THE LAST ONE: Indonesian Parrot Project

THE END OF THE YEAR OF GIVING!!!

We provide alternate means of sustainable income to villagers in parrot-rich areas of Indonesia, who in turn will protect the birds from trapping. Such alternatives collecting nuts of the kenari tree and organizing eco-tours to our major sites of work (Seram Island and the Raja Ampat Islands off West Papua), which in turn will bring income to ex-trappers who now act as bird guides and porters.

Direct provision of needed improvements to selected villages—such as improvements in schools, medical care, sanitation, and capital improvements.

Projects to improve local pride of the villagers in "their" rare and beautiful avifauna.

Funding of villagers to gather for us much-needed information on the ecology of selected birds.

Funding of selected scientific studies, such as census or breeding analyses, resulting in published scientific data useful to help conserve these birds in the wild.

Provision of educational unpublished information to members in order both to disseminate knowledge about the critical state of their populations, as well as to stimulate funding of our projects. Some will be in written articles; some via our web-site; some via public talks.

Click on the image above to go to their website.

Zoo Conservation Outreach Group

Founded in 1988, Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit coalition of zoos, aquariums, and related partners dedicated to promoting wildlife and habitat conservation throughout the Americas. The group accomplishes its core mission by developing conservation leadership capacity in Latin American zoological institutions and providing direct technical, material, and financial support to collaborative, zoo and aquarium-based conservation programs. The former is achieved by providing access to information and training opportunities through a well-coordinated Conservation Training Scholarship Program, while the latter is accomplished by pooling technical, material, and financial support from North American partners and delivering these resources to our counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean Basin.

Macaw Rescue Foundation

The Macaw Rescue Foundation (MRF)

Scarlet Macaw Rescue, Inc. reaches out to save the lives of threatened by abandonment or seizure and not having a permanent home. You can help bring hope to these magnificent, protected species for a lifetime of better care or provide solutions to owners of these creatures in times of crisis or disaster that threatens their ability to care for their pets. Many Macaw species are endangered in the wild and in the years to come some species will only be found in captivity.
            Macaw Rescue, Inc. is located in Palm City, Florida on a 5 acre ranchette called Yardley Farms . Palm City is on Florida's east coast about halfway between Orlando and Miami.
            The organization is governed by a Board of Directors elected from the membership with voting rights. The day to day operation is overseen by an Executive Director along with a staff of care givers and maintenance personnel.
            The membership is comprised of various levels of voting and non-voting members. Funds to support operations are derived exclusively from donations.  Macaw Rescue Inc. is registered as a non-profit entity under IRS Section 501(C)3 Public Charity Rules. It also enjoys Florida State Tax Exemption privileges and is licensed by the State of Florida to undertake Fund Raising activities. The Facility also maintains a current License to possess CLASS III Wildlife for Exhibition or Public Sale issued by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

UC Davis Honeybee Research Fund

Honeybees are in trouble and need your help. One third of our diet depends on honeybee pollination. Gifts to the UC Davis Honeybee Research Fund support research, education and outreach efforts in the areas of honeybee biology, health and pollination services.

HarpSeals.org

Harpseals.org seeks to bring about a permanent end to the massacres of harp seals in Canada . We are utilizing mass media and grassroots activism to raise awareness about the continued killing of the seals in Canada and are promoting a boycott of Canadian seafood to pressure the sealers (who are fishermen) to call for an end to the killing. Harpseals.org is focusing on the power that Americans have to stop this slaughter because Americans buy about 70% of Canadian seafood exports. Harpseals.org is working to spread the message about the Canadian seafood boycott through mass media advertising, such as billboards, radio and television commercials, and print ads and through grassroots outreach, including leafletting, tabling, speaking engagements, and demonstrations. We also seek to educate the public and raise funds through special events that generate media attention. We welcome volunteers of all ages with all kinds of skills and interests and creative ideas.

Quilts for Kids

MISSION STATEMENT:
Transforming fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse.

A Letter from the Founder
It seems like only yesterday that I discovered a wealth of discontinued fabric samples being thrown away. In those days it never occurred to me that we’d be an international organization today. I was only looking to save some fabric samples from a landfill. I was assured by all my friends and family that this was a dumb idea and no one would make quilts for some stranger’s child…and do it for free! Well, 14 years later you have managed to prove these nay-sayers wrong, for you have given from your hearts and helped to turn tears into smiles for tens of thousands of children that you never even knew existed. Our goal continues to be donating 30,000 yearly.

