Making the world a better place to live

Babies Babies Babies

2008-04-18T23:15:42Z

I've been doing this for three years running and I'm trying to harass more people than usual.

One week until I do March for Babies! Last year I raised over $300 which was five times over my goal. You can keep donating after I've reached my goal, so if anyone out there has a dollar (or ten!) help me make a difference for some unborn babies.

(mods, if this isn't cool then let me know and I'll delete it)

x-posted at charity365.

Hello

2007-10-03T16:50:37Z

I don't think this is against any of the rules, but if it is, I sincerely apologize.

My name is Erin and I'm a 29 year old woman suffering from two painful and at times, life-threatening neurological disorders. I am currently ineligible for receive Medicaid benefits in my state because I'm not pregnant and have no children. I have applied for SSI/SSDI, but was denied. I am in the appeals process with an attorney who seems confident the initial decision will get over-turned, he just doesn't know how long it's going to take.

I will need to have a total of 2-4 surgeries to correct my disorders and my neurosurgeon has advised the first one needs to happen as soon as possible. However, because my life isn't in danger at this exact moment in time, they will not do the surgery without a deposit, ranging from 1500-5000 US dollars. I spent a lot of time thinking how to address this issue, because my family doesn't have the resources to help me out. My best friend has promised to find the money one way or another, but I have a really hard time accepting charity.

I've started this kind of crazy idea, called Project Download. There's a community for it, with the incredibly unoriginal name of projectdownload. There are several posts there, giving information about my conditions, why I've started this project and most importantly, an entry where multiple people have commented to assure the masses this isn't a scam or an attempt to infect everyone's computer with a virus.

Being part of Project Download quite literally only involves one or two minutes of your day. I'm asking you to at least come check the community out, read through the posts, get an idea of who I am and what I'm doing. There are links available to prove this is all very real and very serious.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and if you choose to, for deciding to become part of Project Download

Warm wishes to you all,
Erin

Nepal Appeal

2007-08-18T11:30:02Z

Hi,

I'm new to this community and I hope you will all forgive my first post being a blatant begging letter. I am a 28 year old police officer from the UK, in October this year I will be fulfilling one of my lifetime ambitions and visiting Nepal. Since researching for my trip over the past 2 years I've developed a contact with an ex-pupil of a school in a small village in the Gorkha district called Deurali. As a concequence I will be spending 2 weeks of my trip teaching English to the children at this school. I'd like to tell you a little more about it.... Gorkha is in a very remote area in the central northern area of Nepal up in the mountains, it is accessable from Kathmandu by a 9 hour bus journey and 3 hour hike.

I will be working in a small school called Shree Shaila Putri Secondary School helping to teach the children at the school some English and also a little about life in the UK and the world outside of Nepal.

~~~MORNING ASSEMBLY AT SHREE SHAILA PUTRI SCHOOL~~~

Nepal is rated the 48th poorest country in the world and the poorest within Asia. It's annual economic growth rate is less than 2 percent and the rich/poor divide is such that 10% of the population takes 50% of the wealth. Half the population of Nepal live below the poverty line, and about one third of the population lives without clean water. These are people who do not have access to basic needs such as food, health and education. Half the children are malnourished and under weight. Half the people are jobless in Nepal. Average income of Nepal is less than £100 a year. Only about 15% of the Nepalese have access to health services. Most of the poor people live in rural areas yet still a huge percentage of poor people struggle in cities trying to make ends meet. About 80% of Nepalese are farmers.

The Nepalese Civil War was a conflict between government forces and Maoist rebels in Nepal which lasted from 1996 until 2006. The country still suffers some attacks by Maoist rebels today although it's now officially safe to travel there. The war has left many of the villages empty except for the old and sick as the young people left to fight or were killed. Kids spend most of their daily life doing house-hold works with no chances of many of the things we take for granted like an education and a career.

