Residents in the Portland area have a fun way to help Make-A-Wish Oregon grant more wishes this spring. The annual Walk For Wishes takes place Saturday, April 16. Be a hero for Wish Kids and help Make-A-Wish Oregon reach their fundraising goal of $150,000 at this year's walk. Just think of all the wishes that amount can grant!

Spring weather is here, and it's the perfect reason to get outside and give back to your community. A great way to get involved this April is by attending a Walk For Wishes. Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire is hosting two events this April that you won't want to miss out on. 

You probably don’t spend much time thinking about water, despite it being a necessity in your daily life. Many of us don’t. The United States is one of the largest consumers of freshwater resources on Earth, with the average American using between 80 and 100 gallons per day. It’s easy for us to keep hydrated and sanitary, a fact that we usually take for granted. Meanwhile, 1 out of 9 people in the world go without access to safe drinking water.

This  sip of knowledge is just one of the many reasons why March 22 is World Water Day, an international observance of the essentiality of water and related concerns. Originally designated as an annual celebration of the importance of freshwater by the UN in 1993, it now serves as a reminder of the lives that can be saved if we focus world-wide, coordinated effort towards sustainable water management. On World Water Day, people all around the world can demonstrate that they care about agriculture, health, trade, and the environment. Campaigns are held as a way to raise money for worldwide access to safe water, and nongovernmental organizations use the day to promote sustainability through suggestions to protect water resources. The UN-Water also coordinates international events and activities for each of its 193 member-states to educate, inspire, and insight change within their countries.

If you live in one of Florida’s 54 counties served by Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida, then you have two great opportunities to support your local chapter on April 9^th. The 22nd Annual Hamlin and Associates Wishmaker’s Ball and the 7^th Annual Tampa Wishmaker’s Ball are both being held on Saturday. You have the option of attending either of these of these elegant black tie galas to experience the power in granting wishes to the children with critical illnesses.

Residents of the Boston area won't want to miss out on the 2016 Make-A-Wish Gala taking place April 9. The Gala will be held at the glamorous InterContinental Boston hotel overlooking the city's waterfront. Attending is a great way to help Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island grant more wishes in 2016. Over the past 28 years, the chapter has granted more than 7,000 wishes. The Gala alone aims to raise funds for at least 100 more wishes. 

Spring in South Carolina is a great time of the year, and this year, Make-A-Wish South Carolina is holding three Walk For Wishes events across the state to help raise money to grant more wishes. The average cost of a wish in South Carolina is $7,500, so your participation can make a huge difference.

Walk For Wishes Lowcountry, March 26

Make-A-Wish South Carolina will host the inaugural Walk For Wishes 5K Walk/Run at Jarvis Park in Hilton Head Island. After completing the 5K, there’s a lot for the entire family to enjoy. The post-walk festivities will include fun, food and entertainment. Event highlights include: an Easter egg hunt, visits with the Easter Bunny and photo opportunities, race awards, a bounce house, face painting and balloon animals.

Registration fees are $30 for adults, $20 for ages 13 to 17 and $10 for ages 12 and under. You can register at the event's website, where you can also donate to a team or donate to an individual.

The event starts with check-in at 8 a.m., opening ceremonies at 8:45 with the festivities going from 9 a.m.-noon.

Walk For Wishes Upstate, April 23

The Greenville and Upstate area Walk For Wishes will be at Gateway Park in Traveler's Rest. The event starts with check-in at 9 a.m., opening ceremonies begin at 9:45 with the festivities lasting from 10 a.m.-noon. There is no fee for this event, so participants are encouraged to raise as much money as they can. The top three individual fundraisers and teams will be awarded at the opening ceremonies. You can register at the event's website, where you can also donate to a team or donate to an individual.

Walk For Wishes Piedmont, April 30

The Rock Hill and Fort Mill-area Walk for Wishes will be held at Anne Springs Close Greenway (288 Dairy Barn Lane) in Fort Mill. Check-in starts at 9 a.m., opening ceremonies at 9:45 with the festivities going from 10 a.m.-noon. The event is free to participate in, and prizes for fundraising start with $100 raised. The top three individual and team fundraisers will be awarded at the opening ceremonies. You can register online, where you can also donate to a team or donate to an individual.

