to grow up without their mother. This can often cause them to end up stuck in the cycle of extreme poverty. No mother should lose their own life-giving birth, and no child should have to grow up without their mother’s love. Samahope hopes to provide 1,000 safe births to mothers in need with the #HonorYourMom campaign. What better way to honor mothers everywhere this Mother’s Day.

Apr10

The Kampala Children’s Center For Hope & Wellness

Posted on April 10, 2014 by documama

The Kampala Children’s Center For Hope & Wellness

From http://www.kampalahope.org

The DeCesare family could never have imagined how greatly their lives would be impacted when they agreed to host kids from Uganda on tour with the Destiny Aftrica choir last year. By the end of their stay the family had fallen in love, and gained new insights into how different the kids lives back home in Uganda were. Today they find themselves spearheading an effort to raise $70,000.00 to establish a medical center for the kids at their home in the Kampala Children’s Center. The members of the Destiny Africa choir were all orphans adopted into a unique village called the Kampala Children’s Center.

The DeCesare’s mission began when they heard the news that one of the children in the choir, Martine, had died unnecessarily from preventable causes back home in Uganda. She simply could not get the healthcare she needed or be transported to a medical facility quickly enough to be saved. This was a heartbreaking event that highlighted the fact that clearly a community filled with so many children needed access to medical care on hand. The Kampala Children’s Center also serves as a school to the broader surrounding villages and their children. In Uganda, Malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea are the primary causes of death among children. The highest percentage of kids who die from these causes are under the age of five. This is an area of the world where more than 940,000 Ugandans have HIV/AIDS, leaving more than 1.2 million children who have lost one or both parents to this disease. The value of a quality medical facility providing much-needed health services to the Kampala Children’s Centre, and its surrounding communities, can not be emphasized enough.

The DeCesare’s quickly assembled a team of volunteers and set their goal to raise $70,000 by June of 2014 so that construction on the medical facility could begin right away. As of today, through fundraising efforts and tickets sold to an upcoming Gala Event on May 15, 2014 at The Newport Yachting Center, ground on the facility has been broken, and they are a third of the way to their fundraising goal. They are a truly incredible couple, dynamically talented, and a testament to what can be achieved by just two people when they set their mind to it.

The Kampala Children’s Center was founded by Arnold Muwonge and his wife after initially taking in several local children who had been left orphans by the AIDs epidemic in Uganda. When more and more kids began to show up on their doorstep needing food and shelter, he knew that he had to establish a place for them. Children are adopted by the Kampala Children’s Center to live in group homes on campus with a den mother. In this way they become part of the greater family of the center. The Destiny Africa choir began with the children routinely singing with their den mothers, and coming to realize that others might want to hear their music too. Through music, dance and the art of choir the kids share their story of hope and the ability to change lives. Through their musical tour the Destiny Africa children have captured the hearts of many along the way. This is how they came into the DeCesare’s life, impacting a change to their lives for sure.

The rebel war in northen Uganda left over 1.5 million displaced people. Meanwhile, HIV/AIDS claims the lives of thousands, leaving many children orphaned and struggling for survival. Desperate poverty traps many living in the city centre slums. Children are suffering from malnutrition and are left vulnerable to child labour and violent physical and sexual abuse. These are the children we are reaching out to help.-Kampala Children’s Center

If you would like to be part of this incredible project to improve the lives of children who have been through so much, here are some ways you can help:

Click here to buy tickets to the event in Newport Rhode Island
Click here to donate to the Kampala Children’s Center For hope & Wellness
Click here to learn more and see the beautiful website Nick DeCesare built

You can contact Leah DeCesare through the Mother’s Circle contact page or through the Kampala Hope contact page with any questions.

The Kampala Children’s Centre from Nick DeCesare on Vimeo.

Mar21

A Call For #Water4all On #WorldWaterDay 2014

Posted on March 21, 2014 by documama

A Call For #Water4all On #WorldWaterDay 2014

Image provided by WaterAid

The irony was not lost on me. I knew as I sipped the cool glass of water that this was not a luxury shared by most back at home. Here I sat in a café in New York City meeting with Water Aid representatives, discussing clean water, and sanitation in developing countries. Meanwhile, there was a water ban going on in my own hometown. Deadly E. Coli bacteria had been detected in the public water source. Stores had already run out of bottled water, families had to boil their water for use, and the town was in crisis. As a mom I felt guilty enough being away from home for a conference for several days, and now this! There is nothing like an interruption to what you take for granted to make you appreciate it more.

Everybody has a #WaterStory, and as a traveler I have many. Water is an issue I have had to think about often on visits to developing countries. When you scoop your drinking water out of a river to drink, with floaties swirling around, despite the iodine tablet you put in to make it potable, it makes you think. When visiting villages in Borneo I too used the village river to bathe in, to wash my clothes, and to drink from. In the Sahara I felt what is was to be parched by the lack of water, and in the Congo I carried 20 lb. Jerry cans to and from the local spring to gather fresh water for use. Sure I got sick a few times along the way, but I always had the proper medication I needed with me when I did. According to the UN around 90% of sewage in the developing world is discharged untreated into rivers, some of those same rivers I bathed in and drank from I’m sure.

