I first became a participant in this group’s quest to green the earth with trees, when I received a gift membership in 2001. As part of the membership package, I obtained 10 trees (aka “sticks”) and one lilac bush. None of the sticks survived, but the lilac bush has grown over seven feet tall. I joined the Arbor Day Foundation again in 2010 and am hoping to do a better job nurturing the seedling trees this time around. For a small donation, you can get your own forest at www.arborday.org.

After attending the local Alzheimer’s Association “Reasons to Hope” fundraiser breakfast, I felt compelled to help. Over 5 million Americans are currently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to mushroom to 10 million as Baby Boomers age. The toll that this disease takes on the family is heart breaking. Become familiar with the signs and symptoms online at www.alz.org.

If there is one cause that could be identified as “my cause,” this is it. I lost my father to leukemia in 2006. I also learned a tremendous amount about blood cancers via his journey from a pre-leukemia condition (which took 2+ years to correctly identify) to 18 months of full-blown leukemia. Blood-related illnesses are incredibly complex, difficult to treat, and can be hard to diagnose. You can find out more at www.lls.org.

Purpose Pies, a private bakery located in Hong Kong, was started by a former colleague to help fight hunger and homelessness in her new country of residence. All proceeds are contributed to Hong Kong area ministries, with the bigger goal of growing Purpose Pies into a large enough business to support the hiring of local people in need. KarenWorx is proud to have donated all creative writing services for the launch of www.purposepies.com.

On the other side of the world is this amazing group, led by a couple who receive no salaries for their work. The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WRC) saves approximately 2,000 injured and abandoned native Florida creatures each year, surviving on monetary and in-kind donations from volunteers, members, veterinarians and corporate partners. The work is difficult and dirty, but I can tell you from experience that there is nothing like hand-feeding a fawn or seeing a bald eagle set free to fly again! Animal lovers will want to visit the WRC site at www.wildlifecenterflorida.org.