Sponsor The Walks

If you or your company is interested, you can also help by sponsoring the event. Available sponsorships include:

• Presenting ($10,000)
• Wish Granters ($5,000)
• Star of Hope ($2,500)
• Star of Strength ($1,000)
• Star of Joy ($500)

Can’t Make The Walk? You Can Still Help Make-A-Wish

There are other ways you can help Make-A-Wish South Carolina, without going to the Walk For Wishes events this spring. One of those ways is by donating  an unwanted vehicle to Wheels For Wishes benefiting Make-A-Wish South Carolina. Donating a vehicle helps kids in Columbia, Charleston and throughout the Palmetto State. It also saves you the time and money spent on selling an unwanted vehicle that will be transformed into a wish for a local child. It also gives you a great tax deduction at the same time. Wheels For Wishes is an IRS-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so your donation is 100 percent tax deductible. Your car can make a wish come true!

To donate a vehicle to Wheels For Wishes, please call us at [chapter_phone], or fill out our easy online vehicle donation form. You will feel great about what your old car can do for a local child!

Spring is in the air in much of the country, and kids who have spent months bundled up during the winter are ready to get outside and play. For many kids, that means riding their bikes, scooters, or skateboards with friends through the neighborhood.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and helping keep children safe from head injuries is very important. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when someone's head is hit by something or shaken violently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.7 million people receive TBIs each year. Of children up to 19 years old, TBI results in 631,146 trips to the emergency room each year.

Brain injuries, including concussions, can occur to kids while biking, during sports games or even on a playground if they were to fall while playing and hit their head. As a parent, before you let your kids go out biking, you need make sure that their helmet from last season still fits properly. If you have to buy a new helmet, make sure it fits snug. Buying a larger size that they can grow into can lead to disastrous consequences if they fall and hit their head. If the helmet doesn't fit properly, it won't protect as it should in the event of a fall.

What Symptoms Should Parents Look For?

According to Parent Center Hub, the term traumatic brain injury is used to describe trauma to the head that can cause permanent changes to areas of their mental cognition such as:

• Thinking and reasoning
• Understanding certain words or parts of language.
•  Short-term memory loss
• Paying attention
• Problem-solving
• Thinking abstractly
•  Speech and other communication skills
• Behavioral patterns
• Walking or other physical activities
• The ability to learn new things, especially if a skill was never introduced to the child before trauma.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America, there are some essential ways to protect your children’s safety and significantly reduces the risk of brain injury. make sure your children (and you), stay safe from brain injuries:

• Wear a seat belt every time riding in a motor vehicle.
• Buckle children in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt according to the child’s height, weight and age. Children should start using a booster seat when they outgrow their child safety seats. Children should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are approximately 4-foot-9 tall. Local police or fire departments often have clinics for parents to help make sure child safety seats are properly installed.
• Wear a helmet and make sure children wear helmets that are fitted properly. Specialty bike shops generally have staff member who are great at fitting helmets. The right helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88 percent, according to SafeKids.org.
• Make sure playground surfaces are made of shock-absorbing materials, such as hardwood mulch or sand, and are maintained to an appropriate depth.
• Use the right protective equipment and make sure it is maintained properly.

Help Local Children’s Charities

Each year, many children are affected by serious or chronic (?) medical condition. Vehicle donations help to provide these children with better lives. Donate a car, truck, motorcycle, boat, or camper and let Wheels For Wishes turn your vehicle into hope and encouragement for a child in your community.

When you donate a vehicle to Wheels For Wishes, your donation will go towards supporting the children’s charities in your area. See which charity your donation will benefit by checking out our Chapter Locator. When you donate a car, truck, boat, or motorcycle to Wheels For Wishes, you will receive free pick up or towing of your vehicle. To make a car donation, simply call [chapter_phone] or make your donation online.

Help to support children’s charities by donating your vehicle to Wheels For Wishes.

Spring is in the air in much of the country, and kids who have spent months bundled up during the winter are ready to get outside and play. For many kids, that means riding their bikes, scooters, or skateboards with friends through the neighborhood.

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and helping keep children safe from head injuries is very important. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when someone's head is hit by something or shaken violently. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1.7 million people receive TBIs each year. Of children up to 19 years old, TBI results in 631,146 trips to the emergency room each year.

Brain injuries, including concussions, can occur to kids while biking, during sports games or even on a playground if they were to fall while playing and hit their head. As a parent, before you let your kids go out biking, you need make sure that their helmet from last season still fits properly. If you have to buy a new helmet, make sure it fits snug. Buying a larger size that they can grow into can lead to disastrous consequences if they fall and hit their head. If the helmet doesn't fit properly, it won't protect as it should in the event of a fall.

