City Gate

Based in Washington, DC, City Gate is an incredible organization which strives to assist inner-city youth. 

Heifer International

                      

Stretching across the globe, Heifer International  has been providing low-income families with a means of sustainable living for over 60 years. The group uses the acronym PASSING ON THE GIFTS to create a unique twelve-part cornerstone of sustainability. 

• Passing on the gift
• Accountability
• Sharing and Caring
• Sustainability and Self-reliance
• Improved Animal Management
• Nutrition and Income
• Gender and Family Focus
• Genuine Need and Justice
• Improving the Environment
• Full Participation
• Training and Education
• Spirituality

Families in need of financial assistance receive gifts of heifer, sheep, llamas, water buffalo, goats, chickens, rabbits, geese, pigs, trees, or bees and are taught how to care for and use the animals or trees in an environmentally friendly and profitable way. Families are able to sell milk, cheese, eggs, honey, wool, etc from the animals in order to make a living while having food for themselves and using manure as fertilizer for crops.

Heifer International has come up with a number of creative ways in which to get involved and "Pass on the Gifts." Individuals may choose the type of animal(s) they would like to donate and will receive information about the country the gift will be sent to. 

Rather than giving money individually (although the organization readily accepts private donations) why not get others involved too? Some of the ideas listed on the Heifer International website include the following: 

Team Heifer- a fundraising effort in which an individual can set a goal and recruit friends and family to become team members in order to raise money to assist the organization. By logging onto the organization's website, you can add your team's efforts onto the worldwide Pass on the Gift map. 

                                                             

                

Host a Meal- create a dinner featuring foods from the countries and regions where the organization works. Decorate with displays, maps, and information about what the group is doing around the world. Heifer International even allows you to order kits for your event. Make sure to add your event to the map! 

Showcase a Heifer-theme book at your book club- raise awareness about the group through choosing a book discussing hunger, poverty, and environmental issues. Gather friends, family, colleagues or local businesses to support the effort and discussion and encourage them to donate to the cause. Heifer actually sells several books about its work on the official website. 

Organize a Chores for Change Challenge- not only is it a catchy title but it also does a great deal to help fight hunger. Challenge family and friends to volunteer at local soup kitchens or food banks. Have each participant recruit sponsors to pledge donations for the time spent in volunteer activities. Send the donations to Heifer International in order to help fight hunger on a global scale! 

                                                

Coordinate a Dare-A-Thon- let friends and family dare you to do silly things like dye or shave your hair, take a pie to the face, or kiss a pig in exchange for a donation to the group.  Add your event to the Pass on the Gift map!

Simplify Your Life- just think about all of those old items sitting in your garage and attic...the roller-blades you are never going to use, that awful old vase your aunt gave you as a housewarming present...Now gather those old items you don't touch for a good cause! Create a mass garage or yard sale with the families in your neighborhood! Publicize the event and let people know that all proceeds will go to Heifer International. Create pamphlets for families to keep out on the tables explaining what the organization does for low-income families. Invite the local paper or TV crews to publicize the event. Pool all the money at the end of the sales and send it to Heifer! 

                                                           

Casual day at the office- talk to your employer about holding a casual or theme day (or week) at the office. Have your colleagues pay to dress up, or down, and send the proceeds to the group. Add it to the map! 

Pass on the Gift of Pounds- collect money to help those in need while shedding extra "pounds" for the cause! Ask people you know to sponsor your weight loss. For each pound you lose, raise money to help those in need! It's an easy way to stay motivated! 

It's no wonder that this group has been in existence as long as it has. It is well run and dedicated to its cause. For more information and how and where to send funds, please visit http://www.heifer.org/site/c.slI3IdNVJuE/b.4912843/k.D236/Give_Now.htm?msource=TH1E100003

Stepping Stones Nigeria

Stepping Stones Nigeria is an incredible organization which was created in 2003 by Gary Foxcroft and Naomi Chapple. After spending three months at Akwa Ibom State and witnessing the lack of resources in schools, children sleeping on the streets, and many social issues which were plaguing the children of the region, Foxcroft was inspired to create a charity to assist Nigerian youth. Fighting for quality educational programs and resources, putting an end to the stigmatization, killing and abandonment of "child witches," and bringing an end to child trafficking, this program partners with local community organizations to end child abuse and deliver much needed health care and refuge for at risk youth.

Programs offered by Stepping Stones Nigeria: 


The Stepping Stones Model School provides over 180 nursery and elementary school children with quality teachers and numerous resources. Students who cannot afford the small monthly fee used to provide teacher salaries, attend through scholarships and are provided with free uniforms and books. The Local Government and village chiefs work with the program's supporters in order to create quality curriculum and provide the children with better opportunities. Using synthetic phonics and learning through play, educational toys, books, and games fill the school indoors, while a playground greets children outside. Local carpenters built furniture and supplies for the school with wood from the area.The children are taught sustainable farming practices by teachers and staff on the school's farm, which includes crops such as pineapple, water leaf, pumpkin, corn, cassava, and beans, as well as mango, apple, peach, pear, banana, plantain, and pawpaw trees. The profits from the produce of the farm are donated back to the costs of running the school. 

The murder, abandonment, and trafficking of child "witches" is a grave concern in the Niger Delta. The role of the church in this issue is quite alarming. Using fear tactics spread by "pastors" of some new Penetecostal groups have begun moving into communities and branding children as "witches" for economic and self-gain. Creating superstitious belief that by eating and drinking food and drink laced with "spells" can make an individual house wizards and witches in an individual, these pastors unleash panic and terror within communities. These pastors often convince communities that specific children (picked at random from the community) are the reason for issues in society, claiming that the children are causing HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, typhoid, cancer, infertility, mental health issues, divorce, and any other misfortunes that may arise within a village. Stemming from religious profiteering, extreme poverty, the disintegration of the extended family structure, superstitious beliefs, and broken marriages, accusations of child witchcraft are allowed to fester within communities and often cause children to become victims of heinous crimes and abuse. These pastors charge villages money in order to rid them of the witchcraft and the children harboring these evils.  These suspected witches range in age, some being younger than a year old. Some children are abandoned, isolated, and casted out of their communities, where they either die of starvation or are trafficked. Others are forced to drink acid, are taken into the forest and murdered, are bathed in acid, are publicly disgraced and murdered for all to see, are poisoned to death, or are buried alive. Others still are brought into churches where they are chained and tortured to extract confession. Through efforts of this group and groups like it, these horrific crimes against children have been made illegal. The group works with organizations in order to educate communities about the fallacies of the claims of witchcraft and pushes to bring families back together and assist the children who were abandoned and left for dead.

Child trafficking is another issue which is all too familiar in Nigeria. According to the organization's website, it it estimated that over 15 million Nigerian children are transported from rural to urban cities to be sold into child labor and slavery, (domestic servitude, forced labor, and sexual exploitation). The group strives to abolish this practice and advocate children's rights through drama groups and other means of educational programs and awareness.

The reach of this organization is astonishing and the work done in order to bring about educational equality and an end to child abuse is admirable. This is an incredibly deserving group which is always in need of advocates to sign petitions, spread awareness, and become actively involved in helping the children of Nigeria. For more information about this group and ways to become involved, visit www.steppingstonesnigeria.org.

Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place

The Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place (CCHFP) is perhaps one of the most dedicated and deserving nonprofits that I have worked with in Washington, DC. With a mission statement that pushes for community involvement in assisting homeless and formerly homeless adults in Northwest, DC, the group takes a grassroots approach to making a difference.

The program provides an enormous range of services. Upon stepping onto the bright blue porch of the main office, one is greeted by a strong sense of community and care. The Welcome Center provides clients with clothing, toiletries, and lunches, as well as a comforting place to relax and talk amongst friends.  Free health care and addiction and mental health evaluation and counseling are provided along with access to phones, a permanent address for mail to be delivered, laundry services, and a shower facility.

The organization reaches out in order to build lasting relationships with the men and women who come to them. Staff assist clients in navigating and utilizing public benefits and resources, developing and maintaining transitional and permanent housing programs, as well as supporting congregation-based shelter programs in the area.

Volunteers are crucial to the success of the program. Neighborhood groups, concerned citizens, school groups, congregations, businesses, etc. are all welcome and necessary for the delivery and support of crucial services for the organization. From assistance with donations, to individuals to take part in annual events such as the Help the Homeless Walkathon, to help with advocacy for policies and resources to fight homelessness, to simply using word of mouth to get others involved, volunteers are respected and appreciated by this group like no other.

I began working with CCHFP as an intern four years ago and I still cannot thank them enough for the experience they gave me. This group creates a sense of community that many other organizations overlook. This sense of compassion and concern for their clients is what separates this nonprofit from so many others that I have worked with. They place a human face on the issue of homelessness and inspire individuals to work towards change.

For more information on services, events, and how you can get involved, visit www.cchfp.org or contact Bill Long at 202-364-1419 x23. You will not regret it!

The Starfish

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead was reaching down to the shore, picking something up and very gently throwing it into the ocean. As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish into the ocean." The old man chuckled and said, "I guess I should have asked,why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" "The sun is up and the tide is going out," replied the young man. "And if I don't throw them in they'll die." "But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it? You can't possibly make a difference!" The young man listened politely and bent down, picking up another starfish. He turned it over in his hand and carefully threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. Looking up at the old man he said, "It made a difference for that one."