Events in Your Area

PORTLAND, OREGON:

Choice of Business Form

When: Wednesday, January 21, 2009: 6:30-7:30 pm

Where: Mercy Corps Northwest Office 2069 NE Hoyt St., Portland

Event Description: Have You Registered Your Business? Mercy Corps Northwest is hosting a seminar presented by Douglas Tsoi and Josh Smith of the Alto Law Group on choosing the best legal form for your business.

Cost: $5 for Mercy Corps Northwest clients, $10 for community members. All proceeds benefit Mercy Corps Northwest programs.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Heather at hswientek@mercycorpsnw.org or 503.236.1580 x211

More Information: Please check our website after 12:00 p.m. the day of the seminar to verify that the class has not been cancelled due to insufficient RSVPs.

Learn More about Mercy Corps Northwest at MercyCorpsNW.org and about and Alto Law Group at AltoLawGroup.com

E-Commerce for Your Business, Resources and Tools

When: Wednesday, January 28, 2009: 6:30-8:00 pm

Where: Mercy Corps Northwest Office 2069 NE Hoyt St., Portland

Event Description: Adam Stites, President Xtremez.com, presents E-Commerce tools for your business. Learn what tools and resources exist to increase your businesses' sales through e-commerce. Whether you are currently selling online or are considering a transactional website, you'll walk away with actionable next steps to grow your business online.

Cost: $5 for Mercy Corps Northwest clients, $10 for community members. All proceeds benefit Mercy Corps Northwest programs.

RSVP: Please RSVP to Heather at hswientek@mercycorpsnw.org or 503.236.1580 x211

More Information: Please check our website after 12:00 p.m. the day of the seminar to verify that the class has not been cancelled due to insufficient RSVPs.

Learn More about Mercy Corps Northwest at MercyCorpsNW.org and about and Xtremez at www.xtremez.com

COLUMBUS, OH:

African Youth League's Loose Change for Congo

When: January 8th -February 28th 2009

Where: Ohio State University, At the Oval, 153 W.12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210 

Description: Members of African Youth League (AYL) were inspired to move a step forward to be the change in Congo. The war in Congo has been termed ‘Africa's first world war' because of its vastness and the inclusion of seven other African countries. It has claimed the lives of up to 4 million people since 1998. According to BBC, more that 1200 people die each day as a direct or indirect result of the conflict. Many have suffered indirect abuses like sexual slavery, rape, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. War has disrupted trade, farming and education. The country lacks infrastructure to provide adequate food, clean water, health care, and education.

Each day, Mercy Corps delivers more than 158,500 gallons of clean water to displacement camps and remote communities. So AYL decided to do a fundraiser, and the funds will go to Mercy Corps to assist in their efforts in the Congo.
Members of the organization will be strategically placed around the campus with jars to collect donations (coins and paper currencies) from students and staff members. The event is going to be concluded at AYL's freedom ball on February 28th, 2009.

The Freedom Ball is an annual event hosted by African Youth League. It is a time for the organization to reflect back on its achievements, make friends and allow families to come together to celebrate the freedom of every African country, and a time to make new friends for networking purposes. There will be guest speakers, cultural performances, cuisines and motivating stories of the purpose of the penny drive.

More Information: To learn more about the AYL visit ayl.org.ohio-state.edu and about Mercy Corps' programs in the Congo "a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/countries/congo/2370">Here

ONLINE:

Get Motivated Book: 4% of Proceeds donated to Mercy Corps

When: Ongoing

Where: Buy the book online at GetMotivatedBook.com

Description: Author and motivational speaker, Tamara Lowe, is making a significant contribution to children's charities including Mercy Corps through the publication of her forthcoming book, Get Motivated! In her book, Tamara reveals the six simple factors that are at the very heart of human motivation.

Order now and receive free gifts worth $700: 2 Free tickets to the Get Motivated Seminar, a Motivational DNA Profile, and the Masters of Motivation Audio Coaching.

Slated for publication in 2009, Get Motivated! is now on pre-sale. Order your copy today and indicate you'd like to support Mercy Corps and 4% of the retail price will be donated to Mercy Corps programs.

More Information: Learn more about Mercy Corps programs for children by Clicking Here. Learn more about Tamara Lowe Here

Higher Ground Roasters Mercy Corps Blend Coffee: 62 cents of each purchase donated to Mercy Corps

When: Ongoing

Where: Buy this 100% Fair Trade Coffee online at highergroundroasters.com, and soon in specialty stores.

Description: Higher Ground Roasters is committed to produce the highest quality coffee and to give back to the local and global community. Based in Alabama, Higher Ground has created a Mercy Corps Blend. Savor this great coffee, knowing that 62 cents from each purchase advances Mercy Corps' efforts to alleviate poverty and suffering in more than 30 countries around the world.

Mercy Corps Blend: Starting at $8.49 for 12 oz.

