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247Jewelry is an e-commerce business with 5 stores whose employees are primarily 16-24 year old women. (Check out our About Me and Staff Pages). We sell jewelry, but we are really in the business of mentoring young women in the art of e-commerce. All aspects of business are managed in-house by these girls (HTML, graphics, advertising, souring, etc). Part of being a good person and part of being a good business is conscious of ecological and social issues. The Givingworks program lets us put these ideals into action.
I have heard of eBay Givingworks, BUT what is this “MissionFish?”
The eBay Givingworks program is backed by research and processing of MissionFish. MissionFish is a non-profit who’s “Mission” is to aid charities in the 21st century to obtain funding and make the most of their resources. An approved eBay Givingworks charity is one which MissionFish has background checked and processed the mountains of paperwork needed to accept funding from eBay members. After the sale, MissionFish transfers funds between seller and charity and also handles the paperwork on each transaction.
What can I do to “Shop for a Cause?”
As a Buyer – On eBay, look for the eBay Givingworks ribbon on Listings, a portion of the sale of those items is going to benefit a cause. Searching these items is always benfical to both you and the charity. Raising awareness of these causes may change your life or the life of someone close to you.
As a Seller – Sell for YOUR cause! Both the eBay Givingworks and Mission Fish pages can give you more details. It is easy to sign up through the “Sell Your Item” form. Feel free to email us, we are always willing to help other sellers get started!
As a Charity – You can get registered at Mission Fish and start to sell and have people sell to benefit you
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Kwaze-Kwasa, Inc
Kwaze-Kwasa is a unique organization which gives extremely
impoverished and AIDS infected individuals the chance to earn a steady
income by selling their arts and crafts through the internet and in retail stores. According to their website, "all of the products
are made under fair trade contracts, and every worker receives a
livable wage above local market rates. 100% of total net profits are
returned to the same communities for their non-government grassroots
AIDS orphan programs."
Kwaze-Kwasa means "the new dawn" in isiZulu. This charity truly
provides those living in these devastating conditions with a new dawn,
and a fresh start. By purchasing items through this organization,
every sale provides these people with the chance to earn their own
money and maintain steady employment. Not only do they feel a sense of
fulfillment by being able to have money, they also have the
satisfaction in knowing that they created something beautiful that,
through this charity, they can share with the rest of the world.
This organization does not only look at the issue of poverty in
Africa. They also work closely with credible AIDS organizations
(already established in those areas) in order to enable home-based
hospice care for those living with AIDS, as well as provide children
orphaned by the AIDS epidemic with transportation, food, shelter,
schooling, and other needs. They believe that by teaming up with organizations that are already working alongside those living in Sub-Saharan Africa, they are better able to see their needs, and can better help them to direct funds where they are needed most.
We believe that this organization's unique approach to helping those
who are impoverished and living with AIDS is what makes it so
successful. They are not forcing help on those who need it; they are
giving them the tools that they need so that they can make their own
living, and feel good about providing themselves with a steady income.
We love that this organization empowers the people living in these
areas by giving them a chance to better their lives through creating
beautiful works of art.
Browse items being sold to benefit Kwaze-Kwasa |
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For breast cancer awareness month our company, 247 Jewelry Shop, is supporting the Elka Best Foundation through eBay Givingworks. This organization is a growing resource for cancer patients looking for an alternative to conventional chemotherapy. According to www.elkabest.org, IPT is a "procedure for administering conventional chemotherapeutic drugs that turns cancer cells' characteristic ability to thrive and survive against themselves." It uses insulin to "stimulate division in cancer cells" as cancer fighting techniques work best when the cells are splitting.
Conventional chemotherapy causes many traumatic side effects such as hair loss, physical and mental fatigue, anorexia as well as strengthened cancer cells. Because the IPT hones in on only malignant cells, side effects are virtually zero. The only recorded side effects are nausea and loss of appetite, which were only mild. Cancer patients turn to IPT in order to maintain their active and healthy lifestyle. The last thing anyone wants to do is stop living their life because of pain. By using IPT, cancer patients can continue to live full and regular lives. The Elka Best Foundation believes that chemotherapy shouldn't get in the way of living your life. They are working to spread the word that there is a better alternative out there, and that there are doctors who practice this procedure all over the world.
