About Linda Meyers

Linda Meyers, an Arkansas transplant originally from St. Louis, Mo., started working at Heifer International in 2011. She enjoys dragging her three children on nature hikes and snapping photos of them and everything around her. She has a bachelor’s degree in English has been “in the process” of writing the great American novel for 24 years.

Around the Web: Odds and Ends, Making a Difference, Teachers on a Roof

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Every week we highlight some of the people who are funding our work creatively or helping us spread the word of our mission online. If you spot Heifer International while you’re surfing the web or know of a fun or creative fundraising effort, please share it with us here in the comments.

Photo credit: NeighborNewspapers.com

For months now, second-grade students at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School in Brookhaven, Georgia, have been doing various odds and ends, including holding lemonade sales and homemade baked cookie sales, babysat siblings, prepared lunches and cleared neighbors’ backyards. They easily surpassed last year’s total of $1,200, with $2,000.

Thanks to Nancy for her fundraising efforts on her blog, Realizing I Can Help…my journey of trying to make a difference. She’s on her way to reaching her goal.

Heifer international was mentioned as the best in three separate categories in Little Rock’s Sync Weekly Who’s the Best of the Metro: Green Business, Local Cause and Non-Profit Organization.

Photo credit: TheMaguirehouseBB.blogspot.com/

What’s happening in and around Maguire House? 100 Things to Do and See Within 100 Miles, including Heifer’s Learning Center at Overlook Farm in Rutland, Massachusetts.

Another local publication, Little Rock Soiree, featured Heifer this week in 4 Fabulous Ideas To Put a Little Spring in Your Step which shines a spotlight on Feast in the Field, a special dinner to be held May 18 to raise funds and awareness for sustainable agriculture benefiting Heifer projects in the Arkansas Delta and Nepal.

Photo credit: Longmont Suzuki Strings

Kids from ages 2 to 11, students of Longmont Suzuki Strings in Colorado, performed at a concert to benefit Heifer International on May 11. The instructor, Erron Lacy, said, “I enjoy watching the students get excited about helping others. They do it with such a pure heart and love for children across the world they will never meet. Their dedication to the benefit concert, through careful practice, is so inspiring.”

Photo credit: The Gadsden Times

“Kindergartners and elementary students at Coosa Christian School ‘raised the roof’ so their teachers would have to sit on it.” These students were part of the Coosa Coin Challenge, donating spare change to different charities chosen by each grade. The third graders chose Heifer. They beat last year’s total, raising the roof, and their reward was sending teachers and faculty up to the roof for the day.

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For Mother’s Day, Celebrate the Strength of Mothers Everywhere

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Linda Meyers

This guest post was written by Cathy Sanders, Vice President of Philanthropy for Heifer International.

I feel very fortunate to be a mother. It is the best thing I’ve ever done. My children have made me experience love like I never expected. They are funny, smart, creative, loving and generous little boys. How many mothers around the world feel this way? I’m certain that I am only one of millions of women who live to make sure their children thrive. Even when my patience is at the very end, when they argue with each other or they sigh emphatically and roll their eyes at taking a shower I think how very lucky we are to be able to provide a home for them with plenty of food, access to education and health care and opportunities to build a good life for themselves.

Even in a trying U.S. economy, Americans can’t possibly relate to the realities that most people in the world struggle with every day. As mothers we are also charged with teaching our children how to become independent persons who are kind, generous, loving contributors and citizens of the world.

Photo by Cathy Sanders, courtesy of Heifer International

I had these thoughts in my head on a recent trip to see Heifer’s projects in Nepal. Nepal is a stunningly beautiful country with wise and wonderful people. Poverty there is also staggering. More than 30 percent of Nepalese live below the poverty line of $12 per person per month. Eighty percent of Nepal’s population live in rural areas and depend on subsistence farming. Life is a constant struggle for survival.

One of the most marginalized groups in Nepal is women. Heifer International’s work in Nepal is impressive and very successful. We focus on women’s empowerment and building community where none exists. You may have heard us talk about the 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development before. This training weaves itself through everything done in Nepal and makes the projects sustainable long after Heifer International leaves.

Photo by Cathy Sanders, courtesy of Heifer International

I sat with a group of women in Belsi who were self-help group participants 10 years ago and listened as they told stories about the intense process of learning to work in community and to improve themselves−learning to read and write, learning to run a small business (goats), learning to trust. This work is so complex that it boggles my mind how Heifer has been able to be the spark that brought these women to life.

