I DID IT!!

DENVER, CO 

$380 of $380

Raised by 6 people in 29 days 

Donate NowSHARE ON FACEBOOK

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to my family and my dear friend Rebecca who helped me reach my goal to sponsor one of the Peru rescued circus lions!!! These lions are en-route to The Wild Animal Sanctuary here in Colorado for medical care and to finally live a life full of love and freedom!

I will keep everyone updated on the progress of the Lions and my adoption!! xoxox
In case you missed my earlier posts about the Peru Lions here is a little bit about this amazing rescue.....

For $360 I could help by adopting a lion and assisting in the cost of their care! Best of all eventually I will be able to visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary here outside of Denver and see first hand the new lives of these former Circus animals! I am requesting $380 to cover the cost of the fees of this website.... and there is really nothing I need for my Birthday and when I watched the videos below my heart ached and I know I HAVE to do something! This is all I want this year..... to make a donation in my name!
Here is the sanctuary and below is the story that touched me.......
http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org

For many months in late 2014 and early 2015, The Wild Animal Sanctuary has been building an enormous array of large acreage natural habitats for more than 33 African Lions to live in once they are rescued from Circuses in Peru and airlifted to Colorado.
The Sanctuary was at the helm of providing a home for 25 African Lions rescued from similar circumstances in Bolivia in 2011, and set a World record by working with a British Animal Welfare Agency to save the dozens of cast-off circus Lions.
http://www.perulions.org/#!thelions/cfvg

1 More Week......

Hi Guys!! For $360 I could help by adopting a lion and assisting in the cost of their care! Best of all eventually I will be able to visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary here outside of Denver and see first hand the new lives of these former Circus animals! I am requesting $380 to cover the cost of the fees of this website.... and there is really nothing I need for my Birthday and when I watched the videos below my heart ached and I know I HAVE to do something! This is all I want this year..... to make a donation in my name!
Here is the sanctuary.....
http://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org

Here is a picture of the Lions getting ready for their BIG travel to Colorado...........

My Birthday is NEXT Tuesday and I am still a little short of my goal to "adopt" a lion and you can learn more and donate by clicking on this link...

http://www.gofundme.com/Nicoleis34

Son of the Congo

So we all know my love for the Okc Thunder and I know what all Oklahomans know.....that our guys are special! Our Okc Thunder has some of the most genuine players in the league and Son of the Congo just highlighted that times a MILLION!
This documentary about Serge Ibaka ripped my heart out.....
It made me sad for Serge as it showed how when he goes home to the Congo all everyone wants from him is money. People literally follow him around yelling at him to give them money. You see how that weighs on him and not in how you would expect it to. He wants to help everyone but he can't and you can see how that weighs on his heart. While in the Congo he helps fit people with hearing aides and watching him be apart of what for most is the first time they ever hear ...... it's strong. Powerful.
Also Serge donates $500,000 of supplies to an orphanage that he visits in the Congo and the emotion he displays is what we all feel or should feel when we see how awful it is for those children. It's heartbreaking.


One of my favorite quotes is when Serge is referring to the Playoffs last year when he came back to play even with a calf injury and he says "Sleeping on the street, having no food, being alone in the Congo is hard.... sacrificing for my teammates in the NBA Playoffs.... no thats not hard". 

You just need to watch this documentary for yourself and you will be touched, I promise. I could go on and on about how much I loved it and how much it touched me but you need to watch it for yourself.
All I could think about while watching this is... what am I doing? I wish my life could matter or make a difference in someone else's life. Food for thought.

34!

Hi Guys!! For $360 I could help by adopting a lion and assisting in the cost of their care! Best of all eventually I will be able to visit the Wild Animal Sanctuary here outside of Denver and see first hand the new lives of these former Circus animals! I am requesting $380 to cover the cost of the fees of this website.... and there is really nothing I need for my Birthday and when I watched the videos below my heart ached and I know I HAVE to do something! This is all I want this year..... to make a donation in my name!

To learn more about the cause, see videos and to donate please visit my GOFundME page http://www.gofundme.com/Nicoleis34 or just click HERE!

Change the World for ONE Today!

