Making a Difference in Our World

In My Friend—The Catholic Magazine for Kids, we often have feature stories about kids like you who have done things to really make a difference in the world. You can make a difference, too. You might never have a magazine article written about you, but you can change the world in a small way, for the better.

Here are some links to groups and organizations who are doing a lot of good in different ways. You might like to help them in their work. Be sure to get your parents’ permission before filling out information on websites or contributing in any way.

We will be adding more organizations in the future. If you have suggestions, please email me, Sr. Maria Grace, at myfriend@paulinemedia.com.

Food for the Poor
Care Bags for Kids
Locks of Love
Mychal’s Message

 

Food for the Poor

This organization helps the poorest of the poor in Latin America and the Carribbean. One way you can help is by recycling printer cartridges. Foor for the Poor can get $2.00 or more for each used printer cartridge. Their website gives information about the kinds of laser and toner cartridges that can be recycled. Your parents or school can request a postage-paid container to send them the cartridges. Go to www.foodforthepoor.org and click on “Recycle for the Poor.” You can also ask you parents if your family can help in other ways. (See “Banana Bark Cards” which are beautiful handmade notecards you can order.)

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Care Bags for Kids

Care Bags for Kids was started by Annie Wignall at age 11. She makes up “care bags” filled with useful and fun things and provides them for kids around the world: kids in Iowa (where Annie is from), orphans in Chile, children in Iraq. It started when she wanted to do something for children in foster care.

As Annie Wignall says, “I know we can’t help everyone, but with your help we can make a difference, one Care Bag, one child at a time.”

Go to http://www.carebags4kids.org and click on “About Us,” you can find out how you can help.

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Locks of Love

Locks of Love provides hairpieces for children who have long-term hair loss due to a medical condition. (Most of the kids helped have alopecia areata, the cause and cure of which is unknown.) You can donate hair (minumum of 10 inches long) from which they have wigs made for the kids. If you would like to help, go to www.locksoflove.org and make sure you read the instructions carefully. See the photo gallery for before and after photos, both for those who donated and those who received hairpieces.

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Mychal’s Message

Shannon Hickey, founder of Mychal’s Message, had her story in September 2004 issue of My Friend. Read about how she was inspired by Fr. Mychal Judge, the chaplain of the New York fire department, who died with many fire fighters in the World Trade Center tragedy of September 11, 2001.

You can donate specific items that Shannon is collecting for the homeless in New York City (click on “Our Projects”). You can also support Mychal’s Message by ordering the music CD dedicated to Fr. Mychal. Go to www.mychalsmessage.org . There is also a free holy card of “Mychal’s Message” you can download.

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