People First

What does financial guru Suze Orman say about priorities when it comes to building personal wealth? People first.

People first is also what the organizations featured in A&U’s ninth annual Holiday Gift Guide deem as the number-one priority when it comes to securing community health. Whether it’s Broadway Cares’ support of food service and meal delivery programs in 110 organizations across thirty-four states or Hope House’s weekly play-therapy program for children in the Memphis area, putting people first is only possible with steady sources of funding.

One of those sources are the products found in these pages—as gifts this holiday season, they are simple ways to put people first in your family and in the global community.

Annie Lennox Foundation: SING
Annie Lennox premiered her song, “Universal Child,” in the U.S. last year on American Idol: Idol Gives Back. Though volcanic ash kept her grounded in the U.K., she sang live via satellite to be part of the fundraising event. The song is available now as the lead single on her sixth solo album, A Christmas Cornucopia. Lennox’s first-ever holiday recording will be released on November 16 on Universal Music Group and features heartfelt interpretations of eleven traditional festive songs, drawn from British, French, and German traditions. Tell Me More: Songs include “The Holly And The Ivy,” “Silent Night,” “The First Noel,” “Il Est Ne Le Divin Enfant,” and “Lullay Lullay,” among others. Though Lennox, in collaboration with coproducer Mike Stevens, plays most of the music on the CD, she also worked with African Children’s Choir in South Africa and a thirty-piece orchestra at Pinewood Studios. Who Benefits: All proceeds from “Universal Child” will go to the Annie Lennox Foundation, which raises money for charitable projects supporting and educating women and children in Africa with HIV/AIDS. The Foundation’s SING campaign raises funds for Treatment Action Campaign and other AIDS-related initiatives; works with UNAIDS; uses music industry, Web, and media resources to educate about AIDS; and Lennox herself is a persistent presence at AIDS and humanitarian conferences and events. How Much: $.99 (single); $9.99 (album). How to Order: A Christmas Cornucopia and “Universal Child” are available on iTunes, Amazon.com, and other on-line retailers as well as in stores. For more information, log on to www.annielennox.com and www.annielennoxsing.com.

Hope House
If you’re looking for a way to reach out to loved ones, why not include an AIDS awareness message with your Holiday Cards? The Memphis, Tennessee nonprofitHopeHouse offers a stunning and expedient way to deliver your season’s greetings. Staff and volunteers will send the hand-written cards, featuring a picture of two of the children Hope House has helped, to the recipient of your choice. Tell Me More: Unless otherwise specified, the inscription reads: “Ho Ho Hoping You Have A Happy Holiday Season. A holiday gift was made in your name by [donor’s name] to the children of Hope House.” Deadline for orders: noon on Monday, December 13. Who Benefits: Proceeds help Hope House deliver a variety of services, including a therapeutic daycare, respite care, and twenty-four-hour emergency care for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS; supportive social services to children and their families; prevention education services for the Memphis community; and many more. How Much: $15 per card. How to Order: For more information, visit www.hopehousememphis.org. Contact Sandy Howell by e-mail at showell@hopehousememphis.org, or by phone at (901) 272-2702, ext. 206, with any questions or to order your cards over the phone.

The Red Pump Project
Awareness is always in style! The Red Pump Project, a national nonprofit, uses the interactivity of new media and on-line social networking as well as on-the-ground messaging at events to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on girls and women. Forty ambassadors across twenty states are currently helping to “Rock the Red Pump,” the nonprofit’s rallying cry for women to stand tall and stand proud to support those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Now, The Red Pump Project offers an old-fashioned way to wear your heart on your sleeve. Tell Me More: Red Pump offers tanks and T-shirts in a variety of designs, with messages such as “Awareness Is Definitely Smart” and “Being Negative is Priceless.” 100 percent cotton. Who Benefits: Proceeds help the nonprofit continue its vital work. How Much: $20. How to Order: Visit www.redpumpstore.com. For more information, visit www.theredpumpproject.com.