Hi Guys!! Today is a day I LOVE.... It's April 1st and NO that doesn't mean April Fools day to me what it means is a day for me to make a difference for ONE! I have shared about No. 41 so many times, my friend Tara started this amazing organization and I just love being able to help. I already bought my 2015 41 Day T Shirt which I will be wearing today (and all week actually) and I am donating $50 today which will feed 200 children in Rwanda a hot lunch!!!!!! 

What is 41Day? On April 1st, for one day, we as you to give up your lunch and donate what you would have spent to feed students in Rwanda. Students who, without our feeding program, wouldn't otherwise eat lunch at school. And who may only eat this one meal a day. Where is it happening? It's going down, all over the world, wherever you are TODAY! NO. 41 will be in Rwanda, but you can donate your lunch money, right here. Why does it matter? Since the feeding program started, two years ago, enrollment at the school has grown from 650 students to nearly 1,200! Because they want to eat. This impact is not only felt for the student, but also for their families who struggle to provide for each member. When hungry bellies are off the table, students are more focused and engaged in their work and, for the second year in a row, our students earned the highest test scores in their district! How can I help?  A little slice of the world is changing in Rwanda and it can all be attributed to a $0.25 meal every day and the snowball of hope that comes with it. There are so many simple ways you can get involved: Donate what you would have spent on lunch.  Share this event with your friends. Purchase a bag or a t-shirt. Donate here to sponsor a child for the year.

One meal, for one day, costs just $0.25. How much do you spend on lunch? $1 feeds 4 students, $5 feeds 20 students, $10 feeds 40 students...

Guys, feel free to share this post on your FB today and all it takes is as little as $1 and YOU can make a difference today, a real difference! It is so easy all the links are above all you have to do is CLICK!!!!!!!

Peru Lion Adoption!

Operation Spirit Of Freedom will bring 33 African Lions to Colorado the first week of April 2015.  This massive airlift will be a record-setting event, and will be one of the most monumental rescues undertaken by any animal welfare organization in the world.

Something BIG and wonderful is happening and I MUST help! 33 Lions Rescued from horrible Circus attractions in Peru are headed to Colorado and the mission is incredible. Watch this short video to learn more.......

Peru Lions Getting Ready To Come To Colorado from Wild Animal Sanctuary on Vimeo.

The lions will be headed to The Wild Animal Sanctuary here just outside of Denver!!

The Wild Animal Sanctuary now houses 25 lions successfully rescued from Bolivia in 2011. Craig expects the Peruvian and Colombian lions to have similar health issues as the Bolivian ones. "Most sit in a cage for their entire lives. They don’t perform," Craig says. "A lot of them will be beaten up and bruised. One or two are blind. Most of them need to gain a lot of weight and get healthy again." The Sanctuary already sent a dentist to visit the lions to take care of any major dental issues; the caged animals were often jabbed with steel bars that they'd bite and thus break their teeth. 

All of that work comes with a hefty price tag. Craig estimates each lion costs $8,000 annually—or $264,000 total—to care for. (The animals could live for another couple decades.) The Sanctuary is trying to raise $75,000 to finish building the dens and habitat as well as look after the animals' health.

You guys I desperately want to Adopt a Lion from Peru but with the cost being $360 for the year (up front) I cannot do it alone! So I have a WILD idea to adopt a lion with ALL of you!!!!!
I will adopt the lion in my blogs name and will do updates as I receive them and we can do this together!!!
Here is how this will work!!!! I will need at least $260 in donations and I will provide the last $100! But until I know we can do this you won't have to pay! When I have enough commitments from you I will then send out paypal invoices to collect the money!!!! The Lions fly in Soon and need our help! Will you help me? A Donation of anything will work!
Just leave me comment or shoot me an email at nsavage@live.com and let me know your commitment!!!
Spread this post!!!!

My Gentle Barn (Give Away!!!)

Ellie Laks founded The Gentle Barn in Tarzana in 1999; it was a dream of hers since she was seven years old. Animals were always very healing and nurturing to her as she faced the challenges of growing up, finding herself, fitting in, feeling understood, etc. She majored in special education and psychology, and with her special love of animals and children, The Gentle Barn was a perfect way of putting all her talents and passions into one.

