Making a Difference: Green Goo + Hand Sanitizer
Beginning earlier this year, our GooRus have been chasing down every lead to source the packaging and raw materials for the production of hand sanitizer at a time when it's needed most, though there have been some bumps and bruises along the way.
Throughout this period, we have not put a limit on how many hand sanitizers you can purchase - for your home, for your care, for the mailperson - and the response from our customers to buy, not only for themselves, but for colleagues and friends and first responders, has been heartwarming and incredible to say the least.
WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW...
... is that we are selecting charitable organizations close to home (Colorado local) and at the forefront of the response nationally to which we donate a percentage of sales of hand sanitizer each month. Read on to learn more about those selected, and be sure to bookmark this blog as we will be updating it monthly.
A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDERS
Originally published: August 20, 2020
SEPTEMBER 2020
CO-Local: Children's Hospital Colorado
More than 3,000 pediatric specialists and 5,000 full-time employees help carry out Children’s Hospital Colorado’s mission to improve the health of children through the provision of high-quality coordinated programs of patient care, education, research, and advocacy. Founded in 1908, the not-for-profit pediatric healthcare network provides comprehensive pediatric care at its hospital in Aurora – which has the only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in a seven-state region – and at several locations throughout the region for more than 15,000 inpatient admissions and 600,000 outpatient visits annually.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Children’s Hospital Colorado’s top priority is the safety of its patients, families, team members, and the community. It was one of the first hospital systems in Colorado to offer COVID-19 testing, with experts from its Infectious Disease Department and other teams collaborating to lead the rapid implementation of testing. Those tests are also available to community providers, EMS and healthcare workers, and children and their caregivers in Aurora, Broomfield, and Colorado Springs, with telehealth networks adjusted to ensure continuity for patients.
Since mid-March, pediatricians have had frequently asked questions answered through weekly interactive town halls, which are now held bi-weekly between continuing education and COVID-19 updates.
A donation to the Caregiver Emergency Relief Fund will help provide personal protective equipment, childcare support, and resiliency resources in a time when the health and safety of caregivers is more important than ever. You can also support the works of Children’s Hospital Colorado, and kids depending on critical care, by making a donation to the Children's Fund.
International: World Vision
World Vision equips vulnerable children and their communities with the tools necessary to address root causes of poverty, injustice, and violence against children. They empower communities and guide them in setting goals to ensure progress made is sustainable and continued into the future. In 2019 alone, World Vision responded to 132 emergencies in 58 countries, aiding 20 million people.
Success Story: Former sponsored child graduates from Harvard
With more than 16 million confirmed cases of coronavirus worldwide and the side effects of a global pandemic affecting millions more, at least 85 million more children are at risk of violence. Every 60 seconds, World Vision is helping more than 200 people survive, recover, and rebuild from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. They and hidden heroes—regular people everywhere—are coming together in a comprehensive response to address not only the health risks of COVID-19 but also the fallout from the pandemic across 70 countries, including the United States. Their Strategic Objectives are:
1. Scale up preventive measures to limit the spread of disease.
- Sharing critical information through our network of community health workers and faith leaders and providing hand-washing stations and soap distribution.
2. Strengthen health systems and workers.
- Providing personally protective equipment, supplies, and clean water for those on the front lines.
3. Support for children impacted by COVID-19 through education, child protection, food security, and livelihoods.
- Working closely with communities to provide the children and families most vulnerable to the secondary impacts of COVID-19 with resources including educational and psychological support, emergency food, and cash vouchers.
4. Collaborate and advocate to ensure vulnerable children are protected.
- Working with partners and speaking up to ensure vulnerable children are protected.
Green Goo is proud to donate 1% of annual sales of Baby Balm and Children’s First Aid salves to World Vision, and our trusted partner continues to provide protection and support to vulnerable children during this pandemic. Helping a child means more than focusing on health; it’s also their safety, education, nutrition, and combatting other risks they face due to the global crisis.
Learn more World Vision’s COVID-19 Emergency Response
AUGUST 2020
CO-Local: Help Colorado Now
In March 2020, as parts of the country prepared for various stages of Safer At Home-like measures, the Colorado government launched Help Colorado Now and the Colorado COVID Relief Fund to raise and coordinate the allocation of relief funds in addition to raising awareness of volunteer efforts aimed at addressing the public health crisis and helping Coloradans impacted by the coronavirus.
The Centennial State’s budget saw a multi-billion-dollar shortfall heading into the budget year beginning in July, which means there will be a quarter less available in 2020-21. The Colorado COVID Relief Fund helps businesses and residents in need, bolstering the efforts of state officials as they continue to address the pandemic.
Learn more about Help Colorado Now’s donation options on its website and check out the volunteer opportunities – some of them can be done remotely! Colorado’s Official State Web Portal has additional resources for those looking to get tested, find locations to safely isolate and quarantine, and cope with the stress and feelings of dealing with a once-in-a-lifetime health crisis.
International: Global Fund For Women
Though consistently under-resourced, social movements have been shown to be effective in creating and sustaining long-term social transformation. In the past 50 years, women’s movements have paved the way towards more egalitarian workplace regulations, expanded legal protections for domestic workers, protection from sexual harassment, and more.
Global Fund for Women envisions a world where movements for gender justice have transformed power and privilege for a few into equity and equality for all by funding and strengthening bold and ambitious gender justice movements that will create lasting, meaningful change. GFW has done so for over 30 years in more than 175 countries, educating and engaging sector leaders like donors, policymakers, and the media to create favorable conditions for movements to thrive.