We believe in the Elka Best Foundation, and hope that some day IPT will be the top choice of chemotherapy patients. By supporting this cause, we are helping to spread the word around the world that there is a better way to fight cancer, one that doesn't interfere with your body and life. This foundation is a great resource for all cancer patients, and works with you to help find a doctor closest to you who practices this procedure. They want everyone to know about IPT, and so do we. We hope that you'll let someone you know about this great alternative, as well as spread the word about the great work of The Elka Best Foundation.
Shop to Support The Elka Best Foundation! |
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The Sports 4 All Foundation is dedicated to helping those with disabilities become active participants in sports. They do this by providing funding, equipment, and support to those who need it most.
Sports 4 All began over 12 years ago by founder Kris K. Salisbury. She was upset by the lack funding and equipment that sports players with disabilities received, and believed that they deserved the proper tools to play more effectively and comfortably. Sports 4 All believes that everyone deserves to have fun and enjoy playing sports. Physical activity and participating in sports are both a vital part of living a healthy, happy life.
Sports 4 All believes that everyone deserves equal opportunities. By helping players with disabilities, they are helping them to life more fulfilled lives. Sports 4 All helps disabled sports participants in three main ways:
- “501(C)3 organizations who serve those with disabilities will be able to apply for funds to match those they have raised for a specific sporting activity or event.” This means that if a group has a fundraiser, such as a bake sale, they can apply to Sports 4 All for funding that matches the amount of money they have raised. This allows these groups to have twice as much funding as they would have gotten on their own. These extra funds provided by Sports 4 All can help any group support twice as many people as they would have been able to alone.
- Sports 4 All also has a scholarship program for extraordinary disabled athletes who would like to attend and participate in a specific event. They may apply with Sports 4 All, and once they are approved, they will receive the funds to be able to attend the event of their choice. This funding gives great opportunities to those disabled individuals who excel in sports, but who may not have been able to afford to attend the event. Sports 4 All believes that money should never stand in the way of a person with talent or ambition.
- Finally, Sports 4 All provides actual sports equipment, as well as funding for groups to attend sports camps or sporting events. A group can apply up to twice a year for either funding or the actual equipment. This may be one of the most important services that Sports 4 All provides, since many disabled athletes need specialized, expensive equipment to be able to play different sports. With their help, any group can become extraordinary.
We chose Sports 4 All for eBay’s spotlight because we want to make people aware of the lack of support that disabled athletes receive. What people don’t realize is that there are other athletes out there, specifically disabled ones, who are performing amazing feats every day and get only a fraction of the funding and recognition that professional athletes get. These disabled athletes don’t play sports for the money or the fame; they play sports because it is fun for them, and they like to interact with other people. They truly do it for the love of the game, not for the millions of dollars they will receive at the end of it. These people deserve an equal opportunity to have fun and live active, healthy lives, and we hope that by supporting them, we can help to make a difference.
Shop to Support the Sports 4 All Foundation!
 
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One Laptop per Child, founded by Nicholas Negroponte, is an organization dedicated to providing less fortunate children in developing countries with an opportunity to better themselves with education. Many of the millions of children being helped by Negroponte’s mission do not even have access to running water or electricity. Therefore they are destined to the same future as their parents, growing up in poverty without education.
By creating the XO laptop, Nicholas Negroponte and the people at One Laptop per Child are able to distribute a machine that allows underprivileged children to access a never ending abundance of information at the press of a button. Negroponte’s work is completely nonprofit; his only concern is helping children around the world learn through the technology of today’s world. For more information on Negroponte’s Mission or to make a donation to One Laptop Per Child, please visit www.laptop.org
A personal story from one of our employees:
" A very wise teacher brought this issue to my attention when he showed our class the episode of 60 minutes where they investigated in depth Nicholas Negroponte and his vision of a more educated world. The video touched my heart when I saw the faces of the young Cambodian children light up as they experienced using a computer for the first time in their lives. It made me think, how can something as simple as a laptop change a child’s life? Well it isn’t the laptop itself that makes a difference for these children; it’s everything the laptop provides. For these children these laptops mean a connection to the outside world, a device that can teach them to read and write, and best of all an opportunity for a better life." - Amber Carrier, Html Graphics Coordinator
Here at 247 Jewelry we feel One Laptop per Child’s mission is one that should be recognized. They are creating an opportunity for children around the world to become educated, which is something we are automatically given in America. Under developing countries are not fortunate enough to provide education to every one of their citizens which is why we should reach out and lend a helping hand!
Shop to Support One Laptop Per Child!
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