Even more impressive are these incredible women! Imagine their day: preparing breakfast, taking care of the livestock, cleaning up after breakfast, working in the field or searching for food, preparing lunch, washing clothes, fetching water, taking care of the children and on and on but with none of the luxuries of running water or even access to water, gas cookstove, dishwasher, washing machine, etc. While responsible for all that labor they still had to ask permission from their husbands to participate in training from Heifer International for hours a week. This is an extraordinary amount of extra work. But they did it. They did it because they wanted a better life for their children. Just like us.

On Mother’s Day, we take time to be grateful for the sacrifices of our own mothers. This Mother’s Day let’s also take time to celebrate the sacrifice, strength, courage and wisdom of mothers in Nepal and everywhere where survival is a daily struggle.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

This Mother’s Day Gift Different. Give Heifer.

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Around the Web: Shopping Local, a Harsh Reality, Read to Feed

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Every Sunday we highlight some of the people who are funding our work creatively or helping us spread the word of our mission online. If you spot Heifer International while you’re surfing the web or know of a fun or creative fundraising effort, please share it with us here in the comments.

Photo credit: DNRonline

Wayland Elementary School in Virginia is a very environmentally conscious school, inspired to act by a flood in the local park that destroyed many habitats. In addition to local environmental activities such as recycling, Earth Day gardening and picking up trash, and building a buffer at the park to prevent erosion, the school participates in Heifer’s Read to Feed program, raising $3,500 for projects around the world.

Photo credit: Lily Darragh, inarkansas.com

26-year-old Sam Hedges, who once worked at Heifer’s Learning Center at Overlook Farm in Massachusetts and is now the director of the nonprofit Arkansas Local Food Network, talks about the network and shopping local.

Check out these two stories submitted to When Cows Fly: These godparents had the unique (and generous) idea of buying their godson a part of a water buffalo every year on his birthday, starting this year, the year of his birth! And the Joyful Noise Gospel Choir prepares for a musical presentation that will benefit Heifer.

Photo credit: Amarillo Globe-News

Seventh graders from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Amarillo, Texas, got a glimpse of the harsh reality people around the world face every day during their annual service trip to Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. One student Milah Someham, said, “I didn’t realize how many people lived like that until now. I kept worrying all night about what I was going to eat for dinner the next day.”

Thanks to Viva La Feminista for featuring our Mother’s Day offerings on their post, Feminist Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

Students at Morgan Twp. elementary school in Indiana have been taking part in the Read to Feed program. And, by the end of this month, school officials say they will have donated an amazing total of $12,000 to Heifer.

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Pass on the Gift of Health and Hope This Mother’s Day

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Linda Meyers

If you want to honor your mother with a very special gift this Mother’s Day, consider the gifts that Heifer has to offer. When you give a gift like this, you’re giving something big−something that will touch your mother’s heart and truly make a difference in the lives of others.

What kind of difference? Education. Nutrition. Clean Water. Empowerment.

Christine Akello, 47 years old, with some of the children she cares for in Peya village, Uganda. Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International.

Take a look at the Infographic below, which lays out a few facts and solutions your Mother’s Day gifts through Heifer could bring.

Women in Sub-Saharan Africa spend about 40 billion hours per year collecting and transporting water. The gift of clean water, irrigation systems, and conservation training can lighten the load and free these mothers to spend more time on other things, like spending time with their children and becoming involved in income-generating activities.

Girls, who suffer most from gender discrimination, are the ones denied the opportunity for education when resources are limited. And children born to educated women are less likely to be stunted or malnourished, so if these girls don’t go to school and become more educated women, the cycle continues. Your Mother’s Day gift provides livestock and training to families to earn more income and pay for all of their children’s school costs, including the girls, breaking the cycle.

Mother's Day Infographic

When you give a gift through Heifer International this Mother’s Day, you’re helping a mother provide better nutrition to her family and education to her children. And it doesn’t end there. The economic success spreads throughout communities, children have more opportunities to thrive and prosper, and women become empowered to work and become self-sufficient.

It’s not just a present, it’s a gift for a better tomorrow.

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Around the Web: A Visit to a Global Village, Earth Day Festival and an International Clubs Festival

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Photo credit: Liesl Den, Parents.com

An awesome post by Liesl Den on www.parents.com with even-more-awesome photos of a trip to a Heifer Global Village at Shepherd’s Spring in Maryland. Read about the family’s adventures through the Global Village, including Mozambique, a refugee camp, Thailand, Kenya, Appalachia, and Guatemala. You can also read her post about her kids’ service project, selling their own paintings to benefit Heifer.

