Archives for April 2018

Happy Make a Difference Monday! Interested in making a difference this week, but not sure where to begin? Check out these local listings of ways you can help out in the Boston area!

 

Friends-Boston Annual Fundraiser

May 3rd, 6-9 pm

Sheraton Boston – Continental Room

39 Dalton Street, Boston

Join Friends of the Children – Boston for their 13th annual Friend Raiser. The evening will include a cocktail networking hour, dinner, live auction and mission-driven program. Friends of the Children – Boston is an independent 501c3 nonprofit chapter of a nationwide organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through salaried, professional mentoring.

To purchase tickets, contact Stacy DellOrfano at stacy@friendsboston.org.

 

Sandra K Russell Derby Day Benefit for Mito

May 5th, 4:30-10:30 pm

Royale Night Club

279 Tremont St, Boston

This self proclaimed “Most exciting Kentucky Derby party in New England” will take place on Saturday, May 5 at Boston’s Royale Night Club. The Sandra K. Russell Derby Day Benefit for MitoAction is their signature event, raising funds to support the programs and services they provide for those affected by mitochondrial disease. Guests will enjoy a night of entertainment, southern food and drinks, a silent and live auction, and a live broadcast of the Kentucky Derby race! Proceeds support all of the programs and resources that MitoAction offers free of charge to those with mitochondrial disease. For tickets and more information click here!

 

Kentucky Derby Party to Benefit VNA Care Network

May 5, 7-10:30 pm

Salem Country Club

133 Forest St, Peabody

Break out the mint juleps, bow ties, and big hats for the North Shore Community Cabinet’s sixth annual benefit for VNA Care Network! The VNA Care Network is a nonprofit visiting nurse association that has cared for North Shore residents for 110 years. Their Kentucky Derby Party will feature live music, dancing, live and silent auctions, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and a Derby inspired hat contest!

Tickets for the benefit are $50 per person and may be purchased at www.vnacare.org/derby.

 

The Walk for Hunger & 5K Run

May 6, 7:00 am – 6:30 pm

Boston Common

139 Tremont St, Boston

This Sunday, join your neighbors on Boston Common for the 50^th Walk for Hunger, an annual fundraiser and demonstration of our state’s unified commitment to ending hunger. The walk funds hundreds of local programs across the state that provide solutions to help end hunger.

All participants (walkers, runners and volunteers) can register for this event at www.projectbread.org/walk.

 

Climb for Kids

May 6, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm

International Place

One International Place, Boston

The Climb for Kids stair climb is a fundraiser for Wediko Children’s Services. You can register to walk, run, or race 46 stories up International Place!  It’s like a local 5k, but indoors and with a beautiful view at the end.  All proceeds go towards helping those struggling with ADHD, depression, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, trauma, and countless other challenges.

Registration is only $35.  For more information click here!

 

Happy Make a Difference Monday!

Every Monday, we’ll be sharing ways that our followers are making a difference as well as opportunities for you to get involved! Here are some great events going on this week:

Volunteer to Help Homeless Children

April 26th, 6-9 pm 

Become a superhero to homeless children living in shelters in the Boston area. Volunteer just two hours a week with Horizons for Homeless Children, and you can make a difference in their lives.  An initial training and a commitment of two hours a week for six months are required. The date listed above is a training session. Other dates and times are available at multiple locations including Dorchester, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, East Boston, South End and Mattapan.

Please call 617.553.5488 for more information and to register.

Tasting with a Twist

April 26th, 6-8:30 pm 

Hampshire House

84 Beacon Street, Boston 

Experience dining like never before….in the Dark! Join the National Braille Press, the first braille newspaper in North America, as they celebrate their 91st year of providing affordable, high-quality braille books and materials to the blind community. Guests will be guided through the mystery menu by a braille reader and use aroma, texture and taste to explore their dinner while blindfolded!

Individual tickets are $91 and all funds raised will help put braille books into the hands of blind children. To RSVP, contact Marielle Boudreau at 617-425-2410.

Eat LUNCH Give

April 27th, 11:30 am-1:30 pm

Boston Park Plaza Hotel

50 Park Plaza, Boston

Women’s Lunch Place will be hosting their 7th annual Eat LUNCH Give luncheon at the Park Plaza on April 27th. Enjoy lunch, enter to win some amazing raffle prizes and learn about Women’s Lunch Place and how they help women improve their lives. Since 1982, Women’s Lunch Place has been feeding and helping Boston’s most vulnerable women, lifting them from despair, poverty, hunger, loneliness and homelessness.

To learn more about the luncheon and to RSVP, please call 617-449-7200.

Taste of the North End

April 27th, 7-10 pm

DCR’s Steriti Memorial Rink

561 Commerical Street, Boston

This is one delicious event you won’t want to miss! Sample foods from the North End’s finest at the 25th annual Taste of the North End where you’ll get a chance to sample pasta, cheese, signature dishes, pastries and more from over 40 of the North End’s best restaurants and vendors. The event will donate 100% of proceeds to area non-profit organizations.  Last year’s event raised over $100,000 for non-profit organizations including: North End Waterfront Health; The Eliot School; St. John School; North End Against Drugs; North End Athletic Association; North End Music and Performing Arts Center; and more.

Ticket are just $99! Click HERE to purchase.

Gift of Life’s Steps for Life 5K Run & Walk

April 29th, 8 am-12 pm

Chestnut Hill Reservoir

355 Chestnut Hill Avenue, Brighton

Gift of Life’s Steps for Life 5k Run & Walk at Chestnut Hill Reservoir is the only 5k in the Boston area solely dedicated to raising awareness for bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants. Gift of Life uses funds raised at Steps for Life to add new donors to the worldwide bone marrow registry.

Registration is only $30! To register for the run, click HERE.

 

 

Everybody can use a little pick me up after a long week. We know that your newsfeed gets overrun with bad news, which is why the Make a Difference Project has come to deliver you some feel-good vibes so you can decompress and transition into the weekend with ease.  In honor of this week’s Boston Marathon, we’ll kick it off with an amazing story of two marathon survivors who turned tragedy into triumph.

A Dog Named Rescue

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNfcy0pL8t8&w=560&h=315]

via CBS Evening News 

Shortly after they were seriously injured in the Boston Marathon attacks, newlyweds Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky were matched with their service dog, a chocolate lab named Rescue. For Jessica, who lost both her legs, Rescue was the turning point in her recovery that gave her a new outlook on life. They decided to write a book, aptly named Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship about the bond between human and service dog. The book teaches children to be aware of people’s differences and to know that no matter what troubles you face, you are never alone.

Firefighters Mow Lawn of Veteran after Responding to Call

Via Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service Department

Rescue Unit 25 of the Birmingham, Alabama Fire and Rescue Service Department received a call from a 30-year military veteran experiencing chest pains while mowing his lawn.  After making sure the man was okay and getting him safely to the hospital, firefighters Tommy Carter and Timothy Kennedy decided to make a quick stop back at the man’s home.  They grabbed a lawn mower and finished what he had started; making sure the lawn was in perfect condition upon the veteran’s return.  Now that is what we call going above and beyond duty!

6-Year-Old ‘Officer’ Spreads Kindness 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlAfs7PGULg&w=560&h=315]

Via Brandi Davis

6-year-old Oliver Davis is an aspiring police officer who has made it his mission to spread kindness and make people smile. “Officer Davis” as he’s known, travels (in full uniform) to nursing homes around Johnson County, Kansas, giving out flowers and violations for being “too cute” to the residents. Oliver has visited nine nursing homes in the past year, but his mother said it is his New Year’s resolution to visit even more. His hard work has even earned him an honorary police badge from the Leawood, Kansas police department. Keep up the great work Oliver!