1. The Invisible People-
Ford sponsored Mark Hovarth's campaign, The Invisible People; which is a fight to help homeless people escape their unfortunate living situation. Homeless people usually go unseen or not thought of as a major problem; but the increase in homelessness is rising due to the downfall of the economy. There aren't enough charities or campaigns that target homelessness, so this big movement is in play is a right step in the direction. Mark Hovarth himself says, “I not only feel their pain, I truly know their pain. I lived their pain. You’d never know it now, but I was a homeless person. Fourteen years ago, I lived on Hollywood Boulevard. But today, I find myself looking away, ignoring the faces, avoiding their eyes – and I’m ashamed when I realize I’m doing it. But I really can feel their pain, and it is almost unbearable, but it’s just under the surface of my professional exterior.” http://www.thefordstory.com/our-articles/cuvs/flex/mark-horvath-is-using-a-ford-to-make-invisible-people-visible/?moved=true
It's important that the person who is running the campaign has also struggled through the same issue, because it makes him more relatable and also makes the person feel more comfortable telling their story. The Invisible People is raising awareness to others by even doing a televised event that allows the homeless to broadcast their stories, which makes others want to get involved and help the unfortunate.Being homeless is not okay, whatever their circumstance, we need to go to great lengths to also help them out as well as other special needs.
2.The Invisible Children-
The Invisible Children's mission statement is, "Invisible children uses film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony's rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in central Africa to peace and prosperity." http://invisiblechildren.com/
Children are kidnapped and forced into becoming soldiers against their will. The campaign has traveled to colleges, high schools, churches and many other venues over a period of 7 years to aware the growing problem in Central Africa. You can buy tee shirts, bracelets or make monthly donations to support and protest against the cause to save these children. They also offer a Legacy Scholarship program, which offers a full merit scholarship to education to those who have been forced into being children soldiers, orphans and those living with HIV/AIDS. This gives the children hope for a better life rather than being forced into a terrible cult led by Joseph Kony.
The program also offers a bracelet campaign, in which all funds and profits go to the scholarship programs. There is also the protection plan, in which the program breaks down 5 of the main concerns for the invisible children, and let's you help:
1: Protection of Communities- which allows communities to be aware and alert when LRA violence is around.
2: Encouraging LRA Defection- This allows children to return safely home.
3: Providing Rehabilitation and Family Reunification- This is a center which prepares children for their homecoming, what they can expect and how to cope with the trauma of the LRA.
4: Post-Conflict Recovery- Supporting the recovery process.
5: Promoting the arrest of Joseph Kony and Top LRA Leadership- Invisible Children is constantly pushing the international community to appoint the arrest of Joseph Kony, to stop the children soldiers once and for all.
This organization strives to end child soldier endangerment, which I believe is an enormous threat to the Central African society. It's not fair for children to be forced into being soldiers, it's almost as equivalent to slavery.
3. Breast Cancer Awareness Month-
There is a whole month dedicated to the awareness of the breast cancer disease. Through out the month of October; corporations, stores, and people are doing the most they can to spread the word about breast cancer and how serious it really is. I've seen it all over the place this month, on paper bags from food stores, to being able to donate a certain amount in grocery stores. Everywhere you go in October, you just see pink, which is the symbolization of the pink breast cancer ribbon. I think it's great that so much advertising and campaigning goes into this cause, because it affects nearly 1 out of 4 women. Some people don't realize how serious the disease is, but the fact that they are going to such extensive efforts to get the word out and to raise money is amazing. People need to know the hard facts and be aware of the disease that surrounds them.
"The new focus on a cancer’s surroundings, researchers say, is a major shift in thinking about why cancer occurs and how to stop it." quotes an online website dedicated to breast cancer awareness. http://www.nbcam.org/
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