2013 was a jam packed year for ma Cares and 2014 has an even fuller schedule! This week, we sat down with Katie Taylor, ma Cares Project Manager, to find out more about what the New Year holds for ma Cares! Read on to find out how ma Cares plans to contribute to the local community and beyond!
2013 was an amazing year with so many great projects! What was your favorite project from last year?
“Last year we held a large benefit, A Night of Stars – Saluting Our Veterans, to raise money to support veterans and service dogs. It brought together hundreds of people, local businesses and organizations within our community! Though I thoroughly enjoyed assisting all of our initiatives last year, the veterans really mean a lot to me. One of the best aspects of getting involved with ma Cares is that you get to see first-hand where your efforts are going and make a personal connection with each of the causes we support.”
Do you have any surprises or changes for us in 2014?
“ma Cares has identified five initiatives for 2014. Of course we will continue to support veterans – but through an exciting new initiative called Faith Cares! You’ll also see that we’re continuing to stay involved with all our current projects. However we’re adding a couple of new ones!”
What are some of the main goals and concentrations that ma Cares has for the New Year?
“Well, I’ll give you a brief summary of some of our main objectives: Faith Cares was an idea inspired by service dog Faith, who is named after US Army Sergeant Faith Hinkley, who died in 2010 in Iraq. It is a new ma Cares program that is twofold; it will continue a sponsorship program initiated in 2013 to assist veterans by raising funds to cover the costs of continued care for their service dogs. This program will also provide support and encouragement to active duty military units during their deployment by sending letters and care packages.
The Kids of Childhood Cancer Foundation was created by parents on Brenner’s Pediatric Oncology Ward who have struggled through the Childhood Cancer Journey in hopes of easing the journey for the rest of the children still battling on. They provide financial and emotional support as well as hold events like Ice Cream Parties and LEGO Therapy Night. The foundation sends families in North Carolina on respite vacations to their Safe Haven Beach Condo on Topsail Island, to escape from their harsh reality and provides support whenever needed!
Pathways Center is a division of Greensboro Urban Ministry. Their purpose is to offer safe, temporary shelter to homeless families while they are looking for other housing. The Center houses 16 families. Each family is provided with private sleeping quarters, restroom, kitchen facilities and storage.
Red Dog Farm Animal Rescue Network is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation formed in 2006 to rescue and rehabilitate neglected, abused or otherwise unwanted animals with a particular focus on domestic farm animals. The rescue utilizes a network of volunteers and private foster families to accomplish their mission. To date, Red Dog Farm has helped rescue over 1700 animals! In addition – Many homeless animals are in need of care or emergency treatment in order to save their lives and better their chances at finding forever homes. To help give these animals a second chance, ma Cares will engage in efforts to build up an emergency fund for injured or sick animals in the care of Red Dog Farm Animal Rescue Network.
Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test® has only one office, located in Greensboro, North Carolina, with one full time and two part time staff members. The objective of the organization is to direct as many funds as possible, as quickly as possible, to research focused solely on earlier detection of breast cancer!”
What are you most looking forward to on the ma Cares schedule for the New Year?
“There’s too much to list! I’m very excited about attending my first World Conference in Miami and I’m looking forward to telling everyone about our new initiatives at the ma Cares booth! As I’m working on my fitness goals for 2014, I’m also looking forward to participating in a 5k that Kids of Childhood Cancer will be putting on later this year!”
Katie, you are so involved with ma Cares and the amazing things that this organization does for the community! Tell us, why are you apart of this amazing experience?
“I’m happy to be a part of ma Cares because we’re making a difference in our community – touching lives every day. We’re helping to fund research for an earlier Breast Cancer Detection Test; we’re helping veterans by covering costs of caring for their service dogs; we’re reaching out to military units that have been deployed; we’re lifting the spirits of homeless children; we’re helping ease the burden for families of children suffering from cancer; we’re helping cover costs of care for injured and homeless animals. Everyone can help and we want YOU to get involved!”
We’re so glad that Katie took the time to talk with us! We are beyond excited about the New Year and everything that Market America, SHOP.COM and ma Cares is planning! To learn more about what ma Cares has planned for 2014 visit www.maCares.org! Make sure that you follow ma Cares on Facebook and @macares on Twitter for daily updates on exciting news and events!
More about ma Cares:
ma Cares exists to celebrate and improve the quality of life for children, families, veterans and animals. It all began in the hearts of a few Market America employees more than a decade ago. They believed in the “power of people” and have been making a positive impact in the Piedmont Triad community since 1998. Desiring to have a greater impact and increase community participation, ma Cares established its 501c3 status in 2012. Since then we have been able to raise funds to support meaningful causes within our community, thanks to support from businesses and individuals.
Have questions or suggestions on what else ma Cares has to offer? Comment below and let us know!
