37 Comments

Happy 40th, Sally! I remember reaching that milestone...many years ago. It seemed so daunting, so big, so scary! I am just impressed that you are only now reaching that milestone, because that means you were in your twenties when I started working with you -- which is just incredible! Your professionalism at such a young age was truly impressive.

In any case, I think you know what charity I am suggesting -- https://www.ranchocompasion.org/ -- the one I started almost 10 years ago and provides the backbone of my life in so many ways. We've grown as an organization from just rescuing farmed animals to creating a robust youth program for kids from kindergarten on up -- after school care, summer camp, field trips -- where kids connect with animals and get their hands in the soil in our organic garden. We are open to all kids, but put extra effort into kids with special needs and from underserved communities, giving them an opportunity to connect with nature and animals that they would not have otherwise, and which they find very therapeutic. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about it!

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I can hardly believe I was in my 20's when we started working together! I am honored to support your work and to share the work of Rancho Compassion in my round up post!

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Cookies For Kids Cancer. Such an amazing organization that has changed and saved lives. Happy Birthday! Xoxox

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I'm sure you can predict what charity I'm adding!! :) Literary Agents of Change was formed to help dismantle the barriers to entry into a career as a literary agent for members of historically underrepresented groups. We run a fellowship program that pays college students for a summer of studying the field of agenting, and a mentorship program designed to support and retain new literary agents. Both of these programs aim to mitigate the challenges of low-paid, unpaid, or commission only agency positions, which present unique obstacles to marginalized and multi-marginalized people trying to enter and stay in publishing. I can attest that I met the most wonderful mentor through the mentorship program!! :D Happy early birthday, Sally!

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So glad you picked this one!!

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Sally, you are such a wonderful lady. I love comedy and improv too. It's been a minute since I took a class, and I'm now seriously thinking about this because of you, wondering if there is a steady group I can join. Comedy is so central to my youth work. Ugh! You inspire me so much! Happy Birthday!

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Aw thank you, that means a lot to me. I encourage you to look at what classes or groups are local to you!! Keep me posted!

I’m sure you have a charity of choice you’d like me to shout out in next week’s newsletter. What is it?!

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So many! One I am currently studying as I configure a similar community-based org in my hometown is Coffee With a Cause, an org in Pasadena that provides underserved youth with transitional employment opportunities and capacity-building training, leading to successful job placement. Shout out to the founder Dan Davidson, who is not only committed to growing the organization, but also the social enterprise ecosystem and mentoring emerging social entrepreneurs like me. https://www.coffeewithacause.org/

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My Dad grew up in a large family that was full of food insecurity. One of the charities he was passionate about was the High Planes Food Bank in my hometown of Amarillo, TX. After he passed away I began supporting them in his honor. They serve 29 counties in a mostly rural area. They also help immigrants, mainly from Mexico and Vietnam, gain access to food stamps.

https://www.hpfb.org/

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Thank you for sharing! Local food banks are critical to communities. We are gearing up for the big campaign here in western mass for our food bank. I just donated last week. It’s amazing that food insecurity is as high as it is. Such an essential cause to consistently support.

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Love this and I LOVE doing improv too!!

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Really?! Yay!

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Love this project Sally! So thoughtful and gracious. I may copy this brilliant idea next year ❤️

I'll.throw in Inside Books as a fabulous charity to support. They are a non profit that sends books to people incarcerated in Texas jails and prisons, and they are often a lifetime to people trying to grow and heal while behind bars. I worked with them many times in the past while I was teaching creative writing to inmates in the Austin county jails. Wonderful people!

https://insidebooksproject.org/

Happy birthday!!!

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My favorite charity is always OneSky (formerly called Half the Sky). https://onesky.org

It's a Berkeley based org that supports orphanages in China by training nannies to care for the kids, teach them, and love them. My daughter was lucky enough to live in an orphanage supported by OneSky, which has now become successful enough to be in Vietnam and Mongolia in addition to China. Happy Birthday Sally!!

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I guess, with the new developements in our family, it would be appropriate for me to throw any of the charities dealing with Pancreatic Cancer Research or treatment into the mix. Certainly the Massachusetts General Cancer Center, The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, The Purple Project, The National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, The American Cancer Society, are all charities that could be considered in this group. My personal preferrence, of course, would be the Massachuseets General Cancer Center. Our personal experience with the group of people there could not be more positive. Their attention to patient care has proven to be at the very top of any list you could create.

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💕💕💕

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Hi Sally, thank you so much for taking the time to join our cookbook class with Tori, it was such a helpful session. A slightly out of the way charity that I would love to recommend is the Veloo Foundation, doing great work to help underprivileged children in Mongolia. I have personally volunteered and done CSR projects for them through work. Happy birthday in advance!!

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Hi Sally! Happy Birthday and thanks again for today's Zoom meeting! The charity I recommend supporting is APFED - The American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders.

APFED is a charity I support through my baking business, The Rare Treats Baking Company (I am donating 10% of Rare Treats profits at the end of the calendar year). The Rare Treats Baking Company was created as a direct result of my now 10-year-old son's diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EOE) in 2019 and the necessity of his dairy-free diet.

APFED provides resources to patients managing eosinophilic disorders, as well as for their caregivers and families, and APFED helps promote and support research into the cause and cure of eosinophil-associated diseases. APFED’s vision is to support the development of a cure while improving the quality of life for those suffering with eosinophil-associated diseases.

Thank you for considering them as part of your 40 featured charities!

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Very interesting! I was diagnosed with this about 15 years ago. It's interesting how little was known about it then. I have acute bouts once in awhile but otherwise manage (of course, I don't consume dairy as I'm vegan). I'd love to learn more.

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Oh wow! My son was 5 when he was diagnosed but my father-in-law was diagnosed about 3 years ago in his late 60s. I noticed a huge difference in their symptoms and responses to treatment. It is taking a long time to figure out how to best manage things for my now-10-year-old - we’ve tried a variety of diets and medications and he is now on Dupixent with a dairy restriction. I think birthday parties, food at school, and having a younger child without restrictions are the trickiest parts of having a child with EOE.

I’m happy to share more about his EOE journey and our relationship with APFED if you ever want to connect. I post small snippets about his EOE on my Instagram rare_treats_baking, and on my website’s “About” section, I describe how it led me to leave my job as an elementary school assistant principal and form my NY-based home bakery, The Rare Treats Baking Company - www.raretreatsbaking.com. My email address is raretreatsbaking@gmail.com. Happy to chat anytime!

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This is such a generous offer, thank you!

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Happy Birthday Sally!

Charity—I actually really love Kiva which isn’t exactly a charity. It is a micro-finance platform. You can lend as little as $25 and up to thousands if you want, to entrepreneurs all over the world. I tend to support women in developing nations. The loans help them in their businesses, and then as they repay, the money comes back to you and you can re-lend. It’s amazing! https://www.kiva.org/invitedby/coastalbooks

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Sidewalk Samaritan (sidewalksamaritan.org) is an incredible 'pay it forward' organization assisting those in need without a home and on the streets of New York. Emily Borghard has an amazing backstory to the 'why' of this organization she runs (she is also a social worker) who lives and breathes her mission each day. I cannot think of a more deserving organization, particularly as we head into cold weather and the winter season in the Northeast. Thank you!

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We met the moms behind Island Autism, located on Martha's Vineyard, over the summer. They were lovely and are doing great work for people with ASD on the island. https://islandautism.org/

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My favorite charity since 1963 is UNCF - United Negro College Fund (because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

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TransHealth of Northampton MA please 💚🩵💛💚🩵💛💚🩵💛 (Note branded HVC colors)

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impressive! :)

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