Children/Youth

Despite what you may have heard, tweens aren't all about social networking, iPods, the mall and celebrities. Growing numbers of pre-teens and early teens are giving tweens a new face: a socially responsible young citizen. They're not only doing good in their local communities, but having a global impact. Some have created their own non-profits, and most have websites enlisting the support of kids like themselves who also want to help others.

On the day the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts grew $25 million richer, Trevor Rees-Jones and Rex Tillerson were riding around in a golf cart at the national Jamboree, witnessing firsthand the power of Scouting.

That was two months ago when Tillerson, the chief executive of Exxon Mobil, asked fellow Dallas oilman Rees-Jones to make a $25 million donation to the local chapter. It was a lofty sum, more than anybody has given a regional Scouting chapter.

With many charities facing grave financial conditions because of the recession, Metro United Way is making $475,000 available to area nonprofits.

Traditionally, United Way doesn’t distribute money collected in its annual giving campaign until after July 1.

But Joe Tolan, United Way president and chief executive officer, said that many local nonprofits have been forced to decrease staff, close programs, cut staff training, and limit the number of people served because of funding cuts.

Corus Entertainment's Kids Can Press will donate a portion of its revenues from the North American sales of its upcoming David J. Smith book, "This Child, Every Child: A Book About the World's Children", to the children's charity ONEXONE Foundation, founded five years ago.

Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, names Operation Smile this year’s official corporate cause.  The international children’s medical charity treats facial deformities, such as cleft lips and palates, around the globe.  Cydcor is partnering with its network of independently owned and operated offices to raise funds for the organization.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® and Chili's® Grill & Bar are tapping into the power of the digital world, making it easier than ever for guests to donate to St. Jude during the seventh annual Create-A-Pepper to Fight Childhood Cancer campaign. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness month and now through Sept. 30, guests can donate in restaurants nationwide, online, or via text message. Donations made during the Create-A-Pepper campaign support the St. Jude mission of finding cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic childhood diseases.

Last year, billionaire fund manager Stanley F. Druckenmiller shifted $700 million of his own money to his family foundation. Before the transfer, the foundation had assets of about $6.5 million.

Transferring a quarter of his reported net worth to the nonprofit earned Druckenmiller the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s No. 1 ranking of largest individual charitable contributions in 2009. That year, he and his wife, Fiona, gave $100 million to New York University’s Langone Medical Center to create a neuroscience institute.

Matt Galland, a running back for Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School’s football team, established Rush for a Cause to raise money for injured high school athletes. Photo courtesy of Matt Galland SHARON — Injured athlete Kory Wiita will be the first recipient of a new fundraising effort started by a Northeast Ohio football player. Matt Galland, 17, a Broadview Heights resident and senior at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, established Rush for a Cause this past year. The nonprofit organization will raise money through pledges made on the number of yards rushed by participating high school running backs. Galland said he

All Mail Direct Inc., a direct-mail, printing and fulfillment services provider, announced that it recently made a donation to the Stephen G. Shore Recovery Trust to support its efforts to help patients at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center through the music creative process.

--(PR.com)-- Fundraising and Communication Goes MobileThe Kids In Need Foundation, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to providing free school supplies to economically disadvantaged school children and under-funded teachers, announced it is growing their mobile communications capabilities. This includes text-to-donate capacity through SMS, Twitter and SMTP. In addition, the Foundation has the ability to create mobile polls and broadcast messages directly to donors mobile phones.Supporters can text SCHOOL to 85944 to make a $10 donation to Kids In Need Foundation.*The Kids In Need Foundation is also part of the MobileCause uGive iPhone application. This mobile technology facilitates donations and allows