Hey! You know that cousin/aunt/girlfriend/best friend coworker that you totally forgot to get a gift for? WELL, here is a way to bring something super awesome for them to the holiday gathering, thereby not letting them know that you totally forgot about them.

Pre-order our barley & birch foundation watch for them! Each each watch funds the education of a child at our school in Haiti for an entire month. After your purchase, you will then receive the below printable card and e-mailable .jpg to give/send to your beloved gift recipient that explains that their gift made a huge impact in the lift of a child in Haiti.

Super cool right?

Basically, after the incredible and quick success of our limited edition collaboration (see the below blog post), we have decided to make one watch a permanent component of our fundraising.

These special watches with have a navy band with a white face and a small ‘B&BF’ on the face near the 3 o’clock hour.

These pieces will ship to purchasers on January 15th.

Thank you for your support of the barley & birch foundation. It is so very appreciated.

Love,
Kyle

I can’t believe I haven’t told you all about The Watch yet! We developed them for the foundation in collaboration with our super awesome watchmaking buddies. The purchase of each watch makes a tremendous impact in the lives of the children we are helping in Haiti and we have been totally wrapped up dealing with the initial success and forgot to tell you all about them!

Basically, our thought was that most of us spend all day typing, holding, and creating things with our hands. We shake hands, pat others on the back, and give high fives. For the most part, these are habits and moments that go unnoticed. The barley & birch foundation wanted to find a way to use those moments to start a dialog about our commitment to change the world.

We wanted something practical. Something that could serve as a daily reminder to make decisions that create good in the world. Something that would make a statement and be asked about by friends and strangers alike.

So we partnered with our friends, a cool group of watchmakers, to create 200 limited edition pieces to sell to raise money for our school in Haiti.

The price of each watch is $30. 100% of the purchase price of each watch goes directly to our school in Port au Prince, Haiti.

The purchase of one watch funds the education for one child at our school for an entire month.

Each watch arrives with a limited edition numbered card and a thank you note from all of us at the barley & birch foundation & the children we help.

You can purchase yours here. There aren’t many left, so get them while you can! Thank you in advance for your support. It means a ton to us.

**Check out the kind mentions of our watch on some of our most favorite blogs: Dear Baby, ohdeardrea, and Barefoot Foodie! Wow!

Over the past 12 weeks, we’ve received dozens of e-mails asking us if we have any recommendations about groups, causes, funds in the Gulf to which schools, businesses, offices, and families could give. We are honored that many of you see us as a source of information about who is doing real, efficient, hard work to make a difference and remedy a disaster.

While we do not have any personal knowledge (no personal friends or acquaintances) doing recovery work in the Gulf, we asked our most trusted friends in the environmental realm for advice and suggestions about where people could get the most world-changing bang for their buck.

Unanimously, we were told the Gulf Coast Fund. We like the GCF for the same reasons we like groups like Oxfam in Haiti, they have people that have been on the ground working in the Gulf region since before Hurricane Katrina, so they know the leaders of organizations and how to be effective when disbursing funds.

For more about them and more details about how they operate, please watch the interview below featuring Terry Kellogg of 1% for the Planet and Aaron Gilles, Campaign Director of Gulf Restoration Network.

As Aaron says,

“What it really is, is folks on the ground in the gulf coast, the folks who have been working in these communities before the storms and working with the racial, social and environmental injustices that were really exposed by the storms of 2005. They’re the folks who are in control, who are directing resources, who are responding to community requests and who are making sure philanthropic dollars are being utilized effectively. It worked very well post storm and it’s working incredibly well right now, as we’re, unfortunately, facing another disaster that’s threatening the future of the north central gulf coast.”

On the GCF’s website, there is a list of groups that received money. Should you feel compelled to contribute to any of those on an individual level, we recommend you reaching out to them. They have been vetted by the CGF and would be a good place to start to find smaller organizatins if you hesitate to give to a larger fund.

Many people have asked about volunteering, as well. We are thrilled to report to you a long list of groups in need of volunteers to help them. Keep in mind that donating to these groups is also an excellent idea, as monetary donations triple and quadruple in value when combined with volunteer workforce to utilize the funds. We donate to volunteer-powered groups primarily for this reason.

