At the Wyoming Tribune Eagle and WyomingNews.com, we believe everyone – regardless of income level, age, education, etc. – can and should give something to those in need. And we believe that when that happens, everyone benefits.

That’s why we created “Everyone gives, Everyone gains,” a continually updated list of ways you can help groups in southeast Wyoming by donating your money, time or items. We’re also building a network of people who are willing to volunteer their skills so those in need can tap into the talents available right here in our area.

To add an item to the WTE’s “Everyone gives, Everyone gains” list, e-mail assistant managing editor Brian Martin at EveryoneGives@wyomingnews.com or send it to Everyone gives, Everyone gains, c/o Brian Martin, Wyoming Tribune Eagle, 702 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, WY 82001.

Rotaract event to fund supplies for quake victims

What: Cheyenne Community Rotaract Club fundraising event for victims of the Haiti and Chile earthquakes

When: Until 3 p.m. Sunday, March 14

Where: Cheyenne Depot Plaza, 121 W. 15th St., Cheyenne

More information: Club members have been camping in a ShelterBox tent at the depot since Friday afternoon, March 12. This 34-hour campout is designed to build awareness of the ShelterBox program being funded, in part, by the Cheyenne Community Rotaract Club, LCCC Rotaract Club and two Cheyenne Rotary clubs.

ShelterBox is a kit that contains everything a family would need to live for the time they are displaced due to natural disaster. This includes a tent for 10 people, utensils and cooking tools, a stove that can be used for cooking or staying warm, tools to help chop firewood and other supplies. Each box is tailored to meet the needs of each disaster. Each box also is given a unique number so it can be tracked to its destination.

The group’s goal is $3,000, which would be enough to send three ShelterBoxes, but they hope to raise more.

From noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 13, a program will be offered to build awareness of the potential for earthquakes here and the possible need for ShelterBoxes during a local event.

For more information: Go online to www.shelterbox.org or call Christina Jennings at 307-214-4719.

Dinner to raise money for boy’s medical costs

What: A benefit spaghetti dinner, catered by Pizzeria Venti, for Nathan Peele to raise money to cover medical expenses.

When: 5-7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 25

Where: Cheyenne-Kiwanis Community House, Lions Park, Cheyenne

Cost: Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children (12 years and under). Tickets must be purchased in advance by e-mailing jcostel@usana.com. A silent auction also will be held. Ticket sales end March 20.

More information: Nathan was born prematurely at 27 weeks and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage shortly after birth, which left him with cerebral palsy. He continues to receive his food, antibiotics, etc. through a groshong catheter implanted in his chest, because he has had several stomach surgeries and is unable to use his digestive tract. He also will need to undergo chemotherapy as soon as he is strong enough.

This fundraiser will help defer some of the medical expenses this family faces daily. Nathan’s specialty formula costs $45 per can, and he uses 21 cans monthly. This doesn’t include the cost of his antimicrobial therapy, speech and physical therapists, weekly visits to his physician, lab draws or the hyperalimentation, where he receives the majority of his nutrition.

Nathan’s caregivers are his family, as their insurance doesn’t cover home health expenses. His mother works at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. His father is unemployed and currently his primary caregiver. They moved from Gillette to be closer to Children’s Hospital in Denver, where Nathan is frequently hospitalized.  All their savings are gone and they are struggling daily to support their young family. Nathan has a healthy big brother, Ben, who just celebrated his fourth birthday.

Another way to help: A special fund has been set up at First Interstate Bank with Cindy Hamel. For more information on donating to the account, call 307-633-8451 or e-mail cindy.hamel@fib.com.

For more information: Call 307-752-7124 or e-mail jcostel@usana.com.

Craft/bake sale to benefit Cancer Society

What: American Cancer Society Relay for Life Craft/Bake Sale

When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 27

Where: Fraternal Order of Eagles, 1600 Thomes Ave., Cheyenne

More information: In addition to a variety of craft and baked goods, the sale will include cancer ribbon angels, luminaries and other cancer-related gifts.

Proceeds will go toward the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay For Life fundraiser, which takes place June 4-5 at Cheyenne’s East High.

