Holiday 2023 Giving Project

 1. LAKE COUNTY RESOURCE CENTER

“We believe everyone deserves a stable and healthy family life.

We strengthen a family’s ability to become safe and self-sufficient.”

 

Last year, after we wrapped up our holiday fundraisers, we got an urgent call from our dear friend Pat Ench. She is irresistible and her heart is huge. She was in tears as she shared with us that there was a shelter in Lake County that was filled with abused women and children with no one supporting them over the holidays.

So, the week before Christmas, we gathered more resources, purchased clothing and a toy for each of the children, some warm clothes for the parent, and some household supplies for the shelter and we drove with Pat to the shelter and delivered them in time for Christmas. We even had funds to include a pizza party on Christmas Eve, which was the highlight of their season.

 

This year there are all new people at the shelter…  new moms, new kids, new stories. A wonderful local women’s group is supplying gifts for all the kids this year, except for one new family who has been assigned to us. We hope to also get the mom’s a small gift to open and provide them all with that same pizza party on Christmas Eve.

The shelter also has some basic needs this year to keep their environment clean and fresh, so we are adding these needs to our dream wish list:

 

DREAM WISH LIST

• 21 new mattress pads

• 30 Pillows

• Sheets and Blankets for 15 twin beds and 6 full beds

• Holiday gifts for one new family, a mom with 3 children, who just moved in this week

• Holiday gifts for 10 moms in the shelter

• A holiday pizza party for all the families to come together on Christmas Eve

 

2. A Local Family living in a garage – This young family lives in the Clear Lake area and they have fallen on very difficult times. They have two young children, both under 6 years old. Their life was doing well until the father of this sweet family accidentally fell asleep at the wheel late one night on his way home from work and injured his back. He has just begun to walk and function again but he was unable to work for many months. They are hungry, behind on bills, and are barely scraping by, with all 4 of them living in a small garage until they get back on their feet.

 

For the holidays we would like to provide this family with:

 

• Gifts for the Children

• Household needs and supplies for the Mom and Dad

• A holiday meal ordered from a local store

• Maybe a gift card for WalMart for food shopping through January 

 

 

3. CASA HOGAR – This orphanage in Puerto Escondido, Mexico is run by Ami, a 30-year-old woman, who was raised in this very same orphanage as a little girl. She has given her heart to these 12 children, now aged 12-17, who were taken off the streets and given an opportunity to live in a healthy and loving home. Mark will be spending time there in February, and has been deeply touched by the giggles, the laughter, and the “family” lifestyle they have all built together. Everyone works together to make the home run smoothly. Everyone gets an education. Everyone is loved and everyone belongs.

 

Today Casa Hogar is in desperate need of repairs, both inside and out. Just like in Lake County, this holiday season we hope to replace all the bedding, including decades old twin mattresses, at Casa Hogar. We hope to also be sending funds so Ami can purchase a Christmas gift for each of the 12 children and maybe even something for herself. 

 

She sure deserves it!

Please donate any amount you can! It will go a long way!  As always, 100% of every dollar you donate will go directly to provide for these projects!

Thank you so much to all of YOU!

 

We are so grateful you are partnering with us to make the world a little bit better!

 

Wishing you all love, joy, and peace in 2024,

All of us at Dream of a Better World

 

Donation MATCHING Program Because It's Time to Find a CURE!

DID YOU KNOW?

IT'S TIME TO FIND A CURE!

That's why we are JOINING the fight with Maria Shriver and  

the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement!

For the month of October, Dream of a Better world will DOUBLE your giving! (for the first $5,000)

On November 9^th, Diane will join Maria Shriver and her team for a fundraising event in Cabo San Lucas. They will talk about the current research and statistics on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, discuss brain health, and talk about self-care and finding meaning in life through the ages.  They will raise funds for the research to continue, so that we can begin to put an end to the debilitating disease, one that impacts those who receive this life-changing diagnosis as well as those who love and care for them.

We need more research.

We need more answers.

We need funds to continue to understand and learn.

 

Please join us and DONATE today!

 

All funds will be matched up to $5,000.00.

Every dollar raised will be donated to the Woman’s Alzheimer’s Movement!

 

Did you know:

• An estimated 6 million Americans today live with Alzheimer’s, a disease that robs memories before taking lives.
• Alzheimer’s begins to develop in the brain 20-30 years before diagnosis.
• 2/3 of those diagnosed are women—and no one knows why.
• 2/3 of Alzheimer’s caregivers are also women, many of who will have to take time off or resign from their jobs.
• A woman in her 60s is twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s over the course of her lifetime than breast cancer.
• After 60, a woman has a 1 in 5 chance of developing Alzheimer’s.
• By 2060, approximately 13.8 million brains in the U.S. will be living with Alzheimer’s, and millions more family members and friends will suffer alongside those diagnosed.

 

Too few people know these facts until Alzheimer’s strikes. 

The time to know them is now.

Know the Facts:

• Alzheimer’s disease is NOT a natural part of aging.
• Alzheimer’s disease is still 100% fatal. There is no treatment or cure. Of the top 10 causes of death in America, it is the only disease without any effective drug or course of action.
• If Alzheimer’s runs in your family that does not necessarily mean you will get it.
• Conversely, if it does not run in your family, you are still at risk.
• Healthy habits can prevent or slow the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. This includes diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. Read more about ways to reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s under “Prevention.”

 

 

End-of-Life Doulas Raise Funds to Pay for Maui Funerals

Photo: Redcross.org

As we watched images of Maui engulfed in flames, our hearts broke. It is painful to watch a once verdant landscape transform nearly instantaneously to scorched earth. And now, we turn to the aftermath: grief, loss, and heartbreak. As end-of-life doulas, we know the emotional and financial toll can be too much to bear. As of today, there will be 115 funerals on Maui, with more likely to come as debris is cleared. Our wish is to offer financial support to those who otherwise might not have the funds to provide a meaningful funeral or memorial for their loved ones.

 

APnews.com

As Californians, we know all too well the devastation wrought by wildfires. Not only does the experience require exhaustive efforts to contain, but the tremendous shock and laden grief that permeate such an event are nothing shy of traumatizing.

To our Maui family: we know that your lives are forever changed by the magnitude of this sudden, immeasurable loss: the vast numbers of homes turned to ash, vegetation burned, historic places decimated, human and animal lives lost. The security you felt, the future you envisioned…you are forever changed by this event.

redcross.org

 

While we may not call Maui home, we understand that our collective destinies are intertwined. This beautiful earth we all share and steward belongs to us all. And when devastation looms large in one part of this world, we all feel its effects. Equally, we feel compelled to act, and embrace the inherent invitation to respond with goodwill and compassion. As the adage goes, “we’re all just walking each other home”.

 

npr.org

As end-of-life doulas, we understand that it is often not feasible for families to absorb unanticipated funeral costs alongside the immeasurable magnitude of loss they are holding. Let’s find a way to lighten the load.

We are working with local doulas and a non-profit funeral home in the area to provide free funeral and burial services to those Lahaina families who have lost someone in the fire.

As always, 100% of your DONATION received through our partnership with Dream of a Better World, a 501(c)3 non-profit will go directly to the causes we support in Maui. Administrative and accounting responsibilities are provided pro bono.
 

Know that your love and compassion matters greatly, and we thank you for your contribution.

If you'd like to know more about our doula services, please visit our website at:

www.endoflifedoulaalliance.com



Photo Credits:

https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/2023/stories-from-the-hawaii-wildfires.html

https://apnews.com/article/hawaii-wildfire-maui-lahaina-f5a7047d407f836f89e90dd7f10faa94

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/12/1193614596/death-toll-on-maui-climbs-to-80-as-questions-over-islands-emergency-response-gro

 

Casa Hogar Nueva Vida - A Terrific Opportunity!

Hola Dream of a Better World friends and supporters!  We have found a wonderful new group of kids who can really use our support!  These amazing kids were taken off the streets and are being cared for by Ami Reyes, an inspiring and compassionate 30-year-old woman who grew up in that very orphanage!

We were in Oaxaca, Mexico this Spring when we heard a story about a local ice cream cart vender who delivered ice cream to a small orphanage once a month as his way of trying to make a difference in his community. 

Well... we HAD to check that out!

The moment we entered their building it felt familiar.  There was the word "OHANA" written on the mail pillar of the entrance and there were bouncing, skipping, happy kids running circles around it.  We asked Ami about the Hawaii connection and it turned out that the orphanage was founded by her parents with the help, early on, by a church in Hawaii that we know very well.  As is often the case over time, there had been changes at the church and they were no longer financially involved.  However, we had heard many encouraging stories about the work of this orphanage and Ami's parents.  Her parents, and now Ami, had dedicated their lives to this orphanage and the many beautiful children that they have loved and raised over the years.

At the moment, Ami is a bit on her own.  Her father, Octavio, has died and her mom, Victoria, is also ill.  So, Ami is caring for her mother and 12 kids now, ages 2 - 17.  There are 5 rooms for girls and 1 large room for boys.  Ami told us that "education is first priority" and she has managed to arrange for tuition scholarships from a local private school.  However, there are many other costly items needed to attend school, and we can certainly make a big difference here!

It was also clear to us that the orphanage was in desperate need of repair inside and out, as well general household items like mattresses, furniture, bedding... pretty much everything. The roof had large holes in it and many interior doors were in need of replacement.

There were opportunities to make a real difference nearly everywhere we looked!  What an opportunity for Dream of a Better World!

We are trying to support this amazing young woman and the 12 kids at Casa Hogar Nueva Vida.

We hope that you will all join us! 

If you'd like to financially support this cause, you can CLICK HERE or use the DONATE BUTTON above!

PS. As always 100% of your donation will go directly to helping this cause.  We are volunteer based and raise what little overhead we have separately.  We are planning to travel back to Mexico in February of 2024 to follow up and see how we can continue to stay connected.      

PPS. Here's a list of school supply items in pesos from Ami:(PRICES ARE IN PESOS)                                       

 

Ukraine Remains in Our Hearts…

Several of us went to visit our boots-on-the-ground friend Laura Pauli this past weekend in San Francisco. She is home now, but planning another return trip to Ukraine for a few months this summer to cook and serve meals with fellows food warriors that she cooked with at World Central Kitchen in Poland last year. They are on their own this time. Laura is so much more than a chef. Yes, she cooks like a superstar, but her heart is truly what draws us all to her work. Since returning from Ukraine, she has continued to raise funds for families who are in crisis…cold, hungry, grieving, sick, abandoned, vulnerable, homeless, raped, scared, dying, poor, and left wondering what has become of their everyday life, and how they will survive.

With Laura’s help, we have been able to identify many families who need our support. We have supported her in relocating many to other European countries, but now she is focused on those who have chosen to stay and fight, or to stay and resist the Russians goal to remove them.  The stories we've heard are horrific and we MUST continue to help where we can.

To this end, we are currently working on the following projects: 

·   1) To continue to make and deliver stoves for heat and cooking. It costs only $150.00 to have a stove built, pipes added, and then to deliver and install it into a home. Every family should have heat and the ability to cook, so this need will go on. 

 

 

 

2) To start repairing blown out windows in family homes, which are normally about $15.00 each.

 

3) To fill a pantry in Kyiv with food and water as supplies are extremely low at this moment, and they are foreseeing a water shortage as summer approached. This immediate goal is for $4,000.00 and will likely be ongoing.