~~~STAFF AT SHREE SHAILA SCHOOL~~~

I hope that in my small way I can make a difference to their lives which is why I am asking for your help. I am trying to raise funds for the school and the village for simple things that will make a big difference to the lives of the people who live there, including books and stationary as well as funds towards improving the water supply, school buildings or further education for the children. It costs approximately £125 per to send a student to university in Kathmandu, I would love to be able to help the dreams of some of these kids become reality. Below are letters from two of the students at the school (with the help of the teachers) explaining about their life in Nepal and the problems they face day to day, I found them quite a sobering read.

As opposed to donating to "official" companies where much of the money raised will go towards staff wages or other non-related expenses I am planning on taking any money I raise directly to the source, the people. If you would like to help you can either contact me via email on one_gothic_angel @ yahoo . com (split for anti-spam purposes) or send funds directly via paypal at the same address. If you would like any more information or feel you can help in any other way please feel free to contact me. I would very much appreciate it if you could forward this appeal on to anyone else you feel may be interested or able to help. I look forward to returning with stories and photos to show you all.

~~~LETTER FROM SHREE SHAILA SCHOOL HEAD MISTRESS~~~

~~~LETTER FROM USHA DHAKAL, STUDENT~~~

~~~LETTER FROM GIHAN PRASAD, STUDENT~~~

thinking ahead

2007-01-22T17:21:31Z

i haven't been to this lj in awhile, but I noticed no one else has posted much either... just wanted to share that it has motivated me to keep with my yearly tradition of making random valentine's day cards and putting them in random places all over town. I've done it for the past four years, but last year, I skipped because I was having health issues. This year I shall prevail and make some snazzy cards and share some love... and from the looks of this world, it sure could use it.

a_better_place @ 2006-12-10T11:42:00

2006-12-10T00:42:17Z

be an ambassador for kindness.
perform one act of kindness per day in 2007.
yearofkindness

[please advise me if community promos are not allowed here]

Calling all college students!

2006-08-09T17:28:48Z

Did you know that 89 million Americans volunteer?

Better yet, did you know that 46% of 18-24 year olds volunteer 3 or 4 hours a week?

It's true! This shows a dedication to volunteerism and political action beyond what students are generally known for.

This age group is the incoming generation of voters, policy makers and future leaders of America, and absolutely vital to the continuing success of volunteer service in their communities.

S.A.V.E. (Support American Volunteer Efforts) currently has a bill before Congress that if passed would grant up to $2,000 in a tax rebate to people who volunteer for nonprofit organizations.

The only way to pass this bill is to let Congress know that Americans support it!

Go to the S.A.V.E. website and vote for the S.A.V.E. bill! You could win a case of Annie's Macaroni and Cheese and also help make the S.A.V.E. bill a reality.

Want this badge?

Win a case of Annies Mac and Cheese!

2006-08-02T17:36:43Z

Win a case of Annie’s Mac and Cheese

The person or organization that sends the most voters to S.A.V.E. each week wins a free case of Annies Macaroni and Cheese!

Andrew Martin, founding chairman and former president and CEO of Annies Macaroni and Cheese, is the author of the S.A.V.E. bill. This is his way of thanking you for supporting S.A.V.E!

Send your family and friends to vote at the S.A.V.E. website now!

Want this badge?

S.A.V.E

2006-07-12T20:17:32Z

S.A.V.E (Support American Volunteer Efforts) is a nonprofit organization campaigning to pass bill HR4387, which is currently under review in the Ways & Means Committee of Congress.

If the bill were to be passed it would offer up to $2,000 per year in a tax rebate to every volunteer.

Volunteers are two a half times more likely to donate back to non-profits where they volunteer, and their communities. Rather than giving tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% of society this would help to put money back where it is sorely needed.

SAVE is a grass-roots organization. Our office has a staff of three full time employees and several volunteers. We're in the midst of a nation wide press release, selling the idea of SAVE to the media, non-profit and volunteer agencies around the country.

The only way to pass this bill is to let congress know that Americans support it! The easiest way to do this is to vote for SAVE at our website.

Please check out our website: SAVE - Support American Volunteer Efforts

Want this badge?

Online ideas

2006-06-16T05:53:54Z

http://www.thehungersite.com - link to a whole family of advertiser-supported charity sites.