What Symptoms Should Parents Look For?

According to Parent Center Hub, the term traumatic brain injury is used to describe trauma to the head that can cause permanent changes to areas of their mental cognition such as:

• Thinking and reasoning
• Understanding certain words or parts of language.
•  Short-term memory loss
• Paying attention
• Problem-solving
• Thinking abstractly
•  Speech and other communication skills
• Behavioral patterns
• Walking or other physical activities
• The ability to learn new things, especially if a skill was never introduced to the child before trauma.

According to the Brain Injury Association of America, there are some essential ways to protect your children’s safety and significantly reduces the risk of brain injury. make sure your children (and you), stay safe from brain injuries:

• Wear a seat belt every time riding in a motor vehicle.
• Buckle children in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt according to the child’s height, weight and age. Children should start using a booster seat when they outgrow their child safety seats. Children should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are approximately 4-foot-9 tall. Local police or fire departments often have clinics for parents to help make sure child safety seats are properly installed.
• Wear a helmet and make sure children wear helmets that are fitted properly. Specialty bike shops generally have staff member who are great at fitting helmets. The right helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88 percent, according to SafeKids.org.
• Make sure playground surfaces are made of shock-absorbing materials, such as hardwood mulch or sand, and are maintained to an appropriate depth.
• Use the right protective equipment and make sure it is maintained properly.

Help Local Children’s Charities

Each year, many children are affected by serious or chronic (?) medical condition. Vehicle donations help to provide these children with better lives. Donate a car, truck, motorcycle, boat, or camper and let Wheels For Wishes turn your vehicle into hope and encouragement for a child in your community.

When you donate a vehicle to Wheels For Wishes, your donation will go towards supporting the children’s charities in your area. See which charity your donation will benefit by checking out our Chapter Locator. When you donate a car, truck, boat, or motorcycle to Wheels For Wishes, you will receive free pick up or towing of your vehicle. To make a car donation, simply call [chapter_phone] or make your donation online.

Help to support children’s charities by donating your vehicle to Wheels For Wishes.

This April, there are three opportunities to make wishes come true for children in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky when you attend a BIG Wish Gala. Make-A-Wish Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky helps kids throughout these states who suffer from critical illnesses. You can help grant wishes to children in Akron, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo,  Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Louisville, Lexington and more when you attend either of the Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana BIG Wish Galas in Columbus, Indianapolis or Cleveland.

Columbus BIG Wish Gala, April 9

If you live in the Columbus area, the Columbus BIG Wish Gala is the perfect opportunity for you. Enjoy an evening out at the Hilton Columbus Downtown (401 N. High Street), while also helping to grant the wishes for kids in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The event will feature a sit down dinner, a live and silent auction, and inspirational wish stories from children and families who have benefited from Make-A-Wish. The event begins at 6 p.m.

Individual tickets sell for $300 each and sponsorship opportunities start at $3,000. To purchase tickets, please contact John Hykes at johnh@makeawishohio.org.

Learn more about the Columbus BIG Wish Gala here.

Indianapolis BIG Wish Gala, April 22

The Indianapolis BIG Wish Gala takes place at the JW Marriott Indianapolis (10 S. West Street), starting at 6 p.m. Individual tickets are $400 each and sponsorships are available from $4,000 to $25,000. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of our 2016 event, or to RSVP, please contact Kelsey Leichtnam at 317-522-4082.

Cleveland BIG Wish Gala, April 28

The Cleveland BIG Wish Gala at the Westin Cleveland Downtown (777 St. Clair Ave. NE) will provide guests with the opportunity to experience the Make-A-Wish mission firsthand. The evening starts at 6 p.m. and includes dinner, a live and silent auction and a few more surprises. Guests will also have the opportunity to hear stories of inspiration from children and families whose lives have been forever changed by a granted wish.

You can attend the event by purchasing tickets or tables. Individual tickets are $300. RSVP today to Michele DeScioli at 216-367-5655. Sponsorships are also available, and range between $3,000 and $15,000.

Can’t Attend But Still Want To Make Wishes Come True?

If you are unable to attend either of these fantastic events, you can still help Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana by donating your car, truck, boat, motorcycle, or camper to Wheels For Wishes. Wheels For Wishes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that benefits Make-A-Wish through our  car donation program. Donate your unwanted vehicle and it will be recycled or auctioned off to grant more wishes for  local children.

