At the end of every year I like to talk about giving. Here’s a few organizations that I’ve worked with this year that would really benefit from your hard earned dollars.

Union Rescue Mission (URM)
They’re looking to raise 750K to move all of the women and children in their downtown Skid Row facility out to Hope Gardens – a special safe location that allows moms and kids to take the next step to healing, hope and moving from a place homelessness. I recently spent a night on the street outside URM and I’ll never be able to forget that experience. Skid Row is no place for children.

Here’s there latest video about Hope Gardens

Check out URM.org

Eden Reforestation Projects

Eden is a phenomenal organization. They run really lean here in the states so that they can use as much money to plant trees and put entire villages to work. A donation of $10 plants 100 trees and gives a job to someone who desperately wants it. This summer they were planting a million trees per month and 2011 they are looking to double the amount of trees they planted in 2010.

Check out their video for the Eden League, their monthly giving program.

Check out the Eden League – Click Here

Child S.H.A.R.E.

Child S.H.A.R.E. supports churches and families to provide loving homes for kids that are part of the foster care/adoption system. They’ve got a track record of permanent placement that 300% higher than the state alone. I didn’t realize that kids in the system can have experienced more Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by the time they are 18 than Iraq war veterans. Another terrible reality is that they often move yearly and own virtually nothing.

More info on their site – www.childshare.org

Thank you for giving to these organizations – I know they appreciate it. Merry Christmas!

Pauley Perrette (Abby Sciuto on the show NCIS) has decided to join Twitter (@PauleyP).  Previously Ms. Perrette has been anti social media – so what changed her mind?  The Answer, Hope Gardens Family Center!

In this video she tells how it all went down.

Hope Gardens and URM are currently raising 2.8 Million Dollars before June 30th or they’ll have to shut down the secondary campus.

Update: They’ve raised 2.2Million so far!

If you’ve never been here before, I should probably warn you, if you poke around a bit there’s some laughs to be found. I hope we can connect. Now on to today’s post -

Last week I got an email from fellow Idea Camp-er Daniel Li, Senior Developer and Web Strategist for International Justice Mission. He gave me the heads up on a campaign that’s starting this summer. So I thought I’d share it with you today…

A slew of riders from around the country and passionate about the issue of modern slavery will be traveling the underground railroad. Under the guidance of Venture Expeditions, the team is starting from Mobile, AL on June 26th and finishing in Buffalo, NY on July 30th. The tour is designed to bring you along with the riders and experience the thrill ride of emotions of 5 weeks on the road. The crew will be stopping in each city to join up with celebrities and musicians, host rally’s and talk with thousands about how they can make their communities safer against human trafficking.

Why does this matter?

In the summer of 2007 I had no idea that modern day slavery was happening and when I got the news – it was like a load of bricks on my chest. At the age of 31, I felt like I had just found out about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny in the same minute. Most likely if you’re reading this you’re already aware of trafficking and it’s prevalence around the world and specifically in the U.S. So here’s my challenge/encouragement to you – Awareness is great, and it’s important. But if you’re aware, take steps to make others aware.. and once you’ve got a group together it’s just the beginning of your journey.

What does that look like?

If you live near one of the cities where the tour is stopping make a plan to attend. Bring your friends and while you’re there you’ll meet others who are like minded. We’re doing it in my community of Pasadena and it’s very encouraging.

Make a donation – all I have to do is start to picture myself in the shoes of one of the 27 Million slaves in the world and I find it very easy to give financially. Get Connected – Sign up for email updates, or text updates. Share it with your friends and community on facebook, twitter and tell your Aunt Lorraine.

The last piece, if you’ve got questions about any of this, shoot me an email or facebook message or tweet at me. I’ll be around today and I love meeting people who are passionate about this issue.

So let’s get Active – Check out the links

IJM’s Vimeo Channel – chock full of videos and rider testimonials

Below is a quick interview I did yesterday with Amy Roth from IJM

Big high fives to powerhouses Grafik and Capital Idea Ventures (CIV) for their work on getting everything ready to go in such short order.

PS. I didn’t get paid for this… because that would be lame.

Just 5 days after The Ideation Conference and I’m still decompressing. So much great info, idea sharing and general encouragement. It was also a great chance to meet several people I’d connected with via Twitter.

I’m sure I’ll have a longer post with the specifics of what I learned and with a bunch to share. If you haven’t checked out anything from the Idea Camp – please let me encourage you to do so. Next up is Orlando and the next for me is Las Vegas in September.

Please check out The Idea Camp

Interested individuals should complete the free contest registration online at www.AtTheEndOfSlavery.com and receive a toolkit that includes official rules and guidelines, a digital, high-resolution version of ATEOS, and a series of design files, video clips and audio files to be used with their trailer entry as they see fit.

Guest judges include:
• Phil Cooke, a filmmaker, producer, media specialist and consultant whose work focuses on creating personal and organizational (with a specialty in non-profit and faith-based) cultures where real change happens.
• Craig Detweiler, director of the new Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture at Pepperdine University in Malibu. His documentary, “Purple State of Mind”, won Best Spiritual Film at the 2008 Breckenridge Festival of Film and the Audience Award at the 2009 Tallahassee Film Festival.
• Brent Gudgel, film director who co-directed and award-winning documentary “Dear Francis” about the most HIV-infected nation in the world, which has aired on Showtime, and been used by universities and churches around the world. The latest project from him is DEIDOX
• Gregg Helvey, who directed and produced “Kavi,” the winning film of the 2009 Student Academy Award gold medal, about a young boy who is a modern-day slave in a brick kiln in India.
• Dave Mahanes, a partner in the production company Chronicle Project, who has overseen the production of documentaries, promotional videos and film shorts, including “Dear Francis.” The latest project from him is DEIDOX.

The trailer contest officially ends Friday, September 18, 2009 and entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET to be eligible for judges and audience voting.

Here’s the current trailer

At The End Of Slavery – Extended Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

Grand Prize is:

• A trip for 2 to Washington DC’s Premiere Event on September 30th
• A public viewing of your trailer before the event and recognition.
• The winning trailer becomes the trailer seen by thousands across the country as THE trailer for the film.

Don’t miss out on this chance to play a part in starting a modern-day abolitionist movement! Send in your trailer contest entries, and be a part of the At the End of Slavery movement today!

Sign Up Today