Photo credit: Jen and Jon Plus Kate

Jennifer and her family, from the blog Jen and Jon Plus Kate, attended the Earth Day festivities held on the grounds of Heifer International in Little Rock, Arkansas, and tells all about it (with a few pics, as well).

Photo credit: Mehlville-Oakville Patch

Organizers of the Mehlville School District’s International Clubs Festival, a cultural diversity celebration that included international music, dance, foods and crafts, was a huge success with about 1,000 people attending. Festival coordinator Christina Carlisle Mendoza said, “The main thing is that we are learning about new cultures. That’s the whole point. The world is getting smaller as we go on, so the more we know about people the better it is.” Proceeds from the event, which was held in St. Louis, Missouri, are being donated to Heifer International.

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Help End Hunger and Poverty for Cody Belew’s Birthday

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Get Cody’s Goat with a Birthday Donation to Heifer International

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

When it comes to birthdays, people wish for all kinds of things—ponies, clothes, cars, gift cards. Singer Cody Belew’s birthday wish, though, is a little more audacious—helping families live a life of self-reliance and prosperity.

How? By ending hunger, one gift at a time! Belew, whose birthday is Monday, April 29, is asking fans, current and future, to forgo the traditional gift and buy him instead some chicks, some ducks, trees, a goat or even a cow through partner organization Heifer International.

“I’m a lucky person,” says Belew. “I am getting to live my dream, from being a finalist on NBC-TV’s ‘The Voice,’ to having the chance to entertain and sing to larger and larger audiences.

“Now I want to help others live their dreams—better nutrition, more and better foods and, ultimately, full stomachs,” he says.

Belew, whose single “Say Love” is the anthem of his support of Heifer and its work in more than 40 countries worldwide (download it on iTunes and a portion of the proceeds go to Heifer), is asking his fans to join his team, Team Cody, on the www.heifer.org website. There (www.heifer.org/teamcody), you can purchase animals or make a donation to honor him for his birthday.

“We’re all in this together, and we all love birthdays,” says Belew. “Help me celebrate mine by giving a hungry and struggling family a reason to celebrate, too. ‘Say Love’ with a gift that is meaningful and will make years’ worth of difference.”

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Heifer China Staff Safe Following Weekend Earthquake

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Heifer International has learned that Heifer China’s staff is safe following a weekend earthquake that struck the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan. The Chinese government is reporting that nearly 200 were killed and more than 12,000 injured in Saturday morning’s 7.0 magnitude quake.

Currently, Heifer has no projects in Yu’an City, the epicenter of the earthquake, but in years past the organization provided goats and worked in a dairy program with area smallholder farm families there.

Heifer is working on earthquake rehabilitation projects nearby in the area impacted by the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan Earthquake, but due to limited access and communications, Heifer China staff has received no reports of injuries to people or animals, or structural damage.

Once government and other emergency workers have cleared the first response phase, Heifer China plans to conduct an agricultural and livestock loss survey in the affected areas with an eye toward possibly providing livelihood rehabilitation and community strengthening in the future.

Information will be updated as it becomes available.

China

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Heifer International Seeking Info About Staff, Families Following Serious Earthquake in China

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Heifer International continues to pursue information about the safety and condition of Heifer China staff, volunteers and project families in the wake of the strong earthquake that struck the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan over the weekend. The 7.0-magnitude quake struck near Ya’an City, population 1.5 million, early Saturday and the government is reporting nearly 200 people killed and more than 8,000 injured.

Heifer International has worked in China since 1946, but the modern program began in 1984. Ya’an City is one of Heifer China’s three earliest project cities, which included the Ya’an Dairy Goat Project, where Heifer donated dairy goats to improve bloodstock. Heifer animals in the quake zone are mostly goats, pigs and rabbits—small animals because the people have small farms without the ability to support large ruminants.

A number of Heifer China staff was participating in a meeting in Cambodia with their Heifer Asia and South Pacific Area colleagues when the earthquake struck, so all are reported to be safe. Efforts continue to try to reach and to determine the impact on remaining staff, volunteers and project families in the area affected by the earthquake.

Thousands of emergency workers, including soldiers, rushed to reach the affected zones in the hilly region, but progress has been impeded because huge mountain chunks have sheared off and fallen into valleys, blocking roads and making emergency work difficult. Water and power lines have also been cut, making concise communications with the most affected areas difficult.

Residents of communities as far away as 190 miles reported feeling the quake, which struck an area that is mountainous and where architecture is mainly of stone or brick, so earthquakes can be especially devastating.

Saturday’s earthquake is also very close to the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake Area, where Heifer China has been implementing a rehabilitation project since 2008/2009, so it’s likely that many families there were affected in some way by the most recent temblor. More than 87,000 people were killed in that disaster.

