Archive for the ‘donations’ Category

“If you really want to help them and make them happy, you must get them food”

Posted: March 17, 2014 in Children, Deed 30, donations, food, school, South Africa
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Operation Feed the Children:  The Sequel

For those of you that have followed my blog(and have an excellent memory), you may recall my post about a particular day in South Africa.  On that day I approached the building project manager, Deen and asked him what I could do to help the children.  He looked at me and said “If you really want to help them and make them happy, you must get them food”.  I listened to his advice, bought and prepared lunch for all the children at the building site.

The pure joy and happiness in the children’s faces while they were eating lunch is something that still resonates with me today.  For that reason, a few weeks ago I decided to make a donation to Deen to buy the children food.  The volunteers at the site prepared the food in a similar fashion and the results were the same.  The results are best explained by an excerpt from the Projects Abroad blog below:

“Less than a year ago I had been most fortunate to be associated with a remarkable volunteer Jonathan Verpent who again donated funds for food which would be distributed to the kids at the crèche on the building site. This had been the highlight of two weeks spent at the adventures of the building project. Receiving heart-warming smiles from the children in those three days spent giving out food and drinks was the most incredible feeling that reminded me of the true happenings in the heart of the building project.”

I wish I could have been there to deliver the food in person, but the the pictures below will have to do.  Special thanks to Deen and his son Vash for putting this together and executing my idea.

Volunteers preparing lunch

Volunteers preparing lunch

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Happy Children!

Feature Story for the Projects Abroad Alumni Newsletter

Posted: February 3, 2014 in about, Children, Deed 30, dogs, donations, South Africa, travel, volunteer
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Link to my article in the Projects Abroad Newsletter

projects abroad news letter

Deed 28: Calling for a Cause

Posted: August 11, 2013 in Children, computers, donations, school
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I have been in sales for the past 8 years, so making phone calls is something that comes natural to me.  You may be asking..”Why is that important and what does it have to do with a deed?”  Great question!  I signed up to help make phone calls for an organization called Fresh Air Funds.  The amazing organization sends children from low income neighborhoods in NYC on free vacations/camps throughout the country. For some children, this is the first opportunity they have to leave the city.IMG957016

I arrived at the Fresh Air Fund’s office in NYC after a day of work.  There were 6 other volunteers that joined the program that night.  I was given a list of about 60 names, a script, and a bit of coaching from the team leader.  Soon after, I sat down and started calling!  It was my job to call the parents of children to remind them about the date, time, and place they needed to drop their children off for a sleep away camp.  I spent about 2 hours on the phone, going through the list and providing important details to the parents.

This particular deed may not have been the most hands on or involved deed, but it was still quite important.  The organization stays afloat because of volunteers and donations.  It does not receive any government funding.  If you would like to donate so you can help provide a great experience for a child, you can do so at the link below (I did!).

Donate Here!

Deed 26: Party with a Purpose 5K in Hoboken

Posted: July 25, 2013 in athletics, Children, donations, volunteer, workout
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For those of you that know me or have been following my progress, you know I currently live in Hoboken, NJ.  While it is important to volunteer or give back anywhere I believe it is especially important to help in your local community.  I came across an organization called “Party with a Purpose” which was quite intriguing.  Party with a purpose is a Hoboken based “not-for-profit organization founded on the concept of producing great events to raise money for charities and bring the community together in the process”.  Since being founded in 2002, they have raised $425,000 to help those in need.

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Me, Hollis, and Lily

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Post Race Fun

Each year for the past nine years they have held a 5k to benefit local youth charities, including the Jubilee Center and the Hoboken Boys and Girls Club.   It has grown over the years with over 1400 runners this year raising over $60,000.  I ran(walked) in the race with my friend Hollis and her younger sister.  Her sister is no stranger to walking for a cause after raising money and participating in AIDs walk earlier this year(quite admirable especially for a 14 year old!).  We finished the race in a cool 50 minutes or so while the winner finished in just over 15 minutes.  The time didn’t matter as it was a lot of fun that raised a lot of money for a great cause.

Deed 21: Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Posted: June 23, 2013 in cancer, Children, donations
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MF10379For years I heard about Alex’s Lemonade Stand and have always wanted to get involved.   For those of you that don’t know about Alex’s Lemonade stand: “Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope.”  I found out about an amazing story about a young girl raising money with Alex’s Lemonade stand and knew I had to get involved.

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Rebekah and I at her Lemonade stand in East Brunswick, NJ

However, this story really isn’t about me.  It is about an incredible girl named Rebekah.  Rebekah lost her dear friend Tara to cancer at the age of 10.  After Tara’s tragic passing, Rebekah decided she needed to do something to honor her friend.  She started a Lemonade Stand with Alex’s Lemonade to raise money for childhood cancer.  That was 6 years ago.  Every year, since that time she has collected donations and hosted a lemonade stand in East Brunswick, New Jersey.  I made a donation, spent time at the stand, and brought in a few extra customers(my parents and girlfriend).  To date, she has raised over $8,000 with a goal of reaching $10,000 before graduating high school.

Most children that age (including myself) would not have done what Rebekah has, year after year.  It is truly admirable and inspirational.  Hearing her story and witnessing her passion gives me even more motivation to push forward to 30 Deeds and beyond.

Donate to Rebekah and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Here: http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/111351

Deed 19: Hair of the Dog 5K

Posted: June 2, 2013 in animals, athletics, dogs, donations, workout
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post race

After the Race with Hollis, Kali and Reeni

The Hair of the Dog 5k at the Silver Decoy Winery in Robbinsville, NJ is a great event for runners/walkers and their four legged friends.  It is an annual 5k for people and dogs that has been running for the past 6 years.  All proceeds go towards supporting animal rescue.  I have participated in the last 3 events with my Aunts dog, Kali.  We won the event the previous two years, so I was really looking forward to winning for the third year in a row (OK…so we didn’t win but that is what I always tell Kali, so don’t tell her!).

photo (4)I arrived at the event with Kali, my girlfriend Hollis, my parents, and their dog Reeni.  Reeni happens to be a new addition to the family after she was abandoned on the streets of

Celebrating with the Winner!

