Charity Organizations?

[Dianne-TX]

I'm trying to find out what organizations are out there that my family can help support. I'm wanting something that the children can identify with mainly. I would also appreciate any ideas from you that already do something like that and how you include your children. Thanks.

[charlotteb]

How about Compassion International? If you haven't heard of it, it is an organization where you sponsor a child from a poor country. www.compassion.com is the website. You can chose the age, sex, and country of a child to sponsor.

[Carrie12345]

We mainly work with animal rescues and shelters. With 4 adopted pets, my kids easily identify with that kind of thing. They want to start an online store to sell handmade candles and soaps and what not to raise money, but I told them they'd have to hold off until after the holidays. They would rather be hands-on, but insurance regulations won't allow them to be.

 

We also joined the Roots and Shoots organization. There are various causes involved that my kids had no previous knowledge of, but they're learning along with their friends. We're getting ready to do a fundraiser for children in Guatemala.

 

The kids are starting to become more involved in the things I do with autism organizations, which is my "big thing." They started out tagging along to walk events, but they've been helping me come up with fund raising ideas for next spring.

 

Wow. Reading that, it looks like I've only taught them to beg people for money!

Our family has adopted our street and the kids love to go out and collect trash and see who can find the strangest item. Our Roots and Shoots group has their second park clean up scheduled for next week.

 

So, we're dirty money grubbers. :D

[hornblower]

We sponsor a child through Plan International. We get regular letters from the child & we try to write to her (I admit, I suck at that part sometimes...)

 

We're also involved in local animal rescue, fostering dogs and fancy rats who are looking for forever homes. Last year we also took time to visit the local shelter to hang out with the cats & bunnies on a regular basis. There are lots of people who come to walk the dogs, but the cats & bunnies don't get much attention.

[Chelle in MO]

That's great, Dianne!

 

Some charitable-type things we currently do or have done in the past:

 

deliver library books to homebound people

 

sort/box food for a food bank

 

collect recyclable items for our church's Compassion International project

 

fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child

 

make an anonymous bill payment for a needy family

 

volunteer in the library's children's dept. during the summer reading program

 

stuff and deliver door hanger bags for church

 

If any of these sound like they're up your alley and you'd like more info, I'd be glad to help.

 

Chelle

[*********]

We love these organizations:

 

Gospel for Asia

 

Heaven's Family

 

Gospel for Asia just sent out their 'Christmas Gift' catalog, where they list different things that you can buy to donate. For example, I believe it's $11 to buy a pair of chickens for a family in Asia, which will provide them with 200-300 eggs per year, as well as, of course, baby chicks. My ds5 loved to look through this mailing and see what he could buy with his allowance for someone in need.

 

We also have two families that are personal friends of ours that are missionaries. One is in Mexico:

 

Josef and Lina Urban - Pure Gospel Truth

 

And one is in India:

 

Sean and Lisa Scott - Preaching Jesus Christ

 

Of course, we know these families personally, so our children feel very 'involved' that way.

[Ellie]

100% of all donations are spent on providing Scriptures which are placed in hotels, doctors' offices, and hospital rooms, and given to school children (middle school through college), all military personnel, employees in medical facilities, inmates in jails and prisons, and people in general. Donations can be specified for purchasing scripture in specific countries; otherwise monies will go to the U.S (if that's where you live).

 

Over 72 million scriptures were given out worldwide last year.

 

Administrative costs are covered by the annual membership dues paid by Gideons each year.

[emeraldjoy]

I worked in Thailand for about 3 months with an organization called Destiny Rescue. They are a Christian organization based out of Australia and are dear, dear people.

 

They have works in several different countries throughout the world and their services vary according to the region. I do believe you can sponsor a child and have correspondence.

 

Having traveled oversees I have seen some very corrupt organizations. As a result I am very leary about where my money goes and will even chose to not give rather than support an organization that I am unsure about. I am thankful to have had the experience with this organization and know exactly where my money is going and what is being done with it.

 

Please check out their website and if you have any questions feel free to ask. Many of the children pictured on the website I know and spent many wonderful moments with.

www.destinyrescue.org

 

Emerald

[Dianne-TX]

I've got a lot to look into and they all sound great! I appreciate it.