http://www.goodsearch.com - search engine powered by Yahoo that donates money to charity with each search.

http://www.angelsforhope.com - site where you can order a free crocheted angel or butterfly to be sent to someone you know who's sick or injured or otherwise needs support.

a_better_place @ 2006-05-10T17:04:00

2006-05-10T22:03:58Z

Every year, the Social Responsibilities Special Interest Section of the American Association of Law Libraries sponsors a children's book drive to benefit a school or schools in the city in which the AALL conference is being held.

The Wellston School District was established in 1894 and currently educates 600 students in four facilities, including Central Elementary School. Wellston, like many small inner suburbs, was plunged into economic depression and social chaos after the losses of population and declining home values of the post‑World War II era. Test scores had declined to such an extent by the 1990s that the State of Missouri was forced to deny accreditation and take over the school district. The district has ben consolidated and reorganized, with Central Elementary now serving grade levels 1 through 4. Central has slightly less than 200 students and has begun rebuilding the library collection.

Vashon High School is one of a number of schools in the St. Louis City school district that has suffered a plague of financial, political, and severe discipline issues. In January 2006, as part of an effort to create smaller student communities, the superintendent removed the current 9th grade class to a vacant middle school facility in the downtown area, now known as the Vashon Williams Ninth Grade Academy. The academy’s library is in the process of building a library collection to support the students and curriculum. They are in need of all appropriate materials for 14 - 16 year old students. The small amount of funding provided by the school district has allowed the library to purchase only a few reference titles and some fiction items. Currently they have a total of 594 titles (and 653 copies) in their collection. According to the state, the library should have 350 reference titles, 3080 nonfiction titles, and 1530 fiction titles in order to meet minimum standards.

It is easier than ever to donate books to this program. You can go to Amazon.com to choose from the Book Drive Wish Lists (search for "AALL"). A book list for the Wellston students is listed at the "2006 Elementary School List", and Vashon’s list of requested titles can be found on the "2006 9th Grade List". Your donation will be shipped directly to the Book Drive Team. Other options include bringing a donation with you to the conference and donating in person, or sending your donation check made out to AALL to:

Show Me the Books
c/o Ann Puckett
University of Georgia
Alexander Campbell King Law Library
Herty Drive
Athens, GA 30602-6018

Please help out with this initiative if you can. I know for a fact that every book and every penny donated goes to the libraries.

(crossposted)

Call-in day for Darfur

2006-01-19T00:35:56Z

This national call-in day is a part of an escalation campaign that is building citizen pressure to push the Bush Administration to use this window of opportunity to take the action necessary to stop genocide. We will issue a new alert each week in January and early February with ways to get involved. Mark your calendars for our next call-in day to the United Nations on February 1st and the rally in Washington, DC on February 2nd.

-AfricaAction

Take 2 minutes to help stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan!!!!!

In February, the U.S. will become the President of the UN Security Council for one month, creating the perfect opportunity to push the international community to intervene to stop the genocide in Darfur. Please take a moment on January 18th to call the White House (the comment line is 202-456-1111 and the switchboard line is 202-456-1414) and State Department (202) 647-4000 to urge the introduction of a resolution that would give the African Union mission in Sudan a stronger mandate and provide for UN peacekeeping forces to be deployed to Darfur. They won't take action unless they know they have US citizen's support! You may choose to use the following phone script.

Hello. My name is __________ from ____________ calling in regards to the genocide in Darfur. I commend the administration's declaration that the crisis in Darfur, Sudan is indeed genocide and am calling because genocide is such a severe crime that it can not be allowed to continue. Due to the deteriorating situation in Darfur the international community needs to strengthen their efforts to stop the violence. When the U.S. becomes president of the UN Security Council in February, it should introduce a resolution to strengthen the mandate of the African Union Mission in Sudan. The U.S. should also use its role as a leader of the Security Council to propose sending a UN peacekeeping mission to Darfur to support the AU Mission in Sudan. Thank you very much for your time.