American Forests

American Forests, the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the country, advocates for the protection and expansion of America’s forests. Since 1990, we have planted more than 45 million trees. We restore watersheds to help provide clean drinking water. We replant forests destroyed by human action and by natural disasters.

Our work is guided by science: choosing the right mix of trees for particular locations, the best trees to act as windbreaks or to filter water, the trees that will provide wildlife habitat, or are most suitable for city streets and parks.

Our advocacy is also guided by science: keeping policymakers informed about how trees interact with climate, sequester carbon, manage water, and benefit cities. We explain that ecological services from trees and forests have real economic value. We work in and advocate for federal, state, and urban forests, and sometimes our work takes us beyond US borders.

Guardian Angels for Soldiers Pets

Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet incorporated in the state of Arkansas on 28 January, 2005 after founders Linda Spurlin-Dominik and Carol Olmedo learned that military service members across the country had pets that needed a caring and safe home to care for them during the pet owner’s deployment or an unforeseen hardship situation, but had not been able to find someone to care for them. This left the deploying heroes or veterans with only one option, which was to legally surrender their pets and pet ownership rights to an animal shelter or rescue group never to see their pets again, know if they got a new good home, or ended up being euthanized.

We are not an animal shelter or rescue organization involved with re-homing of pets owned by the military community or a resource to assist shelters/rescues with re-homing situations involving military owned pets that have been legally surrendered to a specific shelter/rescue.

Americas Wetland Foundation

The America's WETLAND Foundation (AWF) established in Louisiana, and working throughout the Gulf region, was founded in 2002 in response to a comprehensive coastal study calling on the need to alert the nation to the devastating loss of Louisiana's coastal wetlands and how their loss impacts the rest of the nation.

As a balanced forum for problem-solving and sharing of best practices for environmental and economic interests, the Foundation's goal has been to transcend historic and parochial differences for the higher good of saving national environmental and economic assets that support a broad U.S. economy and provides for domestic energy security.

AWF serves successfully as a neutral arbiter, bringing diverse interests to the table to seek and establish solutions for ensuring the sustainability of the Gulf coast yielding critical environmental and economic benefits for the nation, particularly the 31 states of the Mississippi watershed.

Bayou Rebirth

Bayou Rebirth Mission: In an effort to increase public awareness of coastal land loss and the need for urban resilience to climate change impacts, Bayou Rebirth seeks to bring together, educate, and empower residents of and visitors to South Louisiana through hands-on wetlands restoration and stewardship projects. - See more at: http://www.bayourebirth.org/about-us/mission/#sthash.Ar6D3CKr.dpuf

Surfrider

Thirty years ago a group of surfers from Malibu, California, were concerned about the health risks associated with environmental threats posed by escalating coastal development at their favorite surf spot. They took action. Not even they could have envisioned the history they were making when they succeeded in protecting their beloved surf spot.

Since our inception in 1984, the Surfrider Foundation has evolved into one of the largest non-profit grassroots organizations with a volunteer-activist network dedicated to its mission to protect and enjoy our oceans, waves and beaches.

Today, we are measurably stronger, with more force and movement than ever before. We have 84 chapters, plus 30 high school and college clubs, and more than 250,000 supporters, volunteers and activists around the country. We are working on about 100 different campaigns in four areas: beach access, water quality, coastal preservation (coastal development) and protection. Armed with a model to defend the coast, we have achieved a record of 286 victories (and counting) since 2006.

With times of uncertainty, it hasn’t been easy. There’s still a lot of work to be done. Our work is critical. And, our long-term success and growth is a tribute to our founders’ vision: that taking on an environmental battle may not be easy, but with constant pressure, endlessly applied, it can, and will, be won.

The Elephant Sanctuary

Our Mission

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, founded in 1995, is the nation's largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for endangered African and Asian elephants. The Sanctuary operates on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee — 85 miles southwest of Nashville.

