Making an Impact: Transforming Lands while Conserving Biodiversity

For Earth month this year, we wanted to let KARMAKARMA impact makers see the real difference they are making by choosing to support our impact partners!

With our partners at WeForest, KARMAKARMA impact makers have planted:

806 trees in Zambia

528 trees in Brazil

158 trees in India

Planting trees in previously forested areas creates a long list of positive environmental impacts, from increased water tables, greater soil health and lower erosion, decreased carbon, and increased wildlife habitat. By choosing to redeem your KARMAKARMA Points with our impact fulfillment partners at WeForest, KARMAKARMA impact makers are doing so much more than just planting trees!

In Brazil, the Pontal do Paranapanema, in Western Sao Paulo state has been hugely deforested. Recently, KARMAKARMA impact makers have planted 528 trees within this area to help connect forest corridors and increase safe habitat for some incredible wildlife.

Some of the spectacular wildlife that calls this area home includes:

The Black lion tamarin: which for many years, was considered extinct in the wild and remains endangered due to forest fragmentation.

And

The Giant anteater: which was spotted roaming our restoration sites. It is estimated that more than one third of giant anteaters’ population has been lost in the last decade, placing this species in the “vulnerable” category on the global IUCN Red List and “critically endangered” in the region of Paranapanema. By connecting previously isolated patches of forest, this project extends safe habitat for giant anteaters.

Thank you to all our impact makers for choosing to plant trees and restore previously lush and diverse wildlife habitat.

 

To learn more about WeForest, click here.

To make an impact today, click here.

 

 

Impact Update: A Dog Named Legend

As a KARMAKARMA Impact Partner, A Forever Home Rescue Foundation strives to help and support as many dogs as possible. This means not only providing for their daily meals, but also providing necessary training and costly medical treatments.

Legend

A Great Dane/Lab and Pitbull mixed pup named Legend was brought to a rural shelter by a family who had had him for about a week. Unfortunately, by the time Legend arrived at the shelter he had been suffering without treatment for over a week with a broken leg.

The rural shelter quickly contacted our partners at A Forever Home Rescue Foundation for their support. A Forever Home Rescue Foundation was able to arrange transport for the puppy and provide the over $4,000 medical surgery, thanks to its generous supporters and the KARMAKARMA community.

Legend’s surgery was a great success but his struggle did not end there. He required physical therapy in order to learn to walk again without his broken leg. This process included a special brace, a lot of hard work and patience for both Legend and his foster parent. After mastering to walk again, Legend faced one more hurdle before he was ready for his forever home.

Legend was a big, strong puppy with little manners. By employing a trainer to work with him, A Forever Home Rescue Foundation helped prepare Legend for a successful transition to his forever home.

Legend is just one of their many special needs dogs and pups that need your support. By helping provide funds to feed their puppies, A Forever Home Rescue Foundation can focus on providing each dog its best chance at thriving.

THANK YOU to our KARMAKARMA impact makers for making a real difference in the lives of dogs like Legend!

To learn more about A Forever Home Rescue Foundation, click here.

To make an impact today, click here.

Impact Update: Completed Well in Haiti

KARMAKARMA users have made some incredible impacts over the years, one of which is fully funding a clean water well in the community of Piedor, Haiti with our partners Generosity.org. Haiti, is a country often hit with natural disasters and is perpetually rebuilding itself for survival. Many communities lack access to clean water and basic sanitation, therefore with your impacts and contributions, KARMAKARMA was able to work with our fulfillment partners at Generosity.org to not only build a clean water well, but provide community leadership training, along with health and sanitation training. Community members will continue to receive inspections and monthly mentoring for up to two years in order to ensure the well’s sustainability and success.

The community of Piedor is located in Fort-Liberte and has a population of 109 individuals. Each of these 109 individuals will directly reap the benefits of this well for decades to come. The Piedor community located near one of the oldest cities in Haiti relies heavily on agricultural crops for their livelihoods. Prior to the building of the KARMAKARMA funded well, community members would walk up to 2 hours to the closest water well in neighboring communities, a burden that often fell on the women and children.

Well Type: Hand Pump Well

Community: Piedor, Fort-Liberte

GPS: 19.57715 N – 71.85751 W

People Served: 109

Thank you to all our impact makers for making this possible.

To learn more about Generosity.org, click here

To make an impact today, click here

 

Impact Update: Supporting our Communities

Lava Mae is transforming the way communities see and serve people moving through homelessness. Founded in San Francisco, California they provide what they refer to as ‘radical hospitality’ to the homeless community. By providing access to showers through their mobile shower system, they provide opportunity, dignity and hygiene to those in need.

Below is a story from one of many lives that have been touched by their impact and your support.

This story is about one of their wonderful guests, Randy – a fun-loving, good-humored and highly personable Lava Mae regular.

“Randy was one of our very first guests when we initially launched our mobile shower service, and has since gone from being a regular guest to serving as a regular volunteer, helping out at our mobile hygiene service at least 3 to 4 times a week!

He’s an exemplary volunteer – always arriving on site early, always helping to keep our showers spick and span, and always eager and curious to learn more!

Originally from Pampa, Texas, Randy is a Desert Storm Veteran who has also previously worked with various traveling carnival companies. Now, his ultimate dream is to create a mobile shower service for people experiencing homelessness in Texas!”

