Author Helps 101 Year Old Woman Reclaim her Foreclosed Home

Last fall, Texana Hollis, 101, sat in her wheelchair in her front yard and wept as she watched workers move her furniture out of her home and onto her lawn. A great-grandmother, Hollis had lived in her house for more than 60 years, ever since her husband purchased it after returning from World War II.

She was evicted. Her son had failed to pay taxes on the property, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development foreclosed.

Mitch Albom, author of the popular memoir "Tuesdays with Morrie" and Detroit resident was stunned as he heard of Hollis' troubles on the local news.  "This is what happens when people forget people," Albom said. "You can't throw someone out like that; I don't care what the numbers are."

Albom went to work purchasing the home from HUD and mobilizing his charity S.A.Y. Detroit to make the home livable again. Caring people came together to make renovations so that Hollis can live in her home again.

Rescuing Children from Prisons

Pushpa Basnet doesn't need an alarm clock. Every morning, the sounds of 40 children wake her up in the two-story home she shares with them.  As she helps the children dress for school, Basnet might appear to be a housemother of sorts. But the real story is more complicated.  All of these children once lived in Nepal's prisons. This 28-year-old woman has saved every one of them from a life behind bars.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world -- according to UNICEF, 55% of the population lives below the international poverty line -- so it lacks the social safety net that exists in most Western nations. Space is extremely limited in the few children's homes affiliated with the government.

So when no local guardian is available, an arrested parent often must choose between bringing their children to jail with them or letting them live on the streets. Nepal's Department of Prison Management estimates 80 children live in the nation's prisons.

"It's not fair for (these) children to live in the prison because they haven't done anything wrong," said Basnet, who started a nongovernmental organization to help. "My mission is to make sure no child grows up behind prison walls."

Basnet is one of several in Nepal who have started groups to get children out of prison. Since 2005, she has assisted more than 100 children of incarcerated parents. She runs a day care program for children under 6 and a residential home where mostly older children receive education, food, medical care and a chance to live a more normal life.

Pushpa Basnet has been nominated as a 2012 CNN Hero.

Giving Wildlife a Second Chance

Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue heals sick and injured animals and prepares them for release back to the urban wild.  They also care for orphaned animals until they are able to live on their own.

When an injured or orphaned wildlife mammal is found, we nurse these animals back to a healthy state where they are able to be released back into the wild. Through education to children and adults alike, we try to raise awareness of these wild residents of our cities in the hope that a better co-habitation will lead to less injuries/orphans and more enjoyment of the urban wildlife with which we share our cities. 

As a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, Yggdrasil educates people of all ages in the wonder and enjoyment of wildlife and nature and why it is so vital we protect it.   Patience and compassion for urban wildlife helps the creatures to be viewed in a positive light by everyone- not as pests, but as important co-habitators of our environment.


We are a grassroots organization and are 100% volunteer-run and donation-funded!

Teens for Jeans Helps Outfit the Homeless

Teens across the country collected a record-breaking 1 million jeans for homeless youth in just one month.

For the fifth year running, Do Something (dot) org partnered with retailer Aeropostale, and a few young celebrities, to execute its Teens for Jeans campaign, a program that galvanizes young people to collect jeans for people their age living on the streets.

The program has distributed 2.5 million pairs since it was first established.

"It blows my mind to see how many teens care so much about helping other teens with this campaign," DoSomething.org Chief Marketing Officer Aria Finger said in a press release. "Our members really did an amazing job this year!"

The campaign hit the milestone with the help of 1,000 stores, 12,000 schools and 125,000 teens cleaned out their closets for the cause.

Source.

Coral Reef Restoration Inspires "Voluntourism"

In the next few weeks, some springbreakers will forgo the "wild" life in Daytona and the Florida panhandle for undersea wildlife in the Keys. Ken Nedimyer has made volunteer vacations popular with his Coral Restoration Foundation.  The project is dedicated to rebuilding coral reefs and does so by farming coral off Florida's most southern coast.  Climate change, pollution, and overfishing have all contributed to the decline of corals which are tiny, stationary marine animals.  The corals spend about a year in an underwater nursery before being transplanted into the wild.

That passion led to Nedimyer starting the Coral Restoration Foundation, which has grown more than 25,000 staghorn and elkhorn corals in underwater nurseries. He and his staff of volunteers work three days a week maintaining the nurseries just off Key Largo. The nurseries cover more than an acre of the ocean floor. --CNN

The goal is to get them to reproduce on their own and repopulate an area where they no longer exist.  Once Nedimyer felt helpless, but now he see hope.  His is the largest underwater nursery in the Gulf and wider Caribbean.