Heifer International is working closely with colleagues at Heifer China to determine the whereabouts and safety of staff, volunteer and families, and exploring how the organization might help provide long-term rehabilitative and restorative support to families and others once the emergency response period has passed and the situation is more stable.

China

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Around the Web: A Fair, Embracing Sustainability and Flying Cows

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Photocredit: www.babyanimalfair.org

If you are near Buffalo, Minnesota, on April 21, you’ll want to check out the Baby Animal Fair, where you can learn about Heifer International’s work around the world, help fill local food shelves, and have some great family fun.

Here’s a great story about a school that embraces sustainability and believes it is important to teach to children. “One of the guiding principles at Saltonstall is to establish a school and community culture that is based in real-world connections. At Saltonstall, we strive to give students a sense of purpose and help them realize that our decisions and actions have an impact on our local community.”

Thanks to The Nest for listing Heifer among their favorite worthy causes for newlyweds to think about and get involved with.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Stamm

Several people have submitted stories on Heifer International’s online portal, When Cows Fly, a place people like you can share your own stories of engagement and impact. One family talks about their Mooved to Action fundraiser where everyone works together to make necklaces and bracelets to raise money for Heifer. Donna Stokes, World Ark editor, shares her experience on a trip to projects in Nepal, Because They Were There. Mercer Elementary Mooooves Mountains with a fundraiser/educational campaign. A longtime Heifer supporter shares her experience at one of our learning centers, and how One Visit to Heifer Ranch Brings Ever-Expanding Influence. Project participants Ana and Berta Hidalgo share their experience Selling Agroecological Products at the Market in Ecuador, thanks to generous supporters like you. Every voice is important–from donors, volunteers, congregations and schools to project participants and partners. Each story connects one more person to the solution to the scourges of hunger, poverty and environmental degradation. Each story reminds us that we can make a difference. Be part of a great idea taking wing, and submit your own story to When Cows Fly.

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Earth Day: Highlighting Projects that Care for the Earth

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Linda Meyers

Heifer International’s mission is to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth.Since Monday is Earth Day, we wanted to share some of our work around the world that exemplifies this mission, especially those in which caring for the Earth is at the heart.

Heifer’s work is focused on ending hunger, but we can’t end hunger without thinking about the implications our work can have for our planet. Poor agriculture is often related to soil erosion. Lack of water is often related to deforestation. And global warming is already hurting the world’s most poor and vulnerable through drought and changing ecosystems. If we are going to set families on a path toward sustained prosperity we must make sure that we work for a sustainable environment.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

In Sierra Leone’s Port Loko district, which is mostly savannah, the all-too-frequent bush fires posed a serious threat to this already fragile environment, lowering the water table and harming crop yields. Heifer International intervened by introducing tree crops with economic value, and educating the communities through drama, a very unique and highly successful approach.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Living Water, a women’s group in Brazil that Heifer has supported, recently received the “Rural Women Producers for a Sustainable Brazil” award. The group combines environmental conservation, women’s empowerment and income generation, and the award is a symbol of the government of Brazil’s recognition of the work of these women and Heifer International.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

In Bangladesh, an effort is underway protect the environment and health of communities in the Bhairab district from open defecation and makeshift latrines. Community members received training on health and nutrition, and they began to consider how their actions affect their families’ health. They learned how unhygienic, open latrines spread disease and decided that taking measures to prevent disease is easier than trying to cure it. Members of the project management committee began the process of building sanitary pit latrines. It was a proud day for many when construction materials arrived.

These are just a few stories of how Heifer is working to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth. To find out more about how Heifer takes care of the Earth, see our Cornerstone: Improving the Environment.

Find out ways to make an an eco-friendly meal and invite Mother Nature to dine with your family.

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Heifer Blog

The official blog of Heifer International

Author Archives: Linda Meyers

About Linda Meyers

Around the Web: Odds and Ends, Making a Difference, Teachers on a Roof

For Mother’s Day, Celebrate the Strength of Mothers Everywhere

Around the Web: Shopping Local, a Harsh Reality, Read to Feed

Pass on the Gift of Health and Hope This Mother’s Day

Around the Web: A Visit to a Global Village, Earth Day Festival and an International Clubs Festival

Help End Hunger and Poverty for Cody Belew’s Birthday

Heifer China Staff Safe Following Weekend Earthquake

Heifer International Seeking Info About Staff, Families Following Serious Earthquake in China

Around the Web: A Fair, Embracing Sustainability and Flying Cows

Earth Day: Highlighting Projects that Care for the Earth