Happy July to each and every one of you reading this today. We made it to July and judging from the temperatures around the country, summer is here in full force. Even in the mountains the temperatures are rising and I am happy to be able to be inside on those days.

The 1st of July means that the results of our Comments for a Cause are announced and our recipient for June was Jubilee Partners. I wrote all about them here.

This is a Christian service community in rural Georgia, founded in 1979.  Their primary work is to offer hospitality to immigrants who have experienced violence or persecution.  I am thrilled to announce that due to your comments on the blog during the month Chris and I will be making a donation of $123 to Jubilee Partners to help with their mission of reaching out to immigrants. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This year I am continuing to honor my Mother by supporting causes that were near and dear to her heart. In July I am highlighting AMDF – American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Many older folks deal with this disease and my own mother did as well. It was a huge concern to her as she valued her eyesight and worried about the day that she might not be able to see.

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans – more than cataracts and glaucoma combined.

At present, Macular Degeneration is considered an incurable eye disease.

Macular Degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina’s central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.

The good thing about AMDF is that they are there to provide help to those who are suffering from this disease. The organization is working to offer healthy living tips, the latest information, and ways to honor those touched by macular disease, while supporting researchers working to prevent, treat and cure macular degeneration.

My mom had this chart on her refrigerator for years. It is called the Amsler Eye Chart and is used to track changes in the vision by detecting if lines look wavy or if there are visual areas of field that are missing. This helps the doctor determine if the disease is progressing and what treatments might be helpful.

My mom was always supportive of the AMDF because she knew that they were working hard to help research and find ways to help those with this disease. The emphasis on eating certain foods and taking certain supplements to help in the delay of the disease was something that her eye doctor encouraged her to follow and she was able to keep her eyesight in fairly good shape without a progression of the disease.

This month for every comment made on any post on the blog Chris and I will donate 50 cents to AMDF – American Macular Degeneration Foundation, Their website is full of information so please pop over here to read more about what they are doing.

in memory of my mom. Thank you for your continued support of the causes that meant a great deal to her. It means so much to me that so many of you are so faithful to stop by and comment to help keep the causes in the limelight. Thank you!