In keeping with our annual tradition, SunStone continues to believe the best way to celebrate the holiday season is giving to those in need.
This year we again asked our team to recommend charities they believe are the worthiest, so that we can celebrate our blessings by donating in your name.
This year’s top donation of $7,500 is to the Veteran's Outreach/Disabled Veteran's Charity Trust, as recommended by Alicia McGlaughlin:
Alicia - "I have chosen Veteran’s Outreach this year as I am a Veteran myself. I have found that those you meet while serving quickly become family and the bonds envelope an authenticity like no other. I find that being a service member comes with many stressors that are not often talked about due to the bias of seeming weak. The outreach program provides Veterans with resources that contribute to aiding Veterans and abetting their future success. Whether it be housing, resume building, tips for job interviews, job search, home repairs, mental health, medical, grants, emergency assistance, legal aid, or food pantries any source of funding goes a long way with the program. I feel one way to show our appreciation for integrity and service before self-character is to support veterans not only when they are “Heroes” but also when they take the cape off.
Go Air Force!
Hoorah!"
We will also be making a $500 donation to the following charities, in your name:
Ben's Bell, as recommended by Susan Curry
Susan - "My recommendation for a charitable organization is Ben’s Bell. I have provided the below link for how Ben’s Bells was created by Ben’s mom Jeanette Mare. Below is the story and picture of Ben. Jeanette lectures on the Act of Kindness all over the world and in Tucson, AZ. The ceramic bell wind chimes are made by hand here in Tucson and hung on trees as far as South Africa for the finder to keep. It is such a wonderful non-profit organization that I volunteer making the ceramic bells! The Be Kind murals below are in all the Tucson Schools outside of their campus’s!
In 2002, Jeannette Maré’s life changed forever when her son, Ben, died suddenly just before his third birthday. In the months following his death, Jeannette and her friends and family began making ceramic wind chimes – the first Ben’s Bells – in her backyard studio. Being surrounded by supportive people and working with clay toward a common goal was therapeutic for her family and their healing.
During this time, Jeannette learned how a small act of kindness could make such a difference in a person’s life, no matter their background. She wanted to find a way to teach others about the impact of intentional acts of kindness, and so the idea for the Bell came to life. Jeannette and her friends made four hundred Bells and randomly distributed them in the Tucson community on the first anniversary of Ben’s death. Through these Bells, she had found a way to pay forward the kindnesses that had been shown to her.
This started a powerful ripple effect. People who found the Bells shared their own stories of grief and healing and hope. The local newspaper printed the story on the front page. School groups and businesses and individuals started calling to see how they could get involved and soon, thousands of Tucsonans were helping to craft Ben’s Bells.
Since 2003, Ben’s Bells has been operating as a nonprofit, growing kindness education programs, and continuing to distribute thousands of Bells every year. Today Bells are found all over the world and our free kindness education programming has reached over 1.6 million students."
Haven of Hope, as recommended by Cathy Archuleta
Cathy - "Homelessness abounds across our country. It’s undoubtedly complex. The increase in the “unhoused” is palpable. Literally, it has changed the landscape of cities across the country with children and families living in tents on the street. Though the solution is likely multifactorial and just as complex as the problem, the compulsion to help in some way is overwhelming. We have grown accustomed to keeping gift cards and food in our cars to assist anyone we encounter.
Haven of Hope provides food, shelter, clothing, counseling, rehabilitation, and hygienic services to the homeless. Meeting basic and emergent needs, they address health concerns, teach stress management and marketable job skills. The cornerstone of their program is low barrier access which they believe facilitates effective crisis response. Accordingly, no proof of income or housing status is required to receive services. Monthly they service over 7,000 meals and provide showers, laundry services, clothing in addition to skills training. Most recently, they’ve launched a 4-Step program called “Fresh Tracks” to equip individuals with the knowledge and skill to attain sustainable employment while also addressing the physical and spiritual characteristics of contributing to their life status. Completely privately funded, they rely on individual donors and foundations."
American Cancer Society, as recommended by Teresa Zotos
Teresa - "I would like to suggest The American Cancer Society. I am a cancer survivor. I had breast cancer in 2016. I have lost a lot of family members to cancer. It is such a terrible disease."
3.21 For Life, as recommended by Dani Wyld
Dani - "For this year’s donation I would like to suggest 3.21 for Life.
