Something Missing from Our Fourth of July Celebrations

"It was such a curious omission. Last September, in a speech at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama was taking his audience on a quick tour of early U.S. history when he referenced a line from the Declaration of Independence, whose 135th anniversary we will celebrate next week."

Read more here.

Face to Face With a Mother’s Pain

"Journalist Nicholas Kristof shares the story of an encounter in Africa that touched his heart. Kristof shows that not all journalists are cold and detached. He offers ways that each of us can make a difference."

Click here for more on Kristof's story.

Food safety campaign rolls out nationwide this week

"One ad shows a pig in a sauna. Another reads: 'Fresh Bacteria Casserole. MMMM.' While still another reads: 'Now Serving Salmonella, With a Side of E. Coli.'”

Click here to read more.

All cribs now must pass tough new safety rules

"Starting Tuesday, it will be illegal in the U.S. to sell or even donate a crib that fails to meet the toughest crib safety rules in the world."


Learn more here.

Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) Join CARE on Capitol Hill for Release of Major Report on the State of Microfinance in Africa

"Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) will join CARE today at 2:30 p.m. in room G-11 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building for the release of CARE's second major report on the state of microfinance in Africa. Senators Bennett and Boozman are exploring legislation to improve U.S. microfinance programs."

Read more here. 

Making a Wiffle Ball

"Ah, summer! Give a group of kids a Wiffle Ball and bat and room to play and perfection is at hand. How did the perfect summer play accessories come to be? Well, the story is one of family and baseball and ingenuity..."

More about the summer icon is here.

Self-help program graduates get off welfare and plan for the future

"One became a licensed practical nurse and another is a dental assistant. In the past, graduates of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program put a down payment on a house, opened a business or became a chef.

The program is voluntary and helps Section 8 housing aid recipients become economically independent over a five-year period."

Click here for more on this program.

On World Refugee Day, the 'real problems are only beginning' for Ivory Coast refugees, says World Vision

"As the international community marks World Refugee Day today, Christian humanitarian organization World Vision is concerned about the plight of more than 200,000 refugees from the Ivory Coast. Forced to flee from political violence in their home country, more than 16,000 refugees remain in neighboring Ghana, unwilling to return even after months of displacement."

Read more here...

New-fashioned canning methods are all the rage, (labels included)

"For the past few years, New Orleans resident Carter Sheets has been canning his own traditional and Thai barbecue sauces, ketchup, salsa and pickles.

'I like canning because I like to cook, and I like making my own condiments, vegetables, whatever you happen to be canning. It's just fun. It's an enjoyable process for me, a stress reliever.'"




Click here for more, including a great recipe.

Playing to Learn: Dominica’s Roving Caregivers

"Learning is fun — for children and for parents. That’s what families in Dominica have learned firsthand from ChildFund Caribbean’s Roving Caregivers program. Trained caregivers visit with parents at home and teach them to play with their children in ways that enhance their development, fostering motor, language, social and other skills. And now the program is poised to expand."

Watch the video here.

New High-School Graduate Finds Sponsorship ‘Humbling’

"Some time ago, in a suburban Massachusetts town, high school student Maria Hadley made a New Year’s resolution to 'do something better.' She didn’t know it would lead to her touching the life of a young boy living in poverty a world away."

Read more here.

We Need Better Experts: Crime and Poverty

"Stated plainly, crime is a moral and cultural problem. Until we understand this (which we’ve seen close-up at Prison Fellowship) we will never address the problem in a way that makes a difference."

Click here for more of Chuck Colson's commentary.

How can journalists help prevent genocide?

"Like so many subjects, human rights violations stir strong emotions. How can journalists on the scene respond without exacerbating a situation? This video provides a calm look at how a journalist can help without making things worse."

View the video here.

Long-lost sisters meet after nearly 50-year search

"Adoptee LeiAloha Fowler spent almost 50 years looking for her birth mother but instead her search led to Bobbie Holcomb, the younger sister Fowler never knew.

The two women were breathless when they finally hugged each other at Holcomb's Sacramento home.  Fowler, 66, had come from Kansas to see her."

Click here to read more and view the video.

Dog and girl an unlikely, winning pair

"The more you learn about Joy Lauffenburger and her dog, Goldie, the more amazed you will be.

Joy is an 18-year-old high school senior from Oklahoma who was diagnosed with autism as a 7-year-old. Goldie is her closest friend, a 9-year-old basenji mix who at one point was in a high-kill shelter, on the verge of being euthanized, and who has become a certified therapy and service dog. More, though, she has become the love of Joy's life."


Read more about this remarkable duo here.

Save the Children Asks, 'How Do You Choose Your Plate in a Food Desert?'

"Last week, the USDA launched its replacement to the iconic food pyramid with ChooseMyPlate.gov—an easy-to-understand guide for how your plate should look with the balanced portions of fresh, healthy protein, grains, fruit, vegetables and dairy. It notes that 'half your plate' should be filled with fruits and vegetables."

Read more here.

Extreme God Makeovers Can Move that Mountain!

"Writer Michele Starkey reflects on Mark 11:22 and how God can move that mountain for you."

Read Michele's insights here.

Pocket Angels Crafts

"Do you have one or more Pocket Angels? You know, those coin-sized medallions with an image of an angel inscribed on it. They come with attached to a prayer or thought for you and bring encouragement.

If you have a couple and would like some ideas for things to do with them, check out this article."

Click here to read the article.

Parents: Do you know where your kids are this summer? The answer could be a matter of life and death

"While gang membership and some violent crime levels are on the rise, a new study commissioned by international charity World Vision says nearly half (45 percent) of U.S. adults believe 'lack of adult supervision' is the main cause of gang violence among youth."


Learn more about the study here.

Breast cancer drug with fewer side effects found to cut risk of tumors

"Exemestane, sold under the brand name Aromasin, can reduce the risk of tumors by 65% among post-menopausal women prone to develop breast cancer, researchers say. It's already used to treat breast cancer and does not appear to have the potentially lethal side effects of tamoxifen or raloxifene."

 

Click here for more. 

Military 'MASH' medicine makes civilians healthier, too

"While soldiers and sailors risk life and limb to defend their country, their sacrifices make health care better for civilians, too. How military or MASH-style medicine is improving health on the home front was among the topics discussed at an Orlando conference this week."

Click here to read more.

Local man's mission takes wheelchairs to disabled children in Zambia

"Next week, Don Schoendorfer, a local man-with-a-mission and founder of Free Wheelchair Mission based in Irvine, CA, will travel to Zambia with World Vision to launch a 12-country distribution of custom-fit wheelchairs to benefit people with disabilities in the developing world."

Read more here.

As hurricane season begins, World Vision designates North Texas as national hub for disaster response

"Despite warnings that the 2011 hurricane season could be busier than average in the Atlantic*, Gulf State residents are more prepared than ever to respond to survivors in damaged areas thanks to World Vision’s grand opening of the organization’s Domestic Disaster Headquarters in North Texas. The organization’s new 56,000-square-foot facility contains 1,000 pallet spaces of relief and recovery materials ready to deploy anywhere nationwide."

Click here for more.