It doesn’t matter your age, your religion, the color of your skin, the place you grew up, none of that matters, what matters is that you have the power and the unique heritage to become an impressive leader of philanthropy in your community. Watch this video, take up a cause, and lead the charge. You are a Philanthropist.
Day 341: YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
I apologize for the delay in updates, this week has been insane for me schedule wise with the pending opening of my show and work schedule. I have sent out my daily donations and am catching up on releasing the posts. Day 341 goes to YMCA of Metro Chicago, the Y is more than just a gym!
Since 1858, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago has contributed to the lives of girls, boys, women and men of all ages, races, religions and economic backgrounds.
Whether teaching children to swim, rescuing young men from gangs, training adults for the workforce, providing expectant mothers with prenatal care or serving transients with housing and supportive care, YMCAs collaborate with public service providers, government agencies, churches and neighborhood associations to improve life quality and encourage individual achievement.
The YMCA is equipped to serve a range of complex, contemporary family needs through our 21 fitness centers, 4 year-round resident camps, 7 human service centers, 5 Single Room housing residences, 6 Senior Housing centers, and 1 Supportive Housing for young adult males. The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is also one of the largest providers of licensed child care in the mid-west. For 150 years, the YMCA has been serving the diverse needs of each community through programs ranging from child care, affordable housing, street intervention, sports and fitness, and various programs for children, teens, adults and seniors. Through these sites and more, the YMCA touches and strengthens the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Amount Donated: $10
To support YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, please visit: http://www.ymcachgo.org
Day 278: Back On My Feet
Today’s give goes out to very cool organization engaging the homeless population by challenging them to run with a community to build confidence and self-esteem. They provide shoes and gear, social running events and help cover race entry fees and other incentives. The longer a runner stays committed to the team and program the more opportunities, connections, and aid they receive for education, work, and housing.
Back on My Feet, founded by Anne Mahlum in Philadelphia in 2007, is a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.
They do not provide food or shelter, but instead provide a community that embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership. The organization consists of much more than just running: their members participate in a comprehensive program that offers connections to job training, employment and housing. Those benefits are earned by maintaining 90 percent attendance at the morning runs three days a week for our six to nine month program.
BOMF have chapters in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Boston and Chicago. On February 14th BOMF will launch in Dallas-Fort Worth, followed by Indianapolis on March 8th.
Amount Donated: $5
To support Back on My Feet, please visit: http://www.backonmyfeet.org
Day 206: Chicago Rarities Orchard Project
I went to get some lunch today at Uncommon Ground in Chicago, a great green restaurant in Chicago. They used to sell a Tree-Tini, where portion of the cocktail went to planting 10,000 trees in India. They have now turned their mission towards the Chicago Rarities Orchard Project, and introduced a new cocktail, AGRIPOLITAN, where .50 cents from each drink sold will go towards planting fruit trees in Chicago.
Chicago Rarities Orchard Project is a brand new organization founded to establish “community rare-fruit orchards” in Chicago. These orchards, designed for reclaimed urban spaces, are dedicated to preserving a few of the thousands of varieties of tree fruit that aren’t commonly grown by commercial producers.
Fruit produced from our orchards will, in part, be used to fund the project and also be distributed throughout the community. Additionally, using empty lots for orchards provides democratic improvements to Chicago, such as creating beautiful open spaces for our neighbors and educational opportunities for our children.
They are currently working with NeighborSpace, a non-profit organization that connects gardeners with land in Chicago, to find a site for our first orchard. Once tey have land, it will still be many years before they expect any significant harvest. For this reason, they seek to establish an organization and community partnerships that will be sustainable for many years.
Amount Donated: $5
To support Chicago Rarities Orchard Project, please visit: http://chicagorarities.org
Day 96: The VERA Project
Music has always played an important role in my life, from listening to creation to working within the industry on the business side. I believe the music is not only a creative outlet, but can be an empowering tool to youth development. Naturally, I am drawn to organizations who are giving young people the chance to lead a community and provide music education. The programs that The Vera Project provides is a wonderful asset to the Seattle music scene, so I am showing them my support.
