Category Archives: Make a difference

Gifting Outside The Box

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Do I already have plenty of stuff? Yes. Do I care deeply about a cause and want to make a difference? Yes. Am I looking forward to opening brightly colored boxes with my name on them? Absolutely.

This year, since money is tight – I’m approaching the holidays in a different way. Many of my friends and family members like opening tangible gifts so I’m putting together “packages” they’ll enjoy and including charity too!

 

Charitable gifts don’t have to be all or nothing.

I care about making charitable giving a part of everyday life. (That’s why I choose to work at JustGive.) During the holidays, I know people want to wrap (and unwrap) presents. And I know we really want to give gifts that make our recipients’ faces light up.

Whether we participate or not, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, 24 hour deals, and last minute doorbusters are here to stay — through financial highs and lows. And I appreciate good deals just as much as the next person. But I also think there are clever ways to embrace both ways of giving, with gift thoughtful, personal gift packages. Giving smiles and making the world better at the same time:

- Have a foodie friend? A box of gourmet treats, or dinner at a new restaurant is made meaningful when paired with a donation to the recipient’s local food bank (find local charities here).

- Shopping for the handyman in the family? When you wrap up the power tools and fix-it gadgets, include a donation to Habitat for Humanity.

- If you buy a Christmas tree this year, consider giving to the Arbor Day Foundation. $10 is all it takes to plant 10 trees in a National forest.

- Pay it forward and donate some the money you saved shopping for the best deals. Buy a GiveNow Charity Gift Card and your recipient can easily choose from more than 1.8 million charities to support their favorite cause. For as little as $15*, you can give a great stocking stuffer, hostess or teacher gift that makes a big impact.

 

Do you plan on giving to charity in combination with a traditional gift?

We’d love to hear about it! Share your ideas with us on Facebook or Twitter.

 

 

* GiveNow charity gift cards never expire and are available in any quantity. Minimum fees apply.

The Big Payback: Celebrating Social Change

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Each year, thousands of nonprofit organizations are forced to close their doors due to lack of funding. It is a challenging endeavor to start a nonprofit; many fail within the first five years. Founders struggle to keep a nonprofit alive day-to-day without the promise of personal financial reward. There’s no IPO in the future—the only payoff is social change.

JustGive was founded to give all nonprofits the opportunity to reach a wider audience through the Internet. And now that we’ve reached our tenth anniversary, we had the opportunity to honor the monumental achievement with a celebration at the City Club in San Francisco this past month.

Welcomed by the joyous bells of the Golden Gate Boys Choir, the event brought together our supporters and partners, and dedicated staff and Board members, past and present. During the night, three Bay Area nonprofits we’ve helped over the years spoke about their work and how JustGive has made a difference.

  • Reverend Cecil Williams of the Glide Foundation spoke about how we must all come together to end poverty and hunger.
  • Allison Rouse, Senior Development Director with Room to Read inspired us with the organization’s vision for world change that starts with educated children.
  • Don Margolis, a volunteer with AMIGOS told us how their students are bridging cultural gaps through student exchange.

The potent bats of the soon-to-be World Champion San Francisco Giants held the attention of the city, but our lineup of speakers was—in my humble opinion—more compelling.

The most moving part of the evening was hearing the passionate words shared by our founder Kendall Webb. It pleases me to share excerpts from her speech with you now. We’ll post the full speech and more photos from the event on the JustGive site in the near future!

Kendall’s 10 Year Anniversary Speech

I am so moved standing here, and looking out at all the incredible people that have come together to make JustGive happen. Getting ready for this event has given me the chance to pause and remember some of the most amazing moments in our history.

I was working at a for-profit Internet site…and I realized the Internet could make a significant impact for philanthropy. But when I looked at the few initiatives being discussed which were going to be set up as for-profits, I asked how they would balance the conflict of interest. They said “the cost of technology is too high” and they were going to “take the poor public.” I disagreed with the reasoning, and fueled by this, I was more determined than ever.