BETTER BEANS, 100% ORGANIC, FAIR TRADE, SHADE GROWN COFFEE

Composed of the choicest Central and South American coffees, this exotic blend is very dark—bold and nutty, full bodied, with a sweet finish.

All of Higher Ground's coffees are Fair Trade, organic, and shade grown. Fair Trade certification enables the farmers who grow our coffees to keep their family owned farms and benefit from economic and educational programs, while growing a great organic crop. Our coffees are also grown in the shade of the forest canopy—preserving ancient forests and natural habitat for innumerable species of plants and animals.

More Information: To learn about Higher Ground Roasters and their mission, please visit their website HigherGroundRoasters.com

Glorious Gifts launches the Peace and Mercy Campaign to benefit Mercy Corps

When: Ongoing.

Where: Online at UniversalPeaceSymbol.com and 4GloriousGifts.com

Description: Glorious Gifts launches a new product, the Universal Peace Symbol, to kick off the start of the new Peace and Mercy Campaign. The Universal Peace Symbol decorative globe features a silver mirror start at its center. The star shows your reflection, reminding the holder that peace begins in your heart and you can be the change.

Mary Margaret Cannon, owner of Glorious Gifts, designs and sells "gifts with meaning." At the heart of Cannon's own personal journey, is her experience of homelessness and addressing other challenges in life with a spirit of gratitude and joy. The Peace and Mercy Campaign is Cannon's commitment to "give back" in thanksgiving for all of life's blessings and challenges.

The Universal Peace Symbol is a unique peace design for the 21st Century to foster global unity and harmony and support Mercy Corps. For each Universal Peace Symbol sold, Glorious Gifts will donate 25% of proceeds to Mercy Corps.

Browse other products from Glorious Gifts because for all other designs sold, 10% of sales benefit Mercy Corps.

I Heart Single Parents, Online Community for Single Parents - Half of all contributions to be donated to Mercy Corps Programs

When: Ongoing.

Where: iheartsingleparents.com

Description: iheartsingleparents.com is an online community dedicated to improving the lives of single parents. It was started by two single moms, Clare Bean and Morgan Siler, with a passion for changing the stigma that is often associated with being a single parent. They want to help single parents feel less isolated, and believe that when a parent feels fulfilled and happy on the inside, they will be a better, more effective parent.

The community aims to bring single parents of all walks of life together in a fun, uplifting, and supportive environment through the use of discussion forums, blogs, personal pages, chat, and other ways of connecting online.

In addition to providing a place for support and camaraderie online, the founders believe in giving back. One way for single parents to get out of a victim mentality is to look outside their lives at the world and take time to learn about issues around the world. To that end, they have decided to share Mercy Corps programs to their community and feature a different one each month. The parents on iHeartSingleParents.com have the option to give money to help support the community, and half of all the funds will go to the Mercy Corps program featured at that time.

Van Beek Kids Launches the Peek-A-Boost High Chair - Portion of Sales Support Partner Charitable Organizations

When: Ongoing

Where: www.vanbeekkids.com

Description: Van Beek Kids LLC, a family-owned furniture company dedicated to supporting global humanitarian organizations, recently launched the sale of the Peek-A-Boost High Chair. With its solid-wood construction that surpasses industry standards and its antique-inspired design, the Peek-A-Boost High Chair is an achievement in safety, elegance and functionality. Also, Van Beek Kids (VBK) is committing $50 of every Peek-A-Boost sale to one of five charitable organizations that combats poverty among women and children.

Van Beek Kids' partners for change are all dedicated to serving the needs of poor women and children both in the U.S. and around the globe. These great organizations include Mercy Corps, The New York Women's Foundation, Scrolls from China, Stephen's Children Foundation and Women for Women International.

More Information: www.vanbeekkids.com

Kids Clothing and Accessories Line, Dishy Duds, Launches New 'Make Your Own Monster' T-shirts. 10% of All Dishy Duds Sales Benefit Mercy Corps' Work in Darfur, Sudan.

When: Ongoing

Where: www.DishyDuds.com

Description: Springboarding off of one of their most popular items, the "Monster Tee," Dishy Duds has introduced an exciting new feature to their website that allows kids (and kids at heart!) to design their very own custom-designed, monster-emblazoned t-shirts.

More Information: Headquartered in Portland, OR, Dishy Duds offers a whimsical line of clothing and accessories for kids and moms. Dishy Duds also works tirelessly to help spread the word about Darfur, Sudan. Currently, Dishy Duds donates ten percent of their profits to Mercy Corps for the Darfur Crisis, which provides humanitarian aid to refugees in the region. In addition to its charitable pursuits, Dishy Duds ensures that all of their business practices are undertaken in the most environmentally friendly way possible.

If you would like your Mercy Corps related event to be posted on our website, please contact Minda Seibert, Community Relations Officer, by emailing her at mseibert@mercycorps.org