31 December 2008 — The United Nations has designated 2009 “Year of the Gorilla.” With gorillas now hovering on the brink of extinction, the UN’s committment to gorilla protection is great news to conservationists worldwide. One group that pioneered gorilla conservation and continues to lead efforts to protect gorillas in their natural habitat is The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI).
Please join us in supporting this worthwhile group. Click on this FirstGiving widget or visit www.gorillafund.org today. Thank you!
15 December 2008 – I’ve always loved the down-home feel of Sears, where you can find everything from lawnmowers to slippers. Over the years, it has managed to continue to exhude community values and has been a strong symbol of American business and culture. This year, despite the very tough economic times, it has expanded its historic committment to those serving in the American military and their families through its ”Heroes at Home” program.
Sears says:
In the past “Heroes at Home” has helped to improve the lives of military families in need across America by making necessary repairs, improvements or modifications to their homes. From now until Christmas Day Sears is expanding their efforts. With the help of the Department of Defense and the USO Sears has created the “Heroes at Home Military Wish Registry.” This registry has over 30,000 deserving military families and personnel on it. With the help of our customers and local communities, Sears is hoping to give a $550 gift card to each of these families. The actual amount given to the families will depend on the final amount of donations received.
Sears customers are able to participate in fundraising initiatives either by making donations in stores or online at www.sears.com/wish.
With many military families separated during the holidays, and now struggling to get through these tough economic times, Sears’ generosity takes on an even higher level of meaning this year.
6 November 2008 — If you haven’t had a chance to check out Social Vibe, it is definitely worth a visit. This fantastic concept brings brands and causes together to raise funds in a brilliantly designed social networking site.
1 October 2008 — Imagine riding a bicycle across 45 miles of rocky, dry, and dusty Africa. Now imagine starting the race on a mountain at an elevation of 10,000 feet! Well, that is just what Adam Roberts of Born Free USA is doing in his quest to protect wildlife.
Adam, Senior Vice President of the Born Free USA wildlife conservation organization, is taking part this month in the treacherous Mount Kenya ’10 to 4′ Mountain Bike Challenge to raise funds for the Bill Woodley Mount Kenya Trust, one of Born Free’s partner organizations in Kenya. The Trust funds anti-poaching, de-snaring, community conservation, forest protection and environmental education on Mt Kenya, a World Heritage Site. This will be the third year that Born Free is supporting the Trust. For more information visit: www.mountkenyatrust.org or www.bornfreeusa.org.
To support Adam’s brave endeavour, make a donation below:
3 September 2008 — It may surprise many people to know that despite a global ban on commercial whaling, Japan still has a whaling fleet that kills more than 1,200 whales a year — including threatened and endangered species such as humpbacks, fin, and Sei whales. Chanler Communications is working with environmental groups including the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to help them communicate their anti-whaling campaigns.
Today, EIA print and TV ads produced by Chanler Communications will begin running across the Caribbean countries of St. Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Grenada to persuade local government officials to support “Caribbean whale watching, not Japanese whale hunting.” This campaign seeks to counter ongoing political and financial pressure from Japan on these small island nations to support its commercial whaling program.
Listen to one of these radio ads: Click to listen.
Then visit EIA to learn more about how you can help protect whales around the world.
A whale is harpooned by Japanese whalers. Photo: Greenpeace.
12 August 2008 — Each year, the fate of thousands of race horses is decided as track season ends. Some will go on to illustrous careers. Sadly, others will be shipped off to slaughter. Fortunately, an increasing number are being cared for at facilities across the country. One special home for ex racehorses is the New England Thoroughbred Retirement Center (NETRC) in Deerfield, NH. This wonderful farm houses dozens of former racehorses who are lovingly cared for by the center’s director, David Sears and his wife Tomi, and their dedicated volunteers. David has single-handedly rescued many horses and works tirelessly to find them new homes throughout the country.
To learn more about the fantastic work that the NETRC team does, visit their website and read their latest newsletter.
6 August 2008 — If there was any thought in my mind that Americans were starting to curb their support of causes, this has been absolutely obliterated. Last weekend, I experienced a top-ten social cause moment in my life. It was the annual Pan Mass Challenge bike race — a two-day bike race that passes through 46 towns in Massachusetts along a nearly 200 mile route. Since its inception in 1980, this event has raised more than $204 million for cancer research, making it the the largest sport fundraising event in the nation. More than 5,000 bike riders take part every year, hundreds of them cancer survivors themselves.
While the number of participants and dollars raised is awe-inspiring in itself, what struck me the most about this event was the numbers of people who turned out to cheer the bike riders on. As I drove down the quaint roads of Cape Cod over the weekend, I passed literally hundreds and hundreds of individuals, families, and groups who had gathered since early morning along the sides of the streets with cheers, waves, and signs. Many did not know the riders personally, but they cheered as though each rider was their son or daughter, husband or wife, mom or dad. Some people had signs naming a loved one that was battling cancer, and cheered out big thank yous to the riders as they drove by. From a cause communications perspective, I was blown away by the power of the images around me. The most powerful is one I will never forget — the image of a mother holding up high over her head a picture of her young daughter battling leukemia, as thousands of riders swept past in a blur of color and social consciousness.
Congratulations to all who organized, raced and supported the Pan Mass Challenge this year. To learn more about this event, visit www.pmc.org.
Families gather at ‘Da Hedge in Brewster to cheer
on riders in the Pan Mass Challenge.
23 June 2008 — This week former vice-president Al Gore set a high bar for the U.S. — become energy independent within a decade. It may sound like a haughty call to action, but hey, why not? Why not set a high bar and push ourselves to re-examine how much energy we are using, and what types of energy we are both consuming and producing. Whether it is doable or not isn’t really what is important is it? What would have an even greater impact would be to push our nation to come up with alternatives and with new ways of appreciating how we use and produce energy. Al Gore’s “We Campaign” can impact and motivate us all.
Chanler Communications is excited to be helping the We Campaign launch its online video channel on www.green.tv.
Watch this video to learn more… then visit www.wecansolveit.org to learn what we can all do to address climate change and its impact on our world.
22 April 2008 — What better way to spend Earth Day than with the whales. This year on Earth Day, we headed out on a sunset whale watch from Provincetown harbor on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, USA. We were the guests of our friend and world renowned humpback whale expert, Dr. Carole Carlson. The weather was stunning, and so were the whales. There were whales literally every direction we looked. Most in pods feeding in and around Cape Cod Bay. Absolutely stunning.