Jay Weiner joined The Gentle Barn in 2002 as a volunteer, but fell in love with the place and the two joined forces to heal even more children and animals. Like Ellie, Jay also turned to animals for the support, love and nurturing he needed as a child.

The Gentle Barn started on a half-acre property in the middle of the San Fernando Valley, CA. In 2003 Ellie and Jay moved The Gentle Barn moved to a six-acre paradise in Santa Clarita, CA. The property is complete with large horse and cow pastures, a red and white barnyard for the smaller animals, an organic vegetable garden, lots of shade trees, and a panoramic view of gorgeous mountains. Our over one hundred and seventy rescued animals are safe and happy at The Gentle Barn, and there is plenty of room to welcome our visitors and the children we host.

The ultimate goal is to open Gentle Barn's across the country so that every animal and child can have a place of healing and safety and where they can be seen for the perfect beings that they are. Since its inception, The Gentle Barn has been home to hundreds of animals and host to over 400,000 people.

 This is one of those posts where my mind is all over the place! I have so much to say but don't know how.... are you with me? I fell in love with The Gentle Barn years ago thank to the Ellen Show and since I have donated and always keep a link on the left of this blog to their site. Recently their founder Ellie wrote a book (above) called My Gentle Barn and I finished it last night! This book spoke to me in so many ways.....
1. Amazement at all the good she and the barn has done
2. Guilt.... why can't I do more? Why am I not pounding more pavement for animals?
3. Sadness over the stories of each animal told
4. Love. Pure love.

I need to spread this message, pass this book that is so filled with love on to others!!! So I am going to Give Away my copy in hopes that when you are done you will then pass this copy on again!
Do you want my copy of My Gentle Barn???
Here is how to enter!!!!
Just leave me a comment! Easy peasy and tell me what animal in your life has touched you.
How to leave me a comment??
1. At the end of this post in PINK click on the word comment! And the link will prompt you to do the rest!
I will announce a winner on Friday and I will ship the book out to you on Monday!!!!

Here is a wonderful example of just one of the animals living at The Gentle Barn and how easy it is to help!

Addison - Donkey

Addison was forced to pull heavy things. He was beaten when he refused. He was finally confiscated from that man and brought to the Gentle Barn where he was taught to trust and have fun. His favorite thing is to have his head and ears rubbed.

Sponsor for $40.00 / month!

To learn more about The Gentle Barn click HERE to visit their site!!!!

Meet Barsilinga

Yesterday really made a dent in my heart and I was up all night thinking about the Elephants and knew I needed to do more! So I am so proud to announce the adoption of my Orphan Barsilinga! He was found on Easter Morning 2012, a true blessing I think! I have fostered an Elephant a few years back and I am blessed to do it again.....I was drawn to this little guy........

Name	Gender	Date Born	Location Found	Age on Arrival	Comments	Reason for being Orphaned
BARSILINGA	Male	Wednesday, March 28, 2012	Found near Wamba area, next to his dying mother	Approximately 2 weeks old	His mother had to be euthanized as her wounds were too severe for recovery	Poaching

Here is his incredible rescue...............

Barsi is now a little over 2 years old and is thriving at the DSWT!!! His story touched my heart, broke my heart and yet filled my heart with love all at the same time! It would be a DREAM come true to go visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and I have been saying that for years, they truly make a difference in all these animals lives.
I will keep us all updated on his progress as I get the updates from Africa!

World Elephant Day

Hello Friends! Today is very important to me and if you are a long time follower than you know this cause is dear to my heart! Today is World Elephant Day and my heart aches that these amazing creatures are being poached, orphaned and on the verge of possible extinction. I hope todays post will educate you on something you may not have already known about and I hope this post will instill in you a desire to make a difference!

ONE ELEPHANT IS KILLED EVERY 15 MINUTES. AT THIS RATE NONE WILL BE ROAMING WILD IN 2025.

WHY SAVE THE ELEPHANT?

Elephants have roamed the wild for 15 million years and today this iconic species faces their biggest threat to survival due to continued ivory poaching. As long as there is a demand for ivory, elephants will be continued to be killed for their tusks. Today it is estimated up to 36,000 elephants are killed annually, that’s one life lost every 15 minutes. Learn more about this CRISIS HERE!

