I would like to nominate the Remote Area Medical Foundation, http://www.ramusa.org/ This nonprofit provides free medical, vision and dental care to uninsured Americans in areas of high poverty concentration. All of the services are provided by health care professionals who donate their time. They are backed up with a loyal group of volunteers. The organization is led by the Stan Brock, who is in his 70’s and who flies his C-47 to pick up medical supplies.

What a wonderful idea and a great way to kick off the holiday month!

One of my favorites is The Children’s Inn at NIH. This is the Inn where kids stay for treatment at NIH—gratis. I believe they have a campaign where you raise money for one night’s stay. The website is http://www.childrensinn.org/

Of course I have to nominate Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which raises money for breast cancer research and to provide mammograms for women who can’t afford them. After Elaine and I spent the better part of the year training for the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk, which benefits the Komen foundation, it’s naturally the charity I always think of now. Besides that, I love their new logo. The web site is http://ww5.komen.org

I’d like to make a plug for a wonderful charity that is based in my hometown – Building with Books. It has a dual purpose – to get high school kids involved in meaningful charitable and community activities to help promote literacy by building schools and libraries in developing countries. Their website is http://www.buildingwithbooks.org.

http://pmm.stcharleschurch.org/

Since its beginnings, the Philippine Medical Mission (PMM) has been providing funds, medicines, medical and surgical supplies, and equipment to the poorest regions of the Philippines to provide health care services to the poor.

Because all of the health care services are provided without any costs to the patients, the funding and supplies sent by the PMM have had a direct impact on the number of children that can be immunized, the number of illnesses that can be diagnosed and the number of surgeries that can be performed.

I’d like to nominate the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. Here’s their Web site: http://www.cskdetroit.org/index.cfm

This is another favorite. The national founder is a MSW . http://www.girlsontherun.org/ourfounder.html#about

***There’s a NOVA location..**

http://www.girlsontherunofnova.org/

Mission: To educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living.

About: Girls on the Run© is a life-changing, experiential learning programs for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The programs combine training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the programs are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, spiritual and physical development.

Objectives: The Girls on the Run objective is to reduce the potential display of at-risk activities among its participants. The goal is fewer adolescent pregnancies and eating disorders, less depression and suicide attempts, as well as fewer substance/alcohol abuse problems and confrontations with the juvenile justice system.

What a generous, good idea!
I’m nominating the South Oakland Shelter, based in Royal Oak, Michigan. This organization partners with many churches in my community to help break the cycle of homelessness, providing shelter as well as job counseling for those in need. I’ve been so impressed with the work of SOS that I contribute a portion of proceeds from my own book sales to them. Here’s the link: http://www.southoaklandshelter.org/index.html

I nominate the Good Shepherd Food-Bank http://gsfb.org/ It has been in existence for 25 years and distributes food to more than 500 food pantries, soup kitchens, and community programs throughout Maine, serving more than 70,000 people.

In my local community of Stamford, CT, is Domus, which helps over 600 disadvantaged children with education and/or residential assistance plus community programs. http://www.domuskids.org/

There vision is “No child shall be denied hope, love, or a fair chance in life.”

I’d like to nominate the multiple myeloma research foundation — a local not-for-profit dedicated to finding a cure for a rare cancer of the plasma call.

it would help if i left the web site!
http://www.multiplemyeloma.org

I would like to nominate the Women’s Mentoring Network, located in Stamford, CT. The mission of this organization is to provide employment, education and personal resources that promote financial independence and economic empowerment for families living in poverty.

My Mom passed away from multiple myeloma when she was only in her early fifties. Lori’s nomination definitely strikes a chord with me. http://www.multiplemyeloma.org

I would like to nominate the Stamford Museum & Nature Center in Stamford, CT. This non-profit organization consists of a working farm, 80 acres of hiking trails including a universally accessible trail, gallery space with changing art and science exhibits, a planetarium, an observatory, a preschool and summer camp, a maple sugar house, a nature themed playground,and more…all in the midst of a city of 125,000 residents. It is a vital educational and community resource for the region. Full disclosure – it is also where I work!

I’d like to nominate HAVEN – Help Against Violent Encounters Now, a domestic violence shelter providing services in Oakland County Michigan. HAVEN’s crisis line got nearly 6,000 calls last year. They have limited shelter space and provide services to hundreds of families in trouble, as well as advocacy, a team of experts who help victims of sexual assault (including a forensic nurse) and most importantly, violence prevention education to thousands of students, law enforcement and other professionals and community members. http://www.haven-oakland.org

I’d like to nominate Compassion International. This charity takes the word of G-d to children in impoverished countries. In addition to providing spiritual training, the children recieve clothing, food and medical care, the children also recieve a gift for Christmas and their birthday.

My apologies I forgot the webaddress…

http://www.compassioninternational.com

I would like to nominate Brain Injury Services. Their mission is to improve the lives of people affected by brain injury through community-based services, education and advocacy. They do great work and have a dedicated hard working staff. There website address is http://www.braininjurysvcs.org/

I too would like to request the generous donation be made to the South Oakland Shelter. SOS is what it is commonly called, with great reason. There is such a need this year. I have helped out with my church, Trinity Lutheran and it breaks my heart every time.
Sam

All of these groups sound wonderful. I almost feel like I shouldn’t nominate another, but I will: Philabundance, in the Philadelphia area. They run a food bank, have collection boxes for nonperishables in many places (there’s been one in my local library since last summer, which has been filled and collected many, many times), collect food that would otherwise go to waste from markets and restaurants, and are very well run. I hate that they’re needed; I’m so glad they’re there: http://www.philabundance.org/.

I nominate Miriam’s Kitchen, a homeless services organization in Washington, DC. They serve breakfast each weekday morning to more than 200 chronically homeless men and women. All of their food is highly nutritious and homemade…the bread for their French toast is made from scratch, their salad dressings are mixed by hand, and their omelets are made to order. On top of all that, they provide a range of social services to every guest that comes through their door; toiletries, clothing, medical care, psychiatric assistance, connection to housing and employment…they really do it all. It’s a great place and for any of you in the Washington, DC area, I highly recommend checking it out: http://www.miriamskitchen.org.

Great blog!! You should start many more. I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned.