The eBay Givingworks program is a way for eBay sellers to support causes which they think are important. The program gives each individual eBay seller an opportunity to show the community what it thinks is important and educate the community about those causes. Support for each cause is two-fold: financial and awareness.

     Take some time to read our About Me and Staff pages and you will find that we are an e-commerce business with 5 stores whose employees are primarily 16-24 year old women. This business is actually a mentoring program where young women teach each other business. We feel that giving back and being aware of environmental and social issues is a very important part of daily life and the ethical responsibility of business. We are using the Givingworks program to teach this to put the idea into practice and teach this to our employees.

eBay Givingworks and Mission Fish.. HOW ARE THEY RELATED?

     The eBay Givingworks program is backed by the resources of MissionFish. MissionFish is a non-profit who seeks to use technology to enable charities to more easily obtain funding and use resources. Before a Charity is listed in the Givingworks program, MissionFish has ensured that charity as being a legitimate non-profit which is in accordance with the moral code of the eBay community. MissionFish also manages the transfer of funds between seller and charity and all tax documentation. MissionFish is the behind the scenes facilitation engine of the Givingworks program.

How can I get involved?

As a Buyer – When shopping, be sure to look for the eBay Givingworks ribbon on eBay Listings, some portion of the sale of those item is going to benefit a cause. Even if you are not interested in buying the item the knowledge you gain about of that charity may change your life. You can also choose to just donate to the charity direct through that charities eBay Givingworks page.

As a Seller – Sell to benefit your favorite causes! Check out the eBay Givingworks and MissionFish pages and show your social consciousness! We are always happy to help other sellers get involved with the program. Do not hesitate to email us!

As a Charity – Check out the MissionFish page and get yourself registered! You can sell to benefit your own charity or others can sell to benefit you!

Check out the charities we think are important:

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!

     The Sports 4 All Foundation is commited to helping individuals with disabilities become active participants in sports and other recreational activites. They do this by supplying funding, equipment, and support to those who need it most.

Sports 4 All is a small, hardworking foundation who have achieved extraordinary things due to their dedication and passion for the cause.

Since the beginning of 2007, Sports 4 All Foundation has served:

•1347 people with disabilities through donation of

•231 pieces of gear to

•22 agencies in

•6 states and

•11 counties in the United States

Sports 4 All believes that everyone deserves equal opportunities, and 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:

1) “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, they can apply for funding that will match the amount of money they have already raised. The extra funds provided by Sports 4 All

2) 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.

3) 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 picked Sports 4 All for eBay’s spotlight because 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 theprofessional athletes get. These individuals don’t play sports for the money or the fame; they play sports because it is fun for them, and they get to try something new. Thanks to Sports4All, disabled athletes are finally getting an equal opportunity to have fun and live active, healthy lives. We hope that by supporting them, we too can make a difference.

Shop to Support the Sports 4 All Foundation!

    One Laptop per Child, founded by Nicholas Negroponte, is an organization dedicated “to create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.” Many of the millions of children being helped by Negroponte’s mission do not even have access to running water or electricity. With the help of this educational laptop, these children will be armed with the greatest gift they could receive: knowledge.

A personal story from one of our talented employees:
" I was made aware of this charity during one of my classes. My teacher showed an 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 as they experienced using a computer for the first time, 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 and Graphics Coordinator

Here at Bakelite Johnny’s, we feel One Laptop per Child’s mission is one that should be highly recognized. They are providing a very unique type of aid for the worlds children, and are giving them opportunities they would have never had otherwise. We take advantage of education in America because it is the norm, but in these third world countries, most children grow up not knowing how to read or write. We believe that by supporting One Laptop per Child, we are helping to make a difference not only for the children, but we’re helping them to gain knowledge that they can use to have a better life.

For more information on Negroponte’s Mission or to make a donation to One Laptop Per Child, please visit www.laptop.org

Shop to Support One Laptop Per Child!