What can we possibly do??? How can we change the world for Elephants??
I want to make it super easy for you...........

1. Sign the Petition HERE!

2. Foster a Elephant thru the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, this is dear to my heart...I sponsored an orphan a few years back and it really helped me to grow in a charitable way as well as the love that grew in my heart for these amazing creatures! You can Foster one HERE!

3. Wear Your Support!!! HERE

4. Print Your own poster HERE and share on social media!

#1every15 #iworry

5. Share this post, Share these 2 important websites....
Use these sites to educate yourself and share with others!

http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/WED/#creative

http://iworry.org


You know I really think every little bit helps, we have to think that and I want to join in on creating change. #changetheworld

Why are we doing NOTHING?????

I have a question.....as you watch this video how many of you had already heard about this crisis? I am betting not nearly enough, this is shocking and demands attention!

Nicholas Kristof is someone I admire greatly and I have talked about him many many times on this blog, he is a journalist for the NY Times who really sheds light on subjects we ALL need to care about. He is a champion for woman and he not only inspires me to do more but he gives me the knowledge to do so. Todays article in the NY Times was about this situation...... how could this be? 200 girls have been kidnapped? Why is this not the TOP story??? Here is the perfect way that he put this in perspective....

" While there has been a major international search for the missing people on Malaysian flight MH370, and nonstop news coverage, there has been no meaningful search for the even greater number of missing schoolgirls."

Wrap your head around that.

Mothers and relatives of kidnapped schoolgirls in northern Nigeria gathered late last month.CreditAfolabi Sotunde/Reuters

What can you do? 

1. Start by educating yourself and read Nicholas's article Bring Back Our Girls.....HERE!
2. Sign the petition on change.org HERE

3. Sign the White House petition HERE!

No. 41 Day!!!

"Do FOR ONE what you wish you could do for all." -Andy Stanley

When No.41 started, there were, roughly, 100 young adults over the age of 18 living in the Noel Orphanage. With no family and limited resources, the prospect of university or becoming gainfully employed was low. Along with that, confidence was low, dreams were small and hope was almost non-existent. It was important, not only to provide a means of sustainable employment doing a culturally relevant trade for these girls, but also to remind them that they were created for a great purpose, by an even greater God. We all have been given gifts and talents and, once realized, we should spend those helping others and that is where the feeding program came in.

In our village there are three secondary schools, grades 7-12, and these students go to school all day, most without eating. The schools, generally, offer a 20-minute break for lunch where children who live close enough or have money, may go home to go to the market to eat. Most do not.

All that has transpired at No.41 is beyond our wildest dreams. We have had ten girls move themselves out of the orphanage and we now have 19 enrolled in university. We have career fairs and business trainings, bible study and English class. I never believed this couldn’t happen, but I never imagined it would happen like this. No.41 is a testament to all that God wants to do in you and through you, if you’ll just say, yes.

What is the Goal of 41 Day????
(via www.no41.org)
On April 1st, we would love for you to join us, wherever you are, for a day of fasting and prayer for children around the world who go without lunch everyday, AND we are asking that you would donate what you would have spent on lunch, to feed our students in Gisenyi, Rwanda. Our feeding program, 1,200 students and teachers, provides lunch for one child for just $0.25 a day. How much do you spend on lunch?

$1 feeds 4 children for one day,
$5 feeds 20 children,
$10 feeds 40 children...

Our goal this year, on April 1st, is funding a whopping 41,000 meals! That's $10,250 or 1000 people giving up a $10 lunch. We have SO got this!

Y'all, changing the world FOR ONE, on 4-1, is really that easy.

All donations can be made here:
http://www.no41.org/faq#donate

Or if you would like to sponsor a student for the WHOLE year, it's $60 here:
http://www.no41.org/collections/169275-all-products/products/5444938-student-sponsorship



I have talked about this Charity several times before ( HERE )  and I went to school with Tara the founder of No. 41....I am constantly in awe of the work she has done. She is making a difference and I hope that thru this post I can make a difference in just ONE child's life. I pledge to donate $60 today and I encourage you to do the same! If you can't give $60 then Pray, Share this post, Fast or a donation of even $5 will make a difference. 

