As the mother of a special needs child, I have a strong awareness about how children are treated and perceived by society. When someone knocks him down, they knock me down, and I question why people don’t see him for who he is – which is basically a rock star. I’ve been hurt by other mothers who have excluded him from their children’s lives because he is different – not just once, countless times. Now that he’s older, some of this rejection is beginning to come from other children, and now it hurts both of us, not just me. I look forward to the day where he is accepted and included for who he is.

That’s why the Special Olympics is so important to me and so many other parents of special needs children. Since 1968, the event has celebrated athletes of all kinds and strives to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. The 2015 Special Olympics World Games Opening Ceremonies kick off this Saturday, July 25 in Los Angeles! 7,000 athletes from over 177 countries will compete in this inspiring event, and my son and I will be watching.

In honor of this year’s Special Olympics World Games, a beautiful series of murals have been painted by artists as part of Toyota’s “Share the Journey” campaign.  These murals feature Special Olympics athletes and celebrate their joy and courage. Building on L.A.’s storied history of outdoor art, Toyota partnered with the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles to produce three murals inspired by the spirit of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games. The murals have been completed in advance with the intent that they will remain in place as a cultural legacy commemorating the Games in the city of Los Angeles.

“The Greatest” features a large scale portrait of Muhammad Ali, who happens to be one of my childhood heroes. Combining lettering and calligraphy from multiple cultural traditions, Cryptik showcases his signature style to create the mural background. At a distance, the calligraphy forms a glittering background to the overall image. Along the lower half of Muhammad Ali’s portrait, are a series of plaques featuring Special Olympics athletes. Each plaque includes an  image as well as an inspirational quote from the athlete. Two additional plaques including inspirational quotes from Olympic gold medalist Apolo Ohno and former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The World Stage Legacy mural was created by artist David Flores as a celebration of the history of the Coliseum, the spirit of the Special Olympics, and the city & state of Los Angeles, California. The theme of inclusiveness embraces the idea of diversity, and thus the individuals depicted in the mural personify this theme and symbolize key aspects of the Coliseum’s history: Sport (the Olympic Games and football), politics, entertainment, technology, and social progress.

You can tune in to ESPN coverage of the Special Olympics World Games from July 25 through August 2.  You can also cheer on your hometown heros by clicking here and sharing on your social channels to support the Special Olympics World Games athletes.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for SheSpeaks/Toyota.

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As a proud supporter of everything ONE supports and pushes, it made me smile to see actor & Water.org founder Matt Damon is this month’s curator of @ONEGirlsWomen! He’s my hero of the day.

This is why he stands for women & girls:

My daughters do not know what it is to spend hours collecting water.  My girls may suffer the occasional stomach upset, maybe even miss a day of school because of it, but they will never lay dehydrated and dying with only the water available, the very same water that made them sick in the first place. Before I went to Haiti, India and Ethiopia and saw these situations firsthand, I would have found them unfathomable.

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Now this is a campaign I’m thrilled to get behind…every step of the way. It has to do with girls, equality, equity and fighting extreme poverty to make the world a better place. The name of the campaign: POVERTY IS SEXIST.

According to new analysis published by The ONE Campaign today, International Women’s Day, girls and women are hit hardest by extreme poverty across every area of life, but they also hold the key to change. ONE’s report, “Poverty is Sexist: Why girls and women must be at the heart of the fight to end extreme poverty” shows how unlocking women’s economic potential could improve the lives of everyone in society, and highlights how two summits hosted by two world-leading women this year represent an historic opportunity to turn things around.

Poverty and gender inequality go hand in hand, whether you look at health, education or work. Not only are girls and women worse off than those in wealthier countries, but the gender gap in these areas between males and females is greatest in the poorest countries. This double disadvantage means that:

• A woman in Sierra Leone is 183 times more likely to die in childbirth than a woman in Switzerland
• Working women in the least developed countries are three times more likely to be in vulnerable employment than women elsewhere
• In the poorest countries, literacy levels are a third lower for women than men

35 high profile women, including academics, politicians, business leaders, actors and musicians, have added their names to ONE’s call for action. They have signed an open letter to Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany and the chair of this year’s G7 summit and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the chair of the African Union Commission – both of whom are key decision makers this year. The letter reads in part:

“If we get this right, we could help lift every girl and woman out of poverty by 2030 – and by doing so we will lift everyone. Get this wrong and extreme poverty, inequality and instability might spread in the most vulnerable regions, impacting all our futures.”

The new Sustainable Development Goals, due to be unveiled in September, will set out a plan to end extreme poverty by 2030. ONE’s report argues we will fail to reach this aim if girls and women aren’t firmly at the centre of the goals. As part of that process, this summer’s G7 and African Union summits, under leadership of Chancellor Merkel and Commission Chair Dlamini-Zuma, could pave the way for new policies and financing that empower women and girls.

ONE has looked at the impact of gender on a range of key sectors, from agriculture to technology, and from education to energy. They have found that dismantling the barriers to girls and women leading productive lives could have a profoundly positive impact across society. For example, giving women farmers the same access to resources as men would drive up productivity and could spare 100–150 million people from a life of chronic hunger. Every year a girl spends in school boosts her future income by 10–20 %.

Empowering women—giving them the power and tools they need to change their own status—allows them to take hold of equal opportunities, break from cultural and social constraints that may be holding them back, and become drivers of poverty reduction.

Over the next several months, ONE.org will provide stories, stats, and actions that will delve further into the issues as seen through the lens of girls and women and I’ll be reporting every step of the way.

But for now, there are steps you can take to help:

1.             Sign and share ONE’s petition calling on world leaders to put girls and women at the heart of the development agenda.

2.             Share ONE’s open letter, signed by more than 35 high-profile women including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Meryl Streep.

3.             Share ONE’s launch blog

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If you’ve read my blog before, you know of my passionate and fervent interest to help others. Using it and other streams over the years, I’ve raised large amounts of money for St. Jude Hospital and the Haitian Amputee Mothers Alliance. I’ve raised awareness for Every Mother Counts, Mothers 2 Mothers, Save the Children, Dress for Success and ONE. I write over at The Broad Side and BlogHer when given the opportunity and really try to raise the bar on issues I care about, most pertaining to women and children.

Yet I am not known for this work. I’m the quiet social gooder, raising my hand but perhaps not diving in deep enough. I have been searching for a new cause, an organization that will appreciate my efforts, and I think I have found one.

After several years of watching the significant and important work of Shot@Life through fellow members of the blogging community, I signed up to attend their summit in Washington, D.C., paying my own way, hoping it would bring me in deeper. I’ve been so impressed by their social media and marketing initiatives over the years but haven’t been able to jump in on the scale I would have liked to. This trip would inform me about what they are doing, why they’re doing it and how I can help. It would be a chance to jump in on a very real level by hitting my congressional leaders to advocate to protect children in developing countries from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Shot@Life does such important work, and the first day of the conference was spent zeroing in on what they do. There are 400,000 children born in America every year. Imagine 200,000 of them dying. That’s what would happen if we didn’t access to vaccines, and that is what’s happening globaly – not enough people have access. Vaccines are the safest and most simple and cost-effective ways to save children worldwide. Immunations give chilren around the world a chacne at more “firsts” – 1st words, 1st days of school. They are more likely to celebrate their 5th birthdays, do well in school and go on to become healthy, thriving adults.

Shot@Life raises funding in the U.S. to make this happen by working with policymakers in Washington, DC. Currently, funding is less than 1% of the total U.S. budget, but this budget saves 2.5 million lives every eyear.

After a day of learning, I ventured onto Capital Hill with other New York consituents. Several in my group were doctors, one was a nurse, one was the mother of a young girl who died from Meningitis, a preventable illness, but not one she was told to have her daughter vaccinated for. The look in her eyes went through me and stung my heart, and as a mother, our mission gained significance. We were on Hill and had real work to do.