Aid Slow in Reaching Sudanese Refugees

2006-01-03T06:46:43Z

I encourage whoever reads this to email or write the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on behalf of people in Sudan - a lot of times bureaucracies are pushed into faster action if they feel that people are paying attention.

Their address is:

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Case Postale 2500
CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt
Suisse.

They're emailable by using this simple form: http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/contact?hq=y

Hundreds of Sudanese have been released from police detention camps onto the streets of this city with no money, no place to live - and in many cases, no shoes - three days after riot police attacked a squatter camp set up as a protest to press the United Nations to relocate the migrants to another country.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/02/international/africa/02cnd-egypt.html?ex=1293858000&en=d2bf888b6a01f940&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

Pakistan earthquake relief

2005-11-13T11:01:11Z

I'm now involved with a charitable Wiki (an open-source online website set up for anyone to edit, designed to be democratic and updated regularly by eyewitnesses and local experts on changing conditions - like the Wikipedia online encyclopedia). This is for the survivors of the recent earthquake in Pakistan, to help coordinate volunteers and donations of shipments of survival supplies. (http://www.helppakistan.net). So far I've written a press release and some Craigslist/blogger's postings to draw awareness to the cause.

The earthquake has killed at least 73,000 people so far and left at least THREE MILLION homeless and at risk of starvation and death by disease in the frigid Himalayan winter.

So guys, click on http://www.helppakistan.net - they're looking for foreign and remote volunteers too, who can help with databases and phone calls and stuff. What they really need is someone who knows how to do web design/Wikipedia stuff who can make their site more readable and organized, and can proofread all the broken English - although it's generally understandable, I give them credit for that.

a_better_place @ 2005-11-01T01:58:00

2005-11-01T10:57:09Z

Here are some ways people can help the world right from their computers, for free:

http://www.thehungersite.com - link to a whole family of sites that give money to world hunger, breast cancer, literacy for children, etc each time someone clicks. Paid for by advertisers and no need to enter any of your info.

http://www.amnestyusa.org - info about world human rights issues, for the ones you feel informed about, there are links to email world leaders.

http://www.craigslist.org - send an encouraging email to the many people who post because they are lonely, depressed, etc.

http://www.freebatteredwomen.org - site with info about women incarcerated for defending themselves against violent batterers, or for crimes related to survival while escaping abuse. You can either go into Survivors Speak for snail mail addresses of the ladies (they welcome encouraging cards and pen pals), or just write an email to the governor on behalf of incarcerated battered women in general using the statistics on this site.

http://www.mercycorps.org - global relief and development organization, consistently rated near the top by Money magazine for distributing 92% of its income to charitable work. Click on the top right link for "Email Updates," and sign up for updates about actions you can take for the world's poor - i.e. contacting senators, spreading awareness, etc.

http://www.studentsforafreetibet.com - link to Students for a Free Tibet, a leading promoter of religious free exercise and human rights in Tibet. Provides many email campaigns.

Address for cards/letters for Katrina victims

2005-09-06T20:36:39Z

For everyone who told me they were interested in sending cards and letters of encouragement to the Hurricane Katrina victims - I have finally been able to locate an address to send them.

This is a church and school in Lafayette, Louisiana that's spearheading a drive for supplies and cash - but also specifically said they would love it if people just sent cards and messages of support (even if that's all they sent), and that they would give them out to people who've been affected. This is a secular, nonpartisan relief effort - the church just volunteered its space to store items and some of its people to process them.

They can be reached at:

Our Lady of Fatima School
2315 Johnston Street
Lafayette, LA 70503
(337) 235-2464

Our Lady of Fatima Church
2319 Johnston Street
Lafayette, LA 70503
(337) 232-8945

This was posted online on a community effort to list websites that would provide help to those in Katrina's wake. http://www.showandsport.com/disaster_relief.htm

