Avon Foundation's Hope Honors

Looking for a place to donate this holiday season? Consider the Avon Foundation whose causes are breast cancer and domestic violence. They raised a lot of money this year at their awards celebration, but more is always needed.

The Hope Honors, the star-studded eighth annual Avon Foundation Awards Celebration, honored leaders in the causes of breast cancer and domestic violence at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Since its inception in 2001, the Avon Foundation awards celebration has raised $15.6 million, including $1.6 million this year.

Hosting this year’s event were Andrea Jung, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Avon Products, Inc. and Carol Kurzig, Executive Director, Avon Foundation. Award presenters and special guests included award-winning actor Patrick Dempsey; celebrity makeup artist and Avon Global Creative Color Director Jillian Dempsey; actress and designer Lauren Conrad; personal finance expert Suze Orman; designer Cynthia Rowley; and renowned breast cancer surgeon and best-selling author, Dr. Susan Love.

The celebratory event culminated with a special musical performance by 19 Recordings/Jive Recording Artist Jordin Sparks.

The Avon Foundation, a public charity, is a global leader and change agent in the causes of breast cancer and domestic violence, and Avon is the largest corporate supporter of the breast cancer cause. These issues continue to be of grave concern: there is a new diagnosis of breast cancer in the U.S. every three minutes, and one in three women worldwide is a victim of violence, while some 10 million children witness domestic violence in the U.S. each year. Since 1992, the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade has supported access to care and finding a cure in more than 50 countries. Avon Speak Out Against Domestic Violence was launched in 2004 and has now rolled out in a dozen countries. In addition, the Avon Foundation supports emergency and disaster relief. Total funds raised and awarded worldwide for all these causes exceed $660 million.

Avon Foundation Awards Recipients

Every year since 2001, the Avon Foundation has recognized individuals, organizations and companies for leadership in the breast cancer and domestic violence causes. This year’s honorees included the following:

The Medical Advancement in Breast Cancer Award was presented by Andrea Jung to Dr. Steve Whitman and Dr. David Ansell for their tireless efforts at identifying causes and solutions to the disparity in breast cancer mortality between black and white women in Chicago, where a black woman is twice as likely to die of breast cancer than her white counterparts. Two black women die each week in Chicago, totaling 111 deaths each year, because they do not have the same access and quality of care as white women. Doctors Whitman and Ansell identified this disparity and now lead a groundbreaking city-wide effort, the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force, which brings together every key Chicago area hospital and institution, the city and state governments, and women throughout Chicagoland, to collaborate on ending this disparity.

The Community Advocacy Champion Award was presented by Andrea Jung to The Northern Westchester Shelter, a highly effective private non-profit organization founded in 1980 in Pleasantville, NY, to provide a safe haven and caring services to survivors of domestic violence. Beyond the impact on their own community, the Northern Westchester Shelter programs provide a model that other shelters emulate. The award will be accepted by Executive Director CarlLa Horton. In addition to their efforts to assist domestic violence victims, the Northern Westchester Shelter partnered with the Avon Foundation to create a unique video, which will be shown at The Hope Honors, to increase awareness of domestic violence and provide hope that the cycle of abuse can be broken. The video has been distributed to domestic violence programs nationwide since its completion in spring 2008.

The Women’s Empowerment Crusader Award was presented by Suze Orman to Sandi Gallagher, an Avon Sales Representative from Dracut, MA, in recognition of her personal work on behalf of victims of domestic violence. The Crusader award recognizes an Avon Sales Representative or Sales Manager who has demonstrated outstanding philanthropic efforts in the community. In her Avon career Sandi has achieved the level of Unit Leader, and she is also a dental assistant. In 2007 Sandi was the recipient of an Avon Hello Tomorrow Fund award, a cash award to individuals to support programs or projects that empower women. Sandi volunteers her services to support pro-bono reconstructive dental treatments for victims of domestic violence at the all-volunteer St. Luke Dental Clinic, and she donated her $5,000 Hello Tomorrow Fund award to this program. Through her work at the Clinic, Sandi has helped restore not only many women’s smiles, but also their self confidence and ability to build a new life.

The Avon Foundation Safety Net awards provide funds to hospital and clinics that provide breast health services for the medically underserved in their community. Jillian and Patrick Dempsey presented the 100th Avon Foundation Safety Net grant to the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing at Central Maine Medical Center to provide state-of-the art digital mammography equipment as well as patient navigator staff. The grant will enable Central Maine Medical Center to reach community members in Lewiston and the surrounding rural area, including Somali refugees, and link women in need to cutting-edge breast cancer detection and treatment services. This award will be accepted by Mary Dempsey and Kerry Irish, Director of the Dempsey Center, on behalf of Central Maine Medical Center.

New this year is the m.powerment awards, recognizing programs focused on empowering young women to prevent dating abuse and partner violence. The m.powerment campaign was created by mark, Avon’s boutique beauty brand, and grants were announced by Lauren Conrad to seven domestic violence agencies nationwide. Representing one of the recipient organizations were Tracey Weber from the New York City Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence and Rahquan Brown, a Peer Educator with the New York City Healthy Relationship Training Academy.

The Avon Foundation Hall of Fame Award recognizes the support of companies that have shown a consistent, significant commitment to the Avon Foundation mission. This year Andrea Jung inducted Verla International, a consulting company for beauty product development, manufacturing and distribution; and Li & Fung USA, a leading consumer goods supply chain management company. Both have been generous allies that are helping bring the Avon Foundation closer to the goal of eradicating breast cancer and domestic violence.

