In the video, Charles talks about Laundry Love, an initiave of JustOne. I wrote a post about Laundry Love a few months ago titled, “Compassion: One Quarter at a Time.” If you aren’t familiar with this very cool outreach, you can read about it here and follow them on Twitter. It blows my mind to think about the huge impact donating a quarter for a load of laundry can have on a person.

I hope you watch this vlog from Charles and are inspired to donate a handful of quarters to this amazing outreach. Also, if you are in the Detorit area and are interested in hosting a Laundry Love day please contact me. I’m hoping to do this locally in 2010 and can use your help!

Charles is the founder of Ideation, a new consultancy that specializes in branding, marketing, social media, and event development. He is also a founding member of JustOne, a NPO committed to addressing issues of poverty, orphans, and slavery. In addition, Charles leads New Hope, a faith community in the Los Angeles area, and is the creator of grassroots efforts including the Idea Camp and the Freeze Project.

You can see all of my 12 Days of Christmas Giving posts here.

If you are unfamiliar with XXXChurch, here’s what is says on the site:

XXXChurch is designed to bring awareness, openness and accountability to those affected by pornography. We are an online community that tours the world speaking at colleges, churches and community centers. XXXchurch.com exists to help those who are in over their heads with pornography, both consumers and those in the industry.

XXXChurch is showing the love of Christ to those Christians often deem unlovable – the porn addict, the porn star, the porn producer. Here’s what pastor Craig Gross has to say about the ministry and ways you can help.

If you would like to give a small (or large) donation to XXXChurch, you can donate here or learn about volunteering here. You may also want to check out Craig’s recent post about the Esther Fund, a fund developed to assist people seeking to leave the adult industry, and a new recipient in need. You can also give here to sponsor me for the annual XXXChurch Bowlfest.

Craig Gross is the founder and leader of XXXChurch and Fireproof Ministries. He is also the author of several books including his most recent, Jesus Loves You This I Know.

Thought about the ministry? Prayers? Leave a comment!

I recently met Lauren Fischer, Communications and Special Programs Supervisor for Ronald McDonald House Charities through Twitter. I love what this organization does help children and families in need of medical care around the world. I had to include them in my Christmas Giving series and am honored that Lauren agreed to guest post and share some information about this important organization and ways that we can help them continue their work.

Every Little Bit Helps RMHC Help Families Access Quality Healthcare
It is true what they say, “that it is in giving that we receive.” I would like to draw attention to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) whose mission is to give the gift of accessible health care and family support to those that need it most this holiday season. We have been providing health care related services to families for 35 years through our Ronald McDonald House, Ronald McDonald Family Room, Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and Grants programs. We focus on helping families access the necessary health care their children need in their communities, and/or keeping families together during that time so their children can heal faster.

During Christmas we hear greetings and best wishes about being home for the holidays, together with family, and spreading happiness and health in the New Year. The RMHC core programs help make these blessings come true for families across the world. RMHC has witnessed lots of happy, inspiring stories this year. I want to take the time to share with you a special story about 6 families who came together under tough times and were able to get the quality medical treatments their children needed because of the Ronald McDonald House program.

Meet the Turnerwagnerbeitzlehmkuhlewydoherty Family
This may seem like a long family name, but for six families in Kansas, they came together as one family during a trying time. This family name is the result of the support, friendship and love they shared at a very special place.

The amazing story of the Turners, Wagners, Beitzes, Lehmkuhls, Ewys and Dohertys began in the fall of 2000, when six women gave birth to seven premature infants. As often happens, complications arose and the babies required long and often difficult hospital stays. To be close to the hospital, all of the families moved into the nearby Ronald McDonald House in Wichita.

It was there that an unbreakable bond began to form. Six families, all going through the same ordeal, came to rely on one another. There was always a shoulder to cry on, a hug to be found or a few simple words to get someone through a bad day. No one ever gave up hope because no one ever felt alone.

And every year since, all six families meet for a very special reunion. Smiles and hugs are the order of the day as six families and seven happy and healthy children renew a very special friendship. A friendship they’re all thankful for, regardless of the stressful times that started it all.

Get Involved with RMHC Today
Please spread the word about the good work that RMHC does, like helping these six families care for their children and forge new friendships in the process. Your support of and contributions to the Charity enable RMHC to continue on its mission of improving the health and well-being of the world’s children. I encourage you to get involved with the Charity by learning more at http://www.rmhc.org, volunteering with your local Ronald McDonald House program, following us online on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, and of course donating.

Every little donation counts; From the small change that adds up in our Donation Boxes in McDonald’s restaurants, which cumulatively raises $18 Million a year to fund our programs, to the $15 online donation you make, which can help stock the pantries at the Ronald McDonald Houses providing snacks and meals for families after a long day at the hospital. I encourage you to give the gift of RMHC today to a family in need of accessing healthcare and/or staying together at Christmas.

If you, a friend, or family member have been personally touched by the Ronald McDonald House Charities please leave a comment below. I would be honored to have you share your stories here. Thanks!

You can read all of the 12 Days of Christmas Giving posts here.

I thought I’d take a quick break from the 12 Days of Christmas Giving series to share a clip from my  favorite movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”. I love this move. The best line is when Annie says, “I was saving this money for a divorce if I ever get married.” Makes me laugh every time :)

I love this scene because it shows what can happen when a community of people comes together to give. Equally important it shows what can happen in one person’s life, or the life of a family, when we learn to receive. Taking is is often more difficult than giving. Pride, ego, shame, and a million other things get in the way. But it’s important to remember that we were made to be takers. God gives, we receive. Now there’s a Christmas gift giving message for ya!

Give generously, receive graciously, live humbly.

So, I’m curious, what is your favorite Christmas movie?

This Christmas, the Owens family is honoring the memory of their son by bringing leg warmers back. Say what?! Yes, leg warmers. Not the Olivia Newton John kind, but adorable, soft baby leg warmers that do more for little legs then make them look cute. Here’s what Karen said about them on her blog:

We are so stinkin’ excited to announce our Babylegs for Kids campaign! What are Babylegs you ask? They are the amazing leg warmers that our little fighter wore his entire life and what many parents of medically fragile children have come to know as a necessity. Having a child with tubes is difficult, but trying to find clothes for a child with tubes can be even more challenging. Babylegs provide a great way of keeping their little legs warm without having to have them in pants.

During hospital stays, many parents find it difficult to keep their little ones warm while dressed in the yucky hospital gowns. Bundling them up in nice warm pj’s is often impractical and unsafe, particularly for children who need to be frequently examined by the hospital staff or children with lots of tubes and wires.

Let’s help keep those chubby little legs warm this holiday season! We will be accepting donations of new Babylegs up until December 21st. You can use the contact our family button on the sidebar of this page to email our family to find out the mailing address. You can purchase Babylegs at babylegs.com.

What a great way to honor our little fighter! Gavin loved his Babylegs and we did too!

Please consider donating a pair of these leg warmers to help the Owens family give back to the A.I. duPont Children’s Hospital.

Gavin wearing his Babylegs.

They can be ordered from the Babylegs website for $15 (and are currently on sale buy one get one free AND free shipping) and can be shipped directly to: Adam and Karen at P.O. Box 985, Boyertown, PA 19512. Also, Babylegs has generously agreed to match all donations, which means you can give four pair for the price of one!

You can see all of my 12 Days of Christmas Giving posts here.

A special thank you to Adam and Karen Owens for allowing me use a photo and artwork from their blog. I can’t even begin to tell you how honored and privileged I feel to be able to share your story. It’s my joy to give to you. Praying for you both!

Rescue: These kids live in fields, parks, streets, and dumps. They are sick, hungry and lonely. We want to rescue these kids by building orphanages that are run by caring leaders.

Restore: Through our Help One Now initiative, once a kid is rescued, we want to help restore their soul. The $35 provides food, clothing, water and education on a month-to-month basis. Trust me, this is a HUGE relief for the local leaders.

Renew: We walk with the local community to help create long term solutions to end poverty. Solutions such as: micro-finance, business training skills, farming, and church planting.

Currently, we serve 100 orphans in Musha Wevana Children’s Home in Zimbabwe. There is currently a massive food shortage in Zimbabwe. Our kids are only getting meat in their diet once-a-month. We want to change that. And we can!

This year, we decided to do a Christmas Fundraiser so we can fund The Chicken Project. We are going to purchase Chickens for the Musha Wevana Children’s Home, so the kids can have protein (eggs) and meat (chickens) several multiple times each week. To get this project up-and-running it’s going to take $5200. So far, we’ve raised over $3000. In the next two weeks we need to raise an additional $2000 for this project to be fully funded. 100% of all donations go directly to the project. (except for PayPal fees)

We would love for you to get involved! You can donate, any amount helps. You can blog our story, tweet this link, and join us on Facebook; it all helps. You also can read morehere, here and here. It takes a tribe to create a movement. A movement can change the world, and we all know the world needs to be changed.

Chris Marlow is Founder/Director of Help End Poverty. You can follow them on Twitter, check out the website, or learn more about the Christmas fundraiser. You can see all of my 12 Days of Christmas Giving posts here.

I had the opportunity to talk to Dr. John Sowers, President of The Mentoring Project, about their organization and their Christmas campaign.

Tell me about The Mentoring Project.

There is a crisis of fatherlessness in the United States. Both Donald and I are all too familiar with what this does to boys and what it does to the community. We also believe that God has given us, all of us, a special call to be a father to the fatherless, and we have an obligation to meet that calling. How can we do any less? So we decided that the best way to meet the need would be providing resources, mentor training, and support to faith communities that have partnered with us by providing groups of male mentors. The next step for us is to then help facilitate opportunities for mentors, kids, and moms or other family members to come together and develop organic relationships.

I loved the idea of creating supportive, faith-based communities to recruit and develop Godly men for mentoring relationships. Why is that important?

We believe that the most powerful and impactful way to meet the need for godly male mentors is to foster communities where mentors can learn, grow, offer support to one another, and become equipped for the responsibility of mentoring a fatherless child. It’s a big calling and we feel that a big support system is necessary to develop sustainable relationships. We also believe that the church is the perfect place to facilitate and develop these communities.

What can readers of this blog do to help The Mentoring Project this Christmas?

If your readers are looking for a cool Christmas gift, they can visit our site to learn about the Christmas Campaign. If they sign up to sponsor a mentor for as little as $10 per month by December 18th, we will send them a copy of their choice of book signed by the author (Nicole’s note: Who wouldn’t want a signed copy of A Million Miles, Crazy Love, or Fearless for Christmas? Watch the video below to learn more) and get entered to win backstage passes to a Switchfoot concert.

If $10 per month is too much, they can pray for us, as we are planning substantial growth next year. Currently, we are focused on mentoring partnerships in the Portland area. However, we are planning on expanding into a national program in September 2010. In addition to prayers, any contribution, no matter how small, helps us to move closer to our vision of meeting the needs of fatherlessness across the country. Your five and ten dollar contributions are important to us and have a huge impact on what we do.

A Christmas Gift from the Mentoring Project from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.

You can learn more about The Mentoring Project on their website and follow them on Twitter and Facebook. Check here to give to the Christmas campaign and order your free, signed book. I’d love if you put nicolewick.com as your referrer. You can see all of my 12 Days of Christmas Giving posts here.

I would especially appreciate if you left a prayer or word of encouragement for John and Donald in the comments.

If you are unfamiliar with Children’s HopeChest, here is some information:

Their mission is to provide every orphan in their care the opportunity to know God, experience family, and develop life skills for independent living.

They provide interventions to prevent children orphaned from war, HIV/AIDS, poverty, and disease from becoming victims of criminal behavior, prostitution, drug abuse, and suicide.

It only takes $34/ month to sponsor a child and transform an orphan’s life.

You can learn more about Children’s HopeChest on their website.

If $34 a month seems like too much to give, please watch this short video that Tom made on his trip to Ethiopia. You’ll be surprised to hear how as little as $1.00 can make a difference in the lives of these children.

12 Days of Christmas from Children’s HopeChest on Vimeo.

Tom is the President of Children’s HopeChest and the author of many books, including the novel Scared. You can follow him on his blog, Facebook, or Twitter. You can see all of my 12 Days of Christmas Giving posts here.

Please consider making a small donation here. If you feel you can not contribute financially, I would love to hear that you will commit to praying for this wonderful organization.

I would especially appreciate if you left a prayer or word of encouragement for Tom in the comments. Thanks!

Thanks for checking out the first post in the 12 Days of Christmas Giving series. I am so excited to be starting this! It is honestly the most fun thing that I have done with the blog so far (at least for me!) and certainly the most important.

This short video explains a little bit about the series and how you can help. I hope you stop by each of the next 12 Days to hear from some of my wonderful friends. Thanks for watching!