Together we would inform our Congressman about how in other countries, mothers do not have the luxury of choice unless they walk many miles to get these vaccines. Many have witnessed the unnecessary death of tehir children under the age of 5. It only costs $20 to immunize a child and get the support they need. The campaign’s partners, UNICEF, World Health Organization, and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, are making this happen and their work has already contributed to a 99% reduction in polio, a 75% reduction in measles-related deaths and the introduction of vaccines for two of the most deadly childhood diseases, pneumonia and diarrhea. And the woman who had lost her child would look each congressman in the face and tell them that no mother or father should ever have to go through what she had been through.

As a mother, as a women, as an individual who believes that every person should have a chance, an opportunity, a shot at life, I feel that together, my group made a difference. When I heard that Shot@Life garnered 20 signatures from Congress on a letter to support and increase funding for critical global health and vaccine programs at the end of our day of lobbying, I was elated. Everyone who came for the summit, whether a new Shot@Life champion, had a story to tell and a voice to carry its simple but so important message.

Because that’s what it’s all about – our voices. Together, we can make a difference and change the world. I took the dive and I’m ready to swim. Stay tuned to this space.

To make a donation to Shot@Life, head here: http://shotatlife.org

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How are you observing International Women’s Day? I get to go hear Cherie Blair speak. She’s the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a leading lawyer and committed campaigner for women¡¯s rights and the founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which supports women entrepreneurs in developing countries. You can count on the fact that I’ll be live tweeting and blogging about what she has to say right here on The Culture Mom. 

Having just come from the Shot at Life conference, I am more inspired than ever to make a difference in the world and help disadvantaged people in far away parts of the world. International Women’s Day is the perfect time to continue the dialogue aboutinequality in the workplace, pay gaps, stereotypes in the media and female empowerment. For women in further flung corners of the globe, the issues run much deeper as they face serious health issues, illiteracy and discrimination.  I’ll be writing about the conference next and tell you how you can help children around the world, but I got the following tips from Global Vison International (GVI) on how to get involved in the lives of disadvantaged women around the world and had to share:

1)                  Help women in India learn English

As a fluent English speaker, volunteers have the ability to impart their knowledge to women in India, teaching them the English language and opening up a world of job opportunities that require this skill. English is such a sought-after language that many jobs insist on it and for women who never had the chance to learn at school, this is a tool that is invaluable to them.

2)                  Educate young women in Fiji about sexual health

There are some lessons we learn from our mothers but in places where sexual health is taboo, the most basic information from periods to pregnancy is unknown and misunderstood. Even for those who have been through it. By assisting with sexual health classes volunteers can help give young women more control and understanding over their own bodies.

3)                  Help build real toilet facilities within high-schools in Nepal

There can’t be a woman who doesn’t remember the awkwardness of puberty but in some areas of Nepal, girls are attending schools at which there are no proper toilets. Appalling amenities and a lack of privacy can lead to teenage girls quitting school when they reach a certain age due to embarrassment. By assisting professional builders to install brand new facilities in schools, volunteers are offering a practical and simple step that will help more young women receive an education.

4)                  Impart your business skills and work experience on women in South Africa

No matter the level of business knowledge, if travellers know how to use a computer then they can work with women in South Africa teaching them the basics of business. In doing so, local women can turn their talents into micro-businesses and money-making opportunities that can last a lifetime. 

5)                  Teach ‘hard skills’ to women to make them more employable

The ability to make your own clothes is still invaluable to many women in disadvantaged countries, and by giving them such hard skills GVI volunteers are widening their employment opportunities as well as providing options for opening their own business. For many women who think their only option is being a mother and wife, learning such a skill opens doors they never thought possible. 

6)                  Introduce women in Fiji to the basics of wellness

For many women in places like Fiji, there is limited knowledge on the importance of nutrition and exercise. Why not help educate women on how to ensure a balanced diet and get them out moving while teaching them about healthy body image. Volunteers will run casual aerobics classes and teach them how to cook basic healthy recipes.

7)                  Start the conversation about equality

By helping run Conversation Clubs GVI volunteers can help get a discussion going with both boys and girls about breaking down stereotypes of gender. Let them see that females can play sport, work outside the home and be an equal part of society and subsequently invest in the future of women in these countries.

