Do1Thing Blog

Acclaimed photojournalist Chris Hondros died today while documenting the conflict in Libya. Chris spent most of his life traveling the world, documenting conflict, war, famine and the human condition. His photographs gave insight to things we could not even imagine to be true.

At the height of his career, Chris chose to join the Do1Thing project to give back his time and talents.

We remember Chris as the good and decent person he was, as the acclaimed photojournalist he will be remembered for and as the man who left this world way too soon. Our condolences to his family.

Social media blogger Beth Kanter’s blog talk about “How Networked Nonprofits Are Using Social Media to Power Change”. A leader in social media strategies, Beth blog has hundreds of thousands of followers.

Do1Thing is thrilled that Beth chose to tweet about Do1Thing to her 366,711 followers on Twitter! Whether it’s spreading the word through social or traditional media, Do1Thing continues to work to highlight the need for everyone to Do1Thing to help homeless youth!

Berrie Foundation Pays Tribute to New Jersey’s Unsung Heroes for Acts of Community Service

Recipients of 2009 Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference – Honored at Ramapo College Ceremony

The Russell Berrie Foundation carries on the values and passions of the late Russell Berrie, through promoting the continuity of the Jewish people, fostering religious understanding and pluralism, supporting advances in diabetes and humanistic medical care, celebrating unsung heroes and elevating the profession of sales.

Last year the foundation honored Do1Thing founder Najlah Feanny Hicks for her work in co-founding the Heart Gallery of New Jersey, a traveling portrait gallery that publicizes the plight of adoption-eligible children mired in the foster care system. To date, 191 New Jersey foster children have been adopted because of the Heart Gallery’s efforts.

She used most of her award to launch an organization called Do1Thing. It’s a nationwide effort of photographers, writers and Web designers to portray the face of homeless teenagers. The Web-based organization links to a number of non-profit partners that provide services to homeless teens. In recalling last year’s ceremony, Hicks said, “The beauty of this is that it allowed me to do one more thing. There is always something each of you can give.”

Read about the 2009 recipient Patient care technician Angelica Mercado. Mercado assisteda driver whose gas tanker overturned and exploded. Driver by as the accident occured, she pulled over at the scene of the accident, pulled the driver to safety and transported the driver to the hospital. Healthcare professionals at The University Hospital in Newark, where the driver was taken, believe Mercado’s quick actions likely saved the man’s life.

Redbubble.com features Do1Thing as the “Artist of the Month”.

Redbubble.com writes “Do 1 Thing is the vision in action of Show Me a Sign. Please take a moment to learn more about what they do, and be inspired.
♥So our first featured work this month by Do1Thing is the stunningly beautiful image of Ronald Foster spent most of his life living in dozens of foster homes. At 18, he aged out of care. At 19, he’s homeless.”

Do 1 Thing embraces social media as a way to connect, inform, update and involve supporters and donors in raising awareness for homeless teens while encouraging citizen activist to Do 1 Thing to help. We want to make sure we’re on the right track by giving you all the information and tools you need to get you on your way to Doing 1 Thing.

Would you mind spending a minute answering 10 short questions to help us understand how social media affects Philanthropy 2.0?

Click Here To Answer SURVEY

Job Corps, the nation’s largest career technical training and education program for students ages 16 through 24 reaches out to Do1Thing offering to provide services to homeless teens nationwide. Established by the U.S. Department of Labor program in 1964, Job Corps provides 60,000 students per year with hands-on training in America’s fastest growing careers.

And the best part? It’s at no cost to you.

If you’re a homeless teen, know a homeless teen, work with homeless teens between the ages of 16-24, please go to the Job Corps web site and get your teens the help they deserve. Job Corps

Do1Thing was born out of a desire to help kids who need help.

The work was all donated by the photographers, writers, videographers, editors, college students and interns who share the vision of Do1Thing to get homeless teens off the streets of America. They did it because they believe in this cause.

But Do1Thing has expenses, and the money is running out. It cost 5 figures to build this website and that’s pretty much all the money we had.

In order for Do1Thing to continue to achieve its mission we need to continue to spread the word about the plight of these kids. That requires raising funds, and if you know any journalists, you know how bad we are at raising money. It’s not what we do, and we’re not good at it. We know how to tell stories, but fund-raising is not our bailiwick.

So we need your help.

The next step is to take the photos we’ve shot of these incredible kids, many of whom have hidden talents, and get their faces to be seen by many more people, so they can get the help the need. We want to put roofs over their heads, food in their bellies, jobs into their hands, and an education in their minds.

In order to continue this cause we need to print the photos we’ve shot, get them mounted, and start hanging them in places where they can be seen. Then we can invite people to look at the photos and raise more support for the kids.

It will cost $50,000 to get this show on the road. If 500 people stepped forward to donate $100 each, we’d have enough to travel the gallery nationwide. We’ll show America the faces of these homeless youths and we’ll display the names of everyone who made the exhibit possible at every venue we travel the show to.

We would love to get in-kind donations but more than anything, we need funding.

So, please donate to Do1Thing so we can get this exhibit on the road to continue to spread the word about the plight of these teens. Or better yet, if you or your company would be willing to sponsor Do1Thing, or this traveling exhibit, please let us know.

So far we’ve managed to get some kids off the street already. People magazine’s coverage has made many of you recognize faces you actually know, and you’ve offered to take some of these teens off the streets. We will report to you when that happens. This is what we wanted to do all along and why we started Do1Thing. But other teens still need our help, and the only way to do that is by continuing to spread the word.

This traveling exhibit of amazing photos will help accomplish this. We’ve done this before. The Heart Gallery of New Jersey found homes for more than 160 kids. The “Young Faces of Homelessness” can do the same thing, and much more.

Please help us continue our mission by donating funds today. Just think about it. If just 500 people give $100 each, we can get this show on the road.

We thank you in advance.

Your friends at Do1Thing

Photographs from the Do1Thing project will be featured in a 4 page spread in People Magazine hitting the new stand on Friday the 13th.

Bravo to everyone involved in the project!