Rotary clubs collect money for Haiti housing

What: The Cheyenne Sunrise Rotary Club and Noon Rotary Club continue to encourage people to donate money to the ShelterBox program, which is providing emergency shelter for earthquake victims in Haiti.

When: Now

How to give: To make a donation, go to www.shelterboxusa.org to donate online and get the latest updates on the charity’s response to the Haiti earthquake.

How it works: Each ShelterBox costs $1,000 and supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and lifesaving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. Highly trained ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organizations, international aid agencies and Rotary clubs worldwide.

More information: Up-to-date information on the massive Rotary effort to help the Haitian people also can be found online at www.shelterbox.org.

In less than one week, Rotary Clubs in Wyoming and Colorado raised more than $50,000 for Haiti relief.

For more information: Call Phil Noble at 307-701-0096.

Bethel Outreach Ministries seeks financial support

What: Bethel Outreach Ministries seeks financial support so it can continue with the ministry of helping people with re-entry into the community after their release from incarceration.

When: Now

How you can help: Laramie County residents, as well as Cheyenne-area churches not currently involved, are encouraged to offer their financial support on a continuing basis to this ministry.

More information: Current supporters include St. Joseph’s Parish and Father Ray Moss, who have furnished an office location, as well as Cheyenne Hills Church, Calvary Baptist Church and Frontier United Methodist Church, who have provided financial assistance.

To donate: Mail contributions to Bethel Outreach Ministries, 314 E. Sixth St., Cheyenne, WY 82007. For more information, call 635-7619.

Metal recycling helps Day of Giving help charities

What: Cheyenne Day of Giving’s year-round effort to help local charities meet the needs of those they serve.

How you can help: Take any non-magnetic metal to Cheyenne Recycling on South Greeley Highway. Tell the office that money from the donation is to be added to the Cheyenne Day of Giving account.

How it is used: Money redeemed from donated metal will be used to buy such things as food, cleaning supplies, toiletries and other items requested by local charities that are supported by Day of Giving and are struggling to meet client needs.

For more information: Call Greta Morrow at 635-3943 or visit the Day of Giving Web site at www.cheyennenetwork.com/dayofgiving and go to “Other Ways To Give.”

Friday Food Bags program continues

What: Holland and Hart Foundation’s Friday Food Bags Program

When: Through the end of the 2009-10 school year

How the program works: The program distributes food bags each Friday of the school year to Cheyenne children who are at risk for hunger, since weekends are often the times youngsters are most vulnerable to being without food.

How you can help: You can either volunteer to help assemble the free food bags starting Tuesday at the old Dinneen Motors showroom or donate money for the program to buy food.

For more information: For more information or to volunteer, call Lynda Zeringue at 778-4242.

Animal shelter seeks funds to help puppies

What: Black Dog Animal Rescue is raising money to help seven puppies saved from euthanasia in a rural shelter in early July.

When: Now.

How to help: Contributions can be mailed to Black Dog Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 2435, Cheyenne, WY 82009. Alternatively, money can be pledged directly to Cheyenne Pet Clinic for the care of these puppies.

More information: Black Dog Animal Rescue, Cheyenne’s only no-kill animal welfare organization, recently rescued an entire litter of mixed-breed puppies. The story of these pups can be found online at www.bdar.org.

The babies are mixed breeds. They have some Chesapeake Bay retriever, some Golden retriever and some Border collie. Some are yellow and some are a dark, russet brown. They have a little curl to their fur.

These puppies will require shots, spay/neuter, dew claw removal and a microchip prior to placement. Compassionate people are needed to donate toward the care of these puppies until they can be permanently adopted.

For more information: Go online to www.bdar.org or call Britney at 214-6600.

Homeless group needs help, cash, sleeping bags

To volunteer: The Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless is in need of volunteers to work from 9 a.m. to noon Sundays at the Welcome Mat.

To donate cash: The coalition is raising funds to finish the day-care center for homeless and low-income children at the Richards Center. Donations can be mailed or taken to 907 Logan Ave., and the check should be marked “For day care.” Donations also can be made at www.firstgiving.com/wch.