• National Wildlife Federation is working with the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana to coordinate volunteer efforts in southern Louisiana. You can register to volunteer with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana here. They are looking specifically for people with HAZWOPER training, or experience operating boats, handling wildlife, or photographing or monitoring oil movement. The National Wildlife Federation is also encouraging anyone looking to lend a hand to visit its website. It offers a variety of ways to help from volunteering to online advocacy, and is asking people to contact their senators to demand legislation for cleaner and safer energy choices. NWF is also accepting donations via mobile device. Text “WILDLIFE” to 20222 to donate $10 to help wildlife affected by the spill.

• International Bird Rescue and Research Center has sent a team of specialists to the region to help with any oiled wildlife. The center’s site has a comprehensive Spill Response FAQ for those who want to help clean and treat oiled birds. They ask anyone who has spotted oiled wildlife to call the Wildlife Reporting Hotline at 866-557-1401. It is important to note that oiled birds should NOT be captured, but reported using the hotline.

• National Audubon Society is recruiting volunteers to be trained to respond to the oil spill. The group is also encouraging the public to contact the Interior Department and ask it to halt the expansion of offshore oil drilling in the eastern United States. Register to volunteer here.

• OilSpillVolunteers.com is also coordinating volunteer efforts in the Gulf Coast region. Register here.

• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is asking interested volunteers to contact Alabama 211 at 1-866-421-1266.

• Mobile Baykeeper is asking interested volunteers to contact them at 251-433-4229 or e-mail info@mobilebaykeeper.org and provide a name, address, phone number, e-mail, and available resources such as boats. They don’t need volunteers at the moment, but they are collecting names and will be in touch when they have a better assessment of the needs.

• The Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board is connecting BP with fishermen willing to help with the cleanup effort. If you have a boat and are able to help, contact 281-366-5511 or HorizonSupport@OEGLLC.com.

• Save Our Seabirds is a Florida bird rescue group that is looking for volunteers and donations as its response team prepares to help wildlife affected by the spill. Donate through the Save Our Seabirds site or register to volunteer.

• The Greater New Orleans Foundation has set up the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund to help with cleanup and environmental protection efforts. To learn more about the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fund, please call Josephine Everly at (504)598-4663 or josephine@gnof.org

• Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary, the largest wild bird hospital in the U.S., has 300 trained staff members on call to help with the response. They are also organizing volunteers and supply donations. They are in need of linens, kennels, towels, sheets, Dawn detergent, paper towels, bottled water and gatoraid.  Items can be dropped off at the sanctuary at 18328 Gulf Blvd., Indian Shores, Florida.  For a complete list and more information, please see www.seabirdsanctuary.com or call 727-391-6211 for more information. To volunteer, please email jessicag@seabirdsanctuary.com or call 727-392-4291.

• Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research has been asked to oversee the wildlife rehabilitation response along the gulf coast and is working closely with many collaborating organizations. They are calling for donations to help.

• Louisiana Bucket Brigade has produced an Oil Spill Crisis Map that lets Gulf Coast residents report endangered wildlife, oil on shores, health impacts, and other problems from the oil spill. They are calling on citizen journalists to report any information by submitting it through the site, texting (504) 27 27 OIL, sending an email to bpspillmap@gmail.com, or through Twitter, using  the hashtag #BPspillmap.

• Deepwater Horizon Response Unified Command is soliciting the public’s help in monitoring the 1.2 million feet of boom that have been deployed throughout the Gulf. To report an incident, call 1-866-448-5816. In addition, the group is soliciting the public’s ideas for stopping the flow of oil, containing or recovering it, or cleaning it up. Click here to submit your suggestion or call 281-366-5511.

• Oxfam America is working to help vulnerable communities affected by the spill. A tax-deductible donation can be made here.

• Sierra Club is gathering volunteers to help with the cleanup efforts on the Gulf Coast. Sign up online to volunteer and Sierra Club will place you with an opportunity.

We at barley&birch continue to design and plan our ocean/water themed Spring 2011 line, from which we will donate our profits to many of these groups. Please take a moment and check out the above groups and consider making a monetary donation or planning a trip down to help.

Best,
the barley&birch world changing squad