Nedimyer and his Coral Restoration Foundation were recently spotlighted by CNN Heroes.

Floating Doctors

Floating Doctors meets immediate medical needs and implement sustainable approaches to living healthier in underserved coastal areas around the world.  The mission is "to reduce the present and future burden of disease in the developing world and to promote improvements in health care delivery worldwide."

The organization is a nonprofit with goals that include:

• Providing free acute and preventative health care services and delivering donated medical supplies to isolated areas.
• Reducing child and maternal mortality through food safety/prenatal education, nutritional counseling and clean water solutions.
• Studying and documenting local systems of health care delivery and identifying what progress have been made, what challenges remain, and what solutions exist to improve health care delivery worldwide.
• Using the latest communications technologies to bring specialist medical knowledge to the developing world, and to share our experiences with the global community and promote cooperation in resolving world health care issues.

Floating Doctors stay in operation through donations.  A $5 donation provides 30 children with a month supply of multivitamins. One hundred dollars will microfinance a surgery. The more you give, the more the medical team can accomplish.

Founder Dr. Benjamin LaBrot is featured as a 2012 CNN Hero.

KIND: Kids in Need of Dentistry

A child with a toothache is a child in debilitating pain. Eating, sleeping and concentration are all affected, and school work becomes a daunting task. Kids In Need of Dentistry (KIND) has spent the last century helping children achieve a healthy mouth.

KIND is a nonprofit organization providing "high-quality, affordable dental care to children in need throughout Colorado." Since 1912, KIND has helped thousands of children each year get the dental services they need at affordable rates.

The Chopper Topper program puts volunteer dental professional in schools. Young students receive oral health education, dental screenings and sealants at no charge.  The Miles for Smiles program is dentistry-on-wheels with a mobile unit that travels into rural areas and other places in Colorado with limited access to oral health care.

Learn more by visiting the Kids in Need of Dentistry website.

The Morgan Center: Daycare for Children with Cancer

Children with cancer often face isolation as chemotherapy suppresses the immune system and leaves them open to other illness that could complicate and even risk their lives further.  Nancy Zuch saw her toddler, Morgan, go through this as the 2 year old underwent treatment for leukemia. Zuch opened the Morgan Center, a New York-based preschool, to provide a clean environment for kids with cancer so the little ones wouldn't miss out on learning and making friends.

THE MORGAN CENTER is a 501(c)(3) not for profit charitable organization dedicated to providing preschool age children who are undergoing treatment for cancer the opportunity to interact and socialize, in a safe environment that stimulates cognitive and social development. Children on chemotherapy treatment have a suppressed immune system, and could otherwise risk infection and serious illness by attending typical age appropriate preschool programs.

The program has been so successful that another New York center is in the works, and Zuch has been approached by other states to reproduce her model of care around the country.

CNN Heroes spotlights The Morgan Center and what Nancy Zuch has made possible for children battling cancer.

Phoenix Multisport: choosing health and sobriety

Scott Strode offers choice to people recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.  Strode battled addiction himself and knows one of the struggles is tearing away from social circles that help perpetuate continued substance abuse.  He founded Phoenix Multisport as a place for those facing these sorts of challenges.  The name is Phoenix alludes to the the mythical creature rising new and alive from its own ashes.  Stode's sports club welcomes anyone with 48 hours of sobriety free of charge.  Participants have instant camaraderie and a range of activities that promotes healthy living and fun.

"Life should be better once you get sober," said Strode, 38. "(We want to) help people build a new life, a new self-image and have fun without getting high." (CNN)

More than 4,700 people have participated in Phoenix which Strode started in 2007.  He is now featured as one of CNN's Heroes for 2012.

The Soup Movement

GPSoup is a gathering of like-minded citizens whose goal is to fund local initiatives by providing them with seed money that launches an idea or project.  It started with twitter and emails then became a monthly gathering.

Now GPSoup meets the last Sunday of every month. Everyone is asked to bring a $10 donation and a can of soup to be donated as well.

The $10 donation gets participants three things. A bowl. A spoon. A vote.

After a meal of soup and bread we will, as a group, listen to proposals from members of our community. Each proposal has five minutes to explain to those gathered why their idea would benefit the citizens of their community.  At the end of the presentations, you will be asked to submit your vote as to which idea has the most merit. We are not looking for the biggest, or the best idea. We as a group will have roughly $500-$1000 to grant someone, that's not a lot of money, unless there's some real ingenuity involved.

