New Project

I have decided to "put my money where my mouth is" and actively start supporting help for issues about which I care. I will pick one charity and work towards helping it--donating where I can, telling others about the issue and charity, posting about it here, etc.--for the duration of the year. If it goes well, I will pick a new one. I know I will not make a huge diffrence, but as Mother Theresa once said, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." I support too many issues to pick a specific charity, so I will post information about, and links to, several here. Please comment and le tme know which one to pick for my project this year! I really, really want thi sto be the result of a majority vote: reflecting not just my passions, but the passions of my readers as well.

International Justice (www.ijm.org) is actively working to end the modern slave trade in all its forms. Once victims are successfully brough tto freedom, IJ works to see that they get the legal compensation to which they are entitled, as well as the means to start over again, support themselves, and live successful lives.

Equality for Adopted Children (www.equalityforadoptedchildren.org) is working to secure equal rights for children adopted by, and those born to, US citizens. Did oyu know that a child born outside the US cannot run for president? That an HIV+ child adopted by US citizens must have a special waiver to enter the country (which often adds extra weeks or months to the adoption process), while an HIV+ child born to US citizens residing outside the country does not? These are just a few of the laws EACH is working to change.

The National Marrow Donor Program (www.marrow.org) matches blood and bone marrow donors from their database to patients with life-threatening illnesses who must receive a transplant and/or transfusion in order to live. Donations fund transplant costs and research.

Heifer International (www.heifer.org) donates farm animals to needy families world-wide. These animals produce milk, eggs, wool, etc. for the family to use and/or sell, allowing them to become self-sufficient and even send their children to school! You choose the animal; Heifer chooses the country. (The cheapest is a flock of chicks, ducks, or geese for twenty dollars; most expensive is a heifer for five hundred dollars; you can also donate large things such as livestock development for ten thousand dollars, or invest in chares thereof.)

PLease take the time to comment and tell me which charity to fight for this year!