PT-LawMom

Okay, my commenters have spoken and these are the five charities up for my last donation. Leave a comment below telling me which of these five you think should get the $25 (plus 25 cents for each comment I receive, up to $40). I have also given links directly to each donation page so that you, too, can donate should you so desire. I look forward to seeing which one you all pick!

1) CARE – CARE fights global poverty by empowering women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. Donate by clicking here

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.

Our Mission
Our mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities in the world. Drawing strength from our global diversity, resources and experience, we promote innovative solutions and are advocates for global responsibility. We facilitate lasting change by:

* Strengthening capacity for self-help
* Providing economic opportunity
* Delivering relief in emergencies
* Influencing policy decisions at all levels
* Addressing discrimination in all its forms

Guided by the aspirations of local communities, we pursue our mission with both excellence and compassion because the people whom we serve deserve nothing less.

2) Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati — saved our very own MILP baby, little Miss Cora, and is responsible for a variety of groundbreaking research in the area of maternal/fetal health.
Donate directly by clicking here

The fetal surgery unit is the first inpatient and outpatient unit in the world specifically designed and dedicated to fetal surgery patients, and learn more about how the facility caters to the medical, surgical and emotional needs of mothers and their families. The Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati provides excellent, comprehensive maternal fetal health services for high-risk pregnancy patients — renowned physicians, comprehensive services, advanced technologies and comforting support — all in a single, family-oriented center. The Center is the only one of its kind in the Midwest that offers a complete range of services, from prenatal diagnosis through fetal interventions, including open fetal surgery.

3) Donors Choose – providing teachers with the resources they need to help low income students or to take on special projects outside their budgets.

DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack. At this not-for-profit web site, teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.

Proposals range from “Magical Math Centers” ($200) to “Big Book Bonanza” ($320), to “Cooking Across the Curriculum” ($1,100). Any individual can search such proposals by areas of interest, learn about classroom needs, and choose to fund the project(s) they find most compelling. In completing a project, donors receive a feedback package of student photos and thank-you notes, and a teacher impact letter.

Fulfilling Student Projects

DonorsChoose.org performs a good deal of work to ensure the integrity of its philanthropic marketplace. Here’s how it works:

1. Public school teachers create student project proposals at DonorsChoose.org. This consists of writing a one page essay and listing the exact resource(s) needed.
2. DonorsChoose.org volunteers screen each project proposal before posting to the website. Volunteers verify that the teacher and project meet our eligibility requirements, emailing follow-up questions to the teacher if anything is unclear.
3. Concerned individuals fund the student projects of their choice—in whole or in part—and are emailed immediate email gift acknowledgments from DonorsChoose.org which can be used for tax deduction purposes.
4. DonorsChoose.org emails the school principal, alerting him/her to the funded project.
5. Within the next week, DonorsChoose.org forwards the donor an “e-thank-you” from the teacher, which notes the date by which the donor can expect his/her full feedback package.
6. DonorsChoose.org purchases the student materials and ships items directly to the school along with a disposable camera, guidelines for preparing feedback packages, and a stamped envelope in which to enclose the feedback.
7. Students experience the project that the donor made possible! The teacher photographs the students participating in the project and writes an impact letter to the donor. Students write their own thank-you notes. This feedback is then mailed to DonorsChoose.org headquarters.
8. DonorsChoose.org develops the photos, and compiles the letter and thank-you notes. This feedback is mailed to the donor(s) who completed the project or made a partial contribution of $100 or more.

DonorsChoose.org works equally hard to strengthen the framework which enables citizen philanthropists to connect with classrooms in need. In order to ensure a secure, efficient, and effective exchange, we:

* Negotiate discounts and partnerships with vendors to get the best prices available.
* Continually upgrade our web technology to make DonorsChoose.org more user-friendly and effective for donors and teachers.
* Acquire and update databases of all the public schools in the regions we serve. We track everything from the principal’s name to the number of students who receive free or reduced price lunch (a measure of poverty) to ensure the information we provide donors is accurate.
* Create community awareness about DonorsChoose.org to increase funding of student projects.

Sustaining Operations

The price of a student project includes an optional fulfillment fee covering the work performed by DonorsChoose.org (see Fulfilling Student Projects). After clicking to fund a project, the donor may decide not to include this fulfillment fee. By choosing to include it, donors support the necessary resources—staff time, office space, and technology—to bring their chosen projects to life.

While the cost of fulfilling student projects remains the same, DonorsChoose.org offers a “scholarship” to higher need schools by discounting the fulfillment fee. Depending on the school’s poverty level, fulfillment is assessed at 15%, 20%, or 25% of the project’s cost. The vast majority of schools using DonorsChoose.org have high rates of poverty, so most proposals carry the 15% fulfillment fee.

