Dear Friends,

2014 was an important year for K4C. We honored Cara’s memory with our initiatives to ease suffering, educate and inspire kids and young adults on the importance of service to others and recognize unsung heroes in service.

We are sending you this year-end update to keep you informed of our progress and to thank you for your support of our efforts to make a difference.

We printed and began distributing “Cara Cookie Volunteers” to schools and libraries across the country free of charge….

Karma for Cara Microgrants help fund exceptional projects led by kids 18 and under to help their communities. Read about our microgrant recipient Casey Sokolovic who works with Love a Sea Turtle. We provided a microgrant to help fund a Family Volunteer Day.

1. How did you become involved with Love a Sea Turtle?

A third grade field trip to a sea turtle hospital in 2005 was my initial inspiration to helping sea turtles….

Valentine’s Day normally brings to mind gifts of cards, flowers and chocolates. But what if this year you also made a gift in honor of your Valentine to Karma for Cara?

When you make a gift to Karma for Cara, it helps us send our book, “Cara Cookie Volunteers,” to elementary schools, provide service clubs to students, fund kid-led volunteer projects, recognize outstanding leaders in service and support programs giving comfort and care to cancer patients.

Make a gift by 10 a.m….

On Monday, the Karma for Cara team ventured to the Boys & Girls Club in Uptown for our February volunteer project.

Miriam and Abby worked with a group of third-through-sixth-grade students during Art in Action, an afterschool program that involves exploring a new topic and then completing an art project.

Together, the group read “Berry Magic,” a children’s book by Teri Sloat about a Fall Festival on the tundra and how the main character, Anana, saves the day….

This week marked the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Many schools and community groups took advantage of this day off to spend time giving back to the community. I hope some of you found yourself volunteering this past Monday!

If you weren’t able to volunteer Monday, there are still lots of ways you can get involved in community service any day of the week. Are you looking for easy ways to give back and make a difference in your community?…

Here at Karma for Cara, we put a big emphasis on recognizing leaders in service and unsung heroes. So K4C decided to kick off 2015 by recognizing a pair of outstanding nurses, Sue Ramzy, BSN, RN, and Harold Hardinger, BSN, RN.

On Wednesday, January 7, Karma for Cara officially expanded our Excellence in Nursing award program. Over the past couple of years, we have twice handed out an award to a Johns Hopkins Hospital nurse during the Kimmel Cancer Center One Night, One Show, One Cause annual event….

Service comes in all shapes and sizes. Media Works, a Baltimore media marketing agency, exemplified this throughout 2014 when its employees participated in 25 Acts of Kindness.

“Jody [Berg], our CEO, sent an email at the beginning of the year about our 25th anniversary and everything we were planning on doing,” said Amy Kelly, Media Works Media Assistant. “She wanted to do the 25 Acts of Kindness.”

As a group, Media Works’ approximately 30 employees came up with ideas for volunteer activities they could do together, as well as individual endeavors….

On December 23, the Karma for Cara team and friends baked chocolate chip cookies at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago! We had such a wonderful time baking and providing some treats to the 60+ families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.We will keep you updated on the next time K4C signs up to bake cookies and hope to have you join us!To learn more about Cookies from the Heart: http://rmhccni.org/cookies-lurie/

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BALTIMORE, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — It’s never too early to instill in children the importance of community service. “Cara Cookie Volunteers,” the first children’s book released by the Baltimore-based nonprofit Karma for Cara Foundation, tells the story of a young girl named Cara and her first volunteer experience. Starting last month, copies of “Cara Cookie Volunteers” began being distributed to elementary schools and libraries throughout Baltimore and Chicago. Plans are in the works to expand distribution of the book, free of charge, nationwide….

Have you heard of #GivingTuesday? After a day of giving thanks and a day of getting deals, #GivingTuesday was established as a day to give back. Falling on Tuesday, December 2 this year, #GivingTuesday was established in 2012 to encourage philanthropy and generosity.

More than 10,000 organizations have become involved with #GivingTuesday since its inception.

Karma for Cara is participating in #GivingTuesday this year. Here’s how it works: On Tuesday, December 2, donate to Karma for Cara….