American Express today picked from the top 50 project ideas selected as semi-finalists for The Members Project, the unique online initiative that brought American Express(R) Cardmembers together to submit, discuss and rate ideas to make a positive impact in the world.
Cardmembers from across the country and The Members Project Advisory Panel of thought-leaders helped determine the top 50 project ideas from the thousands that were submitted. Project ideas ranged from local community-based projects throughout the United States to international aid projects in Africa and Asia.
In the next phase of The Members Project, American Express is calling for Cardmembers to register and vote for their favorite project ideas to support the list of ideas about which Cardmembers are most passionate. For every Cardmember that registers, American Express will contribute $1 toward the winning idea. American Express has committed at least $1 million and up to $5 million to bring the winning idea to life.
"Our Cardmembers are passionate about making a difference, expressing their ideas and supporting causes that are important to them, which was clear from the more than 7,000 project ideas submitted to The Members Project," said Jud Linville, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Consumer Business, American Express. "We are encouraging all Cardmembers to make their voices heard by voting for the idea they want American Express to make a reality -- the power is in their hands."
Areas selected include "Children's Safe Drinking Water." The Project is designed to provide safe water to communities in India, Africa and impoverished areas worldwide.
American Express worked with an Advisory Panel of renowned thought-leaders in a variety of fields to review the top-rated projects, as rated by the Cardmembers, and select the top 50 project ideas. Based on popular Cardmember vote, the winning idea will be announced on August 7 and Cardmembers can register on http://www.membersproject.com through August 5.
Advisory Panelists include: -- Geoff Canada - President and CEO, Harlem Children's Zone -- Ellen DeGeneres - Comedian and Talk Show Host -- Dr. Jane Goodall - Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace -- Dr. Sanjay Gupta - CNN Chief Medical Correspondent and Neurosurgeon -- Rosabeth Moss Kanter - Harvard Business School Professor -- Dr. Michael Lomax - President and CEO, United Negro College Fund -- Wynton Marsalis - Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center -- Gabrielle Reece - Professional Volleyball Player and Sports/Fitness Expert.
The Members Project, which is a part of American Express' new brand campaign, "Are You a Cardmember?", highlights the value of being part of the American Express Cardmember community.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Wells determine the health of a village
Recent peace in northern Uganda is the result of a tentative truce between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army. Because of the peace, displaced people are able to return to their villages that were destroyed by the LRA. Lifewater International is helping them do this by establishing wells and teaching villages about hygiene.
They are currently helping several places establish wells. "As long as villages have enough organization, they can have a village well committee," said Dan Stevens of Lifewater. This means there are certain people who will be trained to maintain the well once it's built.
"You could be doing thousands, really," said Stevens. There are many villages and schools where there is no water. Children spend all day in schools with no bathroom or drinking water. Wells offer adults a chance to see the difference safe water makes. "As people understand and see that their kids do not have diarrhea and they're stomachs don't hurt, there's just singing and dancing and excitement," said Stevens.
Some missionary doctors will not travel to places that do not have safe water.
The improved health renews the village. "They can begin to work better. It's really hard to work with diarrhea, you know. Their eyes are better from the disease," said Stevens. One statistic reports that 50-percent of people in developing countries have some sort of water-borne disease in their bodies.
They are currently helping several places establish wells. "As long as villages have enough organization, they can have a village well committee," said Dan Stevens of Lifewater. This means there are certain people who will be trained to maintain the well once it's built.
"You could be doing thousands, really," said Stevens. There are many villages and schools where there is no water. Children spend all day in schools with no bathroom or drinking water. Wells offer adults a chance to see the difference safe water makes. "As people understand and see that their kids do not have diarrhea and they're stomachs don't hurt, there's just singing and dancing and excitement," said Stevens.
Some missionary doctors will not travel to places that do not have safe water.
The improved health renews the village. "They can begin to work better. It's really hard to work with diarrhea, you know. Their eyes are better from the disease," said Stevens. One statistic reports that 50-percent of people in developing countries have some sort of water-borne disease in their bodies.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Sylvia's Children trip to Africa a learning experience for group
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 07/12/07
BY SAMETTA M. THOMPSON
STAFF WRITER
HOLMDEL — When Sylvia B. Allen talks about her experience on the trip she recently made to Africa to help children in need, tears roll down her face.
