Goodwill (Job Training)

Goodwills meet the needs of all job seekers, including programs for youth, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, criminal backgrounds and other specialized needs. In 2016, Goodwill helped more than 313,000 people train for careers in industries such as banking, IT and health care, to name a few — and get the supporting services they needed to be successful — such as English language training, additional education, or access to transportation and child care.

Goodwill Industries International is committed to inclusion and diversity and respecting the people we serve, our community members, and the people with whom we work. We believe in putting people first, providing a safe space for our employees and creating environments where people have the support they need to build their work skills and care for their families. We are proud that people from diverse backgrounds have come to Goodwill to build their skills and their career goals. We will continue this tradition of serving others and building communities that work.

Learn more, http://www.goodwill.org/about-us/

Hetrick-Martin Institute (Gay Rights)

Since its founding, Hetrick-Martin Institute has grown from a small, volunteer-led grass-roots advocacy organization into a leading professional provider of social support and programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) youth. HMI youth members, ranging in age from 13 to 24, come from over 300 zip codes throughout all of New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. They are of all colors and sizes, come from all kinds of backgrounds, and their enthusiasm and creativity is boundless.

HMI is also the host agency for the groundbreaking Harvey Milk High School, devoted to serving at-risk youth and founded in 1985 in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education, which administers the school and is responsible for admissions. 

As HMI continues to expand nationally, HMI: New Jersey serves as our first direct service site outside of the HMI headquarters in New York City. HMI: New Jersey is the first comprehensive LGBTQ youth out-of-school time program in New Jersey dedicated to providing youth who are at-risk of harassment, abuse, neglect, homelessness and disconnection with a safe, supportive environment in which to grow and thrive. 

Created in 2013, HMI’s Center for LGBTQ Youth Advocacy and Capacity Building, advocates on behalf of LGBTQ youth by influencing policy on local, national and international levels, while helping to build the capacity of decision-makers, individuals and institutions that serve this marginalized population. 

Learn more, https://www.hmi.org/

The Nature Conservancy (Protecting Nature)

The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Our vision is a world where the diversity of life thrives, and people act to conserve nature for its own sake and its ability to fulfill our needs and enrich our lives.

How do we achieve this mission and vision? 

• Through the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff, including more than 600 scientists, all of whom impact conservation in 72 countries. 
• With the help of our many partners, from individuals and governments to local nonprofits and corporations.  
• By using a non-confrontational, collaborative approach and staying true to our five unique core values.  

That’s how The Nature Conservancy has done more than anyone else to advance conservation around the world since our founding in 1951.

Learn more, visit https://www.nature.org/?intc=nature.tnav.logo

The National Coalition for the Homeless

The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others committed to a single mission: To prevent and end homelessness while ensuring the immediate needs of those experiencing homelessness are met and their civil rights protected.

We envision a world where everyone has a safe, decent, affordable and accessible home. We are committed to creating the systemic and attitudinal changes necessary to prevent and end homelessness. We take as our first principle of practice that people who are currently experiencing homelessness or have formerly experienced homelessness must be actively involved in all of our work. Our programs are centered around public education, policy advocacy, and grassroots organizing, and are focused on the issues of housing justice, economic justice, health care justice, and civil rights.

Learn more, http://nationalhomeless.org/

Global Fund for Women (Women's Rights)

Our Vision

Every woman and girl is strong, safe, powerful, and heard. No exceptions.

Our Mission

We are a global champion for the human rights of women and girls. We use our powerful networks to find, fund, and amplify the courageous work of women who are building social movements and challenging the status quo. By shining a spotlight on critical issues, we rally communities of advocates who take action and invest money to empower women. 

Learn more, https://www.globalfundforwomen.org/

The Sentencing Project (Prison Reform)

The Sentencing Project is a leader in changing the way Americans think about crime and punishment.

Founded in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.

Our work includes the publication of groundbreaking research, aggressive media campaigns, and strategic advocacy for policy reform. As a result of The Sentencing Project’s research, publications, and advocacy, many people know that this country is the world’s leader in incarceration; that racial disparities pervade the criminal justice system; that over six million Americans can’t vote because of felony convictions; and that thousands of women and children have lost food stamps and cash assistance as the result of convictions for drug offenses.  