Now, 10 years later, I continue to be amazed by the number of people and hours that have been given to this mission for free, out of passion and interest in giving back…

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Our mission is to expand charitable giving and add new innovative channels and programs that keep giving easy, informative, current, fast and convenient.  To do this, JustGive focuses on developing charitable programs that seamlessly fit into today’s lifestyle and keep charitable giving a part of everyone’s everyday lives.

  • We were the first to launch charity registries, which raise millions of dollars for nonprofits.
  • We were the first to launch charity gift cards, which have generated $4 million for charities to date.
  • And finally, we were the first to initiate the creation of a new category for redemption points—Charity to compete with Travel and Retail.  We have redeemed just under 1 billion points, generating over $9 million for charity.

And for all of us in the room, we’re most proud that funds from these programs generated money that would not have gone to charity otherwise.

We are raising significant money for charity—the top 10 charities have generated over $1 million. But more importantly, we are raising money for a huge number of charities.  While each charity may not receive large dollar amounts, to them, every check is significant.

I want to end with a story that gave me the vision and desire to bring together so many of you as a community to do something great.

There was a person who was walking along and he happened upon a construction site in a decaying urban neighborhood and he asked the first worker “What are you doing?” The first worker said, “We are stacking bricks.”  The second worker said, “We are not just stacking bricks, we are building a building.” And the third worker said, “We are not just building a building, we are building a school where children’s dreams will come true.”

We are each a brick in JustGive, and together we have built this incredible charitable vehicle.  I hope we continue to lay many bricks and that we attract new and more people to add bricks to this nonprofit we have built.  For those here tonight that are not currently involved in JustGive, I invite you to add a brick or two.

Thanks to our past and present team and Board, and a group of donors generously making personal financial gifts and providing donated services over the years, JustGive has grown and expanded its reach, becoming The Destination For Online Charitable Giving®.

Please join us in raising a virtual glass to 10 years of online charitable giving! Saluting not only that JustGive has reached this important milestone, but celebrating all of the nonprofits we’ve had a hand in reaching their significant milestones.

Have something you’d like to share about JustGive? Visit our Facebook page.

Celebrating with the JustGive Staff

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Life in the nonprofit world is often hectic. Nonprofit employees are often asked to do more with less, to wear the proverbial many different hats. JustGive is no different: every day, our energetic and creative team members jump in to help make the organization run. They do it because they believe that the nonprofits we support are making a difference and that our mission to increase charitable giving is an important one.

As JustGive celebrates its tenth anniversary, we asked staff to step back and reflect on their work with JustGive and the causes that motivate them to do more each day.

Kim Applegate, Technical Engineer

Joined JustGive in 2003

Seven years ago, Kim Applegate, an Engineer at JustGive, was looking for a position outside of the corporate world, that had a purpose other then profit and that was supportive of her family life. She found all these things at JustGive.

“The best part about my job is seeing the enormous generosity of our donors,” says Kim. “I am always encouraged by the wide range of people that have become part of the donation process for no other purpose then to help others.”

Kim’s Charity of Choice: NATURAL RESOURCE DEFENSE COUNCIL

Jill Cohen, Build and Application Engineer

Joined JustGive in 2009

Jill Cohen, an Engineer at JustGive, joined JustGive because she wanted a job with a company whose mission she could get excited about and believe in. “Working at JustGive and supporting our online platform gives me great satisfaction in that we have the ability to reach a wide audience and help a variety of charitable organizations,” Jill says.

Some of her favorite charity organizations are ones she has volunteered with. “I love working with animals. Locally, I support the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society and, in Costa Rica, the Osa Wildlife Sanctuary Foundation, states Jill. “As an avid nature lover and rock climber, I volunteer at Yosemite National Park.”

Jill’s Charities of Choice: BERKELEY EAST BAY HUMANE SOCIETY and OSA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY FOUNDATION

Kelly Lloyd, Program Manager

Joined JustGive in 2007

Kelly Lloyd, Program Manager, first came to JustGive in the fall of 2007, after desperately seeking a way out of the for-profit world and into the nonprofit arena. She thought JustGive was a good fit. Three years later, she is a happy member of the JustGive family.

“One of the many things that has kept me at JustGive is the dedication of the team,” says Kelly.  “Like many families, although we may disagree or have heated discussion, it all comes down to the fact that we want to do our best to continue to carry out the mission of JustGive.