8)                  Educate women on pregnancy and children

Pregnancy and bearing children becomes a more dangerous venture than it needs to be when women don’t have all the facts and options to hand. By providing insight into how people fall pregnant (or prevent themselves falling pregnant), how to take care of themselves through all stages of the pregnancy as well as post-natal care travellers can help improve family health and reduce infant and child mortality rates.

9)                  Build women’s self-esteem in India and help out in a self-defence class

Sometimes something as simple as joining together with other young women and girls and talking about issues they are facing can work towards building someone’s self-esteem. Focusing on the positives, strength, inner beauty and intelligence will have a positive effect. In a more practical step, being involved in self-defence classes for women can help build their confidence and give them skills to cope in difficult situations.

10)              Be a positive role model as an independent woman who works, travels and makes her own choices

Sometimes by just bringing stories and positivity from your own world, no matter how far-removed  from their own lives they may be, it provides a window to these women that there are females around the world who have careers, who are mothers, who make money and stand equally with their male counterparts. It may be a long path for them to achieve the same level of equality but the first step is them believing they deserve it.

Global Vision International (GVI) was formed in 1997 to provide support and services to international charities, NGO’s and governmental agencies. Through their international network of over 150 personnel in 13 countries, GVI continues to support many critical conservation and humanitarian projects around the globe.

GVI is a non-political, non-religious organisation, which through its alliance with aid-reliant organisations throughout the world provides opportunities to volunteers to fill a critical void in the fields of environmental research, conservation, education and community development. To date over 24,000 volunteers have joined projects resulting in the direct financial support of over £20,000,000 / US $32,000,000.

GVI run a Women’s Empowerment Programme in Nepal, India, Fiji and South Africa from between two to 12 weeks starting at £850. More information here.

 Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post. I fervently believe in the mission of GVI.

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A little over a year ago, I wrote a piece on Jessie Kahnweiler. Her video series called Meet My Rapist spoke to me on many levels. It was a blunt response to her own rape that occurred as a college student while in Vietnam by playing herself being followed by her rapist. She took an extremely bad moment in her life and used it to teach people through storytelling and it was really powerful.

Since then, Kahnweiler has gone on to do more great things that wake people up, including me, every single time. Using the power of comedy and video, she produces programming that teaches people how to make real change. The Skinny, her current project produced by Wifey TV., is another example. The project follows a feminist comedian living in LA who struggles with bulimia. Addressing bulimia head-on, she hopes that her project will be part of a larger conversation about disordered eating.

Kahnweiler is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to complete post-production the pilot. About The Skinny and why she is looking to raise funds to complete the project, she says:

Every movie I see depicting eating disorders makes me want to barf. Aside from the occasional Lifetime movie there are no television shows out there authentically exploring eating disorders in a way that is both raw and vulnerable. Perhaps a bit naïve, I excitedly pursed funding figuring that since everyone I knew had some kind of issue with food/body (or had a loved one that did) I would have no problem finding a market audience. I mean I was the girl who made rape funny, naturally bulimia was the next step! Yet as I began the process of pitching I quickly realized even the mention of the words eating disorders freaked people out. It was as if I was serving my potential investors deep fried Ebola sandwiches. Ashamed, I watched as one by one each executive’s eyes quickly glazed over as they looked for something, anything to look at besides me. At the end of my pitch, (insert white dude name) would sweetly reveal,“there’s nothing funny, or more importantly, sexy about eating disorders.” Were they right? Was “The Skinny” both too much and not enough? I left those meetings hungrier than ever.

….I refuse to wait for “the man” to give me permission to speak. 

The Skinny features one of my favorite actresses, Illeana Douglas, as her mother. About this effort, she said: What’s making movies in NYC with Scosese when I could be making a web series in Atwater village with Kahnweiler?

With the funds raised, The Skinny will be completed by spring 2015. Kahnweiler has over 10 years as a guerrilla filmmaker and a proven track record of executing a totally cool “idea” into actual living breathing movies. Your funding doesn’t go into an idea but rather a tangible product that will be able to speak for itself. I should know, I supported this on Kickstarter.

Back The Skinny here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1179494099/the-skinny

And report back to me in the comments to let me know you’ve joined the effort to stop shaming women about eating disorders!