The idea should be new and something that hasn't been done before. It should be a new solution to an old problem.  Groups brainstorming for solving social issues are popping up throughout the U.S. and Canada.  NPR has more.

Heart Healthy Tips for Heart Health Awareness Month

The Eric De La Cruz Hope for Hearts Foundation raises Heart Health Awareness this month through social media.  Small changes in lifestyle and behavior can lead to better heart health.  Tips include:

• Cooking more at home
• Getting a check-up and having your cholesterol checked every 5 years
• Adding green tea to your daily diet
• Getting proper sleep
• Laughing more
• Choose whole grain breads
• Taking a tech break
• Raising heart health awareness by sharing tips via social media.

Hope for Hearts founder Veronica De La Cruz explains in this public service announcement how you can be heart smart while shopping:

The Hope for Hearts Foundation's was created in memory of Eric De La Cruz (Veronica's brother) who died while waiting for a heart transplant.  The organization helps people navigate the medical and financial hurdles heart transplant candidates face.  Presently Hope for Hearts is working with a new patient, Colby Salerno, who is waiting for a heart. He is celebrating his 24th birthday this month.

"We are trying to organize a donor drive online for him, since there are a shortage of organs and he has been waiting for a heart now for more than a year. His arteries are hardening and his heart is turning into scar tissue. The only thing that can save him is a heart transplant."  --Veronica De La Cruz, founder

If you're interested in helping Colby you can donate here.

Georgia's Friends of Refugees

The Perennial Plate Episode 90: Refugee Garden from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Friends of Refugees nurtures the Atlanta Metro area's refugees through relationships and opportunities that "provide for their well-being, education and employment as they become contributing members of society."

Thousands of refugees come to the U.S. each year seeking a better life. In the community of Clarkston, GA, near Atlanta, approximately 60,000 refugees have settled since the 1990s.  More 150 different ethnic groups are represented and Clarkston has been named “the most diverse square mile in America” by the New York Times.

Community Gardens are one way Georgia's newest residents can develop friendships while providing fresh, wholesome food for their families. Iraqis, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Burmese and others make the opportunity to raise produce.  Friends of Refugees also offers employment help, English classes, and after-school tutoring.  Literacy classes and summer camps are also provided by this 501 (c)(3) nonprofit.

Archi's Acres: From Combat Fields to Farms

Archi's Acres understands the problems facing veterans leaving combat service.  One of the farm's founders served as a Marine.  Colin Archipley and his wife Karen started farming with avocado trees.  When their methods proved unprofitable, they went for more sustainable methods by switching to raising basil and using hydroponic methods.  Their choice brought them success; so, they wanted to share their knowledge with returning veterans:

The USDA has a push right now to create a 100,000 farmers per year over the next five years.  They're not going to meet those goals, but we think we have a population that can certainly help who have the motivation and the willingness to do this; as well as the leadership skills and the management ability to operate a business.  --Colin Archipley

About half of veterans come from rural areas.  The Archipleys see farming as a natural transition back home for a veteran and the active military spend a lot of time outdoors.  Archi's Acres offers Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) through a local community college.

With the help of VSAT, retired Marine Mike Hanes invented a wholesome and nutritional hot sauce called Dang!.

Depave.org Reinventing Neighborhoods

PARKING LOTS to PARADISE // Documentary from Joey Dello Russo on Vimeo.

By all accounts, it was an awesome day! Frogs with jackhammers, asphalt art, 147 volunteers representing four continents, two Portland City Council Candidates, lots of laughter, music, celebration, pizza, donuts, and lots of earth liberated from the stranglehold of asphalt.

Too often, pavement and asphalt blight urban areas and streamline pollution into waterways.  An unutilized stretch of concrete compounds the heat in urban and suburban areas.  Depave.org has been greening up cities and towns by removing unwanted pavement and replacing it with parks, gardens and eco-friendly areas.  The organization's objectives include:

• Providing information, inspiration, and technical assistance to those wishing to remove concrete and asphalt.
• Educating the public about the benefits of pavement removal. 
• Advocating to minimize and/or reduce the amount of impervious pavement in public construction and repair projects.
• Promoting responsible and creative reuse and recycling of concrete and asphalt. 
• Providing an opportunity for greater connection with the natural world.

Depave's work is a nonprofit undertaking with a vision of "livable cities where people and wildlife coexist and prosper amidst clean air, clean water, robust urban forests and thriving local agriculture."