Doing laundry in the river
Photo taken by the author

The fact is that according to #WaterAid 768 million people in the world today do not have access to safe drinking water. That is roughly 1 in 10 people in the world who do not have access to clean water with which to cook, wash or to drink. Water is something that runs abundant where I live, that is so taken for granted, yet is worth more than gold to those who don’t have it. Water is Life after all.

Access to clean water and sanitation is a key element to breaking the cycle of extreme poverty. Women and girls are most effected by lack of access to water and sanitation. In many areas girls miss out on school because they spend much of their day walking miles to access clean water for their families. Those girls who do make it to school often drop out once menstruation begins if there are no private toilet facilities available. UNICEF reports that 6,000 children die of water related diseases every day. The most susceptible being children under the age of five.

Here are some water facts shared by WaterAid to think about:

97.5% of the earth’s water is saltwater. If the world’s water fitted into a bucket, only one teaspoonful would be drinkable.
For every $1 invested in water and sanitation, $4 is returned. (WHO)
While the world’s population tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold. (World Water Council)
The average North American uses 400 liters of water every day for their drinking, washing and cooking. The average person in the developing world uses only 10 liters every day. (WSSCC))

My #CheerstoH2O Selfie

Saturday March 22nd is World Water Day! Let’s come together to take action. You can use your voice to tell congress to support the Paul Simon Water for the World Act. Or upload photos of you drinking water with the hashtag #CheerstoH20 , do you like mine? You can also use Facebook or twitter to share the message of #Water4all or share your #waterstory.

Water Aid works side-by side with local communities to ignite monumental change by giving them the tools that they need to break down barriers and make water and toilets an accessible reality for everyone in their community. WaterAid has helped 19.2 million people reach safe water since 1981. Learn more about how we make it happen! – www.wateraid.org

I wrote this post as part of The Global Team of 200, a highly specialized group of members of Mom Bloggers for Social Good that concentrates on issues involving women and girls, children, world hunger and maternal health. Our Motto: Individually we are all powerful. Together we can change the world. We believe in the power of collective action to help others and believe in ourselves to make this world a better place for our children and the world’s children.

Mar19

Citi #EveryStep of the Way Program

Posted on March 19, 2014 by documama

Citi #EveryStep of the Way Program

The Olympic Games are compelling on their own, but what really makes them heroic to me are the stories behind the athletes. 2014 in Sochi brought a whole new emotional roller coaster of personal triumphs to the world. Alex Bilodeau the Canadian who won a gold medal in moguls who is inspired by his brother who has cerebral palsy. Pakistan’s Olympian Mohammed Karim who learned to ski on homemade wooden skis. The Jamaican Bobsled team of course, and in my mind none so valiant as the Paralympic athletes who had to compete with the political turmoil of Russia’s intervention in Ukraine as a backdrop. Some athletes won medals, and some won the hearts of the viewers, but there are nine U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes working with nine programs in need to bring about real positive change in people’s lives. With the positive impact they will make in others’ lives, to me they are true winners, and heroes as well. Although the games are over for now the Citi Every Step Of The Way program is still going strong. The exciting part is that you get to help decide where a $500,000 donation from Citi will go with just a click.

9 Athletes, 9 Charities

Julie Chu supports giving kids the chance to try hokey for free with the USA Hockey Foundation.
Billy Demong partners with Team For Tomorrow to spread olympic values to future generations.
Alana Nichols supports the Team USA Paralympic Champions Fund to raise money for aspiring US Paralympians.
Dan Jansen is helping US Olympians through hard times with the Olympians For Olympians Relief Fund.
Erin Hamlin is searching for the next great luge athletes with the USA Luge Slider Search.
Evan Lysacek is partners with Figure Skating In Harlem to inspire a new generation of figure skaters from urban areas.
Picabo Street takes on injury prevention for skiers and snowboarders with the Team USA Stay On The Slopes Initiative.
Rico Roman and Operation Comfort supports giving back to our country’s veterans.
Ted Lightly supports giving urban youth the chance to ski and snowboard with Youth Enrichment Services.

Just last week in Washington DC I listened as 2012 gold medal winning Paralympian Dennis Ogbe

The Author with 2012 Gold Medal Winning Paralympic Athlete Dennis Ogbe

spoke as an advocate in the fight against Polio. His story was amazing and if not for programs and mentors that help inspire young athletes with disabilities he would never be where he is today. He was born in Nigeria, and contracted Polio as a child. With eleven other siblings things could have turned out much differently for him in a country where individuals with disabilities are usually marginalized in society. Luckily he had parents who did not give up on him even when Polio left him struggling to walk. He regained his strength and tried to keep up with the other kids. A coach noticed his athletic potential as Nigeria put together a training program for disabled athletes, and recruited him to join. His story emphasized to me the need for mentors and programs to guide young people in the right direction, and to help them to fulfill their dreams. I greatly admire all of the athletes in the Citi Every Step of the Way program and the way they are using their stories of inspiration to help others. Who knows, one of the kids coming out of Alana Nichols US Paralympic Champions Fund could be the next Alana Nichols or Dennis Ogbe. It will be fun to keep an eye out to see!

Citi donated $500,000 to the U.S. Olympic Committee to help these programs #EveryStep Of The Way. Now fans can visit Citi® Every Step to see the athletes’ inspiring stories and help award Citi’s donation to any program with just a click.

This post was created in partnership with Citi®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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9 Athletes, 9 Charities

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