Tag: ino cares

Bike Like A Girl - INO Cares June 2015

Posted on by lindsay

INO.com President, Adam Hewison, is a giant fan of cycling! You may have already noticed this, as many of our INO Cares campaigns revolve around the sport of cycling.

Adam busted through my office door one day with great enthusiasm and excitement. He told me all about Bike Like A Girl, an 8-woman team participating in Race Across America (RAAM), who are raising money and awareness by empowering girls and women through cycling. Adam wanted to jump right in and become a Continental Cruiser Sponsor for this team of powerful women, many of whom are from our very own neighborhood. If they succeed, this Bike Like A Girl team will be only the second women-only team in history to complete the race!

We are proud to sponsor them for our June INO Cares campaign.

The race will begin on June 20th, 2015 in Oceanside, CA. The team hopes to finish the race in Annapolis, Maryland, 7 days later on June 27th. INO.com employees and other cycling enthusiasts will cheer on these women as they cycle down Main St. to the Annapolis Harbor.

As one of their premium sponsors, we will follow these women as they cycle across our great nation and attempt to set a new transcontinental record. We will share maps, videos, pictures and more.

If you would like to contribute to Bike Like A Girl, please visit their website. All donations are fully tax deductible through a 501(c)(3). Contributions will be used to support programs through World Bicycle Relief, Women’s Cycling Association and Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County.

We hope you'll enjoy the updates on the RAAM and the Bike Like A Girl Team as they write their own piece of history.

Best,
Lindsay Bittinger
INO.com, Inc.

Helping Domestically & Abroad - May 2015

Posted on by lindsay

For our May INO Cares campaign, INO.com President, Adam Hewison, wanted to make sure that we continued our support for an awesome cause that was brought to his attention by his daughter's father-in-law, Richard Lusk.

Mr. Lusk has been volunteering with Hope For Guatemala for the last four years. He primarily teaches micro-entrepreneurship to the Guatemalan locals with the hopes that they will be able to create and sustain profitable businesses which will remove them from the poverty that is so rampant in Zone 18, the poorest section in Guatemala City. Continue reading "Helping Domestically & Abroad - May 2015" →

Half Marathon Follow Up - INO Cares March 2015

Posted on by lindsay

In March, we told you about my sister, Casey Thompson (now Casey Berry as she got married last month), who was running in the Frederick Half Marathon to raise money for The National Multiple Sclerosis Society. INO.com was proud to contribute to Casey’s fundraising.


For Casey, raising money for The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, is so incredibly important because she suffers from MS herself.

On Sunday, May 3rd, Casey powered through the Fredrick 1/2 Marathon despite her physical challenges! Casey ran the race with her husband, Jim and Amy Maher (wife of INO.com co-owner, David Maher). The three of them pushed each other through the race on one of the nicest spring mornings thus far and finished in a very respectable 2 hours and 20 minutes!

They were cheered at the finished line by some members of the INO.com family.

I am so proud of Casey, Jim & Amy! With every step and every dollar of her fundraising efforts, Casey is that much closer to finding a solution to a high-quality life with MS.

If you have a suggestion for a non-profit, please email su*****@in*.com and tell us why it's an important cause to you. We would love for our visitors to select beneficiaries/events for our upcoming INO Cares campaigns!

Here's to a better world.

Best,
Lindsay Bittinger
INO.com, Inc.

INO Sponsors 5 Nepalese Students - INO Cares

Posted on by admin

Traders,

I wanted to share an incredible story with you in the spirit of our INO Cares campaign. It is amazing how one person can make such a tremendous impact and how a chance encounter can turn into something so wonderful!

INO Cares - Nepal SchoolAfter graduating from college in January of 2005, Maryland resident, Mikey Church, decided to take a bicycle ride with his friends from Amsterdam to Cairo and then from India to China. They day they entered Nepal, the King dissolved the government and declared martial law. This caused Maoist Rebels to declare a strike across the country resulting in a halt in travel and commerce. Mikey and his friends happen to cross paths with local village residents and brothers, Ujjwal and Bol Bhat.

Ujjwal encouraged Mikey and his friends to stay with his family until political tensions eased. During this stay, the American boys spoke often with Ujjwal about the poor access to education in Nepal, especially for girls and the desperately poor, and also about Ujjwal’s dream to open a school. Mikey safely returned home, but did not forget the conversations he had with the Nepalese brothers.

Mikey and Ujjwal kept in touch for a few years. When Mikey married his wife in 2008, he asked his guests to make donations in lieu of wedding gifts. Mikey was able to send this money to Ujjwal to open the doors of the Mikey Medium English School, a three room school house in Bauniyan, Kailali to 40 students, 20 of which were girls.

In a letter sent to family and friends, Mikey said, "I am a firm believer in the parable, 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' The benefits of basic education need not be reiterated here. They are plentiful and convincing. Never the less, here is a refresher. Girls who are educated are better able to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, marry later in life, have healthier children and have work opportunities beyond the home. Boys who are educated may be able to break a family cycle of hard labor and typically earn more than their non-educated counterparts."

Read the full story about Mikey's journey and the Mikey Medium English School.

Today, the Mikey Medium English School enrolls 100 students and employs 5 teachers. Fifty percent of the students are females and fifty percent are desperately poor. Class size does not exceed 20 students. For only $200, Grassroots Education Nepal provides a student at the Mikey Medium English School year-round education, textbooks and supplies, two student uniforms (including socks and shoes), a backpack and sweater.

For our June INO Cares campaign, we are proud to offer scholarships to 5 students so they can attend the Mikey Medium English School for 1 year!

This is such a wonderful story and we could not be more honored to give the gift of education to a handful of Nepalese youth, as well as continue the dream of an American kid and a pair of Nepalese brothers!

To contribute to Grassroots Education Nepal or sponsor a student of your own, please visit Mikey Medium English School’s page.

I hope you enjoyed this story. If you have any ideas for a future INO Cares campaign, please send them our way!

Best,

The INO Cares Team

Beards Battling Cancer - INO Cares

Posted on by admin

One person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer approximately every four minutes. It is estimated that 149,990 people will be diagnosed with Leukemia, Lymphoma or Myeloma in 2014. These LLSwill account for 9% of the total new cancer cases in the United States this year.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is world’s largest voluntary health agency that is dedicated to searching for a cure for blood cancer. LLS raises money not only to fund innovative research, but also provides blood cancer patients and their families with education and support, financial assistance and connections to clinical trials and support networks.

To date LLS has contributed more than $1,000,000,000 towards blood cancer research and patient support!

A few men from our area are coupling their love of golf with their passion to help by putting on the first annual, “Beards Battling Cancer Golf Tournament.” They encouraged participates to grow a little facial hair, show their support and get out on the green!

The tournament took place on June 9th, 2014 at Renditions Golf Course in beautiful Davidsonville, Maryland. We were happy to sponsor a tee-box and provide a cash donation to this worthy cause with all of the proceeds going to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

We hope to get some INO.com employees out on the links next year!

Best,
The INO.com Team