Helping Katrina victims for free

2005-09-03T09:55:30Z

I still send my prayers and best wishes to all affected by the hurricane. Here are some easy, free ways to help:

1. My friend jhood is putting together a benefit art show/sale for the victims of Katrina. He lives down there so he knows what's going on. If you'd like to, send him some of your writing/visual art at ihavechapstick@hotmail.com

2. Oxygen.com will donate $1 for every new person who signs up on their webpage (this takes 15 seconds and is spamfree as far as I know). Here's the link: http://speakup.oxygen.com/campaigns/neworleans/impact/4fce139cf4342e1d430c44ed7c406724/

a_better_place @ 2005-08-30T14:47:00

2005-08-30T22:46:36Z

We should send prayers - wishes - thoughts of compassion out to all those affected by Hurricane Katrina here in the southeast U.S. - at least 50 dead and lots of people lost homes.

I wonder if there are any ways to offer practical help if you can't drive there and you don't have money to send either. I'd be happy to send cards to rescue workers and their families or something like that.

a_better_place @ 2005-08-03T17:29:00

2005-08-04T01:28:47Z

China's infant castoffs find home - Yahoo! News

http://news.yahoo.com/s/chitribts/chinasinfantcastoffsfindhome

Elderly man climbs for Mexico's poor

2005-07-30T08:38:25Z

Seventy-eight year old man seeks to climb three mountains - Mount Whitney, Mt. Kilamanjaro, and Mt. Fuji - as well as descend to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in only four weeks. Mr. Carl Haupt is raising money from various donors to help the poor in a certain lower-income area of Mexico, and goes with a team every so often to help with construction there and to deliver supplies - food, medicine, books, etc.

http://www.starfishdifference.org

Introduction and some ideas

2005-07-27T03:54:52Z

Hi everyone, I'm Cristina, and I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, after recently having moved back from Davis (in the Central Valley near Sacramento). I just finished a degree in Comparative Literature (world lit) and am heading towards a journalism career. My dream job would be to travel the world, writing about interesting people I meet and places I see, and call attention to social issues for which I'd like to raise awareness.

Now I'm staying with family in the suburbs until I can find full time work and get back on my feet, and so that I can help my Mom, who has breast cancer, in case she needs it.

Some acts of kindness anyone can do right from their computers:

1. Amnesty International has a petition out now to get Congress to continue funding the Violence Against Women act, which has helped to provide shelter and resources for those leaving abusive relationships. You can sign an email petition for that from their website: www.amnestyusa.org

2. The Hunger Site, www.thehungersite.com (and a whole family of fellow sites for other causes) will donate money for each click to a lot of good causes - feeding the poor, caring for sheltered animals, giving books to kids, etc. Advertisers pay for everything, and they don't even take down your email or anything like that.

3. Write a letter to your local newspaper (or your congressperson, after the next congressional elections) in support of international debt relief. There are some easy fact sheets and info on www.jubileeusa.org

4. Free Battered Women - a San Francisco-based organization working to allow women incarcerated for self-defense kinds of crimes related to domestic abuse they've suffered to get adequate legal representation and new and fair trials. There are plenty of email petitions on their site, too - www.freebatteredwomen.org

5. There are plenty of other environmental and other organizations with email alerts - just search online depending on what causes you support.

Here's a real-life one I've done a few times, got the idea from a florist's promotion:

Go down and buy a dozen roses (if they're just in a bouquet and not a vase, they can be cheap, I got one for just 17.95) and hand them out to whoever in your neighborhood looks like they need one. Perhaps homeless people, tired-looking moms with lots of little kids, the elderly, or even traffic cops who usually just get yelled at.

a_better_place @ 2005-07-09T18:01:00

2005-07-10T00:02:28Z

Hi, i thought some of you in this community might be interested in my new community, wizened wigwam, which is intended as a rallying point for those who would change their own reality to bring about the paradigm shift. The purpose is

~ To disseminate information that is being repressed by those whose interest it serves to do so.

~ As a rallying point for peaceful revolutionaries.

~ As a posting ground for suggestions as to real actions that we can take to bring about change for the better ~ To provide an avenue for unconventional ideas and methodologies for change to be expressed.