The Elephant Sanctuary exists for two reasons:

To provide a haven for old, sick or needy elephants in a setting of green pastures,
dense forests, spring-fed ponds and heated barns for cold winter nights.
To provide education about the crisis facing these social, sensitive, passionately intense,
playful, complex, exceedingly intelligent and endangered creatures.
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.

Whaleman Foundation

The Whaleman Foundation is a public IRS 501 (c) (3) non-profit research, education, conservation, and wildlife film production organization dedicated to preserving and protecting our ocean world. Whaleman’s primary mission is to educate key decision makers, while raising public awareness, on the issues that affect cetaceans (dolphins, whales & porpoises) and their critical habitats through our films, research, campaigns, and media outreach.

VH1 Save the Music

The benefits of music education are astounding, and studies have consistently exposed the tremendously positive effect music education has on a child’s academic performance, sense of community, self­-expression and self­-esteem.

But as schools across the nation increasingly face budget cuts and pressures, music is often one of the first subject areas to be cut.

At VH1 Save The Music Foundation, we develop strategic partnerships with school districts to build sustainable instrumental music programs by providing grants of brand­-new musical instruments to public elementary and middle schools.

Our goal? To give every child in this country access to a musical instrument. Find out how you can help!

Friends of National Zoo: Red Panda Retreat

At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, we strive to further scientific research to benefit species in the wild and provide the best quality of life for the animals in our care. But we can’t do it without you!

As a result, we have an urgent need to raise $150,000 to create a comfortable, temperature-controlled indoor retreat complete with branches for climbing and multi-level platforms for playing and sleeping for our red pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Your gift will help build this much needed facility for red pandas on Asia Trail. The success of this project will allow keeper staff to better manage the red pandas in our care so that we can continue our important conservation research. Will you join our efforts to save species and improve your Zoo by giving to the Red Panda Retreat Annual Appeal?

WeForest.org

Trees absorb carbon and make clouds. They also help restore ecosystems by reducing erosion, balancing the watercycle and stopping desertification. 90 % of known terrestrial species live in forests, making them the most important repository of terrestrial biodiversity. Besides this, collecting seeds, growing seedlings in nurseries, transplanting and caring for the trees create jobs and empower women out of poverty, enabling them to send their children to school.

Saving Species.org

SavingSpecies is a unique conservation organization, because of the way that we use science to drive our conservation decisions. We maximize our efforts by restoring forest connectivity, increasing species’ chances for survival and thriving. This focus keeps down costs while being extraordinarily effective for many species across the globe.
There are five steps in our model:

We use GIS and species mapping technology to identify the hottest of biodiversity hospots.
We search specifically for areas where we can reconnect forest fragments, creating wildlife corridors to increase habitat for the most rare and endangered species.
We research local organizations who know the country well and are able to negotiate land sales on our behalf.
We raise money from donors and grants to fund the land sales on behalf of the in-country organizations and to provide restoration measures.
We provide technical assistance and monitoring to measure how quickly the forest is recovering and to assure our donors that their funds are helping to save species–which can even be seen on Google Earth.
As you will see from our Golden Lion Tamarin Project in Brazil, we helped a Brazilian group to buy Brazilian land. The land was then turned over to Brazil’s national park service, to be protected in perpetuity. We also raised money to help save the bamboo lemur in Madagascar and hummingbirds and orchids in Colombia.

SavingSpecies also evaluates how much carbon dioxide will be “soaked up” by the land we help to purchase and restored. By supporting SavingSpecies our donors help us plant trees that take carbon dioxide out of the air, helping donors to be carbon neutral.

SavingSpecies provides the scientific information for donors know exactly who does what, where, and why it is important to do so. SavingSpecies solicits proposals globally that identify specific direct conservation actions with a high potential to directly prevent extinctions.

SavingSpecies monitors progress and shows donors the places we work using Google Earth. Then, we continue to show donors how the purchased lands recover, regrowing forests.

Paws for Purple Hearts

Paws for Purple Hearts (PPH) is the first program of its kind to offer therapeutic intervention for Veterans and active-duty military personnel by teaching those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to train service dogs for their comrades with combat-related injuries. PPH is built upon the trusted and time-honored tradition of Veterans helping Veterans.