Supporting movements involves more than just money. Peer learning, exchange through travel and event grants, in-person connections for strategizing, and other tools and resources provided to strengthen institutions are other ways Global Fund for Women has identified effectiveness. Current priority areas include Freedom from Violence, Economic Justice, and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Learn more at GlobalFundForWomen.com and donate here.
JULY 2020
CO-Local: Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
Colorado Coalition for the Homeless believes all people have the right to adequate housing and health care and works collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the recreation of lasting solutions for families, children, and individuals who are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness throughout Colorado.
Society benefits when adequate housing and health care are available to everyone. Colorado Coalition for the Homeless:
- Honors the inherent dignity of those it serves, affirming their capabilities and fostering their hope that a better life is possible;
- Builds strong, caring, and trauma-informed communities through the integration of housing, health care, and supportive services;
- Advocates for social and racial equity, inclusion and diversity, and challenging the status quo in partnership with its workforce members and those it serves;
- Achieves excellence through continuous quality assurance, innovation, and professional development; and
- Uses resources judiciously and effectively.
93% of every dollar donated goes directly to programs and services critical in providing homeless families and individuals with safe homes and a path to self-sufficiency.
National: The Conscious Kid
The Conscious Kid is an education, research, and policy organization dedicated to reducing bias and promoting positive identity development in youth.
To counter racism and racial bias, experts recommend acknowledging and naming race and racism with children as early and as often as possible. Children's books are one of the most effective and practical tools for initiating these critical conversations with children. Donations made to The Conscious Kid's Anti-Racist Children's Books Education Fund go to a dedicated fund to get children's books from the list of "41 Children's Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance" into classrooms across the country.
Learn more about The Conscious Kid General Fund and The Conscious Kid's COVID-19 Rent Relief Fund for Families.
The Conscious Kid resources >>
JUNE 2020
CO-Local: ACLU of Colorado
Colorado's largest, oldest civil rights organization, ACLU of Colorado's mission is to protect, defend, and extend the civil rights and civil liberties of everyone in the Centennial State through litigation, education, and advocacy.
Three full-time attorneys on staff consider approximately 10,000 requests for legal assistance each year and litigate between 50 and 70 cases with the assistance of volunteer cooperating attorneys.
ACLU of Colorado advocates for rational laws at state capitol and city council meetings, also preparing Legislative Scorecards after the fact. Coloradans are also educated through public forums, "Know Your Rights" trainings, and rallies and media events organized by ACLU of Colorado.
Learn more about ACLU of Colorado >>
National: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
LDF's mission has always been transformative. Staff is dedicated to defending the gains and protections won over the past 75 years of civil rights struggle, while it helps students to attend and graduate from many of the nation's best colleges, universities, and law schools through its scholarship programs.
Learn more about NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. >>
MAY 2020
CO-Local: Boulder Community Health Foundation
Boulder Community Health has been assisting Boulderites and Coloradans with finding high-quality medical care for nearly 100 years. As a community-owned and -operated non-profit, it is crucial for BCH to receive additional assistance to continue the tradition of being an early adopter of new technologies and medical techniques.
Boulder Community Health Foundation has generated around $2.6 million annually for BCH in recent years and more than $50 million since 1978. Its philanthropic efforts support programs like Red Lipstick Fund - helping cancer patients with limited resources throughout treatment processes - and children's rehabilitation services, to name just a couple. The Foundation accepts donations for Greatest Need and welcomes volunteers.
Learn more about Boulder Community Health Foundation >>
National: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Green Goo has donated to Johns Hopkins' Scleroderma center for some time now and the patients there have been known to rave about our Dry Skin salve. But there's a greater role Johns Hopkins Medicine has played prior to and during this pandemic by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research, and clinical care.
From Go Teams deploying to nursing homes and volunteers preparing vital personal protective equipment to the assault on COVID-19 itself, Johns Hopkins Medicine is fighting on the front lines as well as behind the scenes to help bring a sooner end to the pandemic.
APRIL 2020
CO-Local: Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund
LEAF is near and dear to our hearts and our homes in Colorado. Since 2008, Leaf has distributed food and other human services to our friends and neighbors, now offering four programs: Lyons Community Food Pantry, Basic Needs & Resource Matching, Lyons Meals on Wheels, and Mental Wellness & Addiction Recovery.
The Food Pantry has extended hours and doubled its output in the face of the pandemic, while Meals on Wheels has partnered with local restaurants to prepare frozen meals for clients, taking the extra precautions to keep everyone safe.
Learn how you can get involved >>
International: Direct Relief
Active here in the United States and around the world, Direct Relief equips doctors and nurses with life-saving medical resources to care for the world's most vulnerable people. Direct Relief's connections prove especially important today, as frontline health workers receive supplies daily.
As Direct Relief's CEO said: "It's almost true that the people who are most vulnerable have the least money, have the least voice, and don't have the options that others do."
We are proud to support Direct Relief's efforts. Find out more about how Direct Relief is helping medical personnel around the world.
WE CAN'T DO IT ALL, BUT WE CAN EACH DO OUR PART
If you're interested in seeing the other ways that Green Goo is giving back, please stop by our Philanthropy page. Our partners are doing incredible work around the planet. If you know of an organization that needs help or that you think might be a great fit for us, drop us a line and tell us more.