Regular readers of Springwise may remember Skoog — the musical instrument designed specifically for children with special needs which we featured late last year. Now, hoping to help others with developmental disorders, Auti is a new toy designed by Helen Andreae for children with autism.

Andreae developed Auti as part of an assignment for her Industrial Design degree at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. Drawing on observations of a close friend’s autistic child, she noted how autistic children often found it hard to play with others due to a lack of control over their voice and body. This frequently scared other children away when they were trying to make friends. In an effort to improve interactions, she collaborated with child specialists to develop Auti, an interactive toy which helps teach autistic children positive play behaviors. The toy contains programmable sensors that can detect touch and sound, shutting down in response to negative behavior such as screaming and hitting, but responding positively to gentler behavior such as stroking and soft speaking. Auti is animal-like in appearance and action, designed to appeal to children with varying degrees of autism and to stimulate their imagination. Currently still a prototype, Auti is suitable for children aged six months and above, and Andreae claims she would like to broaden its functions for a range of teaching applications before considering producing Auti commercially. The video below explains Auti in more detail:

Click here to watch the video of Auti in action.

Story via Springwise

With every half-sized restaurant meal, a donation to fight hunger

Halfsies is designed to help consumers eat less at restaurants, while helping to feed the hungry and minimize the amount of food that gets thrown out.

Pay-what-you-can pricing is one way for a restaurant to help fight hunger during tough economic times, but recently we came across a different approach that aims to combat obesity and waste as well. It’s called Halfsies, and it’s essentially a program that’s designed to help consumers eat less at restaurants while helping to feed the hungry and minimize the amount of food that gets thrown out.

Halfsies is “a social initiative offering restaurant-goers a choice that provides a healthier meal portion, reduces food waste, and supports the fight against hunger,” in the site’s own words. Now gearing up for a pilot launch this spring in Austin, Texas, and New York City, Halfsies plans to partner with local restaurants for participation in its program. Those that do participate will then choose a set of meals on their menu to include in the program, designating them with a small symbol. Then, when a patron chooses to “go halfsies” on such an item, he or she receives a half-portion of the meal while still paying full price. Ninety percent of the proceeds are then donated to support the fight against hunger, with the remaining 10 percent used for Halfsies’ own operations. The video link below explains the premise behind Halfsies in further detail: Halfsies: Connecting the Dots

In this era of obesity, oversized portions and unbridled food waste, there are still roughly a billion people worldwide who don’t have enough to eat, Texas-based Halfsies says. The company currently seeks sponsors, partners, donors and volunteers — time to help combat three of the world’s most persistent problems?

Website: www.gohalfsies.com

Contact: gohalfsies@gmail.com

Source: www.springwise.com

Students who applied to the Yale College seminar “Philanthropy in Action” were in for a surprise when they saw the course’s syllabus: members of the class would have the opportunity to distribute $100,000 to charities of their choosing.

The course is the recipient of a grant from the Once Upon a Time Foundation, which gave between $50,000 and $100,000 to similar courses at eight universities this academic year, said Sam Lett, the foundation’s president. By allowing students to donate such large sums of money, Lett said the foundation hopes to motivate them to engage thoughtfully in philanthropy. He added that he would like to expand the initiative to additional schools in the future.

“What is unique about this is that it’s not just a theoretical course in philanthropy,” Dean of Undergraduate Education Joseph Gordon said. “The students are actually performing philanthropy.”

Maxim Thorne ’89 LAW ’92, who is teaching the seminar at Yale, said the course will first ground students in the history, political theory and economics of philanthropy, and then ask them to apply the metrics they learn for evaluating which charities to support. The class will also bring in prominent philanthropists throughout the spring. Students will interview the guests on camera through the Yale Media Center, and the interviews will be posted to Youtube and iTunes, Thorne said.

Thorne had proposed teaching a college seminar on philanthropy before the Once Upon a Time Foundation independently approached Yale about providing money for students to donate. Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs George Levesque, who oversees the college seminar program, said the foundation’s grant opened up a “really interesting pedagogical opportunity” that would not otherwise have been possible. He added that the program intentionally did not advertise the $100,000 grant for the course so that only students “genuinely interested” would apply. Student demand for the course was high regardless: Thorne said he received 185 applications and more than 80 students emailed him or attended the seminar’s first meeting.

Frances Sawyer ’12, a student in the course, said she was “thrilled” when she learned about the $100,000 grant from the syllabus.