To donate/help make sleeping bags: The coalition is in need of donations of sleeping bags and volunteers to make sleeping bags. Donations should be taken to 907 Logan Ave. between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

For more information: Call Virginia Sellner at 634-8499.

Project 1,000 needs money, materials, help

What: Project 1,000, an effort to provide one neck cooler and one helmet cooler to each Wyoming Army and Air National Guard soldier and airman as they depart to the Middle East

When: Help is needed now to finish making these items

What you can do: Money is needed to help buy materials for volunteers to make these comfort items. Materials to be bought include broadcloth material, thread, cord to attach the helmet cooler to the helmet, polymer beads and baggies to place them in.

These items also can be donated. Scrap broadcloth for the helmet liners, white or beige thread, and muslin or cotton in light tan (to match uniform) 45 inches wide would be welcomed.

In addition, individuals and groups are sought to volunteer to sew, raise funds and package these items for troops.

Who to contact: Project 1,000 is the brainchild of Larry Sprague, a retired Air National Guard member and current civil service employee at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Contact him at larry.sprague@bresnan.net or 307-286-1015 to help out.

Effort matches gifts with those in need

What: The Laramie County Community Partnership is making its Holiday Gift Collaborative a year-round effort.

How you can help: Your gifts of money, clothing and other items will be matched with local families in need through a database operated through the Attention Homes Web site.

To donate: Call Tammy Howard, director of development for Attention Homes, at 421-9674 or visit www.attentionhomes.com. Once on the Web site, scroll down toward the bottom of the page and look for a red LCCP donation link. There also is a link to donate money through PayPal to the right.

More information: The collaborative helped 30 families with 56 children during the recent holiday season. More than $1,200 in cash donations was collected.

CLIMB Wyoming program helps moms get jobs

What: CLIMB Wyoming, a nonprofit organization, seeks donations

When: Year-round

How donations are used: Gifts are used to support CLIMB’s mission to train and place low-income single mothers in careers that successfully support their families.

How to help: Monetary gifts (and gifts to honor friends and family) may be mailed to 1001 W. 31st St., Cheyenne, WY 82001.

What to expect: CLIMB will provide donors verification of the gift for tax purposes. If funds are given in honor of someone special, that person will receive notification, as well as a poem and gift card.

Volunteers, money needed to help homeless families

What: Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help homeless families with children get back on their feet, is seeking volunteers to help staff the program and provide financial support.

When/where: Seven days a week, 365 days a year is when the families need help. Volunteers serve in the evenings, overnight and on weekends.

Daytime drivers also are needed to get people to work and appointments. CIHN is headquartered at Grace United Methodist Church, and works with several other area churches. Help is needed at all sites.

How to donate: Call CIHN at 772-8770 to sign up for a volunteer training.

To make a financial donation to help a family in need, send checks to 2950 Spruce Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82001.

More information: Cheyenne Interfaith Hospitality Network provides assistance with employment searches, temporary housing and meals in churches, accessing social services in the community and case management. For more information, go to http://www.cheyenneinterfaith.org.

Honor Flight takes WWII vets to D.C. memorials

What: Honor Flight, an organization founded to “Fly America’s veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit those memorials dedicated to honor the service and sacrifices of themselves and their friends,” has come to northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.

World War II veterans, now in their 80s and 90s, often do not have the finances or endurance to take the trip to see this tribute on their own. According to Veterans Affairs statistics, more than 1,200 World War II veterans die each day, and most will not have seen the memorial.

Another flight is being scheduled for spring 2009.

How you can help: Donations are tax deductible and can be sent to The Community Foundation Serving Greeley and Weld County at 711 Eighth Ave., Greeley, CO 80631.

For more information: Information, applications and online donating are all available at the Web site honorflightnortherncolorado.org, or by calling Stan Cass at 970-454-5660 or Lee Seward at 970-834-0216 or Jim Heaberlin at 970-226-0111.

Raising Readers program

What: Raising Readers in Wyoming Inc.

When: Year-round

How it’s used: Money donated will help fund the Raiding Readers in Wyoming program. The program gives new age-appropriate books to children’s health-care providers and immunization clinics. When children and their parents come in for well-child visits at 2,4,6, 12, 15 and 18 months, and at 2, 3, 4 and 5 years of age, they get one of the new books and a “prescription to read.”

