The young woman, “Dara,” steps out of the dressing room and smiles shyly into the mirror. In her designer suit, heels, and coordinated scarf and earrings, she radiates beauty and confidence. Is she a high-powered saleswoman? A college professor? A lawyer? Guess again-Dara was just released from prison last week. After serving her sentence, she returned to the streets with nothing but the clothes on her back. Thanks to a referral from her social worker, Dara is now a client of A Suitable Image in Framingham, MA, whose mission is to provide men and women with clothing that can literally... (Read More ...)

The quiet chatter coming from the basement of the St. Joseph’s Rectory, Maplewood, NJ comes to a halt as Co-Chair, Lynn Blasser, leads a small group of women in simple prayer -a prayer for guidance and strength. Lynn is Co-Chair of Women Build of Newark, NJ, a program of Habitat for Humanity International, which promotes the involvement of women in the funding and construction of Habitat homes. The group empowers women as they address the issue of substandard housing. It is clear that this group of women possesses both the drive and skill needed to raise the walls for a family in need of... (Read More ...)

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and its Ambassadors are pleased to report the progress of its latest public awareness campaign, My Great Story (MGS), which serves to honor and celebrate the 400,000 Americans with Down syndrome. Dayton, Ohio resident Destiny Robinett has participated in the campaign by sharing a story about her daughter Presley Monroe. Robinett bravely recounts the experience of learning that her child would have Down syndrome, “I found out when I was 24 weeks that she would have Down syndrome just by three markers on the ultrasound. I was told from day one to abort... (Read More ...)

Equal Exchange is expanding its unique organic and Fair Trade fundraising program for schools by teaming up with Ten Thousand Villages, the non-profit organization who helped pioneer the Fair Trade model over 50 years ago. Equal Exchange’s fundraising program already featured a full-line of organic, Fair Trade food and beverages and enabled schools and community groups to raise funds for themselves while benefiting small-scale organic farmers around the globe. Thanks to this new partnership the fundraiser now also offers beautiful fairly traded gifts for the home and hand-made tree-free... (Read More ...)