“Very few people get the opportunity to make these types of decisions, and to be able to do this in a class setting is great,” Sawyer said. “It really makes the idea of philanthropy more tactile and gives you a whole new rubric of things to think about.”

Lett said the foundation’s idea for the initiative sprang from a desire to educate students about the value of giving back to their communities. It first provided funding a few years ago for students at three high schools in Fort Worth, Tex. ­— where the foundation is based — to donate to prescreened nonprofits. Last spring, the foundation sponsored a course similar to Yale’s at Texas Christian University. Students in a senior colloquium called “Nature of Giving” at TCU’s honors college were given $20,000 by the foundation to donate to local charities in the Fort Worth area, said Ron Pitcock, who taught the course.

Pitcock said after his students studied the evolution of philanthropy in the United States from the days of Andrew Carnegie to Warren Buffett and examined theories behind philanthropic giving, they visited charities and debated the merits of each one. The class started with a list of 100 local charities that they eventually narrowed down to 40, then 10, and finally three, he said.

“The students said it was unlike any class they had taken in their college years,” Pitcock said. “It was the first time where they felt they had a responsibility not only to themselves for learning, but also to the community to make the right decisions.”

This academic year, the foundation expanded its model beyond TCU to seven other universities, Lett said. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan offered courses on philanthropy sponsored by the foundation this fall, and Yale joins TCU, Stanford University, the University of Texas, the University of Virginia and Princeton University in offering a course this spring.

Doug Bauer, who has co-taught a philanthropy course in Penn’s urban studies program for over a decade, said receiving money from the foundation this fall to make actual donations was “a real eye-opener” for students. In previous years, his course would use mock scenarios to simulate the experience of running a philanthropic foundation, but with actual funding “it became a very serious endeavor,” he said.

Philanthropists who will visit Yale’s class include Oscar-winning producer Bruce Cohen and civil rights leader Julian Bond.

Source: Yale Daily News

BY ANTONIA WOODFORD

STAFF REPORTER

I have agreed to be auctioned off for charity (along with 36 other men and women). In other words you can buy me, and my package. Or just my package. It all sounds wrong, but it’s for the right cause — kids with Cystic Fibrosis. All proceeds from the auction go to children with the disease in West Michigan. Before I agreed to become Cougar Meat I knew nothing of CF, now I know one thing, these little dudes need a lot of love and care. Last year Bid for Bach raised $70,000, this year they’re shooting for $100,000.

The fifteenth annual event, hosted by Friends and Families of Cystic Fribrosis, will be held February 4th at the JW Marriott. Tickets are $20 at the door, and even if you’re not single there are items you can bid on. So get your tail out there and purchase me, and if you’re really nice I’ll teach you how to dance…

Here is my package:

Start with a one hour massage from Salubrity Vida in Holland. Big thanks to April P.

Get your hair did by my beautiful cousin Shanna Fridsma. Not to mention a ton of styling products. She’s the best.
Get yourself some BOOTS with a gift certificate from Aldo. These boots were made for dancing. You’ll need a new handbag from Fossil. You’re welcome.

Two new shirts from MyGreatLake. Sweet gear that benefits our lakes, muchas gracias to Jonathan K. Also give ‘em a vote at 5X5.

Cocktails at one of my favorite little American bars in Holland, The Wood. Thanks Shannon.

Two passes to all of Grand Rapids’ museums from Experience GR. Added by Maggie K.

A discovery flight from Tulip City Air, compliments of Ron L.

A VIP wine tour for six at Chateau Chantal in Traverse City. Thanks Liz B.

A glider ride from Benz Aviation in Grand Haven. If the pilot is as sweet as the woman answering the phones we’ll be in good hands. 

A one night stay in the lovely Leonard at Logan Bed and Breakfast. Ooolala. Thanks Paul.

And finally a full logo design and marketing consultation with the boys at Thinkbox Creative. Brian D., Travis F., and Timm B., are talented (and good looking).

Nichole and I. Buy us, or at the very least, come out and tickle Nichole.

The comedian Louis CK isn’t exactly Mother Teresa in terms of content, but he’s been pretty transparent recently with the sale of his latest DVD and showed his critics and his fans a little more of his true character.

CK just posted an update on his website with a screenshot of his PayPal account from the sale of his DVD, one in which he chose to produce himself and sell to his fans for only $5.00. In his update Louis goes on to breakdown what he chose to do with that money. If you had gained $1,000,000 in just 12 days, would you be willing to give away 78% of it? He did, and it breaks down just like this:

- “250k is going back to my staff and the people who work for me on the special and on my show. I’m giving them a big fat bonus.”