Learn more, https://www.sentencingproject.org/about-us/

The National Organization on Disability (NOD)

The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is a private, non-profit organization that promotes the full participation and contributions of America’s 57 million people with disabilities in all aspects of life.

Today, the National Organization on Disability focuses on increasing employment opportunities for the 80-percent of working-age Americans with disabilities who are not employed. To achieve this goal, NOD works with leading employers and partners with educational and philanthropic institutions to pilot innovative approaches to disability inclusion, then scales these up into initiatives with even broader impact.

We are proud to have helped some of the world’s most recognized brands be more competitive by building or enriching their disability inclusion programs. 

Learn more, https://www.nod.org/

Time's Up Now (Sexual Assault, Harassment, Inequality)

1. Don’t be part of the problem. For starters, don’t harass anyone.


2. If a person who has been harassed tells you about it, believe them. Don’t underestimate how hard it is to talk about these things.


3. If you know someone who has been harassed, connect them to resources who can help, such as the ones found here.


4. If you are a witness or bystander and see a harassing situation, you can help the person being harassed. You could actually intervene. You could confront the harasser. You could also help the person get out of the harassing situation. If you cannot do any of these things, you can still support the harassed person by corroborating and confirming the account of what happened.


5. You can support those affected by sexual harassment by donating to the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.


6. If you are part of an organization, look at the workforce and the leadership (management, officers, board of directors). Does it reflect the market where you operate and the world we live in? If not, ask why not and do something to move it closer to that goal.


7. Acknowledge that talent is equally distributed, but work and career opportunities are not. Mentor someone from an under-represented group in your industry. If you are in a position to do so, hire someone who can diversify the perspectives included in your organization; your team will be better and stronger for it.


8. You can vote with your wallet: in your purchasing, in your investing and in your charitable giving. Spend or give to companies and organizations who have more equitable leadership and opportunities for all.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Learn more, https://www.timesupnow.com/
   

Red Cross (Disaster Relief)

Red Cross volunteers and staff work to deliver vital services – from providing relief and support to those in crisis, to helping you be prepared to respond in emergencies. 

Each day, thousands of people – people just like you – provide compassionate care to those in need. Our network of generous donors, volunteers and employees share a mission of preventing and relieving suffering, here at home and around the world.

We roll up our sleeves and donate time, money and blood. We learn or teach life-saving skills so our communities can be better prepared when the need arises. We do this every day because the Red Cross is needed - every day. 

Learn more, http://www.redcross.org/about-us

Nationwide Disater Relief efforts (Long-term support needed)

They still need your help.


Hurricane Harvey Recovery Program (Texas)
http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/hurricane-relief/hurricane-harvey-relief-information/long-term-recovery-program#English

Hurricane Irma Recovery Program (Florida, Puerto Rico, etc)
http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/hurricane-relief/hurricane-irma-relief-information/long-term-recovery-program


2017 California Wildfires Recovery Program
http://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/wildfire-relief/california-wildfires-october-2017-relief-information/long-term-recovery-program#English

The Humane Society of the United States (Animals)

The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's most effective animal protection organization.

We and our affiliates provide hands-on care and services to more than 100,000 animals each year, and we professionalize the field through education and training for local organizations. We are the leading animal advocacy organization, seeking a humane world for people and animals alike. We are driving transformational change in the U.S. and around the world by combating large-scale cruelties such as puppy mills, animal fighting, factory farming, seal slaughter, horse cruelty, captive hunts and the wildlife trade. 



Learn more, www.humanesociety.org

charity: water (Clean and Safe Drinking water)

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

It’s hard not to think about water today. In the western world, we face growing concerns about our stewardship of the world’s most precious resource. There’s talk of shortages, evidence of reservoirs and aquifers drying up, and of course, plenty of people who simply don’t care.

But forget about us.

Most of us have never really been thirsty. We’ve never had to leave our houses and walk five miles to fetch water. We simply turn on the tap, and water comes out. Clean. Yet there are 663 million people on the planet who don’t have clean water.