"It's not crying sadness," the 70-year-old Holmdel resident said. "It's overwhelming."
Allen, and 13 others, including her daughter and son, Michele Costa, 36, and Antony Costa, 33, returned last month from a 10-day trip to Masaka, Uganda. The group went to provide aid to about 800 youngsters at the Mbiriizi Primary School.
Allen is founder of Sylvia's Children, a 3-year-old nonprofit organization based in Holmdel, that provides help to African children whose parents have died of AIDS.
"My whole plan was to get my (own) children to realize what I was trying to do," Allen said. "My kids thought I was crazy until we got over there and then they were just awed by the beauty of the children and the absolute unbelievable loving. We would walk around and have 20 to 30 children hanging on to you — full of love and you see the happy faces."
What touched Allen's heart most was when they were greeted by the schoolchildren who sang a song they had written especially for them.
"They had a big sign that said "Welcome Grand Sylvia,' " said Allen, who is adoptive grandmother to 750 African children and students.
Everyone who traveled to Africa with Allen had a role to play with the schoolchildren, she said. The group engaged the students in various recreational and sporting activities and even sat in on classes.
"The children are amazing as far as their knowledge," Allen said. "I was excited to see the kids excited about learning."
Since Sylvia's Children was founded in 2004, the organization has raised more than $100,000 to help the children with food, clothing, school fees and other supplies, she said. "I think the kids were thrilled to have us there because they got to do a lot of fun stuff out of school," Allen said. On this trip, Allen said, she even gave the school $3,000 to buy two acres of land so they can expand the school.
Allen returned home with 3,000 handmade decorated quilt squares the African children made. She said she will find creative uses for the quilts and send the profit back to the school.
Michele Costa of Freehold said she was glad she took the trip with her mother.
She said the trip, her first to Africa, "was amazing. I think I learned more from them than I taught them."
"The simple things that you do for them really matters," Costa said. "It's the simple things that we as Americans take for granted."
"It was really, really nice to bring recreation into their life. It was so cool to see their faces, seeing all the new experiences with the kids and watching it through their eyes." Eager to go back and offer a helping hand, Allen has already started making plans for next year's trip that will be from July 5 to 15. Costa said she can't wait to go back again.
Allen's future plans for the students includes helping to build a library, buying playground equipment, laptop computers, new latrines, school supplies, building a health clinic and a host of other necessities.
"One person can make a difference," Allen said.
For more information about next year's trip to Masaka, Uganda, with Allen's organization, call (732) 946-2711. The organization is at 89 Middletown Road, Holmdel.
BY SAMETTA M. THOMPSON
STAFF WRITER
HOLMDEL — When Sylvia B. Allen talks about her experience on the trip she recently made to Africa to help children in need, tears roll down her face.
"It's not crying sadness," the 70-year-old Holmdel resident said. "It's overwhelming."
Allen, and 13 others, including her daughter and son, Michele Costa, 36, and Antony Costa, 33, returned last month from a 10-day trip to Masaka, Uganda. The group went to provide aid to about 800 youngsters at the Mbiriizi Primary School.
Allen is founder of Sylvia's Children, a 3-year-old nonprofit organization based in Holmdel, that provides help to African children whose parents have died of AIDS.
"My whole plan was to get my (own) children to realize what I was trying to do," Allen said. "My kids thought I was crazy until we got over there and then they were just awed by the beauty of the children and the absolute unbelievable loving. We would walk around and have 20 to 30 children hanging on to you — full of love and you see the happy faces."
What touched Allen's heart most was when they were greeted by the schoolchildren who sang a song they had written especially for them.
"They had a big sign that said "Welcome Grand Sylvia,' " said Allen, who is adoptive grandmother to 750 African children and students.
Everyone who traveled to Africa with Allen had a role to play with the schoolchildren, she said. The group engaged the students in various recreational and sporting activities and even sat in on classes.
"The children are amazing as far as their knowledge," Allen said. "I was excited to see the kids excited about learning."
Since Sylvia's Children was founded in 2004, the organization has raised more than $100,000 to help the children with food, clothing, school fees and other supplies, she said. "I think the kids were thrilled to have us there because they got to do a lot of fun stuff out of school," Allen said. On this trip, Allen said, she even gave the school $3,000 to buy two acres of land so they can expand the school.
Allen returned home with 3,000 handmade decorated quilt squares the African children made. She said she will find creative uses for the quilts and send the profit back to the school.
Michele Costa of Freehold said she was glad she took the trip with her mother.
She said the trip, her first to Africa, "was amazing. I think I learned more from them than I taught them."
"The simple things that you do for them really matters," Costa said. "It's the simple things that we as Americans take for granted."
"It was really, really nice to bring recreation into their life. It was so cool to see their faces, seeing all the new experiences with the kids and watching it through their eyes." Eager to go back and offer a helping hand, Allen has already started making plans for next year's trip that will be from July 5 to 15. Costa said she can't wait to go back again.
Allen's future plans for the students includes helping to build a library, buying playground equipment, laptop computers, new latrines, school supplies, building a health clinic and a host of other necessities.
"One person can make a difference," Allen said.
For more information about next year's trip to Masaka, Uganda, with Allen's organization, call (732) 946-2711. The organization is at 89 Middletown Road, Holmdel.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Why Sylvia's Children?
… because children are so vulnerable and many do not deserve the conditions under which they live. The motto of Sylvia’s Children is “Saving children, one child at a time”.
In May of 2003 I had the unique experience of being invited to Africa and visit two countries … Tanzania and Uganda. And, because I was invited as part of a humanitarian aid program, I got to see a part of Africa that is not visible to tourists. We went into villages that had no running water, no electricity, homes with dirt floors and thatched roofs, homes where a single parent, grandparents or NO parents were the heads of household, many numbering up to 16 people. And, in Uganda, we saw the ravages of HIV AIDS.
We went into homes where both parents were dying of AIDS; homes where 70-year-old grandparents were left with the care of young children because both parents had died of AIDS; or homes where the head of household was a 17-year-old boy who had assumed that role since he was 11. Or, children living on the streets … orphans with no families and no homes.
The most devastating aspect of these conditions was that children were not being provided for … parents unable to afford education, children having to support themselves, children going hungry, children having nowhere to live.
I genuinely believe that education is the key to providing someone with the ability to pull themselves out of poverty. During this trip, the Mbiriizi Primary School near Masaka, Uganda, Africa appointed me their “grandmother”.
Out of this was born Sylvia’s Children (with the IRS designation of 501(c)3). Our goal is to educate as many children as possible. Currently the school has 805 students, of which 205 are orphans.
A group of us returned to Africa in June 2007 and went to the school to determine, first, the growth of the school based on our help and, second, to see what more could be done. We dedicated a new dorm that could house 80 boys which was made possible through our efforts; the school was able to buy two more acres to allow for expansion; the school was able to purchase a computer; and they now have Internet access so we have instant communication.
Of course, there is so much more to be done. The classrooms have 84 to 100 students per room and they sit on crowded benches; the teachers are dedicated but grossly underpaid; of the 205 orphans we have succeeded in getting 80 of them sponsored annually … but there are still 125 that need sponsors. (And, sponsorship is so easy … only $1.00 a day will feed, clothe, house and educate a child in Uganda!).
Of course, there is so much more to be done. The classrooms have 84 to 100 students per room and they sit on crowded benches; the teachers are dedicated but grossly underpaid; of the 205 orphans we have succeeded in getting 80 of them sponsored annually … but there are still 125 that need sponsors. (And, sponsorship is so easy … only $1.00 a day will feed, clothe, house and educate a child in Uganda!).
Other plans include: a well, a library and books, a medical clinic, improved food for the children, updated school books for the teachers, school books for each child, self-sufficiency through farming (small garden, chickens and eggs, etc.), computers for the children and improved sanitary facilities.
Education is the key to teaching people how to get out of poverty and how to be a part of the world. Knowledge = understanding. And, whether we educate 30, 300 or 3,000 we have contributed to a better understanding of the world and improved each individual’s quality of life. They don’t have to be poor; they don’t have to be hungry; they can have personal pride and dignity.
Sylvia’s Children can do this with your help. Can we count on you to make a contribution? (It is 100% tax deductible and ALL revenues go directly to the school … administrative and management fees are paid by Sylvia Allen.)
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