- “280k is going to a few different charities. They are listed below in case you’d like to donate to them also. Some of these i learned about through friends, some were reccomended through twitter.”

• The Fistula Foundation
• The Pablove Foundation
• charity: water
• Kiva
• Green Chimneys

- “250k is going to pay back what the special cost to produce and the website to build.”

“That leaves me with 220k for myself. Some of that will pay my rent and will care for my childen. The rest I will do terrible, horrible things with and none of that is any of your business. In any case, to me, 220k is enough out of a million.

I never viewed money as being “my money” I always saw it as “The money” It’s a resource. if it pools up around me then it needs to be flushed back out into the system.

The thing is still on sale. I hope folks keep buying it. If I make another million, I’ll give more of it away. I’ll let you know when that happens because I like you getting to know what happened to your 5 dollars and bringing awareness to the bla bla bla.”

Seems like a guy worth supporting. To do so, click here–> https://buy.louisck.net/

Via Espn.com

I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde. No, I’ve come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.

Who among us is this selfless?

Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured, flies them and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave and Buster’s), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.

Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.

Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomasin the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?

Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.

“Here he’d just played the game of his life,” recalls Bailey’s mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., “and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, ‘Did you get anything to eat?’ He acted like what he’d just done wasn’t anything, like it was all about Bailey.”

More than that, Tebow kept corralling people into the room for Bailey to meet. Hey, Demaryius, come in here a minute. Hey, Mr. Elway. Hey, Coach Fox.

Even though sometimes-fatal Wegener’s granulomatosis has left Bailey with only one lung, the attention took her breath away.

“It was the best day of my life,” she emailed. “It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days. Tim Tebow gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine. He gave me the strength for the future. I know now that I can face any obstacle placed in front of me. Tim taught me to never give up because at the end of the day, today might seem bleak but it can’t rain forever and tomorrow is a new day, with new promises.”

I read that email to Tebow and he was honestly floored.

“Why me? Why should I inspire her?” he said. “I just don’t feel, I don’t know, adequate. Really, hearing her story inspires me.”

It’s not just NFL defenses that get Tebowed. It’s kids who will die soon. It’s adults who can hardly stand. It’s high school girls who don’t know if they’ll ever go to a prom.

For the game at Buffalo, it was Charlottesville, Va., blue-chip high school QB Jacob Rainey, who lost his leg after a freak tackle in a scrimmage. Tebow threw three interceptions in that Buffalo game and the Broncos were crushed, 40-14.

“He walked in and took a big sigh and said, ‘Well, that didn’t go as planned,’” remembers Rainey. “Where I’m from, people wonder how sincere and genuine he is. But I think he’s the most genuine person I’ve ever met.”

There’s not an ounce of artifice or phoniness or Hollywood in this kid Tebow and I’ve looked everywhere for it.

Take 9-year-old Zac Taylor, a child who lives in constant pain. Immediately after Tebow shocked the Chicago Bears with a 13-10 comeback win, Tebow spent an hour with Zac and his family. At one point, Zac, who has 10 doctors, asked Tebow if he has a secret prayer for hospital visits. Tebow whispered it in his ear. And since Tebow still needed to be checked out by the Broncos’ team doctor, he took Zac in with him, but only after they’d whispered it together.

And it’s not always kids. Tom Driscoll, a 55-year-old who is dying of brain cancer at a hospice in Denver, was Tebow’s guest for the Cincinnati game. “The doctors took some of my brain,” Driscoll says, “so my short-term memory is kind of shot. But that day I’ll neverforget. Tim is such a good man.”

This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk toteammates before a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.

Isn’t that a huge distraction?

Stephanie TaylorNot everything Tim Tebow does on one knee is controversial. Ask Zac Taylor.

“Just the opposite,” Tebow says. “It’s by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.”

So that’s it. I’ve given up giving up on him. I’m a 100 percent believer. Not in his arm. Not in his skills. I believe in his heart, his there-will-definitely-be-a-pony-under-the-tree optimism, the way his love pours into people, right up to their eyeballs, until they believe they can master the hopeless comeback, too.

Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He’d be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation.

Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea?

“Tim told me to keep fighting, no matter what,” Rainey says. “I am.”