World Down syndrome day is March 21st each year. A group of folks in the Hummelstown/Hershey area who have personal connections to individuals with Down syndrome used the significance of this date to name their organization 3.21 for Life. Their goal is to not only raise awareness and opportunities for these individuals, but to also help fund local nonprofit organizations for camps, therapeutic and educational programs. They believe everyone, regardless of abilities, CAN. They can work, they can play, they can get involved and be a shining member of their community. Through their fundraising efforts they have donated to many local Down syndrome causes (just to name a few):
Jack’s Basket - Mission is to ensure every new and expectant parent is provided resources and avenues of support within the community.
Tops Soccer – A soccer program for children with special needs ages 5 – 21 years old.
Love 2 Bee Fit – Zumba and cardio drumming with a goal to provide a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where people of all ages and abilities can improve the mental and physical health.
Aaron’s Acres – Provides children and young adults with disabilities social and recreational programs to nurture social and communication skills.
Lower Dauphin Best Buddies and Hershey Highschool Trojan Buddies – Global volunteer movement at the local high school level which creates 1:1 friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities."
Community Music School of Allentown, as recommended by Georgia Rackley
Georgia - "In the context of multiple difficult events transpiring in our world this holiday season, music remains the universal and common language that helps us transcend divisions. In the words of Kahlil Gibran, “Music is the language of the spirit. It opens the secret of life bringing peace, abolishing strife.”
With an upbeat tone, I recommend our holiday donation to benefit the Community Music School of Allentown, PA.
A little over 40 years ago, my piano teacher during my high school years along with four other music teachers realized their dream to start a music school for anyone who ever wanted to play an instrument or have voice lessons but did not have the means to do so. In 1982, with my mother as the Founding Board Member, the Community Music School in Allentown, PA was born serving 38 students. Since then, the school has provided over 25,000 children, teens, adults and seniors instruments and private lessons in piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and voice so that they can realize their dreams and enjoy the lifelong benefits of music. The mission of Community Music School is to 'successfully provide the inspiration and opportunity for anyone in our diverse community to achieve excellence in music education and appreciate the transformative power of music.'"
Central PA Food Bank, as recommended by Bob Marcavage
Bob - "My submission is the Central PA Food Bank (CPFB). According to the Central PA Food Bank website… food insecurity rates in 2023 have spiked again. The CPFB and its partner agencies have seen a large rise in demand for charitable food assistance amidst cumulatively high inflation and the expiration of most pandemic supports like the expanded Child Tax Credit and SNAP emergency allotments. This increase is likely a leading indicator that there has been a recent rise in food insecurity and is corroborated by both recent U.S. Census Bureau Household Pulse Surveys and the CPFB’s own internal operations metrics; in FY2023, CPFB is moving only slightly less food to its neighbors in need than it was in FY2021 at the beginning of the pandemic.
Specifically …
The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank is a nonprofit organization committed to ending hunger in 27 counties across central Pennsylvania. By working with more than 1,100 local agencies and programs, we serve more than 202,500 people in need each month through our two Healthy Food Hubs, located in Harrisburg and Williamsport.
Mission Statement: fighting hunger, improving lives, strengthening communities.
Bold Goal:
By 2025, our collaborative network will provide access to enough nutritious food for everyone struggling with hunger in each of the 27 counties we serve, and we will convene and nurture partnerships to make progress toward ending hunger.
Addressing food insecurity is important because it can help improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities. By ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious food, we can help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Additionally, reducing food insecurity can help reduce healthcare costs and improve overall quality of life."
Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as recommended by Tony Berkebile
Tony - "This year I would like to recommend the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as our 2023 charitable donation. This one hit personal to me this year as one of our close friends was diagnosed with breast cancer that metastasized to her brain.
After countless surgeries, office visits, lab work, and scans as of today, 12-11-2023, she is in remission andcancer free!
She still has a long road ahead, but the future is looking brighter each day for her and her beautiful family. Her name is Sabrina Mezyk, mother of 2 amazing kids (Mario and Rosie) and married to her husband, Nick. They live here in Westmont and my kids participate in many activities with them.
This past summer, my family and I decided to organize a golf outing for them, and we raised over 15 thousand dollars that all went directly to the family for medical and travel expenses.
The mission for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation is to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the world’s most promising research. Breast cancer knows no age, gender, or race. It is the leading cause of cancer death in the world’s poorest countries and the second leading cause of cancer death in American women. No more loved ones should be lost to breast cancer and the only way to achieve this goal is through research.
In honor of Sabrina and everyone else battling breast cancer, this would be a great charity to donate to.”
Consistent with our annual tradition, SunStone has made these donations with all your names as a way of saying thank you for your business, your friendship and support of our ongoing collective success.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Holidays, and for you and your families to have a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Warm regards,
Greg St.Clair, and all your friends at SunStone