“It’s very hard for me to pick a favorite cause—there are so many! One organization that has inspired me lately is Immigration Equality, a charity that addresses the widespread discriminatory impact of immigration laws on the lives of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV through education, outreach, advocacy and direct legal services,” Kelly states.

Kelly’s Charity of Choice: IMMIGRATION EQUALITY


Roxanne Gentile, Director of Technology

Joined JustGive in 2005

After joining JustGive in 2005, Roxanne Gentile, Director of Technology, reflects, “Growing and sustaining technology products presents myriad challenges, but at the end of the day, I can always know, regardless the hurdles, that what we’re doing matters and makes a broadly-felt difference.”

“It’s wonderful to put professional energy into a product with JustGive’s impact,” she states. “This work is ultimately satisfying in both work and life. Thank you Kendall and JustGive!”

Roxanne’s Charity of Choice: RAPHAEL HOUSE OF SAN FRANCISCO


We’ll share more of our staff’s stories and favorite charities over the next as we continue to celebrate!

Celebrating Ten Years of Giving

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Our Founding Team

Our founding team in 2000—Lynda Greenberg, Orla McKiernan, Claire Bowen, Kristin Kennedy, Kay Kirman, Doug Abrams, Kendall Webb, Kirsten Johnson, Jen Chapin

 

My son’s first birthday is less than a month away. Turning one is a momentous occasion that he will enjoy, but won’t likely remember. It’s our community of family and friends that will keep the memories with them. We’ll have a small party, but aren’t expecting or asking for gifts. Our photos and shared experience will make it special. This month, JustGive is reaching a milestone that we’re just starting to celebrate: We turn ten years old!

Our Story: Becoming The Destination for Online Charitable Giving®

Back in the days before giving online was a “normal” thing to do, our founder Kendall Webb started JustGive to help create a new way for people to give. According to Kendall, our first office initially sported a Spartan setup of “three walls of tables” and “garbage cans as chairs.” Ten years later, JustGive is a leading innovator, developing new ways for people to give in their everyday lives.

JustGive started and survived due to the generosity of many supporters, including  Lexicon, a company whose staff conceived our name pro bono. In fact, in our first year, we received more than one million dollars in donated services! In the early years and tough times, the generosity of board members and donors kept JustGive going.

Novelist Doug Abrams says, “JustGive has made my giving so much easier, faster and more joyful. I can give to all the causes I care about (like Ocean Alliance), find new ones, and keep track of everything in one place. It’s made me a more generous person.” He appreciates that JustGive not only accepts donations but also “encourages innovative giving like using American Express points and charity registries for weddings.”

But more than any donation, JustGive exists today  because of the will of Kendall, the staff, and this one big, sticky idea: to constantly seek and develop new channels of giving through creative, innovative online solutions.

Over the years we’ve grown, (Visit here to learn more about our story) and our community of nonprofit and corporate friends has grown with us. From a landmark rewards programs with American Express, to pioneering charitable wedding services, we are proud to have sent more than $130 million dollars to tens of thousands of charities in the past decade. We remain firmly dedicated to helping donors give when, how, and as often as they want to more than 1.8 million charities working throughout the world.

We do this work for one reason: To increase charitable giving. We believe in the power of nonprofits that our users support.

Terrie M. uses JustGive exclusively because she can donate anonymously and eliminate solicitations. But to her, the biggest benefit is that charity gift card recipients can choose the organization to receive money. “That makes it truly a personal gift,” she explains. “My favorite charity is Prison Pet Partnership Program, which has women in prison train shelter dogs for service,” Terri comments. “With JustGive, it’s safe going online and donating to them.”

You are our community. We want to celebrate with you! And we would love, more than anything, is for more people to know about online giving. Will you help us spread the word? Take a minute to share with your friends, your family—your community— one of the ways they can give to the causes they care about through JustGive.

Visit us on Facebook and let the world know how we helped you give!

Or Tweet (@JustGiveOrg) #JustGiveis10 with your favorite way to give

We’ll share our ten favorite posts/tweets/responses!