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Meeting Olivia

I can’t believe that I had my first daughter 11-1/2 years ago.  It feels like yesterday, and for some reason, the images are more vivid than when I had my second child a few years later.

It was an induced pregnancy, so we went in to the hospital rather leisurely on a week night.  I laid on a table and was given medication to send my soon-to-be child a signal that it was time to come into the world.  After nine months of carrying her around in my belly and readying the house and my life to include a new child, my husband and I were more than ready to welcome her into our lives.

Once the contractions started, the experience went from easy to difficult. Those pains were serious and I felt like I had been transported into another universe.  She was born at 9am the next morning, and a new light came into my life.

However, she wasn’t brought over to me right away.  She was having trouble breathing upon entrance and was instead whisked away by the doctors. For a few brief moments, we were afraid that something was wrong.  But like with most babies in the U.S., she was okay and returned to me.

I have often thought about children in developing countries and whether they are given the same care and chance in life.

Mother and child in Ethiopia’s southern highlands

In 2000, world leaders adopted a series of ambitious goals–the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)–including commitments to cut poverty by half, get every child into school, and dramatically reduce child and maternal deaths by 2015.

Today, millions fewer people live in extreme poverty than a generation ago, most children complete a primary education, hunger has been cut by over a third and there are 90 million people living today whose lives would have been cut short, had child mortality rates remained at 1990 levels, the baseline year for the goals.

Mother picking up an insecticide treated bed net. Lusaka Zambia

However 18,000 children die each day from preventable causes and one million newborns die on their first day of life.  Newborns now account for 4 out of 5 deaths of children under the age of five.

Unless we urgently start to tackle newborn deaths, there is a real danger that progress in reducing child deaths could stall and we will fail in our ambition to be the generation that can end all preventable child deaths.

With 500 days to go before the target date, it is vital that the world acts to make sure more countries can get on-track to achieve MDG4-the reduction of preventable child deaths by two thirds by 2015.

Mothers and children in Morogoro, Tanzania

On August 18, 2014, Save the Children marked the 500 days left to meet MDG targets by showing the progress made in each country and also build a sense of urgency around the political action needed to meet MDG4 targets.

They want 500 Days to be the starting point of our push at the UNGA meetings in September where we will highlight the urgent need for more trained and skilled health workers critical to saving newborns and mothers as well as the Race for Survival in October with its theme of the “hardest to reach” highlighting the tough living conditions many children face and the lack of access to quality care. It’s important to remember that:

• Each day an estimated 800 mothers and 18,000 young children die from largely preventable causes.
• In the time left to the MDG target we need to accelerate progress toward achieving MDG 4.
• More than 1 million babies die on their first and only day of life across the world, and 2.9 million in their first month.
• The newborn crisis is much bigger than we may think, with a staggering 1.2 million stillbirths occurring during childbirth
• More than half of these maternal and under-fives deaths take place in locations beset by a high risk of conflict and/or natural disasters.
• 40 million women give birth without any skilled help – that’s more than 100,000 women every day. Even more dramatically, 2 million women a year are entirely alone when giving birth.
• Investing in mothers works. Maternal deaths and child mortality in the most challenging countries of the world are being dramatically cut when efforts are made to improve services for mothers and children.

We can stop this. Many of these deaths are preventable if the mother-to-be had a trained midwife to help them give birth safely. Newborn mortality rates can only be reduced through fairer distribution of essential health services and through universal healthcare access; this means making these more available to the poorest and most marginalized families, as well as to communities living in rural areas.

We must ensure that every mother, newborn and children under five has  access to high quality health care; invest much more in women and girls and ensure their protection; and build stronger institutions and stronger health systems that provide universal health coverage, and provide for the most vulnerable, as well as promote early action, social protection, disaster risk reduction.

Disclosure: I’m a member of Moms Bloggers for Social Good and this post supports their MDG4 campaign.

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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, warmth, and even false love. Once snatched from the streets without anyone noticing, they are sold for the highest price, their dignity and sense of self destroyed.

 And the truth is that sex trafficking exists all around us. Look around you. Look at your neighbors, your friends, who you know. Look at your daughter. I have an 11-year old. I’m raising her to be strong and self-confident, but what if…..I can’t even bear the thought. Look at your son. Are you teaching him to respect and value women ? Maybe if we raise our children with these strong values, sex trafficking won’t be so rampant.

