Archive for June 3rd, 2012
National Cancer Survivors Day
NEWSFLASH: Today is National Cancer Survivors Day® – an annual Celebration of Life organised by the non-profit National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation. It is taking place in hundreds of communities worldwide, as a symbolic demonstration that cancer sufferers can still lead meaningful and productive lives. Who is a cancer survivor? Anyone living with a history of cancer – from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. Hmm – so that includes me: I was diagnosed (and treated) last year, for a common form of male cancer, and have been living a totally normal life again for several months. I guess that makes me pretty fortunate… as well as grateful to the countless fundraisers, researchers and medical staff who make it possible to survive this all-too-common condition.
from babies with love
An encouraging trend – at least here, in the UK (and my understanding is that something similar is happening elsewhere, too) – is the increasing number of start-ups that are using the social enterprise model. Social enterprises are defined by the UK Government as “businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners.” UK businesses that want independent certification of their credentials as social enterprises can apply for a Social Enterprise Mark. The company that issues this is itself a social enterprise, committed to achieving positive social & environmental change.
A Social Enterprise Mark has just been granted to a new online baby clothes shop that donates 100% of its profits to a charity for orphaned and abandoned children. from babies with love gives its profits to SOS Children, which helps orphaned and abandoned babies live, be loved and cared for, in dedicated children’s villages. These may be street children, child soldiers or children orphaned by war, poverty or natural disasters. Founder of from babies with love, accountant Cecilia Crossley, believes that all babies and children should have a fair start in life, regardless of where they are born. She also wants to create change, and believes that her enterprise will make a contribution to shifting expectations of the role of business in society. The Social Enterprise Mark guarantees that from babies with love is trading for people and planet and that all of its profits will go towards improving the lives of orphaned and abandoned children. The new enterprise is already helping its first baby (a 12-month-old) in Guinea, West Africa, and is helping build and run a nursery in Chipata, Zambia, where 1 in every 6 children is orphaned or abandoned. SOS Children says “from babies with love will have a significant impact on the lives of vulnerable children”.
Cecilia Crossley can be contacted at cecilia@frombabieswithlove.org (tel: 020 7682 1461 / 07966 119 007).
