Helping Alabama and the Southeast Recover

The Southeast remains in rescue and recovery mode following one of the worst tornado disasters in U.S. history.  Officials documented 170 twisters in six states and 310 people are reported dead so far as crews continue to sift through the wreckage.  Alabama is being called the epicenter of the deadly storm with more than 200 reported dead and millions in property damage.

Anyone who wants to help victims in Alabama has these options:

• Salvation Army, 1601 Huntsville Road, Florence, drop-off location for water, non-perishable foods, monetary donations, baby supplies, including diapers, wipes, baby food, blankets, hand sanitizer.

• Salvation Army thrift stores are collecting clothing. Donors should designate items for storm victims.

• Franklin Pharmacy, 361 Mustang Drive, Russellville. People are asked to bring whatever they can but immediate needs are bottled water, canned food, sunscreen, basic toiletries, baby supplies.

• Monetary donations may be mailed to the Salvation Army, P.O. Box 728, Florence, AL 35630.

• Shoals Outdoor Sports, 1605 U.S. 72, Tuscumbia. Everything including diapers and toiletries, power tools such as chain saws and other emergency-related equipment.

• Fleet Force, Russellville, accepting non-perishable food items and water.

• Tharptown Dixie Youth League, collecting money, clothing, non-perishable foods. Donations will be taken at the Tharptown High School ball fields during baseball games Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. Collection boxes will be on site.

Additional sites for donations, food and water include:

• Highland Park Church of Christ Woodward Avenue in Muscle Shoals

• BestWay Rent To Own 2204 Woodward Avenue in Muscle Shoals or 384 Cox Creek Shopping Center in Florence

• McDaniel Window & Door 300 E. Tennessee St. in Florence

• Free Will Baptist Church 1303 Alabama 24 E in Red Bay

• TVA Credit Union 303 E Dr. Hicks in Florence, 406 N Mall Ct. in Florence, 425 Cox Blvd. in Sheffield

• All Regions bank locations

• First Baptist Church in Russellville

You can visit The Red Cross online to support survivors throughout the Southeast.

Tusk Trust Gets Princely Support

People and nature benefit mutually through a range of conservation projects funded by Tusk Trust.  The organization works in rural areas of Africa with the individuals who live closest to the continent's wildlife.  Schools, clinics, clean water projects, roads, bridges, and airfield are all developed with the protection of endangered species and the environment in mind:

"The Mukuu Spring water project in north Kenya is a case in point. At Mukuu a low technological water pump has been installed in the community spring to provide a clean and reliable source for the community and its livestock."  -Tusk Trust

The charity's focus is dedicated to substantial funding for the protection of many threatened animals like the elephant, rhino, cheetah, chimpanzee, mountain and lowland gorillas, giant sable and even marine species like turtles.  Protecting Africa's rich natural heritage is why sustainable development is so important.  Tusk Trust projects encourage education and help alleviate poverty.

Eighty percent of the money raised by Tusk Trust goes directly to their field work.

Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund

Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Soldiers distinguish their service with courage, commitment, and a willingness to answer the call of their country. Unfortunately, their jobs can have deadly or catastrophic consequences.  Service men and women with traumatic injuries face overwhelming financial burdens associated with the cost of recovery.  The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund provides financial assistance and quality of life solutions to all members of the armed forces who have served in support of Marine forces.

This 501(c)(3) nonprofit helps with the cost of hospitalization, rehabilitation, and recovery including the purchase of specialized equipment, adaptive vehicles, and making home modifications. Since May 2004 their mission has been steadfast serving those who preserve freedom. The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund operates at with a very low overhead, 5%, and has an outstanding rating at Charity Navigator (dot) Org.

Rocking Music Education

Despite research which proves playing an instrument boosts overall academic performance, music education is often first to feel cuts when school budgets get lean.  Educator David Wish began offering after-school guitar lessons when music programs were eliminated at his school.  His efforts became wildly popular and eventually blossomed into the nonprofit, Little Kids Rock.

Wish dedicates his life to the restoration and revitalization of music education in U.S. public school systems.  His organization provides free instruments and music instruction to underserved schools around the nation.  K through 12 learn musical forms like rock, rap, blues, hip-hop.  Composing is stressed as much as recitation to inspire student creativity. The lessons interface with material on the Little Kids Rock website so that children have unfettered access to musical instruction.

Jordon Thomas Foundation Equips Kids with Prosthetic Limbs

Jordan Thomas started his foundation while recovering from the traumatic injury that took both of his lower legs.  He was moved to compassion when he saw children who were not benefiting from support and  rehabilitation to the extent he was.


The Jordan Thomas Foundation was set up to raise money for children who need prosthetic limbs. Insurance companies only cover the cost of one prosthetic per injury over a lifetime.  Because children are constantly growing, this amounts to trying to wear the same shoe from elementary to high school.  Prosthetic limbs often mean mobility over being wheelchair bound and independence.  You can contribute to Jordan's cause by visiting here.

The Fight to End Child Trafficking

Sometimes a crime is so horrible there's a tendency to look the other way and assume someone somewhere will help the survivors.  But the victims of sex trafficking are as young as three years old.  Somaly Mam wouldn't look the other way.  Once a child sex slave, she now works to liberate and empower young victims.  The Somaly Mam Foundation rescues enslaved girls and empowers them with education and rehabilitation.

