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October is National Breast Cancer Awarness Month. Breast cancer is a disease that strikes more than 175,000  new women  a year, and an estimated 40,000 woman will die from the disease. One of the organizations we support, Sharsheret, has helpped thousands of women facing breast cancer.

Find out more about this amazing program, get breast cancer FAQs and learn and how you can help.

Also during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’d like to hear personal stories of women supporting each other through breast cancer. Tell us about the women and girls who have lifted you up and helped you. Or were you the helper? Later this month we’ll publish some of your stories and photos.

Share your stories here. Read Article

With the creation of The Siegel & Shuster Society, we hope to raise enough money to repair the house where Jerry Siegle created Superman. So far, we've raised more than $101,000 - double our orignal goal - to help preserve this American landmark. Find out how you can help save Jerry Siegel's boyhood home:

 Buy a t-shirt  or Donate now.

 

 

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How can you get friends to join you in embracing the reusable revolution? You could buy them their own canvas bags, or you could share the 25 reasons to pass on plastic. Make them aware of the harm they do to wildlife or the amount of oil it takes to make each bag. Share the benefits of better bags. Read Article

True philathropy encompasses more than a day or an act of charity. It requires acts of charity that span an extended period of time. If you donate clothes to a shelter, check back in a few weeks to see whether there is anything else you can do. Offer to help organize an event. Be a continuous help to the organization.  Read Article

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Dr. Alan Greene and wife Cheryl wanted to use the early stages of the Internet to spead all kinds of nutritional information to young parents with questions. With DrGreene.com, they've accomplished that mission by showing parents how nutrition and environment can create healthy families. Read Article

Find out about the Siegel & Shuster Society, the cause, the auction, and what you can do to help save the house where Jerry Siegel created Superman. Read Article

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What are your favorite companies or brands doing to improve the world? Most business have programs designed to improve local and world communities. Check to see what some of these companies are doing. Maybe you can help. It's cool to care. Read Article

Learn a new word and teach it to your kids. When you do, share more than just the word and its definition. Try to use the word throughout the day and point out examples of other people using the word. Choose words like altruism, charity, selfless, generosity or philanthropy, then put those words into practice. Read Article

Simple acts can save money and help the environment. For example, try drying one load of laundry each week on a clothesline instead of the dryer.  You will save a few bucks and a few pounds of coal. You'll also keep the dryer from making your house even hotter during the summer. If you don't have a clothesline use a drying rack. Read Article

Use The Hunger Site to make a difference with the click of a mouse. The concept works for breast cancer, illiteracy and other issues, too. It's free to click, and you'll get a newsletter. Keep the kids involved by having them send notes about the project to relatives. Read Article

The library can still be a valuable resource. Check out a summer book, movie or CD. The library is full of entertainment options. Their great educational programs may teach you a thing or two. And the services are free.

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Check your air quality knowledge. The Department of Environmental Protection designed a kid's test for air quality. Take it yourself, then give it to your kids. Talk about it. Teach your kids about radon and the ozone layer. Show them how to improve air quality. Read Article

One year ago, I was lying on a sidewalk in front of my house with bullet wounds in both legs.  I can remember the police helicopter flying overhead and my mother screaming on the front porch.  While my friends and family watched, the police used my shirt to stop the bleeding.

How I got there is a sad story but one repeated far too often in our city.  I was doing some research recently about this.  Did you know that last year alone, 920 young people between the ages of 7 and 24 were victims of gun violence in Philadelphia?  Over 130 of them died from their wounds.  I was lucky.

Too often we dismiss these statistics as bad people doing bad things.  Even I thought that.  Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. 

The day I got shot started like any other day for me.  Back then I was working as a barista for Starbucks on 9th & South.  I was working there for five months and doing well.  After work, I went straight home, changed my clothes and was talking to my mother on my front porch.    Read Article

Take some time to reflect on those people who don't live in a free society. Slavery still exists and needs our immediate attention. Before your Independence Day fun begins, sign a petition or or learn more about slavery. Start a revolution that frees all men. Read Article

July is UV Safety Month. While most people understand the need for sunscreen, few realize that wearing sunglasses isn't just for cool people any more. Sunburn of the eyes can really happen. When you get into the car or go to the park today, make sure you, your children and your friends are wearing their shades. Read Article

 You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

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For over a century, Big Brothers and Big Sisters have helped children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships with proven results.