How You Can Help Flood Victims in Pakistan

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Flooding in the district of Muzzafargarh

Photo Credit: Save the Children A family at a makeshift camp for persons displaced by the extensive flooding in Gujrat Town, district of Muzzafargarh...Intense flooding forced Akram and his extended family of 13 to leave their home on August 2nd. ..Those fleeing the flooding reported an estimated 200 houses washed away or destroyed by flooding. Most inhabitants of Gujrat earn a living through agriculture, farming Rice, Sugar and Cotton. No deaths were reported by the villagers however they estimate that 90% of the herd of cattle and goats have been lost to flooding. ..Within the makeshift camp children are suffering with diarrhea and skin complaints. There is no shelter, no sanitation, no access to clean water and no electricity. Most of the internally displaced people (IDP) sleep under the trees for shelter from the rain. They complain that they have received very little food and water, and only one one occasion had any access of medical supplies via a private donor...

With more than 5 million homeless and 1,600 people feared dead to date, the floods in Pakistan are becoming one of the worst in recorded history. One-fifth of the country is under water. The World Health Organization says that 46 of Pakistan’s 135 districts are affected by the flooding (an area close to the size of Italy). With the lack of clean water, urgent danger, and the specter of communicable diseases such as cholera threatening hundreds of thousands, help is urgently needed.

Nonprofits are hard at work to make a difference in Pakistan. Here’s how you can help:

  • Learn more about how charities are helping on the ground by following their blogs, photo blogs  or Facebook updates.
  • Donate now to help those nonprofits continue their relief work.

Nonprofit Response

  • Acumen Fund: The Acumen Fund supports innovative organizations working in Pakistan. They are an excellent resource to locate strong groups providing flood victims with much needed services.

Blog: http://blog.acumenfund.org/2010/08/13/the-pakistan-floods-how-you-can-help/

  • American Red Cross: The Pakistan Red Crescent has provided thousands of people with food packs, relief items and tents from its prepositioned supplies. The American Red Cross has committed an initial $100,000 to support their ongoing relief efforts for the most vulnerable populations, including women and children.

Blog: http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.1a019a978f421296e81ec89e43181aa0/?vgnextoid=c02a25d459d3a210VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD

  • CARE: CARE is supporting health teams, mobile clinics and the distribution of emergency supplies.

Blog: http://www.care-international.org/Featured-Articles/pakistan-read-the-blogs.html

  • Concern Worldwide US: So far, 5,700 families have been helped by Concern Worldwide’s emergency response in Pakistan.

Blog: http://www.concern.net/blogs/pakistan-floods-coverage

  • Doctors Without Borders: In addition to the scale-up of medical activities, teams continue to focus on providing affected families with basic items and safe drinking water in order to improve their living conditions and prevent the spread of diseases.

Blog: http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/countries/asia/pakistan/index.cfm

http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?objectid=84590B0A-15C5-F00A-25D2E0901B0886CD&component=toolkit.article&method=full_html

Plog: http://msf.ca/blogs/photos/2010/08/09/pakistan-7/

Blog: http://www.theirc.org/blog/where/pakistan

  • Islamic Relief USA: Islamic Relief USA launched a $2 million campaign to help the victims, and more than 500 Islamic Relief staff are on the ground distributing aid, conducting needs assessments and helping in the general relief effort.

Blog: http://blog.islamicreliefusa.org/

  • Operation USA: Through a network of local partner agencies, Operation USA is responding with critical medical aid, water purification tablets and shelter. Visit the website or Facebook for updates on their efforts in Pakistan.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-USA/103370036602?ref=ts

  • Oxfam USA: Oxfam and its partners launched a rapid-relief effort to reach more than one million people with essential aid.

Blog: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10898817

  • Save The Children: With programs in Pakistan for 30 years and the capacity to mount large-scale relief, Save the Children quickly deployed staff and launched a humanitarian response. They’ve provided assistance to more than 37,800 children and adults.

