SEPTEMBER COTM: Defenders of Wildlife

September's

Charity of the Month is...

Defenders of Wildlife

Thank you so much to our fabulous team for hosting Charity of the Month and to all our sellers who participate in this program.

Be sure to have all your COTM items tagged 'team efa cotm' (this can replace the generic 'team efa' tag) and if your item is going to benefit Defenders of Wildlife no matter when it sells... you can also use the tag: 'defenders' ! Using these tags helps to identify your pledge and makes it easier for shoppers & Treasury makers to locate your products :) We also have a brand new COTM EFA LOGO... (look on the left hand side of the blog) if you are an EFA member, this beautiful logo can be uploaded in all your COTM Etsy product listings.

Throughout the month of September, brizel4TheAnimals will be donating 20% of Silk Tapestry Box sales to this wonderful organization. Come visit my Etsy shop to peruse through my lovely collection of animal theme keepsakes !

I am so thrilled that my nomination won Team EFA September's Charity of the Month ! I think very highly of Defenders of Wildlife... value their philosophy & mission and most importantly that what they achieve makes a noteworthy and worthwhile historic impact in the realms of animal & wilderness advocacy work.

It all started in the late 1940's with one employee and 1500 members... sixty years later this organization has over 150 professionals working out of 11 field offices on behalf of Defenders of Wildlife and there are now approximately 500,000 members !!!

Clearly there is a story of passion & dedication here... This stained glass window* which resides in the lobby of their national headquarters in Washington DC illustrates some of the many species of animals and wildlife that Defenders have worked so hard to protect... amongst them eagle, wolf, seal, owl, bison, polar bear, penguin, woodpecker, cheetah, bear, turtle, frog, birds butterfly, monkey, elephant...

"Defenders of Wildlife is a national, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities." They "work to protect and restore America's native wildlife, safeguard habitat, resolve conflicts, work across international borders and educate and mobilize the public."

This is impressive & awesome work because to protect the integrity of the whole ecosystem is crucial to understanding that it is not just a question of rescuing animals so that they can live in a designated park or be on display in a zoo... its about honoring the habitat and 'allowing' them the dignity and right to continue to live in 'their' own home territory. It isn't an 'us or them' situation... its about learning to share this land equitably to the benefit of all.

Thankfully, Defenders of Wildlife Success Stories are abundant (click HERE to read about the most recent ones and to sign up for their Action Alerts) and whilst their work will never be easy... as quoted from DOW's 2009 Annual Report: "On Inauguration Day 2009, the world truly changed. For Defenders of Wildlife, the swearing in of President Barack Obama shifted both the realm of possibilities and our strategic outlook. For eight years we'd fought off near constant attacks on the environment. With our new president and a more favorable Congress, we could once again focus on achieving positive outcomes for wildlife."

DOW is an award winning organization that has been recognized as one of America's Top 100 Charities not only by Reader's Digest but also Worth Magazine, and is the recipient of the Natural Resources Council of America's award for Most Effective Action on Federal Policy. Click HERE to read more about these awards.

Defenders of Wildlife's Top 4 Campaigns at the moment focus around the gulf oil disaster, wolves, climate change and renewable energy. Tomorrow, I will be posting a blog feature on these campaigns and their corresponding Take Action petitions so that you can sign them & inspire others to do so as well.

Would you like to become a DOW member... or a Wildlife Guardian... join the President's Council... make a one time donation... or plan some other type of gift. Click HERE to view all those options and more.

DOW depends on people like us to make a difference. Won't you please help ?

Click on the link above to visit DOW's website !

You can also peruse through their blog HERE

If you'd like to place the above widget on your web and/or blog site, please contact me for the code through my Etsy shop: brizel4TheAnimals.

Lets get the word out about Defenders !

Thank you, Nicole

Footnote: DOW logo reproduced with written permission; *Stained glass window was created by Bixler-Smith Studios and photographed by Peter Corcoran, Defenders of Wildlife.