[joannqn]

I vote Compassion or World Vision. We've been sponsoring a girl in Malawi through World Vision for three, almost four, years now. My kids draw pictures for her and look forward to getting updates about her. They talk about visiting her some day which I think would be difficult but also a great experience for everyone. I know those kids cherish every letter and small gift that they get. A visit is an extra special and very rare event, I think.

 

We just got a nice update about her that included her school grades and some little bits of information about her and a current photo. My kids were shocked to find out that nsima (corn meal mush) is her favorite food. I had made it for them so they'd know what she probably ate every day and they found it repulsive.

[FlockOfSillies]

 

Children's Hunger Fund -- one of our associate pastors is on staff there, and several other men from our church have worked there in the past.

[Laura Corin]

We sponsor a child in an orphanage through SOS children's villages. This is a link to their US work, but they have orphanages worldwide. It's a non-religious organisation.

 

http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sponsor-a-child/americas-child-sponsorship/usa.htm

 

Laura

[battlemaiden]

Compassion International is great for a family. Our children write frequently and send drawings. You can write letters, send emails (they are printed and translated by staff), and send photos. Communication with the sponsored child is stressed. The staff are excellent and they are rated very highly for the percentage of every dollar that goes to the children.

 

We work with many charities but I think Compassion would easily fit your needs.

 

Good on you for looking into it.

 

Jo

[Jenny in Atl]

Before you give money to any group, check out their rating first and make sure they are doing what they say they are doing.

 

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

http://www.guidestar.org/

 

I've had good experiences with Save the Children, CCF, Habitat for Humanity (something you can do locally), Salvation Army,

 

Here is also a great article http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/charities/lists_index.htm that lists and previews charities in many area of support.

[Wendi]

At our church, we are blessed to have a "sister church" in a poor rural area of Uganda. Despite the fact that the congregation members themselves are poor, they have taken in many orphans, and have plans for a children's home. They provide medical care, school fees, etc., for all these kids, who live with various families from the church. We give to them through our church.

 

If we didn't have the Ugandan kids, we'd probably look into something like Compassion International. (I remember my dh had a job interview with them years ago.)

 

We also volunteer with a rabbit rescue. My ds is old enough to help there along with me.

 

If you're looking for something you can "do", rather than just giving, how about a nursing home? A group from our church (we haven't faithfully attended this) goes regularly to spend time with Alzheimer's sufferers in a nursing home. Many of the residents really love seeing the children.

 

Our other "charitable" activities have been with our church; a rummage sale for Hurricane Katrina victims, etc., and there are opportunities there we haven't yet been involved in (painting houses for poor people in the inner city, etc.).

 

Wendi

[Jane in NC]

Among the programs sponsored by Church World Service is the CROP hunger walk. Many children participate in these community walks to fill local food pantries and fund hunger relief internationally.

 

My son is a volunteer at the library and works on community service projects sponsored by the 4-H county council, composed of teens throughout the area.

 

All of us also volunteer with a bird rehabilitator. In fact, my son has the job of feeding the recovering birds this afternoon. Working for an organization like this can mean hands on work with the animals or participating in other ways. My son has helped construct pens, I have helped with grants, my husband photographs birds for the website.

 

Any non-profit can usually put volunteers to work!

[hsmamainva]

I'm not sure if you're looking for something to support monetarily, or "in person", but my children are very involved in Special Olympics. Two of my children have special needs and play on the teams, and my other two children volunteer as "buddies".

 

If you don't have a Special Olympics chapter in your area, you could look for another organization that my children are involved in called Little League Challengers, which is baseball for special needs children. Two of my children are on the local team, and my other two children volunteer as buddies (I'm one of the team moms and my husband is an assistant coach).

 

Buddies in both organizations cheer loudly and, in Little League Challengers, they help the players to manuever the bases (some are vision impaired and need to have their hands held, some are in wheelchairs and need to be pushed around the bases. And buddies are also assigned to every child to make sure that the players aren't injured .. many times, they can't see the ball, or they don't process information in a timely enough fashion to avoid being hit by the ball).

 

I'm not sure if there's a minimum age for being a buddy with Special Olympics, but buddies can be as young as 8 (as long as it's a "responsible 8") for the Little League Challengers.