Join The National Bone Marrow Registry

Big Life Film supports Be The Match, and proudly participated in McKesson Corporation's drive to encourage it's employees nationwide to join the National Bone Marrow Registry.

You have the unique power to cure blood cancer. It’s in your DNA. You can give hope to patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, or sickle cell disease.

Your heritage and age matter

Patients are most likely to match someone of their own race, and people ages 18-44 are called to donate more than 90% of the time. More young people of diverse racial and ethnic heritage are needed now to help patients searching for a match. 

Financial contributions matter, too

Be The Match relies on financial contributions to help cover the $100 cost of adding a committed member to the registry.  There is an immediate need for funds to add young, diverse members to the registry. You will have the opportunity to make a financial contribution during this registration process. We encourage you to make a gift. Any amount helps.

See FAQs about Joining the Registry or call us at 1 (800) MARROW-2 (1-800-627-7692).

Congratulations to the 2010 Minerva Award Winners!

With the Grand Finale of the Women's Conference in Long Beach October 26th,  Big Life Films wrapped up five years of honoring some of California's most remarkable women. During Maria Shriver's tenure as California's First Lady,  the company has produced over 22 films paying tribute to such trailblazers as Oprah Winfrey, Sandra Day O'Connor, Gloria Steinem,  Billy Jean King, Nancy Pelosi and  Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Big Life Films Director Bob Bates offered heartfelt congratulations to each of this year’s winners: “We were so honored to be the ones to tell their stories,” said Bates. “From Carolyn Blashek, who sends thousands of care packages to the troops, to Oprah Winfrey, whose philanthropic work around the world is unparalleled, this year’s Minerva Award winners are an extraordinary group of women.”

Among this year's honorees were former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor; Oakland’s Oral Lee Brown, who puts inner city youth through college; and Sister Terry Dodge of Claremont, who provides housing, education and support for women newly released from prison.

This year’s Minerva Award ceremony was streamed live from the Long Beach Convention Center, and replays can be viewed  http://www.womensconference.org/.

Free The Children

Free The Children is the world's largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has a proven track record of success. The organization has received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children's Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful partnerships with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network.

Free The Children has built more than 450 schools around the world and has reached more than one million young people through outreach in North America. For more information visit freethechildren.com.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

Habitat has built more than 225,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit and financed with affordable loans. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor — sweat equity — into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.

United Friends of the Children

United Friends of the Children was founded in 1979 by Nancy Daly Riordan to address the unmet needs of Los Angeles County’s foster youth – a most vulnerable and underserved population. Today, UFC provides support services to more than 2,000 current and former foster youth each year, working to provide them with the opportunity to finish high school, find housing, attend college and build the skills to support themselves. The organization’s programs address the most tangible needs of foster youth while also encouraging them to explore issues of identity, trust, self-esteem, communication and emotional well-being.

Hidden Harvest

Hidden Harvest is a produce recovery program that employs low income farmworkers to “rescue” produce that is left behind in the fields and orchards after harvest. Millions of pounds of produce are left for a variety of reasons – cosmetic blemishes, overproduction, dwindling market price. We also recover many hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce each year from area packing houses. This fresh and nutritious produce is delivered free of charge to over 60 local agencies that serve the poor and hungry.

In addition to produce delivery to agencies, Hidden Harvest operates a fresh produce food bank in Coachella. Over 6,000 people each month receive a healthy food box containing nonperishable foods and many varieties of locally grown produce. The bank provides the equivalent of over 50,000 meals to needy families each month throughfood box distribution.

Hidden Harvest programs are committed to helping low-income people feed themselves by providing employment opportunities, garden space, water, seeds and more. Additional services include nutrition instruction and cooking and food preservation classes held in our teaching kitchen.

The latest programs include a six part nutrition curriculum conducted by trained Hidden Harvest staff in local school districts. Happy, Healthy Me is currently being presented as a pilot project in the Desert Sands Unified School District. Visit hiddenharvest.org. To read more, visit this link.

VH1 Save The Music

VH1 Save The Music purchases new musical instruments to restore music education programs that have been cut due to budget reductions in the past or to save programs at risk of elimination due to lack of instruments. The Foundation also conducts awareness campaigns, musical instrument drives and fundraising events.

Since its inception in 1997, VH1 Save The Music has donated nearly $40 million worth of musical instruments to 1,500 public schools in 100 cities, improving the lives of more than 1 million children.

Special Olympics

Special Olympics is an international nonprofit organization* dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports training and competition.

Special Olympics currently serves 2.5 million people with intellectual disabilities in more than 200 Programs in 165 countries. Children and adults with intellectual disabilities who participate in Special Olympics develop improved physical fitness and motor skills, greater self-confidence and a more positive self-image. They grow mentally, socially and spiritually and, through their activities, exhibit boundless courage and enthusiasm, enjoy the rewards of friendship and ultimately discover not only new abilities and talents but "their voices" as well.