New Zealand is one of my favorite places in the world. So when I came across this Kickstarter campaign this week for the American release of the movie BOY, I signed right on up. :) Now if only they were coming to Portland. Foolishness! So Week 8 of the Forkover Friday project is all about New Zealand film. “Inspired by his Oscar-nominated short, Taika Waititi offers a charming, funny, and wild coming-of-age story where everybody has some coming of age to do. Never short on laughs, Waititi’s story is ultimately about three boys (one grown) reconciling fantasy with reality.” —Sundance Read more…

Two years ago this week, I brought home my kitty from the Oregon Humane Society. I’d been wanting to get a cat for a while and after 3 scouting trips, I finally found a lovely little lady that looked like a fellow, (because she has a mustache!). Pets are such wonderful creature. When I first got her, she was a friendly, but nervous little creature. Now she’s a super friendly and often gregarious little creature. :) So Week 7 of the Forkover Friday project is for Oregon Humane Society.. Meow. —Essa, my cat Oregon Humane Society What they do: Find Read more…

I love learning, so when I saw that one of this week’s deals from Philanthroper was towards educating girls in rural India, I knew this would be my weekly pick. $1 can cover two weeks of material support: the uniforms, shoes, books and pencils – all of the things that if a girl doesn’t have paid for, will prohibit her from going to school. So Week 4 of the Forkover Friday project is for Mahindra, via Philanthroper. “One of the big things an education does is it allows the girls a level of confidence to live their lives,” says Ronak Read more…

The news of Komen’s decision to end funding to Planned Parenthood hit close to home for me this week. It makes me sad to see two organizations that are both known for helping women suddenly pitted against each other… even more so that it was for political reasons. Over the years when I’ve been uninsured or underinsured, Planned Parenthood has been a huge help to me personally. So I find if despicable how the right portrays them, as simply: Planned Parenthood = abortion clinic. Planned Parenthood is there for millions of women, providing annual exams, birth control, and other resources Read more…

I discovered a new daily deals website recently called Philanthroper. How it works is that the daily “deals” are selected charities — making it easy and fun to select a cause to donate too. So Week 4 of the Forkover Friday project is for Sink or Swim, via Philanthroper. You know those daily deal sites? We’re another one of those. But instead of selling something, we’re sharing the story of a new 501(c)3 nonprofit every day. And if you’d like, you can give them $1 (or more). We’re trying to make doing good a habit. —Philanthroper Sink or Swim Philadelphia Read more…