Blog: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/blogs/category/theme/pakistan-floods/

Plog: View a slideshow of images on MSN

  • US Fund for UNICEF: UNICEF teams have been delivering safe drinking water, critical medical supplies, supplementary food and family hygiene kits to more than a million people a day. In addition, UNICEF is supporting mobile medical teams, vaccination campaigns and sanitation efforts across the affected zone.

Blog: http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/unicef-emergency-aid-arrives-pakistan.html

  • World Vision International: World Vision is providing emergency health services, distributing water, emergency food items, and supplies. They plan to reach 150,000 people over the next three months.

Blog: http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/emergency-presskit-pakistan?Open&lpos=lft_txt_Pakistan-Floods

Visit us on Facebook and share with your friends and family to help raise awareness and support so Pakistan families and children can recover.

Rock, Paper, Success

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“We’re like WD-40 for enhancing school climate. We come in, we make things go a little easier, and it makes it that much easier for teachers to be really good at their jobs.”
-Playworks founder Jill Vialet, ABC News Nightline, May 10, 2010

There’s anticipation in the air. The neighborhood kids sense it coming. It’s back-to-school time, and judging from the commercials running now, there’s no way to avoid it. But the schools that kids are going back to aren’t like the ones I remember.

Today’s kids spend more of their time in a classroom and less time playing—12 hours less per week in free time since the 1970s—according to a recent study. With the advent of No Child Left Behind, even the time spent in the classroom is much less playful than it used to be, as schools focus more closely on testing requirements. Our kids aren’t learning how to play, and, as research shows, it’s affecting their ability to learn.

Enter Playworks.

Changing the Culture of Education

Playworks is one of my favorite big new ideas in education. The team at Playworks brings safe, healthy and inclusive recess to schools. Their coaches provide full-time, on-site program coordination to 170 schools in 10 cities across the nation. That’s more than 70,000 students at low-income, urban schools who have a chance to engage in play every school day.

ABC News: Click here to see a video of the man who rehabilitated children at recess through 'rock-paper-scissors'

What makes Playworks so great is that they help kids create their own games and solve their own problems using such tools as Rock, Paper, Scissors. Kids who participate in unsupervised play are able to explore their imaginations, connect with other people, and grow physically, emotionally and socially. Quality recess and play help children return to the classroom more focused and ready to learn.

As I think about kids heading back to school, quality recess and educational outcomes are something I can get behind. If it’s something you’d like to support, donate now to Playworks. Visit the JustGive Guide for other organizations providing quality education enrichment programs. Or search by zip code to find and give to your schools in your area.

Visit us on Facebook and tell us about your favorite innovation in education!

Tell a Friend

National Park and Recreation Month: Time for a Green, Volunteer Vacation

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My family visited Shenandoah National Park recently, renting a rustic cabin from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. For those of you who have forgone running water and electricity with an infant in tow, you understand this is no small commitment. But we all made it through happily.

There must be something in air this summer, because the First Family flew to Maine recently for an outdoor weekend vacation at Acadia National Park, the iconic end of the line for the Appalachian Trail. More and more people are visiting the great green outdoors. If you haven’t already made plans to visit a national park this summer, it’s the perfect time.

July, designated as National Park and Recreation Month by Congress, salutes the vital role of parks and recreation: How they help us establish and maintain a healthy quality of life, and contribute to the physical, economic and environmental well-being of communities. Since 1985, this month has been a chance to showcase our national parks.

Green and Volunteer Vacations

National parks are a uniquely American creation. They are truly the first foray into what is now called ecotourism. But more simply, they remain one of the best ways to vacation in nature.

After a decade of decline, attendance at national parks shot up sharply in 2009 to almost record numbers—ten million more people visited national parks last year than in 2008. People are once again seeking out greener pastures (and forests and deserts) for their vacations. And vacations aren’t just what they used to be.

Organizations are connecting with vacationers across the country—and the world—for nature cleanups, preservation projects, and to help promote local, sustainable practices. Volunteer vacations are a growing trend and parks in the US are becoming popular destinations. The Ecology Project International‘s Yellowstone program for teens saw a near doubling of participation by students, who take on conservation work at the park.

USA Today posted a great article to get you started on a national park volunteer vacation.

