Brightsidenews.us delivers the latest good news

Causes

Facebook Wants You To Be an Organ Donor

• May 7 , 2012
• Comments (0)
• 

Sharing photos, buying and selling items, keeping in touch with old friends, and now saving lives… those are just a few of the things you can do on Facebook.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday to discuss the social media giant’s new partnership with Donate Life America.

USA Today reports that soon, Facebook’s 900 million members will have the option of sharing their donor status with their Facebook friends.

Currently almost 114,000 people are awaiting a lifesaving transplant according to Donate Life America’s Aisha Huertas Michel. Yet only about 43% of US adults are registered organ donors.

With just about everyone and their grandmother on Facebook these days, the partnership just makes sense.
“It’s absolutely critical at this time when online communication and social media are really the way people are communicating,” said the New York Organ Donor Network’s Julia Rivera in USA Today.

“This is great news. It has the potential to be one of the biggest campaigns to increase donor designation that we’ve ever seen,” added the Gift of Life Donor Program’s John Green.

Zuckerberg said the partnership was inspired by the role of social media in the aftermath of recent natural disasters and also by his girlfriend who is studying to become a pediatrician.

By Rachelle Underwood-Lowe

Selena Gomez and Ryan Seacrest Team Up to Give Back

• April 30 , 2012
• Comments (0)
• 

At the tender age of 19, life is pretty good for actress, singer, and girlfriend to Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez. The young beauty has already given back in more ways than most adults will in their entire lifetime and now she is joining celebrity host, Ryan Seacrest to do even more for charity.

The Huffington Post reports that Gomez has been named the first charity ambassador for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation- a foundation that builds media centers in hospitals to allow hospitalized children to express themselves creatively.
Seacrest explained his decision via his radio show on Friday.

“From the beginning, I could tell that Selena really understood our mission. I’m so grateful that she’s decided to take on this larger role with us, joining our efforts to bring hope and spirit to seriously ill and injured kids,” Seacrest said. “With her as ambassador, we will continue to expand our programs at children’s hospitals throughout the country.
When asked why she is so passionate about her charity work, Gomez got right to the point.

“I’m very blessed to have a lot of fans and basically my goal is to use my voice to educate them on all these things.”

By Rachelle Underwood-Lowe

Yankees Join the Fight Against Bullying

• April 26 , 2012
• Comments (0)
• 

Taking a stand against the issue of bullying has become all the rage amongst celebrities and the A-listers of the New York Yankees are the latest to join the fight for the cause.

Yankee stars Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Curtis Granderson, and manager Joe Girardi filmed a public service announcement on bullying.

During the 30 second PSA, the Yankees encourage students to take a stand, speak up, or step in when they see someone being bullied. The athletes voiced their concerns over the growing problem of bullying and asked viewers to sign an online petition.

The Bully Project Petition follows in the wake of the headline-making documentary Bully by the Weinstein Company, which is in theaters now.

Many other celebrities have had a hand in helping to create the hype for this important documentary. Ellen DeGeneres, Justin Bieber, Giuliana Rancic, Joel McHale, Kelly Ripa, Anderson Cooper, Dr. Phil, and Meryl Streep are just a few of the big names associated with the project.

Yankee’s manager, Joe Girardi spoke about what it means to be a part of this movement,“When a community of people come together we have the ability to enact positive change through our words and actions. Bullying is a problem too powerful to ignore, and I’m proud to stand alongside so many others in raising awareness for this meaningful cause.”

By Rachelle Underwood-Lowe