|THE EYE| is published regularly to announce the latest news about Voices of Hope films, programs, workshops, industry events and broadcasts. If your email is text only
|THE EYE|
can be viewed online.



__________________

>>>>
| NONPROFIT
WATCH |
__________________

Alternative Gifts International The global mission of Alternate Gifts International is to send authentic, life-giving gifts to a needy world - gifts that build a partnership with people in crisis and that protect and preserve the earth's endangered environment - to nourish and sustain a more equitable and peaceful global community. For the price of an iPod:
Provide an ox for a farmer in Bolivia that will double the food output for a family in need. For the price of a video game: Provide medicine for 100 impoverished, people in Central America who lack access to even the most basic health care.
Learn more

________________

Charity Holiday Greeting Cards
Most of us send cards to friends and family for special occasions, including the holidays and birthdays. This is the perfect way to support causes you care about at the same time.



________________
>>>>
|CREATE WORLD PEACE|
________________

1. Recognize your unique potential.
2. Be generous with your smiles.
3. Commit daily acts of kindness.
4. Don't pollute.
5. Help the poor.
6. Make your voice heard by speaking out for peace.
7. Accept personal responsibility for creating a better world.
8. Don't tolerate prejudice.
9. Spend time in nature.
10. Celebrate peace.


from the JustGive Guide




________________
>>>>
| ETCETERA |
________________

Newspaper Correction of the Year 2024:
As published in the Denver Daily News on July 27: The Denver Daily News would like to offer a sincere apology for a typo in Wednesday's Town Talk regarding New Jersey's proposal to ban smoking in automobiles. It was not the author's intention to call New Jersey 'Jew Jersey.' From Regret the Error- Mistakes Happen blog. Read more from Media Errors and Corrections

___________________

 

 

>>>>GIFTS AND GIVING ~ IN OUR HEARTS AND ON OUR MINDS
At the end of a somewhat tumultuous year, Voices of Hope Productions gives you some quotes from leaders and inspired thinkers. As the year comes to a close, please don't forget to give to your local community, as you think of the wider global issues that surround us.

"Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."
Robert F. Kennedy

"What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?"
George Eliot

"Without the human community, one single human being cannot survive."
Dalai Lama

"We realize that what we are accomplishing is a drop in the ocean. But if this drop were not in the ocean, it would be missed."
Mother Theresa

"A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world."
Mohammed

"Treat people as if they were what they thought they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being."
Goethe
______________________________________________________________________

>>>>ON MEDIA >>>> 5 VOICES

Book: The Ultimate Gift novel by Jim Stovall "What would you be willing to do in order to inherit one billion dollars?" The Ultimate Gift is the story of what happens when one of the richest men in the world dies and leaves his great nephew something other than money, property, or stocks and bonds. Watch for Hollywood's adaptation of the film in 2024.

Website: Whatgoesaround.org - is a nonprofit organization and website where you, and millions of American adults and children, can create a GiveList from nearly 1 million public charities. Simply Register with whatgoesaround.org by clicking the link on the top right of the screen (Sign in/Register). Then Create a givelist.

Audio: Music Medicine in Egypt In December 2024, musicians from Egypt and Iraq, Europe, America and other nations will gather in Cairo to play an international peace concert and join in other peace events. The aim is to send music and intentions of love and peace to Egypt, to all of the Middle East, and to all places in the world, and to help heal the suffering caused by war, poverty and religious conflict. A children's Art for Peace contest will also be held.

