The Daily Tell

Buffalo Grove Days are a Chicago-area summer tradition that typically kick off with a charity softball game the week before Labor Day. This year is no exception, but now a new addition is parked just off the field: a fleet of pink fire trucks. The four trucks are part of the Pink Heals Tour, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about cancers that affect women. The trucks, driven by a team of volunteer firefighters from across the country, began traveling in mid-August and will continue their journey until the end of October. Buffalo Grove Fire Chief Terry Vavra said he has been in contact...

Budget cuts in California have left little money leftover to pay for school supplies. Public schools have made due with out-of-date technology and, in many cases, teachers have funded items such as pencils and notebooks with money from their own pockets. Some of the cost falls on students, as well, who must purchase their own binders, calculators, staplers and, in some cases, even laptops. But now, a San Francisco-based charity has stepped up to help the state’s public education system supply its students with everything they need to succeed in school. The Claire Giannini Fund, created in...

We mostly know them as the sexy, blood-swilling vampires on one of HBO’s most popular television shows – but now the stars of True Blood are working to leave an impression that doesn’t involve teeth marks. Two of the show’s sexiest stars, Steven Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard, are competing to see who can raise the most money for their favorite charities in a series of online auctions. Both actors have put personal items, props from the show and other memorabilia up for sale on eBay. The star whose goods rack up the least amount of money at the end of the contest has to be...

The National Football League has announced that the 2010-2011 season kickoff will include a charity event to raise money for Gulf Coast relief efforts. Proceeds from the "Back to Football 2010 Kickoff Charity Auction" will go to support the New Orleans Saints Gulf Coast Renewal Fund. The Saints were Superbowl XLIV champions earlier this year, defeating the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 31-17 in the highest-rated television program, sports or otherwise, in history. The victory, which was watched by more than 45 million viewers, was seen by many as symbolic of the resilience and determination...

The outreach to flood-ravaged Pakistan has included efforts from individuals and nations around the world, as well as donations numbering in the hundreds of millions of dollars, but some officials have criticized the Muslim community for not reaching out to the devastated country. As flood waters threatened the historic city of Thatta and rose in the town of Sujawal, destroying homes, hospitals and schools, Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the Organization of the Islamic Conference responded to the criticism. Speaking at a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood...

The Fifth Annual Lake Wobegon Regional Trail Ride benefiting Catholic Charities’ St. Cloud Children’s Home and other participating faith communities will take place this year on the September 11 anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, according to the St. Cloud Times. Chuck Rieland, the charity ride’s founder and director, was deeply affected by the tragedy in 2001. His employer, Morgan Stanley, had offices that occupied more than 50 floors of the World Trade Center. All 50 came crashing to the ground nine years ago when al-Qaida flew two...

Stanley F. Druckenmiller has joined an elite but expanding group of billionaires who have stepped down from executive positions to devote more time and money to philanthropy. Last year, Druckenmiller, a hedge fund manager worth an estimated $2.8 billion, transfered a quarter of his personal fortune – $700 million – to his family foundation. Before the transfer, the foundation had assets of about $6.5 million, meaning that Druckenmiller’s contribution increased its net worth by more than 100 times. As a result, the Druckenmiller Foundation’s annual gift giving grew to about...

For a while, it was all the rage in Los Angeles to carry a tiny purse-sized dog, such as a Chihuahua, Pomeranian or Yorkie. But, like all trends, this one faded – leaving hundreds of small dogs homeless, unwanted and alone. These pups quickly filled Los Angeles-area shelters, and many were euthanized when suitable homes couldn’t be found in time to make way for a new wave of abandoned pets. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in quiet Utah, families and apartment-dwellers looking for a small dog were having trouble finding such a pet at the shelter. In Utah, lap dogs are a rarity in...

A country ham has fetched a record-breaking $1.6 million in a charity auction last week in Lexington, Kentucky. The winning bid, which comes out to $100,000 a pound, was placed by two Louisville businessmen – Bernard Trager, chairman of Republic Bank and Trust, and Dr. Mark Lynn, of Dr. Mark Lynn & Associates and owner of Dr. Bizer’s Vision World. Each contributed $800,000 to the purchase of the meat produced by Broadbent B&B Foods of Kuttawa at the 47th annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast. Bids on the ham go to a charity of the bidder’s choosing. Dr. Mark...

When we think of religious persecution, we often think of events that took place centuries ago – the crusades, or the Spanish Inquisition, to name a few examples. Unfortunately, however, religious persecution is still part of everyday life for religious minorities around the world. A charity called Global Women is working to put a stop to religious intolerance, especially in Kazahkstan. Anara Nessipbekova, a Global Women ministry partner from Kazakhstan, has spent the last month in America helping to translate Christian materials into the Kazahk language. The nation of Kazakhstan, which sits...