Givkwik #GivingTuesday Campaign and Event NYC 2015 - I Chose Life Vest Inside

What is Givkwik?

Givkwik is a software company that is driven with a purpose to serve and connect companies, communities and more causes. For causes, Givkwik makes it easier for corporate sponsors to find causes and work with them. This helps causes to share the stories behind their mission in simple, visual ways. Follow Givkwik on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, or Tumblr.

Video - Givkwik-Simplify Giving With A Click

This video simply decribes Givkwik's service for cause or non-profit organizations.

"What if you had the power to help find a cure for cancer and get fresh water to people who need it? What if you could help feed the hungry and make our cities safer for children? 
And what if you could do all that and more, every day, with the press of a button? 
I'm Jason Rosado and I'm Founder and CEO of Givkwik. We're a mission-driven technology company that makes it easy to connect people and businesses with nonprofits. We talk to a lot of different people from all walks of life in order to learn how to make it easier to give to more causes, more often, and in smaller amounts. We make giving more affordable for everyone. So that anyone can become a philanthropist. Now that's powerful. That's Givkwik. 

We are transforming philanthropy for the next generation. We make it simple for anyone to discover good causes and give as little as your opinion or as much as you like to virtually any nonprofit. For nonprofits, we make it easy to find new donors and corporate sponsors. 
For businesses, we make it a snap to get your customers and employees involved in your corporate philanthropy. We want to make Givkwik the best experience for giving online ever. 

We need your help to raise $15,000 through this Indiegogo campaign. The first $5000 of the money we raise, you're going to help us decide where it should go. We're going to give $5000 to a great nonprofit. So come on! Vote for your favorite cause today! The rest of the money raised will help us pay bills, spread the word, and continue to improve. 

Givkwik is a solution for anyone who wishes they could give, more. With friends, with employees, with customers. Together. We can make this world a better place by helping anyone give to virtually any cause, anytime, anywhere. It's giving made simple, so we can focus on changing lives and helping people. Together. With Givkwik"

(video and transcript source: youtube.com, credits to Givkwik)

GIV.NYC 12.01.2015

In relation to Givkwik's service for causes, there will be a campaign and event on the 1st day of December this year (2015). They call it the "Givkwik #GivingTuesday Campaign and Event NYC 2015".

December 1, 2015 is Giving Tuesday, a Worldwide Celebration for the act of giving. If you are one who loves giving then GIV.NYC is where you'll want to be in New York that evening. This event brings together companies, causes, and communities for a big night of connecting together. This will help each cause share their story and inspire companies and communities to take part or support them in helping more people.

The great causes shown in the list below are tackling BIG issues in New York City. I already voted for my favorites causes, you can choose and vote your favorites too (just click here). The twenty-five causes that will receive the highest votes will move to the next round, then they will choose the top ten causes to pitch to the live audience in NYC for a chance to win $10,000 (and more from sponsors)!

Rather than just voting for these causes online, if you can go to NYC, you can join them on December 1 for an evening of making a difference - at the style and speed of NYC. You will meet other philanthropists like you in a fun and interactive atmosphere that I'm sure you'll enjoy. We can then watch the top ten nonprofits (personally or online), then cast a vote for the winners. Let's just stay tuned to this campaign and we can follow them on social media to learn the results. Just like me, I know you won't want to miss this amazing event! Follow the event on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Video - Giving Tuesday #NYC 2015 at Impact Hub NYC

(video source: youtube.com, credits to Givkwik)

The Causes

There are many causes you can choose to vote or support in the Givkwik #GivingTuesday Campaign and Event NYC 2015. I would like to show you 8 of the causes with their corresponding image and description.

Lucha Vida

Using the principles of wrestling – discipline, confidence, perseverance, and fitness – Lucha Vida's mission is to combat many of the health and social issues affecting youth in the South Bronx. In the process, Lucha Vida helps underprivileged middle-school and high-school boys and girls become agents for social change through a holistic program that includes nutrition and healthy lifestyle education, meal assistance, academic tutoring, mentorship, and wrestling.

TriLatino Triathlon Club

 We take a comprehensive approach to developing our South Bronx youth, not only training them to do a triathlon but also engaging them in academic improvement and tutoring programs, a healthy lifestyle workshop series, and a mentoring program. Over 14 weeks, these teenage athletes become healthier and more fit, learn important life-skills, change their and their families’ eating habits, improve their grades, become Youth Ambassadors of Health to the South Bronx and complete a triathlon.

Zaenah's Blanket Foundation

Zaenah's Blanket Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation whose mission is to help reduce the infant mortality rate by providing blankets to newborn families who are need of something warm to bring their babies home in from the hospitals and to provide a service to the community that will inspire both young and old to care for their most vulnerable members of the community by educating them in Infant/Child CPR.

596 Acres

596 has facilitated the neighbor-led creation of 32 new spaces on City owned land in NYC between 2011 and 2015. We also protect legacy gardens from tax lien foreclosure, expand land in community stewardship and bring transparency over the disposition of public assets. 596 Acres makes information about public land legible and accessible online & on fences, and helps neighbors connect to transform the lots in their lives.

