Mental Illness: What a Difference a Friend Makes

Depression has been a part of my life since  I was teenager. One reason I am still here today is the support group I have, my family and friends. Some people do not have that support group, or maybe you know someone who suffers from a form of depression. What do you do though? There is a website to help educate the public about mental illness http://whatadifference.org/index.html. Maybe this website will give the tools you need to help a friend:

ABOUT:

Welcome! This site is here for people living with mental illness—and their friends. You'll find tools to help in the recovery process, and you can also learn about the different kinds of mental illnesses, read real-life stories about support and recovery, and interact with the video to see how friends can make all the difference. www.whatadifference.org.

Locks of Love

This is an organization that I donate to. I am currently growing my hair out again to donate to Locks of Love again. First of all, I enjoy giving to them because I don't have a lot in monetary means the past few years to donate. I donate how I can.  This is one easy way for me to donate. Give a little bit of love the Valentines Day. http://www.locksoflove.org/

WHAT IS LOCKS OF LOVE?

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.

Disclaimer:

Locks of Love is a non-religious, non-political, not-for-profit entity. Further, Locks of Love does not take positions or align itself with any special interests. Any event taking place as part of a religious, political or any other special interest group does not reflect the views or opinions of Locks of Love.
It is Locks of Love’s mission to promote the well-being of children through its program of providing hairpieces. All events and fundraisers held on behalf of Locks of Love should uphold and reflect the mission and desire to help disadvantaged children.

The Brees Dream Foundation

The Brees Dream Foundation

It only makes sense to honor the Saints by mentioning the Brees Dream Foundation. I learned this evening watching ESPN that Drew Brees attended high school in Austin, TX. The high raised $8,000 this year for the foundation by selling Brees t-shirts.

So, for the first time ever in my life I say, "Who DAT????" http://www.drewbrees.com/

The Brees Dream Foundation was founded in 2003 with a mission to advance research in the fight against Cancer and provide care, education and opportunities for children in need.

Since its inception, the Brees Dream Foundation has committed more than $4,500,000 to charitable causes and academic institutions in the New Orleans, San Diego and West Lafayette/Purdue communities. Some of our past events include:

• The Drew Brees NFL Players Golf Championship (aired on NFL Network)
• Bikes for Kids
• Brees on the Seas
• Rebuilding Through Brotherhood
• Brees on the Tees Golf Pro-Am
• The Gridiron Challenge
• Cocktails for Katrina

We have continued to build on several of these events and successfully passed the responsibilities to some of the other events to teammates that are anxious to do their part. Please see the Programs section to see what we have planned in 2009. We are proud to be a reliable and accountable charity solution and will continue to challenge ourselves, teammates and our corporate partners to increase the impact we have on the lives of those in need. The success of the Brees Dream Foundation would not be possible without the continued support and generous contributions from both individuals and corporations across the globe. We believe strongly that our past success is but a prelude to what we have planned for the future!