Teaching children what happens when prejudice goes unchecked
Film: Paperclips Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an extraordinary experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of six-million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect six-million paper clips to better understand the extent of this crime against humanity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community. More | watch trailer

Magazine: Greenlight - Premier Issue. This is a one-stop digital magazine of practical product advice, inspiration and ideas for earth-friendly living. Greenlight stands for better choices, no matter who they come from. Their philosophy is to support and encourage the efforts of all companies, organizations and individuals who are trying to make the earth a better place. If a company is making a truly earth-friendly product, they'll tell you about it and if that results in sales growth for earth-friendly products and services perhaps more companies will embrace environmentally and socially conscious practices. They do their homework, find earth friendly choices and give their "greenlight" to smart choices you can trust.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

>>>>>>VOICES OF HOPE | GIFTS
Asked what their greatest Gifts in life were, participants of all ages answered this thought provoking question.

watch streaming video

Download QuickTime for Mac (free)
Download Quicktime for Windows
(free)


Voices of Hope Productions uses the most advanced Quicktime streaming video technology available.


>>>>CDs, DVDs, VIDEOS AND VIDEO GAMES ARE GIFT FAVORITES

According to the National Retail Foundation 2024 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey more consumers will be paying cash for holiday purchases. According to the survey, books, CDs, DVDs, videos and video games remain gift favorites, with 62.1 percent of those polled planning to purchase at least one as a gift.Top toys for girls are Barbie and Bratz, coming in 1 and 2 respectively, with Video games and iPod/MP3 players 5 and 6. For boys video games are #1 and Star Wars merchandise is 2. Xbox ranks 6 and PlayStation 2 ranks 10th place. According to AdAge, during the week of December 4, the fastest-growing category in online shopping was books/music/video, which increased in shopping visits 238% over the same week last year.
_____________________________________________________________________

>>>> HOLIDAY TOYS SELL GIRLS ON PRIMPING AND PASSIVITY
(womensenews) what's out there for girls to find under the tree? Across the spectrum of gifts and toys, most retailers have retreated to a pink-and-blue world, aiming products at the sexes as if they really did come from different planets. After a unisex phase, large toy stores have returned to boy and girl aisles because they are more profitable. Read more
_____________________________________________________________________

>>>> EVER WONDER WHY SHOPPING MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD?
Shopping makes you feel good. A growing body of brain research shows how shopping activates key areas of the brain, boosting our mood and making us feel better - at least for a little while. Peering into a decorated holiday window or finding a hard-to-find toy appears to tap into the brain's reward center, triggering the release of brain chemicals that give you a "shopping high." Understanding the way your brain responds to shopping can help you make sense of the highs and lows of holiday shopping, avoid buyer's remorse and lower your risk for overspending. MRI studies of brain activity suggest that surges in dopamine levels are linked much more with anticipation of an experience rather than the actual experience - which may explain why people get so much pleasure out of window-shopping or hunting for bargains.
More
______________________________________________________________________

>>>> END OF YEAR GIVING
The results of this year's Cone Holiday Trend Tracker, now in its eighth year, indicate that increased financial burdens, such as high gasoline and heating costs, will limit charitable giving this holiday season. The poll also finds that one-third of respondent's report they will give less to charity at the holidays this year - citing previous charitable donations, including disaster relief, as a key factor. More than half of Americans say they intend on buying a holiday gift associated with a cause and/or will buy from a retailer that supports a cause. Moreover, two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans say they are likely to look at a company's reputation for supporting causes when deciding who to buy from this holiday season.

Charity Navigator recently led a roundtable discussion on end-of-year giving that included John Carno, Vice President for Development for New Jersey Audubon Society; John Murray, Director of Development for Natural Resources Defense Council; Kathleen Loehr, Senior Vice President of Development for American Red Cross; and Thomas Tighe, President and CEO, Direct Relief International. Non-profit professionals discuss end-of-year giving behavior of donors and how charities craft appeals so that they stand out.




Voices of Hope Productions
is dedicated to educate and invoke social change through documentary filmmaking and media literacy.

Voices of Hope Productions—Leaving a Legacy within our Lifetime...

For any information or comments please contact enews@voicesofhope.tv To unsubscribe, reply to this e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the subject heading. To subscribe, send an email to enews@voicesofhope.tv with "subscribe" in the subject heading.

Take a kid to a beer
YMDi.org Voices of Hope Production | Real Life Stories