365 Days of Giving: Donate A Photo Photography Challenge

asouthernmother
December 27, 2016
donate a photo

This post was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

I probably take several thousand photos every year; most of the space on my phone, tablet, and computer is occupied with photos. I enjoy taking photos of Gabe a lot, but I like photographing just about anything. I feel like most are wasted, because I can’t share all of them on social media. I’ve found a better way to share a few of my favorites using the Donate a Photo app created by Johnson & Johnson; I get to share my photos with family and friends, and I can help earn donations for some carefully curated causes.

donate a photo

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Gifts That Give Back: Macy’s Heart of Haiti Collection

asouthernmother
May 13, 2016
Macy's Heart of Haiti

I received merchandise in exchange for this post, however all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

I’m a true believer that when it comes to purchasing gifts, it’s the thought that you put into it that really counts. When Jeremy and I were still engaged, he told me stories about growing up on a tobacco farm. My family had stopped growing tobacco a generation before I was born, so I didn’t remember the struggles they faced. Jeremy spent most of his free hours helping his family work the tobacco field, and getting it ready for sale. I think it contributed to his strong work ethic, and his inability to ever just sit still and chill. Our farm is now home to cattle, a garden, chickens, and honey bees, and the days of growing tobacco are long gone. We were married on Saturday here on the farm, and I had shopped for a few wedding presents for my Groom for the last couple months. His grandfather always carried a silver dollar in his pocket, and to this day Jeremy does the same. Buying a mint condition silver dollar from the year we were married was a no-brainer, but I wanted something a little more. I was searching for something to remind Jeremy of his childhood, and that he could have as a keepsake. Tobacco related trinkets are hard to find. I actually found a gorgeous handmade Oval Tobacco Leaf Tray from the Heart of Haiti Collection at Macy’s. I knew immediately it was the perfect gift for Jeremy. Just like tobacco had been the livelihood for Jeremy’s family for a few generations, it was also the livelihood for the artisan that made it in Haiti.

Heart of Haiti

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Are Your Children Prepared for Disaster?

asouthernmother
July 4, 2015

Did you know that it took nearly 7 months for the last child displaced from Hurricane Katrina to be reunited with her parents? There were 5,000 missing children reports filled following Katrina. These are just a few of the staggering statistics shared by Save the Children to help raise awareness about the Get Ready. Get Safe. campaign. Have you ever considered what your child would do if a disaster hit where you live? Do they know how to contact other relatives? Would they be able to tell emergency personnel where they live and tell them your name? Save the Children wants to help you and your child be prepared in the event of an emergency or disaster.

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What kind of world do you want for your family in 2030?

asouthernmother
May 14, 2015

What kind of world do you want for your family in 2030? I’ve been pondering this question since I left the Mom+Social in New York with Johnson & Johnson nearly two weeks ago; It’s the theme of the Global Moms Relay this year. In 2030 my son will be 30 years old, and I initially shuttered at that thought; What would he see or experience in his first 30 years of life?

Science historian James Burke once said, “You can only know where you’re going if you know where you’ve been.” I often use that quote to reflect upon my own life and the history of my family. In the 1930s my great grandmother Rose Garland Cole graduated from a small college nestled in Appalachia: Union College. In fact, all 7 of her siblings would attend the college and go on to teach throughout Appalachia. I often wonder if my own great great grandmother imagined that all of her children would attend college, especially her two daughters. My great grandmother was born before women even had the right to vote. What kind of world would they have imagined for me?