To donate a vehicle, please call [chapter_phone] or fill out our online car donation form. Vehicle donations are tax-deductible and include free pick-up and towing of your vehicle, anywhere in your area. Call us today to donate your vehicle! 

If you want to take part in a night of exquisite wine and food, then Wine & Wishes is for you. March 23 is the 13^th Annual Wine & Wishes event, hosted by Make-A-Wish Metro and Western New York. At Wine & Wishes, you'll enjoy a delightful evening of fine wines, desserts, and silent and live auctions, with earned proceeds benefiting Make-A-Wish Metro and Western New York.

Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington’s annual Wish Night Gala & Auction: Flights of Fancy will be an especially magical event this year. Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington is celebrating its 30th anniversary of granting the wishes of local children, but the real magic of the 2016 Wish Night is its focus on raising funds to grant 400 wishes this year. You can help the Wish Night Gala & Auction achieve its goal through contributions and donations to the event. With your support, Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington can provide more life-changing experiences to children battling life-threating medical conditions and their families.

Make-A-Wish Northeast New York has granted nearly 1,600 wishes over the past 29 years. You can help celebrate their impact of all these wonderful wishes at the 18^th Annual Gala for Make-A-Wish. This year's theme is "Wishes Light the World." Make-A-Wish Northeast New York plans to grant 100 wishes this year, and you can help by attending the gala. 

If you live in Iowa, you have four opportunities to support Make-A-Wish Iowa at an upcoming gala. This spring, you can attend a gala in Dubuque March 19, Des Moines April 2, Clinton April 9, or Cedar Rapids April 22. Each gala will have its own flair, but all of them help Make-A-Wish Iowa keep doing wonderful work for kids in your state. 

Feb. 14 is known for Valentine’s Day, but it’s actually so much more than that. Not only is it a day to shower your sweetie with candy hearts and chocolates, but it’s also a great time to raise awareness for Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Day and National Donor Day. Plus, Valentine’s Day falls right in the middle of Random Acts of Kindness Week (RAK Week). This Valentine’s Day, have a heart and combine all four of these great events into one day, or share the love all week long! 

Even if you don't live in a cold climate with snow, winter weather can seem endless and get you down. With the holidays far behind us, most people are ready for winter to be over. However, with a little creativity, winter can still be a blast even if you are stuck inside!

The Make-A-Wish Central & Western North Carolina Wish Ball raised more than $450,000 in 2015, and with the plan to grant more than 260 wishes this year, being part of this signature annual event has never been more important. The Wish Ball is once again being held at The Westin in their mission to help children with critical illnesses. The 2016 Wish Ball is on Friday, Feb. 12, at The Westin Charlotte (601 S. College St.).

The event starts with registration from 6-7 p.m., dinner from 8-9 p.m. and a live auction and raffle from 8:30-9:30. The evening includes an entertaining cocktail hour, an elegant dinner prepared by the master culinary team at The Westin, music and dancing to the sounds of Flashback the Party Band, and silent and live auctions. Most important, The Wish Ball is an evening of charitable giving: Since the event has started, it has raised more than $2 million towards granting the wishes of children with critical illnesses in our community.

Parking for the event will also be discounted for Wish Ball guests, at a rate of $12 for valet services and $6 for self-parking.

After the holidays are over, the last thing you probably want to do is clean up the decorations you spent hours putting up. It's never as much fun to put things away, which is why it might be so tempting to just throw things out and start over fresh each year. A better way is to recycle and reuse your old decorations that you can't necessarily save and reuse in the same way next year. And if you haven't already, check out our tips for recycling your Christmas tree.

Each year, nearly 13,000 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. This disease was once one of the leading causes of cancer death among women, but the death rate has dropped more than 50 percent over the last 30 years.

Christmas has been over for a few weeks now. Hopefully by now you've got your Christmas tree down, and your lights and ornaments packed away. But if that's not you, and you still have your tree up, it's probably getting to be about that time to pack it up.

February is meant to be all about hearts with events such as Valentine’s Day and National Heart Month, but January is just as important! The American Red Cross celebrates National Blood Donor Month this January and encourages you to have a heart and give blood, if possible. If you’re unable to give blood, there are other ways to give back and make a difference. 

Birth defects are structural changes that can be detected before birth, at birth, or any time after birth. They can affect almost any part of the body, such as the heart, foot, or brain. Birth defects are common, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birth defects affect 1 in every 33 babies born in the United States each year. January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and you can help to reduce your child’s risk of developing a birth defect by making healthy choices during pregnancy.