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Billy Talent, Kardinal Offishall, Sarah Harmer, Lights and Kay are among the Canadian musicians who reflected on their own childhood for a series of online video clips, as part of War Child Canada’s powerful advertising campaign, entitled JAM.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
As the founder and executive director of War Child Canada and War Child U.S.A., the non-profit organization that helps raise awareness and support of war affected children globally through local and international initiatives, Toronto’s Dr. Samantha Nutt has seen her share of atrocity.
In her new book, Damned Nations – Greed, Guns, Armies & Aid (Signal/McClelland & Stewart), in stores October 25, Nutt examines the plight of humanitarianism on the frontlines of such war-torn countries as Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan, with heartfelt and startling eye-witness testimony on one hand and a sober analysis of the realities and actions that would result in a massive turnaround to help end war and suffering.
Nutt, recently awarded the Order Of Canada for her contributions to improve the conditions of citizens in the world’s worst conflict zones, explains in her book why eliminating the gender divide, implementing education and employment opportunities, and installing a stable infrastructure of legal aid offer hope for the future.
On a personal and local level, she offers several suggestions on how people who want to rally for change can get involved, from donation tips and consideration for where your money is going to lobbying for changes to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) policy.
Dr. Nutt recently spoke with Samaritanmag.com’s Nick Krewen about Damned Nations and what can happen when inexperienced people and organizations try to do good.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
After the release of Red Hot + Riot – The Music And Spirit Of Fela Kuti in 2002, John Carlin thought he was done.
The co-founder of the not-for-profit New York-based Red Hot Organization had enjoyed a successful run raising funds for AIDs awareness commencing with the 1990 album, Red, Hot + Blue, a star-studded gathering of artists covering Cole Porter tunes that sold over 1 million copies and set the stage for a series of albums that tackled different musical genres and their respective audiences over the next 12 years.
But economic hardship combined with the changing music industry landscape had made it a difficult climate in which to raise funds. By the end of the ‘90s, “Red Hot’s whole economic model fell apart," Carlin tells www.samaritanmag.com.
It became very difficult to sell anything. The Internet came and took the underpinnings out of the economic engine of the music industry in general. So we sort of shuttered the company around 2003, when we did Red Hot + Riot. I really thought that was going to be the last record that we did.”
Until that point, Carlin and his Red Hot Organization hit a nerve with their records; donating over $10 million U.S. in proceeds raised to different HIV/AIDS charities and relief efforts all over the world.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
Many 16-year-olds likely do not know what melanoma is or that one bad sunburn can double your chances of getting the deadly disease. To help spread awareness about this aggressive type of skin cancer and how to protect against it, the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund (DCMF) released a poignant viral video targeting teenagers and young adults.
Some of the facts it raises: Melanoma is a young person’s disease, the second most common cancer in children and teenagers and one of the most common in young adults.
The five-minute PSA, entitled “Dear 16-year-old Me,” features a collection of melanoma survivors and family members speaking to their younger selves, giving the advice they wish they could’ve received and may have prevented them or a loved one from developing the cancer. Launched May 2, the start of Melanoma Awareness Month, the video has become an Internet phenomenon, ranking more than 1.6 million views on YouTube to date.
The DCMF was launched in 2007 by Toronto’s Sari Cornfield in loving memory of her husband, David, who died in 2005 after a fierce, prolonged battle with melanoma. The fund’s purpose is to promote awareness of the disease, and educate people about how to avoid becoming susceptible to the cancer. Sari says David would have wanted a greater dialogue and knowledge about melanoma and how to take steps to prevent it.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
The founder of Skate4Cancer has evolved his vision. Rob Dyer, the 27-year-old Newmarket, Ontario native who has skateboarded across the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and parts of Australia to raise awareness about cancer, has a new goal in mind: the Dream Love Cure Centre (http://dreamlovecure.org/).
“It’s basically going to be a support centre for kids who are going through cancer, or kids who have been impacted directly or indirectly by the disease,” Dyer told Samaritanmag. “There aren’t a lot of places available for kids to go and talk and share their emotions and stories, especially on the counseling side of things.
“When you lose someone to cancer, I find that there’s not really many places for you to turn, because it’s a life-changing experience. And if you don’t have a place that’s non-judgmental, it can be really hard on kids.”
Dyer knows from personal experience: within a year, he lost his mom, Wendy, his grandparents and his best friend Matt McInnes to the disease.
And he’s not alone: according to stats published on the Canadian Cancer Society website, an estimated 1 in 4 Canadians are expected to die from cancer, with an estimated 173,800 new cases being diagnosed every week.
Dyer’s loss occurred eight years ago, and he admits he fought depression, crediting his friends with bringing him out of his funk and keeping him positive.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
On Sunday, June 19, more than a dozen cities across Canada will host the Father’s Day Walk/Run for Prostate Cancer Canada (PCC). This high-profile event is the second largest awareness-and-fundraiser surrounding the disease in eight months, following a successful worldwide moustache-growing Movember campaign that raised over $21 million towards prostate cancer research and support programs in Canada alone.
Although prostate cancer is the most prevalent form of the disease among Canadian men — an estimated 24,600 are diagnosed annually for a 1 in 6 ratio, with 4,300 lives eventually claimed — it’s a subject that has largely been relegated to the media shadows for far too many years.
Since 2009, however, a rejuvenated and rebranded Prostate Canada Canada has concentrated its efforts in expanding knowledge and awareness of this insidious disease, especially since it’s estimated that 250,000 Canadian men may actually be afflicted.
Prostate Cancer Canada president and CEO Steve Jones feels the tide to get the word out there and encourage men to visit their doctor for check-ups and tests is changing. “The fact is, when we started this reincarnation of this foundation about two-and-a-half years ago, what we saw was that prostate cancer was really on the back burner,” Jones explains.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
After beating breast cancer herself, singer Olivia Newton-John is continuing to encourage women to take charge of their health by promoting The Liv to help women better examine their breast tissue.
“I have co-created the Liv Aid, a breast self-exam device designed to empower and encourage women to perform monthly self-exams,” Newton-John told Samaritanmag via an email interview. “If you love yourself enough, you will do monthly exams and know your own breast health.”
Women can purchase the heart-shaped Liv Aid by going to Liv.com.
After beating breast cancer herself, singer Olivia Newton-John is continuing to encourage women to take charge of their health by promoting The Liv to help women better examine their breast tissue.
“I have co-created the Liv Aid, a breast self-exam device designed to empower and encourage women to perform monthly self-exams,” Newton-John told Samaritanmag via an email interview. “If you love yourself enough, you will do monthly exams and know your own breast health.”
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