Make sure you get your 41 Day shirt HERE!!! I already have mine and I am wearing it as I type! By purchasing this shirt you will provide 68 LUNCHES!!!!

I hope you all will be as inspired as I am and filled with Hope that people are truly making this world a better place. It makes my soul smile to know that I can help even in the smallest ways. Happy 41 Day!

International Women's Day

I love the website Buzzfeed it is full of laughs, awes and actually inspiring stories! I was lucky enough to come across this story and the impact this should make....... it's impressive

To commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, the NGO “Catapult” redesigned the cover of three women’s magazines to highlight terrifying human rights violations against women and girls worldwide.

The result is pretty jarring:

This year, 14 million girls - some as young as eight years old - will be married against their will.

An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked into slavery each year. 80% are girls.

In New York City, the average age at which a girl first becomes a victim of commercial sexual exploitation is 13.

According to catapult.org ...

Investing in equality for girls and women is key to ending global poverty.

Yet only 7% of all U.S. foundation funds go to girls and women. Only 2% of every development dollar goes to adolescent girls. And 1 in 5 girls' and women's rights organizations are in danger of closing.

What can we do?? Click on this site HERE and learn more about Catapult, International Women's Day as well as what you can do to help.

Angel needs our help...

ANGEL IN CAPTIVITY

February 4, 2014 by Mark Palmer, Save Japan Dolphins

By Heather Hill

Cove MonitorDolphin Project

Earth Island Institute

On January 17th a pod of approximately 250 bottlenose dolphins were driven into the Cove.  Amongst them was a beautiful, extremely rare albino calf.  My dear friend and fellow volunteer Cove Monitor Karla Sanjur was in Taiji, documenting the drive hunt, and immediately noticed this little white dolphin.  She said it “looked like an angel with fins”, and so Ric O’Barry and Karla aptly named this baby ‘Angel’.

After spending a terrified night in the Cove, Angel was forcefully ripped from her mother’s side and, as predicted, was taken to the infamous Taiji Whale Museum.

 Angel was born a wild dolphin, belonging only to her mother, her family pod, and the sea.  That’s the life that she and every other dolphin were meant to live. Angel shares her small tank with one larger bottlenose dolphin.  During my the time of my observations, Angel swam in a very small circle in the center of the tank, surfacing for a breath every 20 seconds or so, in the same spot during each lap she made.  After a few breaths, it became obvious how predictable and repetitive her actions were.  She did not interact with the other dolphin, although the other dolphin just floated lifelessly on the surface.  Despite their forced close proximity to one another, they acted as though they were unaware of each other’s existence.  Her eyes remain closed or partially closed.

To watch the videos of Angel in captivity you can click HERE!

What can we do to help?
1. You can click HERE to sign a online petition on change.org
2. You can share this with all your friends via blog, email or FB
3. You can keep up with all the efforts to stop the Dolphin slaughter on www.dolphinproject.org
4. You can show your support by wearing a T-Shirt to spark a conversation while 50% of the proceeds will go to this cause! Buy one HERE!

Why do I care so much? I could go on and on and list all the reasons why but one of the main ones is that my heart literally aches for this cause. Dolphins are smarter than you could ever imagine and they know 100% what is happening to them. I encourage you to do your own research, watch The Cove, search my blog for past 'Dophin' posts and educate yourself on how we are letting such amazing creatures being treated with such disgrace.

International Human Trafficking Awareness Day

I am so glad that I have this platform to share with everyone something very important.....I want to bring awareness to International Human Trafficking Awareness Day! I have been invested in this for years as far back as 2008 when an Oprah episode opened my eyes then fast forward to a few weeks ago.....and I learned that my church in Oklahoma (Life Church lifechurch.tv) is very involved in this cause as well. I was listening to a message online and Pastor Craig mentioned the organization he is involved with  the A21 Campaign  and here 3 weeks later is the international awareness day.
My Goal???
If this post impacts one person then my job is done!
First lets learn the fact................
(from the www.thea21campaign.org site)

There are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in bondage across the globe. Men, women, and children are being exploited for manual and sexual labor against their will.