Most of the United States wouldn’t consider my Appalachian childhood luxurious, yet my lower middle class upbringing in an area dubbed by Kevin Williamson as The White Ghetto, was vastly more opulent than many of the world’s children. My mom and I survived childbirth despite a postpartum hemorrhage, because we had access to proper healthcare. WHO recorded in 2013 that over 280,000 women died from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. I was issued a birth certificate, while UNICEF estimates that 1 out of every 3 children aren’t issued a birth certificate; this can result in the child being denied access to healthcare or an education. Many mothers still have to carry children and walk miles to receive potentially life-saving vaccines, I received mine from my pediatrician or health department. I received an education and I never felt that my education was discounted or disregarded because I was a girl. In some parts of the world there are still wide education gaps between girls and boys. I wasn’t expected to leave school to care for children or to work to help support my family. I grew up feeling that my life mattered, and I believe that all lives matter.

moms plus social good

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ambassador powers and connie britton

In 2030, I want my family to know that their life matters, and that all lives matter. Children shouldn’t have to worry about obtaining clean drinking water or food, and they should have equal access to receiving healthcare and an education. All children should have childhoods.

I think the Mom+Social was best summed up by a group of 5th graders and their teacher…

My favorite part of the entire Mom+Social was this amazing group of 5th graders from PS22. They couldn’t have said it better, “It’s just people loving people.”

Posted by Jessica Kay Urgelles on Saturday, May 2, 2015

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Have you been thinking about your answer to the question, what kind of world do you want for your family in 2030? What kind of legacy do we want to leave for the next generations? Maybe you’ve moved beyond those questions, and you’re wondering what you can do to help future generations?

  • Join the Global Moms Relay from now until June 19th. Every time you share the daily post from the Relay, Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 (per social network share) to one of four organizations. UNICEF, MAMA, Shot@Life, and Girl Up will each benefit from the Global Moms Relay.
  • Donate A Photo everyday! Johnson & Johnson will donate $1 for every photo (up to 1 photo per day) that is shared through the Donate A Photo app. You can select which organization or cause you would like to donate the photo to. You can currently donate to two Global Moms Relay organizations Girl Up and Unicef, and several other causes.
  • Share and Inspire. Tell you’re family, friends, and especially your own children what kind of world do you want for them in 2030.

Videos from Mom+Social Good are available here.

Disclaimer: I’m a Johnson & Johnson Social Influencer for Social Good, and I received travel expenses to the Mom+Social, however all opinions contained in this post are entirely my own. 

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The Night I Don’t Remember

asouthernmother
February 17, 2015

My twentieth birthday party was a doozy; I barely remember a thing from that night. I was attending school at a small liberal arts college in my hometown, and I had a cheerleading scholarship.
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I was trying to juggle a rigorous pre-medical course load, college cheerleading, and a part-time job. A few of the girls on my squad were helping to throw me a “party” on the edge of campus; the host was a guy I had kinda started seeing. After a night of drinking, I woke up in a room that I had never seen before, wearing someone else’s clothes, with the urge to vomit, and feeling like I was rolling in a hamster wheel that I couldn’t get out of. I can’t even remember who supplied the booze that night. Back in my day we couldn’t just search “reddit fake id” and get an abundance of suppliers. So, we could never be fussy with the booze we got our hands on.

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A #DeedADay & 100 Good Deeds

asouthernmother
December 29, 2014

Some estimates suggest that nearly 40% of Americans make at least one New Year’s resolution; most of those resolutions are for self-improvement. What if you could make a resolution that would not only improve your life but also improve the lives of those around you, and possibly impact someone halfway around the world? Have you considered pledging to perform 100 “good deeds” in 2015 or purchasing a 100 Good Deeds bracelet? Wear a 100 Good Deeds bracelet as a reminder to keep your resolution to perform 100 good deeds in 2015.

100 Good Deeds Bracelet

 

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Thanks & Giving: ONE Campaign Petition for GAVI

asouthernmother
November 12, 2014
#everyparent

One of the most valuable gifts we can give to someone else that we can’t get back is our time. What if just a few seconds of your time could alter the life of child in need? I’m not asking you to donate money, clothes, or food. I want you to take a few minutes to read this and just a few seconds to act. On Friday, November 14th the ONE campaign will deliver a petition to the White House asking for help replenishing GAVI (Vaccine Alliance) vaccines. Did you know that every 20 seconds a child dies of a vaccine preventable disease? These vaccines would be available to over 6 million children.

I believe that #everyparent regardless of where they are should be able to watch their child grow up and live a healthy life.

Moments like this……..

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