Everyone I Ever Was and Everyone I Ever Will Be

ASPCA

From their website:

"The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane society to be established in North America and is, today, one of the largest in the world. Our organization was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a strong local presence, and with programs that extend our anti-cruelty mission across the country, we are recognized as a national animal welfare organization. We are a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, and proud to boast more than 1 million supporters across the country."

UNICEF

From their website:

"We believe that nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF was created with this purpose in mind – to work with others to overcome the obstacles that poverty, violence, disease and discrimination place in a child’s path. We believe that we can, together, advance the cause of humanity.

We advocate for measures to give children the best start in life, because proper care at the youngest age forms the strongest foundation for a person’s future.

Donors Choose

From their website:

"Here's how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit, to violins for a school recital, to microscope slides for a biology class.

Then, you can browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, we deliver the materials to the school.

You'll get photos of your project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. If you give over $100, you'll also receive hand-written thank-you letters from the students.

At DonorsChoose.org, you can give as little as $1 and get the same level of choice, transparency, and feedback that is traditionally reserved for someone who gives millions. We call it citizen philanthropy."

In reference to the Day 20 post, the donation website is now up and running for this year!

Otherwise known as my parents' anniversary. 39 years today! :-)

Ian stayed up until midnight night before last. So last night, instead of trying to get a little more sleep, what do I do? Stay up until 2 a.m. mainlining the entire first season of The Walking Dead. I'm so smart.

Day 22's charity is Rescue Ink.

From their website:

"Rebel, originally named "Ribbons" because of his tattered, shredded ears, was found as a stray in Kentucky. The ligature marks on his legs and nose, as well as his severely infected, pus-filled ears, suggested he had been used as a "bait-dog" to train fighting dogs in a suspected dog-fighting ring. Rescue Ink swooped in and, with the aid of Animal Rescue Flights, flew Rebel home and offered him a new lease of life as the official Rescue Ink mascot.

With his scarred face and muscle-bound body, Rebel is a shining example of an animal's ability to forgive and live in the moment. He is a daily reminder of Rescue Ink's mission."

The Brittany Foundation

This one I found out about through fandom-- every year for his birthday, a bunch of Jeffrey Dean Morgan fans do a donation drive for this place. :-)

From their website:

"The Brittany Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, care and placement of homeless dogs.

While in our care, the dogs are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and given a thorough check-up along with any necessary medical attention. Our dogs are also microchipped. If dogs are not adopted, they will live at the sanctuary for their entire life. We run a no-kill facility.

We rescue all dogs, regardless of breed, and we often focus our efforts on the harder-to-place dogs such as seniors, disabled or abused dogs, and "media condemned" breeds such as Pit Bulls, Chow Chows, & Dobies. It's relatively easy to find a home for a cute little Chihuahua, but the gratification for us comes from placing the 6-year-old Pit Bull with one eye, the stray mutt who has never had a home before, or the 12-year-old Doberman with severe separation anxiety (who is now living in a wonderful home of his own). Of late, we are rescuing more puppy mill dogs and victims of foreclosure."

Today's charity is based in Kansas; link sent to me by rosevaughn.

Numana Inc.

From their website:

"Here’s what keeps us up at night:

Enough food is produced in the world for every person to have 4.3 lbs of food every day. But the reality is, hunger and starvation continues to torment children, adults and families. Numana can help you make a difference.

Our mission is to empower people to save the starving by raising awareness, providing actionable solutions and encouraging advocacy.

Through volunteer-driven, hands on meal packaging events, Numana enables others to send meals to countries where intense food insecurity exists."


They are organizing a relief effort for Japan-- if you're in the area, on March 19 there's a food packaging event, or you can donate at the website.

Today's charity is in honor of International Women's Day:

V-Day

"In 1994, a play called The Vagina Monologues, written by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, broke ground, offering to the world a piece of art like nothing it had seen before. Based on dozens of interviews Ensler conducted with women, the play addressed women's sexuality and the social stigma surrounding rape and abuse, creating a new conversation about and with women. The Vagina Monologues ran Off-Broadway for five years in New York and then toured the United States. After every performance, Ensler found women waiting to share their own stories of survival, leading her to see that The Vagina Monologues could be more than a moving work of art on violence; she divined that the performances could be a mechanism for moving people to act to end violence.

On Valentines Day, 1998, Eve, with a group of women in New York City, established V-Day. Set up as a 501(c)(3) and originally staffed by volunteers, the organization's seed money came from a star-studded, sold out benefit performance at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, a show that raised $250,000 in a single evening.

V-Day's mission is simple. It demands that violence against women and girls must end. To do this, once a year, in February, March, and April, Eve allows groups around the world to produce a performance of the play, as well as other works created by V-Day, and use the proceeds for local individual projects and programs that work to end violence against women and girls, often shelters and rape crisis centers. What began as one event in New York City in 1998 today includes over 5,400 V-Day events annually."

Kiva: Loans that Change Lives

From their website:

"Kiva empowers individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe. By combining microfinance with the internet, Kiva is creating a global community of people connected through lending.

Kiva was born of the following beliefs:

* People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.

* The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.

* By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another."

Planned Parenthood

From their website:

"The heart of Planned Parenthood is in the local community. Our 85 unique, locally governed affiliates nationwide operate more than 820 health centers, which reflect the diverse needs of their communities.

These health centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care — and more than 90 percent is preventive, primary care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers. Caring physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to talk with clients, encouraging them to ask questions in an environment that millions have grown to trust."