Vera is an all-ages volunteer fueled music and arts venue. By engaging participants at all levels of music production and community organizing, Vera strives to fulfill its mission to foster a participatory creative culture through popular music concerts, arts programs, experiential learning and volunteer opportunities for all ages, especially young people. Vera’s programs are always all ages, with a focus on young people ages 14 to 24. Most Vera programs are at the Seattle Center venue, and include:
- Popular music concerts
- Audio engineering training
- Youth-driven governance
- Visual art exhibits
- Live and studio recording
- Leadership training
- Silkscreen printing/classes
- Event production training
- Internships
These activities are initiated and driven collaboratively by Vera’s volunteers, staff, Board of Directors and youth-led Membership. Weekly concerts promote artistic experimentation and excellence in a professional setting, leveraging industry-standard technology to showcase music and arts. Classes fuse with experiential learning opportunities and a volunteer-driven structure that engages young people in the arts, fosters inter-generational communication and gives constituents the skills necessary to pursue their creative and professional passions. The skills participants gain at Vera activate future creativity, careers and leadership within Vera and in the greater creative community. Vera engages thousands in the arts, develops the future of the music industry and supports a vibrant Seattle culture.
Seattle has a thriving music and arts industry – the music industry alone accounts for over 2,600 businesses, $1.2 billion in sales and $487 million in earnings – and Vera is hard at work developing the young sound engineers, recording technicians, event managers, poster artists and arts patrons that will keep Seattle’s culture going strong for generations to come.
Vera, in both principle and practice, fundamentally believes people have the ability and right to participate in and shape their culture, regardless of age.Vera is driven and governed by young people. Over 50 Members of Vera’s youth-led governance and hundreds of volunteers keep Vera’s concerts, art shows, classes and events going. At Vera young people work collaboratively with adults on everything from setting programming goals to fundraising to electing Board members.
Amount Donated: $5
To support The VERA Project, please visit: http://theveraproject.org
Day 44: Democracia Ahora
All voices must be heard and when laws are passed that encourage racial profiling and discrimination, it’s vital that we speak up to protect human rights. This includes peaceful rallies and petitions to overturn unjust laws, such as the recent immigration legislation in Arizona. I admired and respect Democracia Ahora’s mission to mobilize and promote the Hispanic vote and participation in politics, as well as their current drive to repeal the AZ immigration law SB1070. Today I am showing them my support.
Democracia Ahora’s mission is to increase the prominence and participation of Hispanics in every aspect of the political process. D-Ahora is committed to a grassroots approach which involves staying engaged year round in the communities we serve. With a staff of more than 40, a burgeoning Leadership Academy Alumni, and a growing list of volunteers and supporters, D-Ahora sustains operations in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Texas, with an executive office in Washington, DC.
D-Ahora is committed to advancing federal and state legislation vital to Hispanic communities. Democracia Ahora’s work on legislative issues is grounded in our commitment to the basic principles of equality under the law and opportunity for all. D-Ahora seeks to educate, empower and engage established and new citizen advocates on the issues that matter to their families, their communities, and their country.
Amount Donated: $5
To support Democracia Ahora, please visit: http://democracia-ahora.org
Also, sign their declaration challenging SB1070 and receive a “Ask Me For My Papers” support wristband: http://democracia-ahora.org/free_wristband_copy
“Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists”. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Day 37: Gilda’s Club
For people living with cancer, it is truly beneficial to have a warm and welcoming community to learn, express, and share to maintain their well-being and find the necessary support and Gilda’s Club is dedicated to creating and providing these services free of charge. I was reminded of Gilda’s Club by a fellow Cherrywood cast member and decided to support them today.
The Gilda’s Club mission is to create welcoming communities of free support for everyone living with cancer - men, women, teens and children - along with their families and friends. Their innovative program is an essential complement to medical care, providing networking and support groups, workshops, education and social activities.
The Gilda’s Club philosophy of providing an emotional and social support community as an essential complement to medical treatment when cancer is in the family enables the organization to serve as a beacon for the provision of health care services in the 21st Century. 
It is the vision of Gilda’s Club Worldwide to become the international leader for strengthening the global awareness of this philosophy, and to advance an understanding of the essential bond that emotional and social support brings to the cancer experience, not only for those living with cancer, but also for the families and friends who surround them.
Amount Donated: $10
To support Gilda’s Club, please visit: http://www.gildasclub.org/contact.asp
$8,741
$56,159*