Flanbwayan Haitian Literacy Project

Our mission is to create an alternative response to a marginalized group of students, raise awareness in immigrant communities, and increase organizing and advocacy efforts around educational issues for English Language Learners for both newcomer and young adult immigrant students to enter a world of opportunities, education and transformation.

Just Been Tested Foundation

JBT popularizes free testing for sexually transmitted diseases, specifically HIV, by utilizing a social media platform, integrating testing opportunities into the social lives of young people and creating user incentives. JBT hosts events where young people receive free information, condoms and free HIV screenings. We have developed plans to partner with local small and mid-size retailers that will offer discounts to their products and services for people tested or verified by JBT.

Life Vest Inside

To empower and unite the world with kindness. Life Vest Inside inspires people to recognize the potential they have to affect real and positive change in the world through kindness. We set out to affect global change and fuel kindness through inspirational media, technology, education, and on the ground social engagement.

The Architecture of Tomorrow

The Architecture of Tomorrow— a non-profit art and cultural organization founded in 2014 by Douglas E. Turner as a means to support sustainable arts practices through our gallery space and arts-based education in Brooklyn. We bring studio-level arts education into underserved communities working primarily with children and soon adults.

(credits to givkwik.com for the list, images and descriptions of each cause)

If you want to check all of the causes, please visit https://givkwik.com/nyc and vote for the causes you want to support.

Life Vest Inside - My Favorite Cause

Earlier, I have shown you 8 of the causes in the Givkwik #GivingTuesday Campaign and Event NYC 2015. Included there is my favorite cause - Life Vest Inside. Life Vest Inside simply wants to help change and unite the world through kindness and that's the reason why it is my favorite. I voted for them using my email address (gmail) but there is also an option to vote using your facebook account or other email addresses aside from gmail. You can watch the video below to see how I voted for Life Vest Inside.

Video - How to vote for your chosen cause like Life Vest Inside

4 years ago, Life Vest Inside created and uploaded a video on YouTube. I first saw this video about 2-3 years ago and it made a great impression to me about kindness even in small deeds or ways. The video's background music is "One Day" by Matisyahu. Life Vest Inside really chose a great song for their video. The song talks about peace, removing hate from our hearts, treating other people the same way we want them to treat us. I short, It really sends the message of charity, love, kindness and service. This song supports the mission of Life Vest Inside.

Life Vest Inside - Kindness Boomerang - "One Day"

(video source: youtube.com, credits to LifeVestInside)

To fully understand Matisyahu's song "One Day" supporting Life Vest Inside's mission, I included the lyrics below.

"One Day"

On the time I first watched that video, I have not yet joined Bitlanders and I also don't know about Life Vest Inside and other causes. Then on August this year, I found and joined Bitlanders. There was a quest to choose 3 charities and then I saw Life Vest Inside. I said to myself, "This is familiar!". I then searched about it on google and of course I found their website and there I came to fully understand their mission. I immediately decided to support them on Bitlanders so I included them on my 3 Favorite Charities along with Action Against Hunger and Safety Harbor Kids. You can check my screenshot below.

Now, after reading Micky-The-Slanted-Salerno's blog "Blog about Givkwik #GivingTuesday and earn Double Rewards", I am glad with the fact that we will be earning double rewards from our blogs about the said event but I am even more glad and excited to have the privilege to vote for my favorite cause. It is my chance to share Life Vest Insides' story and inspire and influence other people to help change the world by doing simple acts of kindness. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was taught about charity, service and kindness.

Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the love that Christ has for us and that we should have for one another. We consider it the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul (see 1 Nephi 11:23).

Charity Never Faileth

(video source: youtube.com, credits to Mormon Channel)

Service to others is an important characteristic of a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. As a disciple, we should be willing to bear other people’s burdens and to comfort those who need comfort. Often God gives the needs of others through us. I want to share with you my favorite quote about service, "If we are in the service of our fellow beings, we are in the service of our God". 

The Simple Truth of Service

(video source: youtube.com, credits to Ravi Mevcha)

Kindness is how we, as followers of Christ treat others. Kind words not only lift our spirits in the moment they were given, but they can linger with us over the years.

The Virtue of Kindness

(video source: youtube.com, credits to Mormon General Conference)

These three traits or characteristics are perfect for Life Vest Inside. This means that Life Vest Inside and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are on the same page when it comes to changing the world through kindness and other good deeds even in small and simple things. If you were inspired by my blog and want to join me in supporting Life Vest Inside, please do so by choosing them as one of your favorite charities in Bitlanders and voting them in the Givkwik #GivingTuesday Campaign and Event NYC 2015 by clicking here. Or If you already have other causes in mind, you are free to vote for them in the same link.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that I created this blog to increase awareness about this campaign and event. Whatever cause we choose to support will help the world become a better place. Let's feel the joy of giving on December 1, 2015! We can contribute to the event's success through fundraising, voting for our chosen cause, or just by doing simple acts of kindness in our own home, neighborhood and community. God bless!