Research on the volunteer programs points to the powerful & lasting impact Bigs have. Littles are:

• 52% less likely to skip school
• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
• More likely to get along with their families and peers

Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states … and in 12 countries around the world! Read Article

The Body Mind Soul Solution: Healing Emotional Pain through Exercise is a program that uses excercise to help heal emotional pain. Bob Livingstone is using the ideas behind the program to help female inmates deal with their emotional issues. The class, Livingstone says, is his way of changing the world. Read Article

There's no need to race to a red light. Keep some money in your pocket by coasting to them. It will save gas, and you know how expensive gas is these days. Read Article

The bicycle was patented nearly 200 years ago today. Take yours out of the garage and go for a ride. Take the family along to the park, and teach them about conserving energy and preventing polution. Read Article

Looking for even more miles per gallon? Ride your bike to eat, to a firend's house or to the farmer's market. Using your bike just once instead of your car helps reduce polution. Read Article

CoolPeopleCare offers several outlets such as Idealist and the Hands On Network for people who want to try to fix some of the world's biggest problems. Read Article

Coasting to a stop saves gas. So does obeying the speed limit. Get kids to help by telling you when stop signs are coming and by reminding you to slow down. Read Article

Carpooling with kids in the car can be difficult. If you have an extra car seat in the garage, load it into your car. Then you can give your friends and their children a lift. Read Article

If you are still looking for ways to save gas money, get creative on places you can go with a friend. When you have to run errands, ask a neighbor or two whether they need to go to the same place. Read Article

Friends always tell you when they have a problem. When was the last time you followed up with a phone call to see how they are doing? Stay in touch with the people who are important to you. Read Article

We all want to get better gas milage. One way is to avoid jackrabbit starts. Ease away from stop signs and lights. Drive as though there is an egg under your gas pedal. Read Article

We've all had some sort of traumatic events that happened in our youth. As parents it is our job to overcome those events so that they don't affect the way we raise our children. Read Article

The Iroquois' seven generation plan aids in decision-making for generations to come. Read Article

If everyone pitches in, a soup can turn from being bland and unexciting to being a robust meal for the entire community. Read Article

If we hold preconceived notions about the people we meet, we often find reasons to make those notions come true. Read Article

We cannot begin to consider the meaning of our humanity until we understand that it is directly related to the humanity we show others. Read Article

By using critical "Up the River" thinking, we can break out of old molds and create new ideas to solve societal problems. Read Article

By following the simplistic and ultimately fair example of water, we can create changes in society with greater ease. Read Article

CoolMomsCare.org helps mothers make a difference with household tips, book reviews and intersting stories. Read Article

Friends take the time so share their problems with you. Be sure to take the time to follow up with them to make sure they are OK. Read Article

Limit your child's exposure to media and expand their exposure to you. Teach them to treasure nature and they will work to preserve it. Read Article

Shut off the TV and go outside. Find at least one night and dedicated it to meaningful conversation. Set aside five minutes to view nature. Being away from media helps build community. Read Article

Teaching children about the authors of the books you read them aides in their enjoyment. Pick an author and watch them learn. Read Article

The energy and enthusiasm of even a small group is greater than the sum of the parts, allowing the group to create big changes that on the surface wouldn't seem possible. Read Article

Can the change from night to day teach us about the elimination of prejudice and racism? Read Article

Assume the specialness of every person to create a culture of respect. Read Article

The smallest ripples can combine to create an overwhelming current in the sea of change. Read Article

Analyzing and understanding the sand of our everyday experiences can yield the diamonds of wisdom. Read Article

It often took several generations and thousands of laborers to build a single cathedral. Many would work their entire lives knowing that they would never see the cathedral’s completion. We may have the opportunity in our lives to contribute to the creation of something great, something larger than ourselves. Read Article

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s idea of greatness is neither elitist nor exclusive. Yet, at the same time, everyone is not automatically great. Rather, each person has the potential to achieve greatness because every person has something to offer and to contribute through service. Read Article

It also takes a whole village to raise a child because a village is comprised of a diverse array of people of all ages and experiences, each of whom hassomething to teach a child. Similarly, “it takes a village” to achieve any large civic goal. It takes a shared vision, a set of shared values, and a shared sense of collective responsibility for the common good. Read Article

When we make good choices, and take responsibility for the poor choices we have made - and regain power over our own actions – we ennoble ourselves by directly enhancing humanity. Read Article

Nelson Mandela sacrificed 27 years in jail for his country. He is the very embodiment of what it means to commit oneself to a larger movement, and to make great personal sacrifices for that commitment. Indeed, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for his ideal of a non-racial democracy. Read Article

Through her work, Mother Teresa was a living example of her belief that love is embodied, or given true form, through service. At its most powerful, service is an expression of selfless love, care, empathy, and concern for others. Read Article

Service is a common ground on which all people can come together to begin the work of building a more just society — work that depends on striving to truly understand one another. Read Article

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the many ordinary people who changed the world, reminds us that reconciliation is a both a process and a final destination. The road to the Beloved Community is the difficult road of reconciliation among people who have been in conflict and negotiation. The Beloved Community is reconciliation achieved – a profound human connectedness, a transcendent harmony and love among all people. Read Article

Bridge building is a powerful metaphor, and tool, for social change. Seeing and making connections – whether among people or ideas – is a hallmark of bridge builders, whose lives are rooted in values and who dedicate their time and energy to causes larger than themselves. Read Article

Can we see ourselves as others may see us, hear ourselves as others may hear us, and view our actions as others may perceive them? Can we have strong values and beliefs, but always stand ready to learn, realize, or even assume that we may not be right after all? By asking others, “What do you think?” and making no assumptions as to who may have an inspired, breakthrough contribution, we can effectively lead positive change, and avert disaster along the way. Read Article