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We Make A Difference Show 013: Would you shut your water off for a week?

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Suzette Boyette
on March 25, 2009
in Episodes
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We love taking long showers, drinking fresh water, and not worrying about where our water is coming from. But, there are millions all over the world who suffer and do not have enough water to even drink a day.. let alone clean water…

In this week’s episode, we bring to you an Arizona family from Phoenix who decided to turn off their water to their home for ONE WHOLE WEEK!!! Would you shut your water for a week during World Water Week?! The Bender famiy decided to do just that! This podcast is during their second day of the entire seven days and mom, Kristine Bender shares with us why and what the adventure has been like. If you want a day by day (complete with occasional video excerpts) account of their adventure, log onto their blog.

Kristine Bender and her family wanted to promote awareness to the global water crisis. Did you know that 1.1 million people die each year due to this water crisis? That’s 6,500/day! Kristine reports that 5,000 of those are children! With the organization  Water Is Life, she helps promote awareness and tells us about a wonderful “Water Straw” that is about a foot long filter that enable children in Africa, Kenya, and other countries not to worry about waterborne illnesses such as dystentery and are able to drink clean water. It is a filter shaped like a straw that the children wear around their necks.

One straw will help a child drink CLEAN water for ONE YEAR!!! Guess how much a staw is?! All you need to do is donate $10 and it will help a child drink clean water for one year. Children in Africa only drink about 8 oz/ day of water. This straw filters 2-3 Liters a day of water!!! Amazing! And only for $10! That’s a couple of trips to Starbucks Coffee or to Mc Donald’s or a Burger King. What a great way to help and is affordable for parents/people all over the US, even in today’s economy!!! Click on the Donate button on the website and buy a water straw/filter that will save a child’s life.

What a great way for you to make a difference! Have it as a gift or have a group in your community gather together and donate hundred’s of straws for the children!

So, Kristine tells us that they take a 1/2 mile trip with buckets to the “water well” with enough water for them to use for daily activities and for drinking. If they run out of water, they have to go back and get more. The entire family is more cognizant of their water usage and now is beginning to get in a routine with ther new way of life. WIth the Bender’s blog, this is an excellent teaching tool for your children. Have them read the blog with you and I’m sure it will spur some wonderful conversation about water conservation, how to help others in the countries that have water problems/crises, and how we all must work together to help!

We’ll get back in touch with Kristine at the end of the week to see how her family’s week went without water. Water IS Life!!!

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Rating 3.33 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 012: Why Me? A book about children in Foster Care

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Suzette Boyette
on January 3, 2009
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Are you aware that there are thousands of children in your county that are children in foster care? How do you help this transition for the children? What can you do yourself? Well, we have Pamela Jackson and her husband who both became foster parents to their nephew when he was only 10 months old. It was because of her experience that she became the author of Why Me?

Pamela and her husband visited their local department of children and family and didn’t know what they needed to become foster parents. They also did not know what to do regarding their nephew… what were the legal matters, the issues, the care foster children needed. All she knew was that had a vision and knew what it could be.

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Rating 4.00 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 011: Prestige Academy

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Suzette Boyette
on December 7, 2008
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This week we bring to you a wonderful parent, Paul Novak who has a special needs daughter and decided to create an incredible solution to a problem he saw in his community. Paul Novak created Prestige Academy to help not only his own daughter but other children in Central Florida find success in the education system.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make a Difference Show 010: Healing the Children

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Suzette Boyette
on September 11, 2008
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When our children are sick, we wish we can take it away, don’t we? We want to take their pain/suffering on ourselves. What happens to the children in other countries and even in our own who are not able to get the medical care they need?! There is an incredible organization, Healing the Children and we have the opportunity to hear from the executive director of the Florida/Georgia chapter, Arlene Rhodenbeck.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make a Difference Show 009: Soulful Moments

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Suzette Boyette
on July 7, 2008
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Some people have challenging, life altering experiences in life and learn from them. Some people go beyond that and not only learn from them, but decides that this new appreciation for life, this blessing causes them to give back in a big way. This holds true for Dr. Dara Winfield who through various chapters in her own life has now created Soulful Moments, Inc. where women can become inspired and become more “soulful”.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 008: Volunteerfamily.org

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Suzette Boyette
on June 4, 2008
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Summer is just about here and what are we going to do with our children? How about volunteer in our community? This is a fantastic opportunity to share with our families how we can volunteer and help others in our very own community! We have Heather Jack who has founded the incredible Volunteer Family website. She and her family live just west of Boston, Massachusettes and shares with us how we can make a difference.

As a mother, Heather began to see and understand how family and community are both interrelated. She started to volunteer simply by making dinner for an elderly woman in her neighborhood and brought her young daughter with her. Now, years later, she still brings meals and her children have now grown up with this warm woman who is now a part of their lives.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 007: Fabulous First Grade Teacher!

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Suzette Boyette
on May 15, 2008
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Teachers all should have golden halos above their heads!!! We all appreciate their enthusiasm, their genuine love for teaching and the difference they make in each of our children’s lives! We also know that there are just some teachers out there who are “extraordinary” and seldom get the recognition. Well, this week we have Sherayne Flowers, a Fabulous First Grade teacher here in Orlando, Florida at Sunrise Elementary School, who also happens to be my daughter’s teacher this year. She is amazing, loving, vivacious, and definitely passionate in her calling as an educator.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 006: Catskill Animal Sanctuary (Part 2)

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Suzette Boyette
on April 24, 2008
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We open this week’s show with a sheep named Rambo who was mentioned on last week’s show. Kathy Stevens tells us the incredible story of how Rambo was a sheep who was traumatized by being locked up with 17 animals and was not well taken care of. Consequently, he was a very timid sheep. What amazed me was Kathy’s comment of witnessing an animal’s capacity to evolve. Rambo began to trust his caretakers at the sanctuary and one night began to emerge from his dark past. (Yes, we’re still talking about a sheep…) This one cold night, he found his voice again and was telling Kathy in his “sheep talk” that the turkeys were not in their safe place during this very cold night! She was shocked! And to this day, Kathy says Rambo is the guardian of all the animals at the sanctuary to tell her or the staff is something is wrong with any of the animals.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 005: Catskill Animal Sanctuary

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Suzette Boyette
on April 8, 2008
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For all of us animal lovers out there, this is a wonderful place for our families to donate our time and our resources! We have an interesting discussion with author and founder of the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Kathy Stevens. She also wrote the book, Where the Blind Horse Sings where we learn about all the fun and lively animals on her farm at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary.

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Rating 3.00 out of 5

We Make A Difference Show 004: Beta Center (Part 2)

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Suzette Boyette
on March 19, 2008
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This week, we share with you a volunteer of the Beta Center who has volunteered her time and energy for over 30 years!!! She is an incredibly warm and generous woman who tells us some very special stories of the girls who have touched her lives.Mary Palombi is just the type of woman you want to hug when you meet her!

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Rating 3.00 out of 5