Something I never really thought about before but since no one really writes cheques anymore and instead everyone used online payments and debit/credit cards, what will happen in the future for charities that have always depended on cheques?  Luckily there are program like ours that encourage people to use other methods of supporting charities.

The future of cheques remains in the balance with definite plans needed to restore the public’s faith in the payment option, it has been warned.

Despite plans to abolish cheques being shelved back in July, Age UK said it had received growing numbers of complaints from the public about retailers refusing to accept them.

The charity had staunchly opposed proposals that would have seen cheques become obsolete in 2018, with the Payments Council eventually agreeing that the payment method will remain for ‘as long as they are needed’.

However, despite the success of its lobbying, Age UK has admitted to having mounting concerns that cheques are still in jeopardy.

Because of its fears, Age UK has written to the UK’s major banks and building societies asking them to set out
the steps they are taking to ensure that cheques continue to be widely accepted and easily available.

Ready the full article here.

It certainly is nice to see the new car industry giving a little something back after being bailed out of trouble.  The General Motors Foundation announced a $2.5 million donation to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit on Monday.

CCS, with an enrollment of nearly 1,400, is one of the world’s leading art and design schools. It offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in 11 disciplines and Master of Fine Arts degrees in two majors.

Read the full article here.

Here is a great little graph from blackbaud.com’s Benchmarking report.

Around 1,000 people helped make the Ian Jenkins charity hockey game a success and helped launch the Big E Foundation at Compuware Sports Arena in Plymouth Township.

Ian (Big E) Jenkins, considered one of the best 15-year-old goaltenders in the U.S., died last Monday, after suffering a head injury on May 19 after falling out of the bed of a pickup truck and onto pavement in Milan. Jenkins was recently drafted in the second round by the London Knights in the 2011 Ontario Hockey League draft and was supposed to play there next season.

Read the full article here.

Hop on your bike and help make a difference! The New Jersey Metro Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is challenging bike riders to join the 20th Annual Bike MS “Coast the Coast” ride, and experience the ride of a lifetime.

As one of New Jersey’s premier cycling events, Bike MS “Coast the Coast” participants will pedal through coastal towns, while enjoying all of the sights and sounds of the Jersey Shore. While cyclists ride for many different reasons – camaraderie with other riders, exercise, the challenge, an organized tour, or fundraising – their efforts cumulatively aid in contributing toward the creation of a world free of multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease of the central nervous system.

On May 21 and 22, Bike MS “Coast the Coast” will kick off the summer, providing a great biking experience for novice through expert cyclists. Community members are invited to be part of this yearly tradition that continues to provide fun and goals for family teams and competitive cyclist teams alike. From the family fun 25-mile ride, to the endurance challenge of the 170-mile ride, the Bike MS “Coast the Coast” ride truly offers a weekend of enjoyment and fitness for everyone.

As individual and team cyclists pedal segments or the full distance from West Long Branch to Cape May, they will witness some of the most beautiful scenery that the Jersey coastline has to offer, all while enjoying a fully supported and inspirational event. The events have refreshment stations, bike repair support crews, first aid professionals, and support vans to aid riders on the courses.  Great event and well worth attending!

Members of Congress coasted to victory in a hoops clinic against Georgetown University Law Center faculty and staff on Wednesday night, raising a record sum for a charity that provides legal aid to D.C.’s homeless.

A star-studded congressional team, the “Hill’s Angels,” was powered by Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) on its way to a 61-49 win against the “Hoya Lawyas” in the 24th annual Home Court Charity Basketball Game.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and President Obama’s personal aide, Reggie Love, also played for the political juggernaut.

The exhibition game, orchestrated primarily by law students, raised more than $414,000 for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. The charity provides free legal services to the D.C. homeless on issues ranging from unfair evictions to acquiring food stamps.

About 350 people filled the bleachers at the Trinity-Washington University basketball center, many of them students who came to cheer on the Law Center team. A new addition to the Hoya Lawyas was William Treanor, the Law Center’s dean.

“We won last year, and I have to say this year they’ve gone all-out,” Treanor said at halftime. “They’ve got one former pro player and at least three former college players, but we’re pretty pleased with what we’re doing. We have the most heart.”

Sen. Brown, known in his playing days as “Downtown Scotty Brown” at Tufts University, led the Hill’s Angels in scoring with 15 points. Thune, who also played in college and whom Brown calls “the fastest man in Congress,” added nine points and eight rebounds.

Duncan, a co-captain in his days with the Harvard Crimson, also had a brief professional stint in Australia. The secretary of education also played in this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend celebrity basketball game in Los Angeles. He scored nine points Wednesday and led his team in assists.

“This is the least I could do to come out and support this extraordinary cause,” Duncan said after the game. “The students are doing such great work and making a huge difference in the community, so I was happy to be a small, small part of this.”

Rooting for both squads were cheerleaders from Georgetown and Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School in Southeast D.C. Jack the Bulldog also made an appearance to devour a box topped by a miniature Capitol dome replica.

The competitive contest was filled with memorable moments. In the first half, Brown blocked the shot of Associate Professor Laura Donohue, drawing a chorus of boos from the crowd. On the first possession of the second half, Reggie Love, a former national champion with Duke University’s Blue Devils, threw down a powerful two-handed dunk.

“I just wanted to remind everyone that I was here,” he said.