One Heartland
Any foodie and home cook knows that the holidays are the perfect time to try out new recipes and indulge in newdelights. For those loved ones in your life who spend a lot of time in their kitchens (when they’re not watching Food Network), why not try the S’More to Love Cookbook. Filled with recipes from Birch Family Camp campers and volunteers, the cookbook centers on that one important ingredient: love. Who Benefits: Proceeds of the sale of the cookbook will benefit entire families facing life with HIV/AIDS through One Heartland’s Birch Family Camp program. How Much: $40, plus shipping and handling. How to Order: Log on to www.oneheartland.org/store to learn how to order this and other gifts offered by One Heartland.

Broadway Cares
Shake things up with the Broadway Cares Collection 2010 Snow Globe! Tony Award-winning designer David Gallo has captured the spirit of the Great White Way with an intricately designed New York City scene. The base features subway trains running underneath snow-topped theaters and taxis rumbling past buildings that advertise over twenty Broadway musical logos. Inside the globe, three girls dance on a spectacular stage which rotates to reveal a surprise glimpse of the goings-on backstage. Tell Me More: Dimensions: 5 ¾ by 7 ½ inches. Who Benefits: As the nation’s leading industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grantmaking organization, Broadway Cares provides support for The Actor’s Fund, which helps entertainment professionals facing critical health issues, as well as initiatives and programs across the country, raises awareness, and advocates for public support of agencies that benefit people living with HIV/AIDS. How Much: $80. How to Order: Visit www.broadwaycares.org or call 212-840-0770. Broadway Cares has a wide selection of gift ideas in its on-line store, including the annual edition of the Broadway CD, Carols for a Cure.

Until There’s A Cure
Until There’s A Cure Foundation keeps sight of one goal on the horizon: the eradication of AIDS. Partnering with iBean Inspired, Until There’s A Cure created an iBean inscribed with the word “UNTIL” on one side and an AIDS ribbon on the other. Plant your iBean and watch AIDS awareness grow. Each African Art Bracelet, hand-carved in the Ovahimba tribal tradition by villagers in Namibia, is unique. Featuring a representation of the AIDS ribbon, the bracelets are crafted from recycled PVC pipe. One size fits most. Until There’s A Cure’s signature retail item, The Bracelet, now comes in a new design made with stainless steel. Who Benefits: Through wide-ranging grantmaking, partnerships, celebrity PSAs, and its retail program, Until There’s A Cure Foundation raises awareness and helps to provide direct services for people living with HIV/AIDS. All proceeds from the iBean fund prevention education, care services, and vaccine development. Proceeds from the African Art Bracelet provide care, food, and schooling for childrenof the Namibian village where the bracelets are crafted and other areas of Africa ravaged by AIDS. How Much: iBean: $20; African Art Bracelet: $50; The Bracelet (stainless steel): $50 (other designs available). How to Order: Log on to www.until.org.

The Keith Haring Foundation
A set of twelve Favorites Pins, Five Dancers T-Shirt, and Radiant Baby Watch are only a few of the ways you can Shop till you Pop. The on-line Pop Shop features an array of products—from eco-friendly beverage containers to stationery—bearing some of artist Keith Haring’s most iconic creations. Tell Me More: T-shirts are 100 percent super soft-combed cotton and printed with the original screener used for the Pop Shop’s store in New York City. Five Dancers also comes in a youth version. Watch is executed with Japan movement Citizen 7T35, plastic case in black, plastic PVC band in black, and steel crown. Who Benefits: The Keith Haring Foundation maintains and protects the artistic legacy of Keith Haring, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1990, and continues his advocacy through the support of nonprofits that assist children as well as people living with HIV/AIDS. As a grantmaker, the Foundation supports organizations that give educational opportunities to underprivileged children and organizations that engage in AIDS-related research and care. How Much: Pins: $7.95; Shirt: $29; Watch: $34.95. How to Order: For a wide array of gift ideas, visit the Foundation’s retail arm, Pop Shop, at www.pop-shop.com/drupal. For more information, visit www.haring.com.