Founded in 2008 as a program of Bergin University of Canine Studies, the pilot PPH program at VA Palo Alto Health Care System, California, continues serving Veterans today. PPH initiated and trained staff to operate canine therapeutic programs at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Maryland), the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (Maryland), and Fort Belvoir (Virginia). These programs have changed the lives of many Veterans struggling with PTSD. The PPH program has been requested at several other sites.

Marriage Equality USA

Founded in 1996, Marriage Equality USA (MEUSA) is the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to building equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community through civil marriage equality in every state and at the federal level. With over 40,000 members as well as volunteer leaders and partner organizations in all 50 states, it is the largest volunteer-driven, grassroots organization of its kind engaged in education, training, organizing, action, and coalition building to win equal marriage rights and protections for LGBTQ couples and their families. MEUSA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Freedom to Marry

Freedom to Marry is the campaign to win marriage nationwide.

Working Freedom to Marry’s Roadmap to Victory national strategy, our movement has built a critical mass of states and a critical mass of public support to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to bring the country to national resolution – as soon as next year. Freedom to Marry partners with individuals and organizations across the country to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage and the protections, responsibilities, and commitment that marriage brings.

Homeless Garden Project

The Homeless Garden Project provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people who are homeless. HGP's vibrant education and volunteer program for the broad community blends formal, experiential and service-learning. The programs take place in our 3-acre organic farm and related enterprises.

We value:

The capacity of every individual for growth and renewal.
The joy that comes from growing and sharing healthy food.
The well-being created by vibrant social and natural ecosystems.

Trainees in the program:

Take advantage of transitional employment in the safety of a structured environment
Learn basic life skills required for employment
Learn a variety of other marketable skills
Share four hot meals a week with staff, other trainees and volunteers
Give to the community by growing food for other programs that serve homeless and needy populations
Grow organic fruit, vegetables and flowers for the SC community through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program
Educate students and other groups who use the garden
Create value-added products from farm grown materials which are sold at the Women's Organic Flower Enterprise Store

The minimum donation for Homeless Garden Project is $10. I won't be blogging on December 11.

PLDGIT.com

HELP THE BENGALS SACK PEDIATRIC CANCER
Pledge to donate per sack this season!

Three months ago I found out my daughter has neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer. Kids always look up to their parents, but in just a matter of a week that all reversed for me. I can honestly say I truly look up to my daughter now. In the four years of life she has had, she has been through way more than I have in 24. Her courage, strength, and high spirits through it all is nothing short of inspirational.

So I am dedicating my season to her and inspiring others like she has inspired me. Please join our team by pledging to donate for every sack our defense has this season. You'll receive weekly updates with the amount of your donation based on our performance. Proceeds benefit Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and will have all them kids sayin "Who Dey!"

Ozarks Food Harvest

About Ozarks Food Harvest

Ozarks Food Harvest is the Feeding America food bank for southwest Missouri, serving more than 200 hunger-relief organizations across 28 Ozarks counties. The Food Bank reaches nearly 30,000 individuals weekly and distributes more than 15 million pounds of food annually. OFH celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2013 and received its second consecutive Four-Star Charity Navigator rating the same year. The Food Bank has been named the Small Business of the Year by the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nonprofit of the Year by the Springfield Business Journal. Its facility, the O’Reilly Center for Hunger Relief, has also received “superior” AIB International food safety certifications.

Today I made a two day donation of  $10 to Ozarks Food Harvest. I won't be blogging on December 8th.

Kids Making It. ORG

One application, one entry, good forever: When teens first enter KMI, we tell them that we are with them forever.

Kids Making It is a nationally recognized youth entrepreneurship program, teaching woodworking and vocational skills to at-risk youth from age 8 into young adulthood.  Our goal is for our KMI youth to stay out of trouble, stay in school, graduate and go on to the workforce or college, thereby maturing into successful adults.  Through the design/build process, KMI youth learn patience, pride, perseverance, confidence, teamwork and self-esteem, building character and learning the truth of actions and consequences.

Plan International USA

Plan started in 1937, when a journalist and a refugee worker decided they wanted to do more for children affected by the Spanish Civil War. Today, we are working side by side with communities in 50 countries to improve the lives of more than 50 million children.

With the help of our supporters, Plan has grown into one of the oldest, widest-reaching, and most effective international development organizations.