Jesse Cutler and the importance of music education

Arts programs are getting cut from school nationwide. Did you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Those schools and their marching bands that participated wouldn't be there without the arts programs in schools. My son and daughter are musicians who are being taught in school to play. My son plays the tuba and trumpet and my daughter is just starting out on the violin. These programs are vital to our children's education.

Who's Jesse Cutler? From his website, "Jesse Cutler has spent an illustrious career, beginning at age 12, as a musician, composer, actor, producer, entrepreneur and even a Playgirl centerfold. Starting in New York City in the 1960s and then in Los Angeles from the early ‘70s through the late ‘90s, Jesse performed with his bands and in the original cast of Godspell on Broadway, made records that saw Billboard’s Top 100, formed his own companies and appeared on TV and radio and in national print."

Jesse Cutler, a Grammy Award-winning musician, is now the author of StarLust: The Price of Fame (Morgan James, 2008). Ten percent of the proceeds of the book benefit music education through the Guitar Center Music Foundation. It's a good cause and a good book.

Link to buy StarLust: The Price of Fame (Morgan James, 2008).

Here is an excerpt from the book printed with Jesse's permission:

MUSIC IS THE MAGIC
The body of my first guitar, that Harmony acoustic, was too big for me at first. Its length and width actually forced me to stretch the muscles of my upper torso, and as I grew physically, I learned how to fit around her and she around me. My guitar became my passion. She was the nurturing mother who would soothe my troubles. She became a true friend with whom I could laugh, sing, cry, and think. While cradling my guitar, I felt powerful, and I progressed in my abilities. As I observed my improvements, as subtle as they may have been, I developed a very special relationship with music. Here was something that responded sincerely to my innermost feelings and desires.

One evening, my father was walking down the five steps to my sanctuary in the basement and seemed quite impressed with my dedication to the guitar that he’d brought home to me. “How would you like to take lessons, have a teacher?” he asked. I just sat thinking in front of my little chrome music stand with the beginner’s version of “Fly Me To the Moon,” to see if he really meant it or not.

I looked up at him a minute later and said, “You know Dad, I would really love to have a teacher.”

Well, there’s a fellow I met in Valley Stream who has his own studio where he teaches during the day. At night he plays professionally with his own band. His name is Joey Polaris,” my father spouted with conviction. “I’ll set it up one evening this week, okay?”

“You got a deal,” I replied with enthusiasm.

My father, a very agile person, quickly vanished, leaving me to continue practicing my song.

A few days later my father came home and told me, “Tonight we’re gonna meet the guitar teacher, Chuck. Be ready after dinner.” My father had a peculiar twinkle in his eye—one I had never seen before. As we pulled out of our garage I felt as though I was beginning the first stages for something in the future, something big and very exciting, something I had never experienced before. After a couple of weeks of lessons, I felt comfortable with Joey, and my father was glad my lessons proved worthwhile. Joey even started coming to my house for the lessons.

After our fifth session, while we were going over fingering techniques, scales, and bar chords, my father came downstairs to the basement and asked Joey if I was a worthy student. Joey replied without reservation, “Lou, your son is not only my best student, but this kid is a natural. In a few more weeks he’ll be playing as well as me. How’s that for a reference?”

My father was delighted and probably felt that his money was well spent. I, of course, was pumped with enthusiasm and motivated to continue until I stumbled upon a tremendously important question: Was I to continue learning to perfect playing other people’s music, or was I to expand my imagination and create my own melodies and compose my own songs? I reflected back to that day when I returned home from summer camp, asking myself out loud, “Are there any more songs left to be written?” The answer, I joyously decided, was a definite Y-E-S!

With that revelation, my hands were untied and my mind was totally free to create any configuration of notes I desired as long as it didn’t resemble any other sixteen bars that already existed. I was blessed like a painter with a palate full of unlimited colors, which could be blended and brushed on an unlimited number of canvasses. My guitar had an unlimited supply of notes that I could manipulate into something that sounded good to me. And I was thrilled. I could excel at this. I had a purpose in life that went beyond merely wanting to impress girls—even though that has always been one of the best side benefits of playing the guitar. Now I could write music. I could create wonderful music on this instrument.

My book on Green Building and Remodeling

My book on Green Building and Remodeling is available for pre-order. It will be out January 9th! I'm so psyched. It's a great way to start off the new year. Not many of us can build a new house in this economy, but how about green remodeling the one you have? Whether you have $50 or $50,000 there are things you can do that can start paying off for you now. Reap the rewards of being environmentally conscious -- save money and do good for the environment! Don't know how? We'll teach you step by step!

Click here to place your order!

Thanks!

Chris Kirkpatrick does good after NSync!

Chris Kirkpatrick and his foundation, The Chris Kirkpatrick Foundation, partnered with The Howard Phillips Center for Children and Families for 2 major fundraising Halloween events that took place in Orlando, Florida over the last few weekends. The events were The Mask Car AID Bash and the Halloween SPOOKTACULAR.

Chris Kirkpatrick, founding member of *NSYNC, along with former band-mates Lance Bass and Joey Fatone, Orlando Magic, Wesley Jonathan, Denyce Lawton and others attended. Both fundraising events celebrating classic Halloween fun focused on raising money for children in need for the Chris Kirkpatrick Foundation whose mission is to enhance the lives of under-privileged children throughout the United States.

Says Kirkpatrick, “I am thrilled to host these Halloween events for my foundation and to have my friends join me in my fundraising efforts which will allow me to continue to create life changing opportunities geared toward enhancing the lives of children through health care, educational and developmental programs.”

I'm hoping we'll hear more from Chris in a future blog post!