Human trafficking is the third largest organized crime globally behind drugs and guns.  Globally, the industry makes billions of dollars with more than two million women and children sold into sexual slavery each year.  As a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, The Somaly Mam Foundation now operates awareness and advocacy campaigns in North America and worldwide.

You can help promote awareness by telling ten of your facebook friends about the fight to stop human trafficking.

Acumen Fund's Unique Synthesis of Charity and Freedom

Thirty million people benefit from the difference the Acumen Fund has made.  The organization's mission is to move the world beyond poverty by investing in entrepreneurship, tomorrow's leaders, and revolutionary thinking.  They are changing the way the world fights poverty.

From their website:

"Tremendous wealth is being created in the world today thanks to globalization and the power of technology and markets. Yet there is a growing gap between rich and poor. Something must be done to extend the benefits of the global economy to the majority of the world’s population that lives on less than four dollars a day."

Choices in the form of affordable health care, water, housing, energy, agricultural and services are provided as people in poverty-plagued regions build their own businesses with funding from Acumen which gives a hand up, not handout. 

A new dignity is born with the freedom to forge a livelihood.  Traditional charity efforts often meet immediate needs but are not geared for the long-term. Acumen's market-based approach gives people the opportunity and choice to raise their standards of living and sustain a life for themselves and enrich their communities.

Acumen's founder, Jacqueline Novogratz, reflects how her vision for Acumen came about:

You can help support Acumen Fund's effort here.

Hope for Hearts Foundation

NBC anchor Veronica De La Cruz started the Eric De La Cruz Hope for Hearts Foundation in her brother's name.  He was a gifted musician, producer, artist and Nevada resident who was well loved by his family and friends.  He died of severe dilated cardiomyopathy.  His end of life struggle included navigating a miserable labyrinth of health care red tape while severely ill.  He had desperately needed a heart transplant.

Veronica utilized social media to draw attention to her brother's case rallying thousands of online supporters.  Even singer Trent Reznor of popular rock band Nine Inch Nails – and thousands of fans – stepped up to raise nearly a million dollars toward the anticipated medical costs in less than two weeks. Sadly, Eric passed on July 4, 2009 before the operation could take place.


In April 2010 Veronica founded the Hope for Hearts Foundation so that other transplant patients could more easily navigate the system and be assisted financially.  The Foundation is based in California but aims to help people throughout the United States.

Kids Off the Block: Saving Chicago Teens

Diane Latiker of Chicago's Roseland Community saw the issues facing children in her neighborhood.  Truancy, high dropout rates, drugs, violence, and neglect just scratched the surface.  Latiker boldly accepted responsibility for their lives and futures with the founding of Kids Off the Block (KOB).

This 501 (c)(3) nonprofit empowers youth with choices in education, leadership, and job training.  The KOB Community Center also provides recreational activities and a safe place for young people to be.  The organization now partners with Fenger High School to see students have access to programs in Health/Fitness and Nutrition, Cultural Arts, and Sports. 

Kids Off the Block founder, Diane Latiker, is featured as a 2011 CNN Hero.

Inveneo: Bridging the Digital Gap

Over 2 billion people in the developing world have very limited access to communications in any form. Inveneo, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, seeks to bridge the digital gap in developing nations with ultra-low power computing, long distance wifi, and solar energy harnessed in small villages.  The triumphs of Silicon Valley and the latest renewable energy technologies are being realized in nations like Bangladesh, Haiti, and Uganda.  Communities no longer have to depend on power grids that experience regular rolling blackouts.  Schools go on uninterrupted. 

Inveneo also trains people to maintain the communication systems so a country's economy benefits in job creation. Access to the world via internet promotes a democracy mindset in developing nations and  empowers healthcare and educational organizations.  Find out more about Inveneo's projects by visiting their website.

Right to Play: Empowering Kids in Poverty and War Torn Regions

Right To Play evolved from an official Olympian show of support for children in war-torn nations and distressed regions of the world.  Since the 90s, the organization has focused its goals on the transformative power of sport and play in the lives of youth affected by war, poverty, and disease.  Nurturing essential skills and development in children empowers the upcoming generation to change their own communities, their world.  Right To Play fosters a safe place for kids to learn and imbues them with the hope that they can make a better world and realize the futures they deserve.

Love Hope Strength Foundation

The current rates indicate 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime (Cancer Research UK).  The disease is the number one killer worldwide as of 2010.

Leukemia survivor Mike Peters of the Welsh rock band The Alarm and President of CSI Entertainment James Chippendale founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation in an effort to give all people the critical access to the same resources that saved their own lives.

The organization hosts rock and roll concerts around the world with raising cancer awareness in mind.  Fans have taken part in more than 200 bone marrow drives at these venues.  Since 2007, The Love Hope Strength Foundation has added 10,000 plus people to the national bone marrow registry.

You can find out about events and how to get on the list by clicking here.

The Love Hope Strength Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is working with the International Coalition of Cancer (UICC) to make saliva-based bone marrow registration a global initiative.