 

4) To fill an immediate and life-saving need for $4,100.00 to buy bullet-proof vests for volunteer soldiers and humanitarian workers fighting and fielding supplies into Bakhmut, the current epicenter of the war and focus of Russia’s brutal attacks.

 

5) To purchase more boots to allay the outbreak of gangrene caused by bacterial infections because soldiers are sharing boots as they change shifts on the front lines. There are dozens of amputations reported each week due to this problem. Sturdy combat boots cost about $60.00 a pair.

We will continue to post updates and work directly with Dave Lowe, a volunteer soldier in Ireland, and his team in Kyiv. They are the true heroes, putting their lives at risk every day, constantly being shot at with bounties on their heads, and stepping into some scenes that we cannot even begin to fathom. Our support means the world to them and they have asked us to say thank you to all of you, for what you have done, and also for what we will continue to do. 

 

Take care of yourselves and those you love,

 

The Button Family and our growing team at Dream of a Better World

 

If you wish to support the work in Ukraine, please

 CLICK on this link, or 

CLICK on the “Support for Ukraine” button above.

 

Thank you all so much for your ongoing care and trust in our work!

With Gratitude for Another Year of Kindness and Generosity!

Thank you for all your support this past year! It seemed to fly by and there were so many needs as always, with the ongoing war in Ukraine being one of our biggest challenges. Thankfully, our friend Laura Pauli was there serving with World Central Kitchen, and her stories soon became our stories. We are all so grateful for her giant heart that rose up to make a difference, one family at  time.

 

We finished strong as always during the holidays, thanks to all of you, but this year was so much bigger than usual, with ongoing fundraisers in support of Ukraine and providing assistance to those suffering due to natural disasters and economic challenges. As we enter 2023, this is where our fundraising will continue, as the weather will be warming soon in Ukraine, the war has been relentless, and now we have more people suffering in Turkey, Syria, and even in our own backyard.

 

This is our 15^th year of raising money is a grassroots way for small projects around the globe. None of these projects can happen without all of you. Your ideas, time, donations and ongoing encouragement keep us going every year. You now bring project ideas to us that are close to your heart, and many of you walk side by side us as we fill some of those very needs. So thank you!

 

Because of your generosity this past year, we have been able to:

 

·      Stock a local food pantry

·      Support educational programs for a family in Africa

·      Provide food, clothing, toys, diapers, gift cards, and a holiday celebration for a local shelter for abused men, women, and children

·      Help a family of four flee Ukraine to the Netherlands

·      Purchase boots for Ukrainian soldiers

·      Help a sewing circle in Ukraine to make safety vests

·      Offer love through a final gift box to a lonely, ill incarcerated prisoner

·      Supply gift bags to prisoners for the holidays

·      Support projects aimed at housing and offering end-of-life services to those who are dying homeless or in prison

·      Purchase dozens of handmade stoves, providing heat and a means to cook, for Ukrainians who are suffering through this very cold winter without electricity

·      Bring holiday joy to a hard-working cafeteria worker in New Orleans who cares for hurting children and spreads goodness to everyone, and asks nothing for herself

·      Support a single dad who is struggling to provide for his family

·      Assist our boots-on-the-ground friends in Ukraine to relocate many families by offering airline tickets, gas money, food, and shelter

·      Purchase wheelchairs, supplies, and offer other needs to the dying and their caregivers through the Bay Area End-of-Life Doula Alliance

 

We could never do all of this without YOU! Thank you for being part of our lives and for always believing in us.

 

With love and appreciation,

 

The Button Family and all of us at Dream of a Better World!

 As always, we want to remind you that 100% of your donation goes to the causes we support. Administrative and accounting responsibilities are provided pro bono. 

We would like to especially thank the amazing team at Friedlander, Cherwon, and Capper for generously donating your time and skills to provide us with our annual accounting and tax reporting needs!

 

 

Thank you ALL!