Vacationing Generously

No matter where you choose to vacation, our national parks and refuges are a treasure. My family tries to get out into the woods as often as possible, and our son is working on filling up his National Wildlife Refuge Passport. With 552 National Wildlife Refuges, he has a long way to go. It’s for his generation that we try to travel with five goals:

  • Go local, Go green. By supporting local businesses committed to sustainable and indigenous practices, and researching hotels and tour companies that have ecotourism policies and standards in place, we are doing our part to create a market for green vacations.
  • Choose green activities. We make use of the parks and their surroundings on our vacations by biking, hiking, whitewater rafting and kayaking, among other outdoor activities.
  • Pack in, pack out. We leave as little a footprint as possible, so others might enjoy the same surroundings for years to come. We work to stay on trails, not to leave garbage, and respect the local environment.
  • Offset the vacation. I like using such services as Carbonfund.org where we can make sure our vacation is green by offsetting carbon emissions for travel.
  • Support conservation. By donating to organizations working to conserve national parks and wildlife refuges before we visit, we can empower a force of local volunteers and Federal workers to continue to give their all to make the places visited safe and green for generations to come.

What can you do?

The First Family’s next trip will be down to the Gulf for a volunteer vacation of their own. Visit our Facebook page to learn more about some work that’s been done right now to protect the eight national parks and 33 wildlife refuges along the Gulf of Mexico threatened by the BP oil spill. Search our database for a local “friends” organization of your parks. Or check out some of these national organizations working to benefit parks and refuges:

  • National Park Foundation – For more than a century, private philanthropy has been essential to the preservation and protection of America’s national parks. The National Park Foundation upholds this commitment, working to raise the funds necessary to connect all Americans to their national parks and guarantee their future for generations to come. They recently launched a special fund to help the Gulf in the aftermath of oil spill and to assist sustained recovery efforts.
  • National Recreation & Park Association – NRPA is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of public parks and recreation opportunities. Founded in 1965 through the merger of five national organizations dedicated to the same cause, NRPA has grown over the years —in total membership, in outreach efforts, in building partnerships, and in serving as the voice and defender of parks and recreation. This year, they’re encouraging all to “Celebrate, Advocate and Recreate!”
  • National Park Trust, Inc. – NPT’s mission is to provide important recreational and educational parkland opportunities for current and future generations.  As a country, since we’re spend more time indoors and successive generations are growing up with less of a connection to nature, their goal is to build greater awareness and appreciation for the country’s public lands and parks. Their vision: Everyone will have an American park experience.
  • National Parks Conservation Association – Americans expect our national parks to have clean air and healthy wildlife, and to be well-cared-for historical treasures. But years of underfunding and external threats such as air pollution and climate change are taking their toll. National Parks Conservation Association is working on these key initiatives to restore America’s national parks by the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.

Pass this on to friends and family who are interested in going green and exploring our national parks for their next vacation!

Make a Difference for Children

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Photo Credit: Allison Shelley (All Rights Reserved)

This past weekend, I lowered our eight-month old son’s crib since he is beginning to pull up on the rails. I know what you’re thinking…those folks at JustGive do nothing but party.

We’re in a mad dash to child proof our house–cordoning off areas, stopping up outlets, replacing curtain cords. Our son is making his first attempts at crawling, flapping around on his stomach like a happy, smiling fish. As with everything he does, it’s amazing.

With summer in full swing, some of us at JustGive are taking advantage of the extra daylight to enjoy a few extra moments with the little ones in our lives. It makes sense that July would be National Make a Difference to Children Month.

This observance gives us the chance to reflect on how each of us can change a child’s life. There are many ways to make a difference, including: volunteering as a mentor, tutoring a child or signing a petition to advocate for children’s rights. One way that extends far beyond your arm’s reach is to support an organization working to improve the lives of children…every day.

Whether you already involved with an organization or need some guidance (visit the JustGive Guide for great ideas!), JustGive can help you celebrate this month generously. If you’re interested in helping disabled, disadvantaged or sick children and their families or supporting art, sports or outdoor experiences for them, it’s easy, online, to find and give to a charity working throughout the country or even in your local community.

Personally, one of my favorite youth programs is Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers.

