Wednesday is National Running Day… And Charity Miles Third Birthday!

Team!

This Wednesday, June 3rd is National Running Day… and Charity Miles’ 3rd Birthday! If you are in or near New York City, please join us and our friends from Timex Sports for a group run at 7AM at Columbus Circle. We’ll have various paces and distances, and Charity Miles’ T-Shirts to give away. You can also test out Timex’s new ONE GPS+ smartwatch, the first smartwatch that enables you to run without your phone. And we’ll have some birthday treats that rhyme with Shmupcakes :) 

If you’re in NYC, please click here to RSVP so we know how many people to expect.  And, of course, please feel free to pass this invite onto others. Looking forward to seeing you out there!

Also, even if you’re not in NYC, please join the #RunningDay team in the Charity Miles app and do any amount of Charity Miles on Wednesday. This will enter you into a sweepstakes in which three winners will win a Charity Miles T-Shirt and a guaranteed entry into either the 2015 or 2016 TCS New York City Marathon, 2016 Airbnb Brooklyn Half, or 2016 United Airlines NYC Half. (That’s HUGE!) Official rules are here. Big thanks to our friends at New York Road Runners for stepping up with such awesome prizes!

On June 2 we’re turning America orange for Gun Violence Awareness Day.

Why orange? The color orange symbolizes the value of human life. Hunters wear orange to alert other hunters that they’re there — as a way to take care of their own life and the lives of others. A couple of years ago, teens on the South Side of Chicago asked their classmates to wear orange in honor of a friend who was shot and killed. Now, we’re amplifying their call to action and turning orange into a symbol for the value of human life everywhere.

If you believe there’s more we can do to save American lives from gun violence, you are Orange.

Here are four reasons why your nonprofit should consider a adopting a .NGO or .ONG Internet domain: 

Validation: Domains will only be available to genuine NGOs, as compared to .org domains, which are open to purchase by anyone.

Establish Trust: Given the exclusivity of receiving these new domains, donors will be able to know and trust the organizations they are giving to.

Visibility: All domain holders will be added to PIR’s exclusive online NGO directory.

How long until it’s gone?

Line fishing (including hook): 600 years 

Plastic bottle: 450 years 

Common Lata: 50 years 

Aluminum can: 200 years 

Plastic unite in six pack cans: 400 Years 

Biodegradable plastic, to unite in six pack cans: 6 months 

Plywood: 1 to 3 years 

Cigarette butts: 1 to 5 years 

Diapers: 450 years 

Carton: 2 months 

Plastic Bag: 10 to 20 years 

Tetra Briks: 3 months 

Newsprint: 6 weeks 

Socks: 1 to 5 years 

Styrofoam cup: 50 years 

Glass bottle: Permanent (up over 1,000 years) 

Cotton shirt: from 2 to 5 months 

If you had the power to change the world for good, where would you start? Protecting the environment? Providing education for girls in developing countries? Working to eradicate disease?

The UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are designed to guide the policies that will change the world for the better, framing global agendas and guiding political action for the next 15 years.

Nepal Government Struggles to Provide Earthquake Relief

More than 2,400 people were killed and more than 5,900 injured after the quake hit near Katmandu. The death toll is expected to rise.

How to Help

Mercy Corps Mercy Corps has been in Nepal since 2006 and has more than 90 volunteers on the ground trying to distribute water, shelter kits, mosquito netting, tarps, cooking utensils, hygiene materials, and some other household provisions. @mercycorps on Twitter

Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services and its partner organizations have begun procuring emergency relief materials such as shelter kits and sanitation and hygiene materials. @CatholicRelief on Twitter.

Habitat for Humanity International The group says its disaster response teams are coordinating efforts with local government agencies and disaster relief partners, and will be assembling emergency shelter kits. @habitat_org on Twitter.

Global Giving Money donated to support relief operations in Nepal will go toward helping first responders “meet survivors’ immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter,” the organization said.  “Once initial relief work is complete, this fund will transition to support longer-term recovery efforts run by local, vetted local organizations.” @GlobalGiving on Twitter.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee   The New York-based nonprofit is providing medical assistance through aid workers traveling from India to Nepal. @TheJDC  on Twitter.

Oxfam Oxfam is an international coalition of charities dedicated to fighting poverty. Aid workers from the group are on the ground, preparing to hand out food and water.  @Oxfam on Twitter.

World Vision “We are initiating a response to meet basic, urgent needs with temporary shelter, food, water, emergency health interventions, and other vital aid.” @WorldVision on Twitter.

Red Cross Volunteers from the Nepal arm of the Red Cross are helping in the search for survivors. @ICRC on Twitter.

United Nations World Food Programme The United Nations agency is providing food and other aid to survivors. @WFP on Twitter.

Samaritan’s Purse Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization providing food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance to earthquake survivors. @SamaritansPurse on Twitter.

CARE CARE is asking for donations for critical relief. The group said its humanitarian workers were currently on the ground assessing the situation in Nepal and determining the most immediate needs. @CARE on Twitter.