Donors’ inclusion of the fulfillment fee is essential to the existence and success of DonorsChoose.org. Thankfully, 90% of donation dollars come to us with the fulfillment fee included, and income thus earned allows us to continue our work.

As more student projects are funded and donors continue to include the fulfillment fee, DonorsChoose.org becomes increasingly self-sustaining. However, during this early stage in our growth, we also depend on grants and contributions to support our operation.

4) Homeward Bound of Marin

This group, which provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for homeless people, is really needed. Marin is a very wealthy community and it’s easy to look past those who are struggling. This group helps families and individuals get back on their feet, with dignity, and trains them to help them become more marketable. You can donate directly here.

What makes Homeward Bound different?

Innovative. Our holistic approach to ending homelessness addresses each stage of the issue: providing help to those in crisis, teaching life and job skills, developing inclusionary housing options.

Empowering. Homeward Bound residents find our culture of recovery and self discovery empowering. We give them the support needed to take responsibility for themselves and turn their lives around.

Compassionate. Homeward Bound staff and volunteers are committed to treating residents with dignity and respect.

Homeward Bound’s overarching goal is to end homelessness in Marin County.

We are dedicated to helping homeless people in Marin County obtain the option of independent living. Our work includes:
• Emergency, transitional, and long-term housing, food, support services, and advocacy for homeless adults and families.
• Transitional and residential services for adults with mental-health disabilities.
• Job and life-skills training and assisted re-entry into the workforce.
• Advocacy and construction of inclusive housing for Marin’s lower-income residents.

For those committed to change, Homeward Bound provides structured programs that require a drug- and alcohol-free environment. All programs require residents to set realistic and individual goals with action plans for achieving those goals. Each resident must save 75 percent of his or her earnings for a new beginning.

5) Northwest Assistant Ministries — my super-strong friend, Hope, fled an abusive relationship with her infant daughter many years ago and this organization helped her recover. Here’s what she says:

“NAM – Northwest Assistant Ministries – is an organization that helps women, especially abused, get out of a bad relationship and mentor them until they get back on their feet through group counseling and life skills training. I personally have had experience with this organization and I would NOT be where I am today without them. That’s why I always giv’em a plug when I can.”

You can donate directly here

October 2007 – September 2008

Northwest Assistance Ministries touched the lives of 120,264 individuals during the 2007-2008 fiscal year, including 3,566 people impacted by Hurricane Ike. Many NAM clients receive more than one service and participate in more than one program. NAM truly is a “one stop shop” for services. One of the most effective and cost-efficient charities in the community, NAM is a good steward of the resources it receives. Approximately $0.90 of every dollar donated in the 2007-2008 fiscal year went to direct services.

The Assistance Program served 32,256 people with emergency assistance for basic needs, including: shelter, clothing, transportation, prescription medicines, and medical referrals. The Back to School Project provided 2,758 children with school supplies and clothing, enabling the students to return to school ready to learn. In November and December 2007, the Holiday Project provided 1,226 families with holiday dinners and groceries as well as toys and gifts for 3,583 children and teens.

The Shelter and Energy Assistance Program distributed $978,997.00 in assistance to 6,736 people. Funded by government grants, this program is geared to prevent homelessness and to help homeless families become self-sufficient.

The Rotary Learning Center provided 2,151 hours of instruction in English as a Second Language, Adult Basic Education and GED, English Literacy, Civics, and Computer Training. The Workforce Development Center embarked on a partnership with the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) in early 2008, assisting 64 physically and mentally disabled individuals to identify and secure employment.

The Children’s Clinic offers primary health care for children from infancy to age 18 and provided office visits, referrals, appointment calls, and case management to 7,717 children. The Clinic’s annual Shot Blitz provided 1,700 immunizations to 514 children.

The Family Violence Center provided crisis intervention, support groups, adult and children’s counseling, emergency shelter, legal advocacy and education to 2,504 people. In addition, 11,885 students participated in 399 educational presentations through The Youth Education program. The Counseling Center, which operated from September 2007- March 2008, provided mental health services to 205 people.

The Food Pantry provided groceries for well-balanced meals to 25,280 people.

The Interfaith Hospitality Network served 302 homeless adults and children by providing housing, parenting and life skills classes, and counseling for substance abuse, mental health, and family issues.

Meals on Wheels provided 128,150 nutritious meals to an average of 390 homebound seniors and disabled individuals each weekday and 120 on Saturdays.

I look forward to seeing which organization you all pick. I will post a summary of each this weekend along with donation totals. You all can go back and comment on any day this week until I do my summary (probably Saturday or Sunday) so please do. The organization will receive an additional 25 cents for every comment received.