THE AVERAGE AGE OF TRAFFICKING 

VICTIMS IS 12 YEARS OLD

Women and children are often kidnapped into the industry or
sold into it by family under desperate circumstances. The
average age of victims continues to grow younger as clients
seek "fresh" product.

THE PROBLEM

Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings, mainly for the purposes of
forced labor and sex trafficking. As the world’s fastest growing criminal industry,
it affects every nation across the globe. Every thirty seconds, someone is forced
into this type of bondage—modern slavery.

I have done several posts over the book Half The Sky by Nicholas Kristof and I will say it again you should pick up a copy. I would love for you to read a post from 2009 I did about this book.... you can view it HERE!!!!
If you want an easy way to start taking in what Human Trafficking is about as well as what millions of girls go thru around the world then Half The Sky will shed important light.
Lets put a face to this injustice of Human Trafficking......


SO NOW....what can we do? How can we make a difference?
1. You can share the link to this post and become a billboard which is one of the 21 Ways You Can Get Involved via the A21 Campaign.
2. You can take a look at 20 more ways to help by clicking HERE!!!
3. You can donate or purchase products that will be a conversation starter in your life as well as giving money to the A21 campaign. HERE
4. You can tell one friend via phone, text, email, FB or coffee date about the importance of today.

Before I go this is so important I have to share one more short video with you. I hope you are as outraged as I am the more you learn about this......... why is this not something we hear on the news everyday?? That is why this campaign needs you and me to be the voice!


Friends.....Thank you for listening!

Something to Think About....

I thought it would be nice if we all started out this week with something to think about. Myself included. Something to remind us how lucky we are. It is so easy to get so far off base during the Holidays and to think more about ourself than others. Or what gifts we will be giving instead of those who don't have gifts to give or receive. This short video really puts it into perspective.
First World Problems......

Sweetie

Half the Sky is a book I have read twice and blogged about several times...this book opened apart of my heart and opened my eyes. This book sheds light on many of the issues woman and girls face around the world....it is unreal what some girls have to face and go thru. If you have not read this or seen the documentary you need to....and then you need to loan your book to someone else. You can learn more about this on a post I did in 2009 HERE!

This past week several friends of mine were "liking" a video on FB which I usually don't care about but boy am I glad I watched this. This is about just one of the major issues girls all over the world face.... sexual abuse, exploitation, rape, trafficking and I could go on and on. Watch this video about something that I think is groundbreaking and could really be a huge step forward for girls all over......


It's ok if you didn't know anything about this issue before hand and well now you do and that is exactly what I wanted to accomplish. You can learn more about this video and dig a little deeper by clcking HERE!
What can you do now??? Sign the petition to bring more awareness to this important issue! Do it HERE!

Earth Day

Oh Monday we meet again......while I am typing Matt is packing to head to Chicago for the week and I have 2 other tabs open on my Mac applying to every job under the sun. Yup, it's Monday.

I feel kinda sad that I didn't know today was Earth day until I got online this morning. Why doesn't the news mention this? I have always had a strong love for Earth Day and I blog about it every year. To me Earth Day is not about "Going Green" it is so much more than that. It is about conservation, leaving the earth better after we're gone and most importantly for me.....Animals. We have so many choices to make as a human race, and I think making the Earth a better place for animals should be a priority.  I also think we should realize that we SHARE the earth with animals....the Earth is not some "cage" that we rule over, these are living creatures that God has made. All morning I was thinking about what I was going to share with you all....what I wanted to shed light on..... And I realized the things I have spoken about in past years are still near to my heart. I would to raise your awareness on the world we live in and how you can help. I have always said if we educate ourselves about something that is the first step

* 5 ways to celebrate the earth and support the animals we share it with. Click HERE!

* Learn more about The Cove and what you can do to help. This is a cause I have always supported and tugs at my heart. Click HERE!

* Learn about turning a passion into a social change by clicking HERE!

* Take a look back at why Earth Day is important to me and why I care. Click HERE!

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday and maybe I might have peaked an interest in you. Happy Earth Day friends!