Celebrating with the Winner!

Philadelphia.  We picked up our registration, t-shirt and goodie bag, and headed over to the starting line along with almost 1,000 other runners.  We completed the race in record time and Kali was able to defend her championship(I may or may not be joking 🙂 ).  After the race there was a small festival with local vendors and free wine tasting at the Silver Decoy Winery.  It was a great event for a great cause, and I can’t wait to do it again for the fourth time next year!

I was lucky enough to have a photographer from the Star Ledger cover me at the event and more photographs can be found here: NJ.com Photo Essay of Deed 19 the Hair of the Dog 5K

Mini Deed: Donation to the AIDS walk in NYC

Posted: May 8, 2013 in AIDS, donations
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I can’t participate in the AIDS walk in NYC due to another deed on the same day (May 19th), so I made a donation instead. Feel free to click the link and donate to a great cause!

Donate to the AIDS walk here!

Deed 12: Cycle for Survival

Posted: March 7, 2013 in athletics, cancer, cycling, donations, workout
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Every day I travel on the Path train from Hoboken to New York City.  For the past few months, I have noticed advertisements for an event called Cycle for Survival.  The event is four hours of spinning sponsored and held at Equinox Fitness Centers around the country.  When you sign up for Cycle for Survival a webpage is created to allow you and your team to collect donations leading up to the event.  All donations go directly towards Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to support  rare cancer research.

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I participated in the event at an Equinox Fitness in NYC on Sunday, March 3rd.  When you first walk into the room, you can feel the energy.  Music is blasting, people are buzzing,  130 bikes are lined up and the room is lit up in orange(the official Cycle for Survival color).  The event was kicked off with a touching speech from a cancer survivor before quickly jumping into spinning.  In total, there were four 45 minute sessions which my team of three split up in 15 minute increments.  For those of you that have done spinning, you know it is not a walk in the park.  It was challenging but there was inspiration everywhere you looked.  Between the speeches delivered by cancer survivors, messages on a board about who people were riding for, blasting high energy music, and instructors yelling, it was relatively easy to push yourself to honor those who have been affected by cancer.

In all, it was a great event that I plan on doing again next year.  My team was able to raise $1,760 while the event raised over 13.6 million dollars to date.  Special thanks to my team and to those that donated as I could not have done it without your support.

30deeds Cycling Team

30deeds Cycling Team

Donations can still be made through the end of March here: 30deeds Cycling Donation page

Mini Deed: Train Back Home

Posted: February 24, 2013 in donations
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A young man approached me at the train station tonight and asked for money to buy a train ticket.  I am typically skeptical of people asking for money so I decided to engage in a conversation.  He came home yesterday to visit his mom to try and rebuild their rocky relationship.  It did not go well which caused his Crohn’s disease to flare up.  He spent all day in the hospital (hospital bracelet still on) and was just trying to get back home to Staten Island.  He only had a dollar to his name ( I asked).  I gave him money to help buy a ticket and he was able to get on the train.  It proves that the common misnomer that people asking for money are “just going to use it on drugs or alcohol” is not always true.  If you take a little time to listen, you may find that people that are down and out may just need a little boost.

Mini 30deed: Donation to the Polar Bear Plunge for the Special Olympics

Posted: February 13, 2013 in donations
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PBP Seaside Logo LETR and SONJ SeparateA friend of mine is participating in the Polar Bear Plunge at the end of February.  For those of you that don’t know, the Polar Bear Plunge is an event where participants jump into a freezing cold body of water during the winter, typically to raise money for a charitable organization.  In this case, all donations go towards the Special Olympics-New Jersey.  I made a small donation to help his cause.  If you would like to donate, you can do so at the link below.

Click Here to Donate!

Deed 6: Clothing Donations to local Rescue Mission

Posted: January 8, 2013 in clothing, donations
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Over the years I have accrued a large amount of clothes, jackets, shoes etc.  It is not because I go shopping a lot (because I don’t), I just never get rid of anything.  I still had a large amount of clothes from High school 12-15 years later.

I decided to donate a number of shirts, pants. suits, and shoes, that I was no longer wearing.  In my opinion, if it hasn’t been worn in the last 3-4 years, it is time to give it to someone who will put it to good use.  I cannot take full credit and have to give my parents a Jason Kidd assist as they initiated and organized the donation with the local Rescue Mission.

Donating clothing and similar items is something anyone can get involved with. It doesn’t take much time, effort, or financial obligation.  Spend some time this winter to go through your closet and donate some of the gently used clothing/shoes that would otherwise continue to collect dust.

Deed 3: Christmas Tree Donation

Posted: December 13, 2012 in Christmas, donations, sandy
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christmas-treeChristmas has always been a special time of the year for me.  It is not about the presents, or Santa, or food, but about bringing family closer together and helping others in need.  It has always brought me joy to sit around the Christmas tree and enjoy time spent with family.

I came across an organization called New York Cares that is partnering with Anne’s Treeland in the Rockaways in NYC.  As some of you may know, this area was hit particularly hard by hurricane Sandy.  Many of the families have been displaced and lost nearly everything.  I made a donation that will result in a family receiving a Christmas tree for free.  I hope it brings joy to a special family in need during what may be the most difficult time of their lives.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

If you are interested in donating a tree, more information can be found here: http://blog.newyorkcares.org/?p=4875