Comfort Zone Camp: Because grieving children need a fun and safe place to go to

Many children are left unaided and unguided following the death of their parents. Relatives may feel at a loss on how to help children who are experiencing grief. Fortunately, Comfort Zone Camp helps create a world where grieving children are not left to mourn alone. Instead, it provides a community that allows children to heal, grow, and lead fulfilling lives.

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Comfort Zone Camp is a nonprofit 501(c)3 bereavement camp open to children who have experienced the death of a parent, a primary caregiver, or a sibling. It transforms the lives of grieving children by understanding their needs, appreciating what they can do, and giving them a voice.

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The bereavement and therapeutic program at Comfort Zone Camp is unique from other therapeutic programs because of the following features:

• Year-round program. Issues may arise any time of the year for grieving children. Thus, the camp provides a strong program and a support community from which campers may draw strength from all throughout the year.
• Free for all children. Children don’t have to worry about the expenses as the program is free for all of them.
• Designed to suit children’s needs. The program is based on how children—not adults—actually grieve.
• 'Little Buddy/Big Buddy’ system. This is a matching system wherein a camper is paired with a volunteer (1:1). The pairing model provides each camper with a dedicated mentor or friend to help in the healing process.
• Opportunities for removing barriers. The camp uses loss to provide children with some ways to meet and bond with other kids who are experiencing the same situation. This makes them feel that they belong, which would help them bid goodbye to loneliness.

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Not all children affected by a death in the family are able to express this grief in the healthy way. At this point in their life, it is as crucial to show them how to do this as much as giving them the love and affection they so need.

Alex von Furstenberg helps children cope with grief by supporting Comfort Zone Camp. Visit this Facebook page to know more of his philanthropic efforts.

Operation Smile: Making people smile for more than 30 years

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 “We believe that all children deserve to live their lives with dignity. And for those suffering from cleft lip, cleft palate, or other facial deformities, dignity begins with a smile.” – Operation Smile

For children who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities, their imperfect smiles are a cause of social stigma and bullying. In addition, such deformities also keep them from living a normal life. Everyday activities such as eating, speaking, and smiling are greatly affected.

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 Knowing a single smile can heal hearts and inspire others, Operation Smile has pledged to bring the gift of smile to children with facial deformities. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile is an international children’s medical charity that “heals children’s smiles, forever changing their lives.” More than a charity and an NGO, Operation Smile is driven by medical professionals and caring hearts with the interests of the children at the top of their list.

In a span of 30 years, Operation Smile has provided more than 3.5 million comprehensive patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries for children and young adults with facial deformities in over 60 countries. To date, the foundation continues its mission, taking one step at a time in bringing the gift of smile.

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 Many big names have been supporting Operation Smile through the years. Celebrities like Jessica Simpson, entrepreneurs like Alex von Furstenberg, and corporations like Johnson & Johnson have been helping Operation Smile bring new life to children around the world.

This website lists the different organizations that Alex von Furstenberg supports.

St. Jude Hospital Foundation: Running for a cause

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Everybody has the power to touch and change another person’s life. One does not need to do a grand gesture – even, running, no matter how small of an act it is, can do wonders in the lives of others.

For the St. Jude Hospital Foundation, everybody can be a hero to children battling cancer and other fatal diseases. Together with Nissan, the foundation is set to hold a marathon on April 27, 2013 at the Centennial Park in Nashville, TN. The race, called Music Marathon and Half, is set to achieve a larger goal of finding cures and saving the lives of the afflicted children. In this race, every runner will be hailed a savior; their every step leads to the increased chances of saving the children’s lives.

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Those who are interested in joining the race to help the children can do so by registering online. Runners must be at least 18 years old to join the Marathon and 12 years old for the Half Marathon. To thank the participants of this charity event, organizers of the marathon will give the runners Brooks Technical participant shirts, swag bags, free admission to the Finish Line Festival and Post Race Concert, and free admission to the two-day Health and Spa Expo. Proceeds of the run will be used to find cures for the children’s health conditions.

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Music Marathon and Half is one of the many efforts of the St. Jude Hospital Foundation in helping young cancer patients. Supporters of the foundation, such as Alex von Furstenberg and Eric Trump, are making it possible for the St. Jude Hospital Foundation to accomplish its mission.

Know how you can help by visiting this blog.

Building better cities

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It is commonly perceived that there is a wide gap between the rich and poor and that they do not share the same aspirations. But this notion is a far cry from what philanthropists do for the less fortunate. For the few who are blessed, their wealth provides the best avenue to create difference in society and help others who were born unlucky. Blessed as they are, the likes of the Rockefellers and the von Furstenbergs are reaching out their hands to those who need help.

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For the fortunate few, most funnel their wealth and money on improving education, health, communities, and the arts. The Rockefellers, the oil magnates, have been in the field of philanthropy since the 18th century. While oil magnate John Davison Rockefeller, who revolutionized modern philanthropy, has already passed away, his family’s efforts are continually felt through the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

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The von Furstenbergs are also noted for their philanthropy. Alex von Furstenberg, the director and secretary of The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, is one of the fortunate few who share their blessings with others. While he is of royal blood, he has made a name for himself in the field of finance and continues to support various organizations, including Friends of the Highline, City-meals on Wheels, and The Fortune Society.  

Know more about philanthropy here.

Charity begins at home: Ways of cultivating sympathy

Charity is one of the noblest of virtues and is not easy to practice for anybody who has no innate compassion for giving. It is hard to be indulgent with others unless one is able to cultivate this virtue at home. This latest Alex von Furstenberg blog update introduces three ways of cultivating generosity and compassion at home.

• Teaching children to give - A giving attitude is a lesson that should be taught at a young age. Encouraging children to gather their allowance money for Salvation Army buckets, baking cookies for hospitals and nursing homes, and donating old toys, among others, can help them grow to become great philanthropists someday.

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• Turning birthdays into a day of giving - Shari Nakakura, a mother of two, makes it a point that on occasions like birthdays, her family picks out a charity for their guests to give donations to.

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• Examining the difficulty for the working poor - Injecting the virtue of charitable giving at home is possible by looking into the lives of the disadvantaged. Parents can also enumerate the things that the family must spend money on every week so they can prioritize their needs over their wants. With their extra money, they can plan how they can give to others.

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The home is the center of society where goodness develops. From the home, that goodness can radiate to neighbors, communities, and the world.

Find out more about Alex von Furstenberg and his philanthropy by following this Twitter account.