Advocacy Archives - Page 3 of 6

07Jan

Wanted: A NEW Year

As 2014 has officially closed, all I can say is WANTED: A new year. There was plenty of good that came out of this year, but there were plenty of hardships, too, and a new year often comes with new dreams, new possibilities. First, the positives: The year took me to places far and near - from the Bahamas to a cruise in the Caribbean to the UK to California (3 times) to the North Fork to the Catskills to Philadelphia. My freelance travel writing career took a new course, which was really exciting and I plan to beef it up in the next year. I had a Read More

15Dec

My Hanukkah Hooplah Story: Celebrating the Holiday with a Special Needs Child (with a Giveaway!)

Posted by The Culture Mom 24 Comments

When my kids were small, I initiated a tradition in our house of giving eight gifts over the course of the eight days of Hanukkah. I didn't have this tradition when I was younger, but I liked the idea of lighting a candle every night and giving my children a gift to unwrap to celebrate. It was easy to go into a toy store and pick up tchotchkes for less than $10 each, or even $1 each (at the Dollar Store). My children didn't ask for anything much in particular and they liked whatever they got. As the years progressed, I kept up the tradition of eight Read More

08Dec

A Human Rights Film: The Long Night

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

It's hard to believe that sex trafficking is happening in America. I always thought it was more prevalent in other countries, but I was very wrong. The crazy, painful truth is that human trafficking is one of the world's fastest-growing criminal industries and it's a monstrous issue in this country. In fact, 85% of confirmed sex trafficking victims are U.S. citizens, mostly runaway children. Often disconnected from family and friends, runaway and homeless children are particularly susceptible to traffickers who will lure them with the promise of food, Read More

10Oct

Giveaway: Tickets to The Love Note, an Anti-Bullying Musical

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

I fully support and love sharing shows with a social conscience. The Love Note is one such show. It's an anti-bullying musical playing in New York City, written by playwright/composer Gail Phaneuf, is directed by Russell Garrett, with music direction by Rachael Ziering, produced by James Farrelly. I have two kids, ages 9 and 11, and bullying is definitely something I worry about. Just look at some of the statistics: - 15% of girls are bullied 2-3 times a month. - It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack Read More

21Sep

Rosh Hashanah: A Time to Reflect, Recharge (and Cook!)

Posted by The Culture Mom 5 Comments

After I deal with my worry about getting food on the table for Rosh Hashanah this year (brisket, pomegranate chicken, kugel, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, to name just a few dishes), I need to take time to reflect on this past year and think about the year ahead. The holiday is a time to renew, to realign ourselves with what we really, really want, to think back on our mistakes or errors and make repairs. The problem is finding the time to reflect. Finding time is as challenging as anything else in my life right now, but having the time to make Read More

12Sep

LiveHealth Online: A New App that Helps Simplify Parents’ Lives

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

Last week my daughter and I got treated to a very special "health" day by the wonderful women at Cool Mom Picks. She was treated to a cooking class; I was treated to an afternoon sipping mimosas and learning about a new app, LiveHealth Online, that can, quite simply, create healthier, safer lives. With the click of a button, you can have access to a physician who can advise, prescribe medication and help you save time and worry. The event was held at Havens Kitchen in New York City, a beautiful space dedicated to the preparation and enjoyment of yummy, Read More

09Sep

Support Women With Breast Cancer with CancerCare. It’s Easy and Important.

Posted by The Culture Mom 7 Comments

I'm particularly excited to write this post because it's SO important. I also just happened to go for my yearly mammogram, so breast cancer is definitely on my mind as I nervously await my own results. As a thyroid cancer survivor, I don't take these exams lightly AT ALL, and neither should you. My mother is a lung cancer survivor and she's been in remission for several years. But we both know the fight is never over. This may be a sponsored post but I feel very passionate about this cause as I have known too many women who have fallen to breast Read More

25Aug

Lessons From ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Posted by The Culture Mom 11 Comments

As someone who’s made many efforts over the years to raise both awareness and money for social causes and issues (i.e. St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Women in Prison, the Mothers of Haiti, Room to Grow and others), I have been fascinated by the extreme success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. At first it was kind of amusing to see the videos pop up by various friends in my Facebook feed and I didn't see what was coming even then, when I had no idea the idea would take off to this extent. But over the last week, as celebrity videos started to appear, Read More

10Mar

Sheryl Sandberg’s “Ban Bossy” Campaign

Posted by The Culture Mom Leave a Comment

Did you know that between elementary and high school, girls’ self-esteems drops 3.5 times more than boys? This profound stat can have a detrimental effect on a young girl's future. That’s what Facebook COO and founder of the Lean In movement Sheryl Sandberg thinks and she wants to do something about it. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Girl Scouts USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez have joined forces with her to launch "Ban Bossy" to ban the word “bossy” as a way to describe young girls, stating that its use leads to negative self esteem and Read More