I just finished a heart-wrenching film about real lives taken by the sex trafficking industry called The Long Night that brings the issue home in a really meaningful way.

The film follows Tim Matsui, who won a grant (the Women’s Initiative Photography Grant from the Alexia Foundation) made it his mission to document grassroots efforts to address domestic minor sex trafficking in the Seattle area. As he worked, the story got bigger and bigger and really gives an insight into the sex trade. It weaves the stories of seven people whose lives have been changed forever because of sex trafficking. Because, really, how can one get ever get over being thrown into an industry as ugly as this one? During the course of just over an hour, Tim guides viewers through the lives of people stuck in the system and people trying to change the system. It’s tragic and so very real.

But the good news is that we don’t have to sit back and wonder how to help. There are actions we can take NOW. Read and learn (tips provided by Mom Bloggers for Social Good):

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#GivingTuesday inspires personal philanthropy and encourages bigger, better and smarter charitable giving during the holiday season, showing that theworld truly gives as good as it gets. The third annual #GivingTuesday will take place on December 2, 2014.

It’s works like this. On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity and to give. It’s a simple idea. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving. Join and be a part of a global celebration of a new tradition of generosity.

How do I plan to participate? Well, for one, I’ll be working at a non-profit and I’ll be shouting about my efforts and those of the people I work with, so stay tuned for actual photos and news from within.

In addition, I’ll be supporting a few initiatives I’m involved with and that are close to my heart: St. Jude, ONE, Shot at Life, Women in Prison, Every Mother Counts, Mothers & More and Mothers2Mothers.

I’ll also be giving food to the local Food Pantry, an all-volunteer coalition of community organizations, houses of worship, and concerned citizens dedicated to assisting local families who need food. They run a  food pantry that distributes a nutritional bag of groceries providing four days of meals, twice a month.

I will also be posting a Crowdriser campaign here on The Culture Mom.

What will YOU be doing on #GivingTuesday? 

Have you #UNselfie-d today?

It’s time to #UNselfie for #GivingTuesday! Upload YOUR #UNselfie to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and share why you are giving this year. Learn more in the#UNselfie toolkit.

Support the #GivingTuesday Thunderclap to let the world know how important giving is to you (and don’t forget to send it to your friends). It’s a simple way to share your Facebook or Twitter status with the #GivingTuesday movement on December 2.

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There’s nothing like a good Halloween campaign for social good.

One of UNICEF’s most notable traditions, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF began in 1950 as a way to help kids who need more than candy.  Since then, children all over America have gone door-to-door on Halloween with UNICEF collection boxes and have raised more than $170 million.

Adding an extra treat to this year’s campaign, actress, platinum recording artist and author Zendaya has been named the 2014 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Spokesperson.

For the first time in its 64 year history, kids and parents can go digital by fundraising through Crowdrise in support of the campaign and in just a few seconds, can set up a Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF fundraising page to share with friends and family. The money raised will help save and protect children by providing clean water, nutritious food, lifesaving vaccines and more!

In addition, participants can put a new spin on traditional Halloween celebrations by turning this year’s gatherings into Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF fundraisers – it’s as easy as setting up a Trick-or Treat for UNICEF Party fundraising page and including a link in the party invitation!

The campaign relies not only on children and parents, but also on educators to teach their students the value of helping kids in need. This year K-8 teachers can participate through the 2nd annual Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF School Challenge. The competition will provide 15 grand prize winning teachers with $1,000 technology grants. All entrants will be asked to describe how they will teach their students about issues facing children globally and the importance of giving back. To be eligible to win, teachers must submit Trick-or-Treat donations by Dec. 1, 2014. To enter the competition, visitwww.trickortreatforunicef.org.

Additionally, this year’s Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Teachers’ Guides can be used as a resource for educators to help provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to make an impact through the campaign. Using readings, photos, videos, music, maps, and games, they introduce students to UNICEF’s work, child rights, and a variety of issues affecting the health and well-being of children around the world.

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