Your impact helps Lava Mae reach those in need, giving them the opportunity to thrive.

To Learn more about Lava Mae, click here.

To make an impact today, click here.

Impact Update: Nepal – The road to recovery

Our partners at Operation USA work hard to ensure that the impacts made by our KARMAKARMA users are being felt by those who need it the most. Check out below, how your impact is making a difference in the lives of those recovering from the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal.

“After two major quakes devastated Nepal in 2015, Operation USA set to work rebuilding a school in the rural village of Fyakse, in the Dhading District. Thanks to support from our donors, including KARMAKARMA impact makers, we were able to help this deserving community in a variety of ways, including delivering clothes, blankets and other items to help families keep warm during the cold winter months, helping to supply temporary classroom structures, equipping the local clinic/medical center with medical supplies, and facilitating the reconstruction of the area’s secondary school. In March 2017, we’ll open the doors of the new school to 350+ students in the area.”

Thank you to all our impact makers for making this possible.

To learn more about Operation USA, click here.

To make an impact today, click here.

A Time for Thanks

The holidays are a time to reflect and give thanks, so on behalf of our non-profit partners and their beneficiaries THANK YOU to all the incredible KARMAKARMA impact makers.

Here are some quotes from our partners in the field!

“We are deeply moved by the kindness that is being shown to us through KARMAKARMA. We might not reach everyone who is choosing to support us directly to thank them personally. However, we wish you to extend our love to all the Hanne Howard Fund supporters within your community and share how much they have touched our hearts.” – Hanne Howard Fund, 2016

“Mahalo to KARMAKARMA for the wonderful support you have provided to our homeless children here in Hawai’i. Providing our poverty stricken children with new outfits truly makes a difference in their world. A new outfit provides a great day at school, self-esteem being clean and confident. A new outfit provides hope for a better day, making new friends at school and a sense of belonging. Your company has made that all become a reality for so many children living in tents, abandon vehicles and substandard situations here in paradise. Mahalo again from the hearts of homeless keiki at Project Hawaii, Inc. ” – Project Hawai’i, Inc, 2016

“THANK YOU to KARMAKARMA! Your support and contribution to Children of War Foundation, has helped transform the lives of children in the Mid-East region with life altering surgery.”- Children of War Foundation, 2016

“Thank you so much to KARMAKARMA for your extremely generous donation to Threads for Teens! We appreciate your support to continue empowering teen girls.” – Threads for Teens, 2016

Click here to explore our non-profit partners and see how you can make an impact! Or, find us on Facebook and spread the word!

Make this your most impactful holiday season yet!

 

Breaking the Cycle of Child Abuse

The Child Abuse Prevention Center in Orange County, CA serves a wide range of families, many of whom are struggling to meet the most basic needs for their children. To help support the work that they do and the families that they serve, KARMAKARMA users regularly provide essential baby care items to those families in need. This past April, the following items were purchased on behalf of our users:

A Baby Gate, a Booster Seat, Diaper Super Packs (in multiple sizes), Pampers Training Pants (boys and girls), Baby Wipes, a High Chair and Infant Toothbrushes.

Thank you to all our KARMAKARMA users that made an impact in the lives of these families. By providing essential care items, you play an active role in the road to recovery and safety for these children.

Click here to make an impact today.

Child Abuse Prevention Center

The Child Abuse Prevention Center is the county’s leading not-for-profit organization focused exclusively on the prevention of child abuse. Our early intervention programs have a well-documented record of strengthening and improving parent-child relationships, working to prevent child abuse before it occurs.

Our goals are accomplished by matching families at risk of child abuse with professional caseworkers who work with them directly in their homes. The goal of intervention is to replace parenting patterns that may lead to abuse and neglect with nurturing parenting styles, as well as to empower parents to become self-sufficient.

The Child Abuse Prevention Center is a 501(c)3 tax exempt entity, the fourth largest not-for-profit dedicated to the prevention of child abuse in the country and one of 100 centers nationwide sponsored in part by the National Exchange Club Foundation for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

Learn more at https://www.brightfutures4kids.org

The Red, White and Blue Event

On April 23rd, 2016 our cause partners at Support Homeless Veterans loaded up a 14 ft moving truck, donated by Superior Moving and Storage, to distribute essential hygiene supplies, clothing and dry food to veterans in need.

KARMAKARMA users led the way in providing new packets of hygienic soaps products to the veterans and was the lead contributor in this year’s Red, White and Blue distribution.

All products were hand delivered to 22 veterans living with Support Homeless Veterans, Inc, 42 veterans with The Veterans Group and 25 veterans through the Philadelphia Veteran Home.

Support Homeless Veterans, Inc would like to thank all the KARMAKARMA users for making a real impact in the lives of veterans.

Support Homeless Veterans, Inc

Created in 2011 to combat the growing epidemic of homelessness among American Veterans, Support Homeless Veterans (SHV) is devoted to bringing quality of life to these forgotten heroes. We are driven to prevent recently discharged Veterans from becoming chronically homeless or suffering from mental health and addiction issues. We offer permanent supported housing as an alternative to shelters, transitional housing, projects, or living alone with the assistance of a section 8 voucher; which are the current options for low-income veterans. In America there are over 67,000 homeless veterans; many of them are disabled waiting for compensation benefits.

Learn more at http://www.supporthomelessveterans.org/

Click here to make an impact with Support Homeless Veterans, Inc.