Teen program offers a different path

Photo Credit: Street Soldiers

In 1987, Dr. Joseph Marshall, a middle school teacher, and Jack Jacqua, a school counselor, started Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers with the idea that well-intentioned prevention programs for children were not enough to address the ingrained culture of violence in their lives. To keep young people alive and unharmed by violence and free from incarceration, Street Soldiers provide young people with the opportunity and support to build positive lives for themselves and move into contributing roles in society.

Photo Credit: Street Soldiers

Marshall and Jacqua spread the Street Soldiers approach throughout local communities by training hundreds of interveners in community organizations and public schools. They also reached out through their radio show and contacted policymakers who are helping make the Street Soldiers methods the norm in violence prevention.

To date, Street Soldiers can claim 141 college graduates (another 60 Omegas are in colleges across the country), 63 nationwide projects which use their violence prevention methods, and 13 radio station affiliates which carry the Street Soldiers syndicated radio program.

But the numbers don’t adequately show the organization’s impact. The Potrero Review (San Francisco, CA) summarized:

“If Omega Boys Club had a poster child, it’d be Andre Aikins. Aikins grew up in Oakland and found himself entangled in the world of gangs and violence. His tough attitude and disinterest in education got him kicked out of numerous public schools. But his life changed when he met Marshall at a high school assembly.

Aikins was skeptical but intrigued by Marshall’s refrain of “If you knew what I knew, you wouldn’t do what you do.” Aikins confronted Marshall after the assembly and demanded to know what he meant. Marshall said he’d show him, and brought Aikins to Omega. Shortly after, Aikins became a regular participant, and with the help of the Academy, he received his GED and attended college on an Omega scholarship. After graduating with a degree in Math Education, Aikins got a job teaching at a middle school that’d kicked him out years before, and eventually became the school’s Vice Principal.

Today, Aikins is Omega’s Operations Manager. Aikins wears crisp, white sneakers and thin-framed glasses. His tattoos peek out of a tucked-in polo shirt. “I wouldn’t have the life I have now if it weren’t for Omega,” he said. “I had to give back in the way it was given to me.” Aikins isn’t the only one to stay loyal to the program; two other former students also serve on the board.”

My baby boy may only be about to crawl, but every day I work at being that positive force in his life that guides him in the right direction. He is also the reason why I support organizations like Omega Boys Club/Street Soldiers with big ideas to make the lives of all children better.

What’s your favorite children’s charity? Visit us on Facebook and share your story.

Pass this on to friends and family who care about making a difference for children.

Haiti Relief Update Part II – Nonprofits at Work

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Charities creatively, consistently push on

Charities are working hard to provide shelter and guard against death and disease.

Organizations like Mercy Corps are taking creative approaches to solving the problems in Haiti. They teamed up with Mother Jones to help many of the small and medium-sized business that were lost in the earthquake by supporting Haitian entrepreneurs as they reopen their businesses and create much-needed jobs.

Partners In Health reports that last month, four health clinics in Port-au-Prince operated by their partner organization have surpassed 100,000 patient visits since they were first established. The clinics serve four large settlements of displaced survivors of the earthquake. PIH also posted a fascinating series of blogs from workers on the ground.

According to Doctors Without Borders, their teams continue to work to meet changing, but still major medical needsfrom approximately 20 sites and several mobile clinics. “More than one million people are still living in deplorable conditions, beneath tents or plastic sheeting,” says Stefano Zannini, MSF’s head of mission in Haiti. “In the meantime, the rains are intensifying, flooding the sites where earthquake victims live several times a week.”

The Red Cross raised the largest amount of funds for Haiti earthquake relief. On their update page (http://www.redcross.org/haiti) they have an interactive map that includes markers, photos and video where their network provided aid. These cumulative efforts were made possible by a combination of mobile teams and responders at fixed locations to provide drinking water, relief items, vaccinations and other medical assistance.

Ashoka Ashoka Fellow Daphne Nederhorst wrote about her experience on the ground finding local changemakers in Haiti in her post.