~ As a well of links to organisations fighting tyranny and oppression and underground noncorporate news sources.

~ As a common ground for various factions all working towards the same common goal (universal love).

~ As a place to gather support for (advertise) public/group events that.

In it's infancy, anything is a go now.
Please browse the user info to see some links that have already been compiled. As folks post more, i will add pertinent ones to the info page.

Sharing the love of reading...

2005-05-08T23:37:00Z

Hi Everybody!
I just found this awesome site which encourages random acts of kindness and sharing of books. It's called bookcrossing, and I thought maybe some of the people here would appreciate its message. Essentially on the site you can register books and they get a special id number. Then you can give them away any way you please (even by just leaving them in a cafe or on a park bench), and the people who receive them can log on to the website and you can see how the book has traveled and whose lives it's touched. Some books end up in other states or countries. I know it's not some large, world improving thing like trying to cure cancer, but I think it makes the world a little better by encouraging people to share their books and by trying to make the world one big public library. If sharing books and good getting good karma are things you are interested in, then perhaps you should check out this link:
http://www.bookcrossing.com/friend/mepwave

My screenname on bookcrossing is mepwave and I would be glad to answer any questions you have.

Thank you!
~Maeve

global lack to global abundance

2005-03-11T00:28:58Z

I recently read the TIME article excerpt of "THE END OF POVERTY" by Jeffrey D Sachs. The facts I'll take out are these: over 20,000 people die each day because they are poor, which becomes 8 million dead each year; around 3 billion of the human population is poor, with 1.1 billion in extreme poverty; people considered extremely poor by U.N. are on <$1 day income, while moderately poor is considered $1-$2 a day. In Sauri, a group of eight villages in Kenya, $30 for a bundle of 7 sticks for insufficient fuel is too expensive for many villagers. The U.S. will spend $500 billion this year on defense; only $16 billion will go to poverished areas. $16 billion equals to 0.15% of our national income, or $0.15 every $100.

The U.N. Millenium Project goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015 is underway. They have put into motion some innovations which will be well set by 2015 to rid extreme poverty in 2025. Here are the suggestions from the article:

"Boosting Agriculture
fertilizers, cover crops and improved seeds, Sauri's farmers could triple their food yields
Grain could be protected in locally made storage bins using leaves from improved fallos species tephrosia (has insecticide properties).

Improving Basic Health
1 village doctor and nurse for the 5,000 residents would provide free anti-malarial bed nets, effective antimalarial medicines and treatments for HIV/AIDS opportunistic infections

Investing in Education
meals for all children at the primary school to improve child health therefore education quality
vocational training for modern farming, computer literacy, basic infrastructure maintenance and carpentry

Bringing Power
power line or off-grid diesel generator could make electricity available for lights, a school computer, water pumps for safe water, milling grain, refigeration etc.

Providing Clean Water and Sanitation
enough water points and latrines for public safety throughs protected springs, rainwater harvesting and etc.

The irony is that the cost of these servies for Sauri's 5,000 residents would total $70 per person per year, or $350,000 for all of them."

other suggestions:
"U.S. donating 0.7% national income
give IMF and World Bank support in helping all 182 countries
Strengthen U.N.
Promote sustainable development
Harness global science and technology
MAKE A PERSONAL COMMITMENT"

a_better_place @ 2005-03-09T21:20:00

2005-03-09T08:20:04Z

Hi, I just joined :) If you'd like to give some hope to children for the future, please make a contribution...

Help feed families, provide children with education, and free children from years of bonded and/or slave labour.

I'm doing the 40 hour techno famine to raise money for this great cause, organised by World Vision. This means I go without using technology, such as computers, cellphones, telephones, microwaves, TVs, stereo, car, etc for 40 hours.

Even a really small donation can help out, especially when collected with everyone else's contribution.

Visit http://www.famine.org.nz/zo to sponser me so that I can help World Vision help other people in need.

Your personal details and credit card number are kept safe, so there's no need to worry ;)

If you're interested in how your money will be spent, visit:

http://www.famine.org.nz/money.aspx - How your money is spent
http://www.famine.org.nz/Money_animate.aspx - What your dollars will provide