How to donate: Donations to the nonprofit organization in any amount can be sent to Raising Readers in Wyoming Inc., 6 Maxine Place, Sheridan, WY 82801.

For more information: Call Ed Bahou at 637-2455 or Tim Sheppard at 631-5158.

Friday Food Bags program

When: School year; money accepted year-round

How it’s used: The program helps keep children from being hungry over the weekend when they don’t have access to free or reduced-price meals at school. Employees of the Holland and Hart law firm started the program in September. Since then, they have filled 1,700 bags and delivered them to schools here. They want to expand the service to help more children in need.

How to donate: Donations for the Friday Food Bags program can be sent to the Holland and Hart Foundation, 2515 Warren Ave., Suite 450, P.O. Box 1347, Cheyenne, WY 82001.

For more information: Call Heather Canarecci, 778-4262, or e-mail ChyHHF@hollandhart.com.

Boys and Girls Club

When: Year-round.

How it’s used: Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne seeks donations to fund its youth development programs year-round. The club serves between 60 and 80 youth from age 6½ and in first grade through high school at its center, 1700 Snyder Ave. and in before- and after-school programs at Deming and Hebard elementary schools.

To donate: Mail donations to Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne, 1700 Snyder Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82001.

Sponsor: Boys and Girls Club of Cheyenne

COMEA House and Resource Center

When: Now.

How it’s used: The COMEA House and Resource Center is currently in need of monetary donations to be applied toward the mortage on its Transitional Living Complex. COMEA opened the Transitional Living Program in December 2005 to help homeless people become self-sufficient and learn how to live on their own to avoid returning to a homeless shelter. The project cost a bit more than anticipated, leaving a mortgage on the building.

To donate: Donations can be made quickly and securely using the “Donate Now” button on COMEA’s Web site, http://www.comeahouse.org; dropped off at the shelter, 1504 Stinson Ave.; or mailed to COMEA House, 1504 Stinson Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82001. For more information, contact Teresa Garrido at 632-3174 or tgarrido.comea@bresnan.net.

Sponsor: COMEA House and Resource Center

Click, shop to support COMEA House

When: Year-round.

How it’s used: What if Cheyenne’s COMEA House homeless shelter earned a penny every time you

searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can.

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. COMEA has been added as a charity and can now receive some of this advertising revenue. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch COMEA’s donations increase!

Also, GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall that donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to COMEA. Hundreds of stores have teamed up with GoodShop, and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting COMEA.

To donate: Go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter COMEA as the charity you want to support.

For more information: Call Teresa Garrido at 632-3174.

The Little Red Stocking

When: At Christmas and throughout the year

How it’s used: Donations will fund adoption programs for children, ensuring all children grow up in loving, permanent homes.

To donate: Send checks to: Wyoming Children’s Society, 314 East 21st St., Cheyenne, WY 82001. Or call 307-632-7619.

Sponsor: Wyoming Children’s Society

Scottish Rite Childhood Language Clinic

When: Year-round

How it’s used: Money is used to pay speech pathologists and occupational therapists to work with children up to age 18 who have speech or language problems. These services are provided free of charge.

To donate: Make checks payable to Childhood Language Clinic and send them to Scottish Rite Foundation, 1820 Capitol Ave., Cheyenne, WY 82001. All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, contact clinic director Cindy Anderson at 638-2610 or cindyanderson@bresnan.net.

Sponsor: Wyoming Scottish Rite Foundation

Toys for Tots

When: Year-round

How it’s used: To provide new toys to children who otherwise wouldn’t get them.

To donate: Mail a check to Toys for Tots, 5609 Randall Ave., Bldg. 245, Cheyenne, WY 82005 or call 773-6464; to donate to the national campaign, visit www.toysfortots.org.

Sponsor: United States Marine Corps

American Red Cross

When: Year-round

How it’s used: To support the local American Red Cross branch with its programs including health, wellness and disaster training, disaster response, and emergency communication for military families.

How to donate: Donations can be made at the Red Cross office at 3619 Evans Ave. Donations can be made with a credit card over the phone by calling 638-8906.