These and other nonprofits working in Haiti still need your help. You can still join the hundreds of individuals who have committed to our Rebuild Haiti Campaign and are leveraging our $25,000 match by becoming a monthly donor now.

Naples High School donors keeps raising money

Our friends at Naples High School STOP Club in Florida continue to raise funds for Haiti. A recent Concert for a Cause generated $2,500 to help fund their monthly donation through JustGive to Partners in Health. Nearly 500 people attended the fundraising event described by Club sponsor Cynthia Odierna as “magical.” It included:

  • More than 150 volunteers—a dozen student organizations, and nearly 15 local businesses and individuals providing everything from sound systems to food.
  • A program packed with talent–the Naples High chorus, solo performances, poetry readings, drum circles, and ethnic dance performances.
  • Booths that sold artwork, posters and calendars, and specially made t-shirts and bookmarks, with all proceeds benefiting the cause..

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Club co-president, Carmella Zabala, described the drum circle as so powerful that the crowd began dancing and chanting “Haiti, Haiti.”

While this was his first involvement in raising money for Haiti and he needed convincing to participate, Naples High senior, Taylor Allen, said what he learned about the work of Partners in Health made him an enthusiastic supporter. “I discovered a model of International Aid I believe in and an organization I can really support,” he commented.

Help is still needed

There are average people across the world making an extraordinary impact for Haiti. The Naples High students are just one story that demonstrates how determination and dedication can make a meaningful difference. Join them now by becoming a monthly donor and JustGive will match 50 cents of every dollar you donate. Show Haiti and its residents that while their story may have dropped from media headlines, they are not forgotten.

Update on Relief in Haiti

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Is Haiti Forgotten?

In an earlier Haiti earthquake update blog we featured a photo from award-winning photojournalist Allison Shelley who worked with Project Hope while in Haiti. When Allison returned to Haiti for her second time she wanted to bring something back that could help the people she’d met. Five months after the deadly earthquake that rocked Haiti the answer that came back:  tents. The Haitian people still needed a structure to call home.

Led by donors like you, the world responded to Haiti in its time of need. JustGive donors alone gave more than $4.7 million to nonprofits working to aid Haiti. Allison returned to Haiti with tents donated by friends and colleagues so a few more Haitian people would have a dry place to sleep, but with hurricane season threatening their progress, the work to truly rebuild Haiti is far from done.

Long after the majority of giving for Haiti occurred, JustGive donors still haven’t forgotten. They continue to donate money for Haiti. Our matching campaign has raised more than $26,000 to date, and you can help us continue to raise money for nonprofits working to reconstruct Haiti by giving now.

As the photos below that Allison was so kind as to share with our readers, the climb to reconstruct Haiti is an uphill battle, but the Haitian people persevere.

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Photo Credits: Allison Shelley (All Rights Reserved)

Rebuilding Haiti is ongoing

Rubble and collapsed buildings still dominate the Haitian landscape. An estimated 1.3 million people were left homeless by the January earthquake and hundreds of thousands of Haitians are still living in tent camps around Port-au-Prince. Three weeks into hurricane season, with tropical rains falling on a daily basis, 21 of those camps are “high risk” or likely to flood.

The Haitian government continues to look at innovative ways to rebuild their country. On June 17, they launched “Building Back Better Communities,” a global competition to create different housing types that government officials can study before commissioning them for destroyed neighborhoods. The competition, which will have multiple winners, is divided into two parts to attract the greatest variety of ideas.

Notables such as former US President Bill Clinton and Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim recently created a $20M fund to help rebuild the Haitian economy. “We have to unleash the ideas, the energy, the creativity of your enterprises. This is a good first step,” Clinton said. “The focus of this fund is to help create jobs not only by helping small- and medium-size business to recover but to do better than they were doing before the earthquake.”

But even with the help of such innovative funds and competitions, the reality is that Haitians still need help from the ground up. Our matching campaign focuses on rebuilding Haiti, because, despite the outpouring of generosity that met the earthquake, our friends in the nonprofit sector told us that their biggest need is sustained support of their efforts in Haiti.

Visit us next week for an update on the impact of your donations to Haiti relief. We’ll focus on some of the work nonprofits are doing on the ground in Haiti.