• 1. Panda cubs cuddling with each other

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• 2. These dogs surfing

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• 3. This corgi’s face

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• 4. A slow loris getting brushed

  

• 5. This cat copying a baby

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• 6. A fat squirrel

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• 7. Doggy stacking

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• 8. A frenchie high-five

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• 9. A elephant getting its teeth brushed

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• 10. This little boy and his cat companion

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• 11. This zebra riding a giraffe

  

• 12. An armful of puppies

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• 13. This cat comic

  source

• 14. A mama tiger licking her cub

  

• 15. Cats with ramen on their heads

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• 16. This flexible bear

  

• 17. This dog that really likes bacon

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• 18. A laughing girl and her camel

  

• 19. This silly hamster

  

• 20. This disabled dog who loves leaves SO MUCH

  

Cody Schnieder knows not every Canadian kid is as fortunate as he.

“I know people that can’t play sports because they can’t really afford it and don’t have the [equipment] to play,” the 12-year-old said.

That’s why he created Sticks for Kids, a program through which the public can donate new or gently used hockey sticks to be given to kids less fortunate.

Schnieder eventually collected 67 sticks during December.

He will donate them on Saturday to Knobby’s Kids, a program that supplies hockey equipment to kids who can’t afford it.

Schnieder has been playing organized hockey for eight years. He has always donated his used equipment to Knobby’s Kids, the idea of the late Robert ‘Knobby’ Knudsen.

Knobby’s Kids play hockey every Saturday between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and Lansbury Park.

“We don’t have referees, we don’t have coaches. We just have a lot of fun,” said Frank Spry, who helped Knudsen found the program six years ago.

It started with 20 kids. It now boasts 150 between the ages of three and 13.

“He loved it. We love watching these kids enjoying themselves,” Spry said.

Spry commended Schnieder’s efforts.

“There are a lot of Cody’s in this community who want to see this go on,” Spry said. “Hockey is expensive, it’s extremely expensive.”

He didn’t bring his green hat, but check it–> http://on.mtv.com/sD1HaV

via: http://www.mtv.com/

Jackie Shepherd believes that every kid deserves to be spoiled, if only once in their life. We all remember the one birthday/Christmas/Random Special Day where someone spoiled the sh*t out of us and instead of just feeling spoiled, we felt special. There is a magic that only a huge pile of presents can really conjure up. I’m not saying I’m a huge fan of excessive materialism, just saying that it can be pretty damn fun and I’m happy to help with that day!

Jackie is the kind of person who knows everyone. If you don’t know her, you will feel like you’ve been friends for life after 15 minutes in her presence. Jackie is Jewish but that doesn’t stop her from adopting a family for Christmas every year. This year’s family was a single mother from Sudan with 7 children ranging in age from 4-17. She also adopted a single dad with a 6 year old daughter. Once the need was defined, Jackie recruited friends and family to help with gifts and necessities for the family who had just moved into their first apartment with little more than their own clothes. Jackie sent out emails saying that anything would be welcome – even gently used items. As she posted the growing list of donations, it seemed to have a snowball effect on the group of 10 core women who had signed up to help her with this task. In the end, the children all got several new toys: Nerf guns, toy bulldozers, books, puzzles, Barbie Dolls, crayons, art supplies, and even a Nintendo DS (an item on the top of many kids’ lists this Christmas). For mom, the group collected household items: new towels, linens, new dishes, glasses and flatware. Paula Dean pots and pans. Blankets, drapes, a blender, food processor, and new pillows for everyone in the family. Jackie and friends spent three hours wrapping all the gifts which didn’t fit into her SUV.

The more important goal for Jackie is the message that she hopes to send to the parents. I find people through the grapevine who work for various agencies and can tell me, from a personal standpoint, about a family that they have seen make a lot of progress against all odds. The families I get have usually just moved out of a shelter and have their “own” house for the first time, but are struggling to keep things together. We have all been at a low point in life and had a friend randomly bring us flowers or send us a sweet note. Sometimes that small act of kindness is all it takes for us to remember that others are rooting for us. I want to send a message to these moms (and dads!) that there are people out there who are pulling for them to be successful. Not people who get PAID to help them, we’re just other moms who have our own struggles but want to shower someone else with much-needed love.

This post was submitted by Jackie’s friend Heather Handyside. Heather had this to share about Jackie – At the end of the day, I think I admire Jackie because she laid out the appropriate expectations for the group. This wasn’t going to be one of those limp, lukewarm, “Lets select some Matchbox cars for the kids and hand lotion for the Mom” kind of Secret Santa. This was a full blown, life changing outpouring of generosity. I was so happy to be a part of this good will gesture. Just the sheer volume of the generosity will surely bring joy to this family and will let them know they are welcome in this community.