Royal Society For The Blind

In the late 19th century, one man's idea became a reality - and since then, the Royal Society for the Blind have been helping vision impaired children and adults all throughout South Australia.
This company is not for profit, surviving only through the kindness of volunteers and donors. Now, let me tell you a story.

On the 16th June, Rachael Leahcar auditioned for the Voice Australia.You may notice that there is something different about her name - its a palindrome. Although it is a stage name, Rachael has something else different about her. She is legally blind, suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a disease which means that her remaining vision - less than 10% - will degenerate over the next few years, leaving her completely blind.Well, over night Rachael became a national sensation. Here is a video of the eighteen year old's audition, "La Vie En Rose."

Rachael is now performing under the coaching of her lifelong idol, Delta Goodrem, and is in the top four of Team Delta.Despite losing 90% of her eyesight early in life, Rachael never stopped chasing her dreams. Soon she will have no vision at all, but she still remains positive. She explains that the Royal Society for the Blind changed her life. As well as a client to the company, Rachael is also an ambassador.

You can change people's lives too. Click here to donate to the RSB, here to go to Rachael's YouTube channel for covers of more songs, here for the RSB homepage, and here to learn more about the Voice Australia.

To keep Rachael in the competition, and to vote her through to the semi finals and a step closer to a recording contract, SMS "Rachael" to 19955999, call 1902 55 95 08, vote on Facebook or download her latest performance, Someone to Watch Over Me, off iTunes (worth two votes).

Remember ~ never stop chasing your dreams. <3

Palm Oil Petition

Do you care about the survival of orangutans and tigers? If you do, sign the following petition on the widget. The petition is made by an animal welfare site, and aims to make a new law - that makes it compulsory to label palm oil on products clearly. 

if you care, take a stand. Take two minutes to type in your name, email address and maybe a comment. Then sign, and you know you have made a difference!

To learn more about palm oil, try this site.

I'm Back - Just in Time for FairTrade Fortnight!

I'm sorry - I haven't blogged in almost 5 months, if you can believe it. Oops. Anyway, I'm back! How was everybody's New Year?
A bit late to be talking about New Year, though. We're already in May! And tomorrow, the 5th of May, marks the start of the worldwide FairTrade Fortnight.
The FairTrade fortnight starts on the 5th May and ends on the 20th. In the middle is World FairTrade Day - celebrated on the 12th May.
During the next two weeks, try to take some time to eat, drink or buy FairTrade. Try to celebrate the idea behind the FairTrade organisation - justice and equality for all.
Before you (yes, YOU!) go anywhere, do anything or even read the rest of this post, register a Step for World FairTrade Day here.
When you click that link, you will be taken to a site full of FairTrade information. Click the big blue rectangle that says "Add Your Step" pick a step from the drop-down menu, eg. "Talked about FairTrade", 'Bought a FairTrade product."
The site wants 1.5 million steps, to symbolise the amount of people the FairTrade organisation aims to work with this year. Add a step. They need you to show your support and show you care. So far they have 500,000 steps. Join the walk. Make a difference. Register YOUR steps in less than two minutes. Do it. Now.

Watch this short video and learn why you should take a step to support the producers in Third World Countries.

To read more about the FairTrade fortnight and day, click here or here. Think about buying yourself or a friend a FairTrade gift - to find a good online store, use this directory or the links list on this blog.

Most of all, SPREAD THE WORD and SPREAD THE FAIRTRADE LIFESTYLE!