Project Re-Generation: Ending Teen Idleness

Teens in Brooklyn turn away from guns, drugs and gang life thanks to the volunteer-based nonprofit founded by Barnabas Shakur. Since 2001, Project Re-Generation has attracted 5,000 volunteers who assist with legal services, career guidance, interview skills, and after school tutoring.  Shakur says the goodness of the community is what has made Project Re-Generation work.  While giving teenagers guidance is a priority, adults are encouraged to participate.
Programs for Teens:

• Foot Soldiers Program
• Knicks Poetry Program

Homeowners & Professionals Can Get Involved:

• Foot Soldiers Property Maintenance Services
• 1000 People whoBANG Professional Group Community Pride Day

Citywide, New York City faces a staggering 50% dropout rate. However, those involved in Project Re-Generation have 96% graduation rate, and many go on to pursue a university education.

The Family Giving Tree

The Family Giving Tree believes giving empowers.  The organization's emphasis is on helping children realize their critical role in their communities.  Kindness, philanthropy and volunteerism are the core values, and special emphasis is placed on making sure kids have all the supplies they need as school starts each year:

"The Family Giving Tree began in 1990 as a San Jose State University MBA class project. Jennifer Cullenbine and Todd Yoshida were asked to "create a program that adds value to someone else's life." They created the Family Giving Tree with the hope of providing holiday gifts to 300 children in East Palo Alto. Encouraged by the success of the first year, Jennifer decided to continue and expand the organization. In the 20th year of the program's existence, the total number of gifts and backpacks donated had grown to over 700,000, making the Family Giving Tree the largest gift and backpack donation program in California." (Source)

The Family Giving Tree also provides for the holiday wishes of homeless and low income children.  Volunteers and other nonprofits are encouraged to host their own holiday gift drives to help make Christmas wishes happen.

Bridge Communities: Adopt a Family this Christmas

The nonprofit Bridge Communities allows anyone to take responsibility for providing Christmas gifts, clothes and food for homeless children.

Many people associate “family” with the holiday season. We spend time with families. We celebrate family traditional. We send cards and gifts to our families. We reminisce about past holidays celebrated with family. This year, why not create your own extended family? Adopt a homeless family that’s currently in Bridge Communities’ Transitional Housing Program, and you can give even more during the season of giving. When you adopt a Bridge client family, you’ll experience the joy of giving love and hope to a Bridge family. --Bridge Communities

All year round Bridge Communities commits its efforts to transforming the lives of homeless families through partnering with talented, resourceful individuals and groups. The programs aim to empower families in the direction of self sufficiency.

The Trevor Project for Teen Suicide Prevention

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among LGBT and questioning adolescents.  The Trevor Project makes itself available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by telephone for young people in crisis:

We promise to create a safe space, through our lifeline and online, for LGBTQ youth. We promise to deliver our message of suicide prevention in schools throughout the country. We promise to hire a highly qualified and professional staff and providing them with incentives. We promise to operate our board, our committees, our lifeline, our offices and our events with the utmost integrity.

The Trevor Lifeline is 866-488-7386. It's free and confidential.  TrevorChat is also an option.  Youth can access instant messaging each Friday.  With the help of sponsors like Wells Fargo, Google, and Levi Strauss, The Trevor Project has fielded more than 200,000 calls from teens in crisis.

Vets4Warriors: Vets Helping Vets

Photo Courtesy: Vets 4 Warriors (dot) com
A local New Jersey help line is going national in services veterans all around America.  Vets 4 Warriors' assistance by phone, email and live chat focuses on suicide prevention and crisis counseling.  The success of the organization was rewarded with $5 million--making the nationwide service possible.

From the mission statement:

For any issue, at any time, a Veteran is here to help. We all need a helping hand sometimes and Vets4Warriors provide 24/7 confidential peer support, information, and referrals for all National Guard and Reserve service members.

1-855-VET-TALK is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Vets 4 Warriors staff undergoes specialized training to address the particular needs of military personnel in trouble.  Confidentiality is guaranteed. Vets 4 Warriors want no one to "suffer in silence."

Free the Children (from poverty, exploitation, and powerlessness)

Free the Children aims to free children from poverty, exploitation, and a sense of powerlessness.  Changing the world for good is in the hands of anyone who wants to try.  Free The Children inspires youth "to develop as socially conscious global citizens and become agents of change" through local and global empowerment programs:

• Adopt a Village
• Turn students into youth leaders
• Promote Self-Sufficiency

This 501 (c)(3) nonprofit has built more than 650 schools and school rooms around the world and has reached more than one million young people through outreach in North America and the United Kingdom.