Reggie Love, a frequent basketball partner of President Obama, said he hopes the president can make it out to one of the next editions of the Home Court classic.

The congressional team was led by Thune and Sen. Robert Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.) and coached by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.). The team featured three senators, two Senate aides and five members of the House of Representatives along with Duncan and Love. In 24 years, Home Court has raised nearly $4 million for the legal clinic, mostly through donations from attendees. The annual game provides over one-third of the charity’s budget.

“I was stunned at over $400,000 — it’s amazing,” Duncan said. “To see all the time and effort that the students put in, this what it’s all about. These are the future leaders. They are making a huge impact in the community. I’m just so proud of what they’re doing.”

Students also got a chance to get in on the action, when Aladdin Jaloudi (LAW ’12) sank a half-court shot to win $10,000. Jaloudi, whose raffle ticket won him the chance for the shot, banked in the heave after it circled around the rim several times.

“I think the odds that I would make that shot were about five percent,” Jaloudi said after making the basket. He said he had not touched a basketball in over six months and was mostly trying not to embarrass himself.

“I’m going to pay maybe 10 percent of my debt that I owe to all of the people sitting over there,” Jaloudi said of his plans for the $10,000 as he pointed to the Law Center’s bench.  Great work for a great cause!

Super cool green Camero and signed by the Hulk himself! An organization that helps the needy in the area is getting some celebrity help with its latest fundraiser.

Retired wrestler Hulk Hogan and radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge are promoting a drawing for a 2011 Special Edition Chevrolet Camaro 1SS. The proceeds go to Unity in the Community.

This is the second year that Hogan and Bubba, along with Stingray Chevrolet, have teamed to give a helping hand to Unity. The car, autographed by Hogan, is worth $44,000.

Stingray Manager Steve Hurley and Bubba’s BTLS Foundation have purchased the car. Tickets for the drawing are $5.

Unity founder Joyce Jordan said last year’s drawing generated more than $70,000.

Among other works, Unity in May will present 30 $1,000 scholarships to needy high school students who are graduating. Other charities that have received money from Unity have included the United Food Bank of Plant City and Meals on Wheels.

The winning ticket will be drawn at 5 p.m. March 13 at the Florida Strawberry Festival. The winner need not be present to win.

Tickets will be available at Stingray Chevrolet until 6 p.m. March 11 and at the festival from Thursday until 4:30 p.m. March 13.

Tickets also will be available online at stingraychevrolet.com until 6 p.m. March 11; limit 20 tickets per person.  Great idea and I love the HULK!

Here is some feel-good news from across the globe, it seems some 80 percent of the people in Taiwan have made monetary donations to charity in the past year, with each person making an average of six donations totaling NT$3,716 (US$127.83), according to the results of a survey released recently.

Nearly 30 percent of the donors made donations in the last two months, according to the survey conducted by the United Way of Taiwan, a local charity group.

However, regular donations are the main source of income for the charity, which shows local residents’ long-term support for social welfare, according to the results.

About 35 percent of the donors said they are highly likely to make more donations in the coming year, said the charity’s secretary-general, Chou Wen-chen.

Those who said they had not donated cited either tight budget or concern over how their donations would be used, the survey results show. The survey, conducted Jan. 7-12, collected 600 valid samples.  They say a people can be measured by how they treat those less fortunate in their society and the Taiwanese seem to be doing very well!

So, the absolute first Volt ever bought was sold the other day in a charity auction for $225,000. At first blush that price may seem outrageous given that the Volt can be had for roughly $41,000–but then again the sale will benefit science, math, engineering, and technology education in Detroit Public Schools.

For days after the auction closed, the question of who would pay that much for what amounts to a four passenger, midsize sedan with really cool technology went unanswered. Some speculated that perhaps it was renowned car enthusiast Jay Leno or some other Hollywood bigwig, but when the answer was finally revealed it came in the unexpected package of NASCAR team owner, Rick Hendrick.

Hendrick is owner of Hendrick Motorsports and chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group. When combined, his racing teams–including one piloted by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.–have earned more than 185 NASCAR Cup Series victories, making Hendrick only the second team owner in modern NASCAR to earn that credit.

“This was an opportunity to own a piece of history while giving back to the community,” said Hendrick. “I have been a Chevrolet dealer for more than 30 years, and the Volt is one of the most exciting and important new cars since we opened our first dealership in 1976.”

The Volt that Hendrick bought was the second production Volt off the line–the absolute first one will be installed as a permanent exhibit piece at General Motors’ Heritage Center in Michigan. Hats off to Hendrick that is an awesome donation!

How generous are you and your fellow country-persons?  Australia and New Zealand shared first place, and the United States tied for fifth, in a first-of-its kind survey ranking 153 nations on the willingness of their citizens to donate time and money to charity.

China ranked near the bottom, barely higher than last-place Madagascar.

The report, released Wednesday by the British-based Charities Aid Foundation, showed striking variations in charitable behavior around the world.

For example, it found that only 4 percent of Lithuanians gave money to charity, compared with 83 percent of people in Malta; 61 percent of people in Turkmenistan did volunteer work, compared with 2 percent of Cambodians.

The overall rankings were a composite of three categories — the percentage of people who donated money, donated time and helped a stranger in the month prior to being surveyed.  Europeans Denmark and Germany rank quite low, which was surprising for me.