That’s a huge number. In fact, it’s twice the number of people who live in the United States. 1 in 10 people in our world doesn’t have access to the most basic of human needs. Something we can’t imagine going 12 hours without.

Here, we’d like to introduce you to a few of those 663 million. They are very real, and they need our help. They didn’t choose to be born into a village where the only source of water is a polluted swamp. And we didn’t choose to be born in a country where even the homeless have access to clean water and a toilet.

We invite you to put yourself in their shoes. Follow them on their daily journey. Carry 80 pounds of water in yellow fuel cans. Dig with their children in sand for water. Line up at a well and wait eight hours for a turn.

Now, make a decision to help. We’re not offering grand solutions and billion dollar schemes, but instead, simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $30 a person, we know how to help millions.  

Learn more, https://www.charitywater.org/

Americans for the Arts (Music & Arts in Our Public Schools)

Our mission is to build recognition and support for the extraordinary and dynamic value of the arts and to lead, serve, and advance the diverse networks of organizations and individuals who cultivate the arts in America.

Connecting your best ideas and leaders from the arts, communities, and business, together we can work to ensure that every American has access to the transformative power of the arts.

Learn more, visit https://www.americansforthearts.org/

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (Mentorship)

For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. 

Learn more, visit http://www.bbbs.org/

"I Know No" Movement (Women & Sexual Violence)

In the wake of recent events involving sexual assault, many conversations came to light, revealing a disturbing lack of clarity around the topic of consent.  Particularly in cases where victims were intoxicated or unconscious, or in cases where they knew the offender.

It’s odd, really. Because if you read the definition spelled out in black and white, it is quite clear.

This made us wonder if, knowing this, people would still make the same choices? Would a young person under the influence find the sense to stop? Would a victim realize it was not her or his fault, and report the incident? Would they seek help? Would they be more supported by family, friends or colleagues? Would they share their story?

We wondered, if people are faced with this issue in the light of day, will they walk away because, “it’s a gray issue”, or will they see things more clearly? So we created KnowNo.us as a way to spread this simple word. It is not an organization, but a movement.

We set out to the streets to deliver our message in a way people couldn’t ignore, because in the light of day, there is no gray area. We created a simple black-and-white guide to consent, in hopes that people will share. We hope that people will talk to their students, their friends, their children, and finally KNOW what NO really means. 

Learn more, visit http://www.knowno.us/about/

#IknowNo

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Be The Change You Want to See In The World

You can make a positive change in the world
you can do a little bit of good everyday
what you does matter
you can add to the light, peace, and harmony
or
you can add to the chaos, drama, violence, and negativity
you always have a choice

Be The Change You Want to See In The World - 
http://changeyouchangetheworld.blogspot.com/


Make time to "Like Us" on Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Be-The-Change-You-Want-to-See-In-The-World/187382644732471

The Sweetness of Giving

For those of you who like to give to others
and want to do so in more balance, clarity, and truth
check out my new creation
which focuses on the art of karma yoga


The Sweetness of Giving -
http://www.givingandkarmayoga.blogspot.com


Make time to "Like Us" on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Giving-Donating-Volunteering-Karma-Yoga-124418054308196/

Rock the Vote (Register to vote today)

Rock the Vote is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to building the political power of young people.

In 1990, music executives founded Rock the Vote in response to censorship of hip hop and rap artists. Our first partnership, with MTV, helped us to promote the message that “Censorship is Un-American” and to engage young people across the country in fighting back.

For over 25 years, Rock the Vote has revolutionized the way we use pop culture, music, art, and technology to engage young people in politics and build our collective power.

We’ve registered and turned out millions of young voters on campuses, in communities, and online. We’ve successfully fought for — and defended — voting rights and increased access to democracy. We’ve raised awareness and campaigned for issues that impact the lives of young people. We’ve pioneered innovative ways to make registration and voting work for our generation, and built open-source technology to empower other organizations, too.

Learn more, https://www.rockthevote.org/register-to-vote/?source=wl-verify