DO-GOODERS
It’s 5:45am and my alarm goes off. Absolutely exhausted after having gone to sleep just four hours prior, leaving my bed was the last thing I wanted to do. But then I remembered I was working for Ground Control, and that I needed to be on my A-game for the next 16 hours.
Arriving at around 7:30am on Friday, the first thing my two friends and I see as we arrive at Citi Field in Flushing, New York, is a gigantic ferris wheel containing thousands of LED lights. Entering the venue both nervous and excited to experience EDC NY for the first time, we finally meet Laura Newton, the founder of Ground Control. Laura came up with the idea in 2011, and the team’s mission is to maintain that everyone is “happy, healthy and hydrated.” Ground Control was a response to the unfortunate death that occurred at LA Coliseum back in June 2010. Our job was not only to hand out free water bottles, but also to simply let guests know that we are there to help by performing acts of kindness. We were given purple tank tops printed with “Ground Control” and the Insomniac logo that distinguished us from the crowd, and about 50 determined, young individuals were split into 11 groups among 3 zones. Each group was assigned a leader that was given a walkie talkie in order to communicate with the “base tent” in the event of an emergency. Things are already starting to seem a bit intense, but little do I know that I will be working in the rehab tent all day.
Wednesday evening the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) held their annual Savor the City fundraiser to raise money for their Trauma Recovery Program at Asellina inside the Gansevoort Park Hotel. During the event some of the city’s most philanthropic young professionals who represent the NYCSPCC’s Junior Committee and honored guests participated in a silent auction with items ranging from tickets to see Jimmy Fallon, the Mets, and Sleep No More to a range of fitness classes and beauty products and exclusive dining opportunities around the city. Top tier auction items included a private home cooked dinner for 10 guests by Rao’s, tickets to attend the US Open, and something on our personal bucket list, the opportunity to be a fighter pilot for a day. The 185 guests of the event enjoyed cocktails and some of Asellina’s delicious Italian passed hor d’oeuvres and desserts while making moves to help end and educate the public on child abuse. Over $47,000 was raised to support the NYSPCC’s Trauma Recovery Program. Guests included members of the Steering Committee including Alexandra Papanicolaou, Christopher Breck, Jeffery C. Caldwell, Chani Churchill, Darlene Liebman, Lauren Matina, Maureen Nash, Elizabeth Rockman, Matt Semino, Samantha Strockis, and Whitney Topping.
As the tragic events of the Boston Marathon Explosion unfolded, people throughout the country were mesmerized in front of their TVs and computers wanting to know “why and how did this happen?” Out of all the pain and despair that happened on April 15th, there is one aspect that brings light to the day’s dark tragedy…the helpers and rescue workers.
A quote from Fred Rogers aka Mr. Rogers went viral as the day progressed, which states:
“When I was a young boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers—so many caring people in this world.”
The Metropolitan Museum of Art just received a modern art makeover after cosmetics mogul Leonard Lauder pledged to donate a collection of 78 cubist paintings to the famous museum. His collection has an estimated worth said to top one billion dollars.
This generous donation will certainly help alter the museum’s reputation. According to MET Director and CEO Thomas Campbell this donation will not only rival the MoMA’s modern art collection but it will also make The Metropolitan Museum one of the biggest hotspots for Cubist art in the world.
Women everywhere love wearing the chic, sophisticated, and edgy clothing that Haute Hippie has to offer; because it makes them feel great about themselves. However, many may be unaware that Haute Hippie CEO Jesse Cole brings that same feeling to children and families visiting the Ronald McDonald House in Manhattan, as the Chairman of the Board of Associates.
Growing up on East End Avenue, Cole passed the Ronald McDonald House everyday and noticed the children were different, and was intrigued to find out why. Never acting on that instinct until one day Cole was airlifted to the hospital after a bad lacrosse injury. He shared the hospital with another young man, named David from Virginia, who was going to have a cancerous tumor removed from his leg.
For shopaholics with buyer's remorse, DoGoodBuyUs is the perfect solution. This site hosts the largest marketplace of charity-made products, from tea to t-shirts, and boots to soaps. Instead of purchasing products that you feel guilty about buying, you can do good just by shopping. With each purchase 50 percent, or more, of the proceeds are dedicated to fighting poverty, hunger, disease, environmental degradation, and other life-threatening ills around the world. So not only are you helping yourself by buying something you love, but you are also helping others in the process.
If you asked Eric Cope in 2010 that his new business venture, Smile Squared, would help tens of thousands of children worldwide improve their oral hygiene, he might be skeptical. However, since its founding 3 years ago over 23,000 people have received toothbrushes through the concept of “Buy One, Give One.”
“We offer small products that make a big impact,” stated Cope.
After traveling to Central America in 2010 to volunteer, Cope and his wife realized how much dental health impacts a child’s life. Their time in Guatemala included teaching children how to brush their teeth without sinks or running water. “We came back wanting to do something; we knew donating was a short term solution to the worldwide issue. We wanted something that would have long term effects,” Cope explained. Striving to provide every child with the ability to have clean and healthy teeth, Smile Squared was developed.
To help gain awareness for Village Fishmonger, a New York-based seafood start-up company who currently operates a Community Supported Fishery in New York City, Evelyn: A Drinkery is hosting the second installment of their successful Aw, Shucks event. Dedicated to supporting the traditional neighborhood fishmonger, Village Fishmonger brings diners carefully curated seafood selections that are sourced with the “boat-to-table” concept at the forefront. Together with Evelyn, nominated for Time Out 2013’s Food & Drinks Readers’ Choice Best Bar, guests are invited to sample freshly shucked oysters and Evelyn’s laid-back style of artisanal spirited beverages on Tuesday, March 26th beginning at 6 pm.
- With the purchase of a $30 ticket, guests will receive 1 dozen oysters and one specialty cocktail.
- For $55 ticket holders will be granted access to the event for 2 people and a dozen oysters and one specialty cocktail each.
A charity initiative brought to you by Gaz (Gary) Regan, Just One Shift, has an amazing (and fun) plan to raise $250,000 in a week long fundraising campaign by inviting bartenders worldwide to donate all or part of their tips from just one shift (Get it?). Fittingly, the funds raised will benefit Wine to Water, a non-profit founded by a bartender, that focuses on providing clean water to needy people worldwide. Since World Water Day is coming up on March 26th, it is the perfect time to get aboard the clean water wagon.
Italian design house, Gucci, has teamed up with the Green Carpet Challenge (an organization created by Colin Firth's wife, Livia) and Rainforest Alliance-certified cattle ranches in the Brazilian Amazon to help fight deforestation. The leather handbag industry greatly contributes to deforestation with three-fourths of deforestation being cause by cattle ranching and therefore, leather goods. Gucci, the first line of leather products to be involved in such a project, wants to preserve the rainforests of Brazil without compromising the quality of their products.
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