Affordable Care Without Compromise

Millions of American lack health insurance—and this is not a new problem. For those who may not be able to afford a monthly plan that protects against emergency and furthers long-term health, free or low-cost clinics are often the solution. Unsurprisingly, institutions like these do not always receive adequate funding, and may not provide the full-scope of services that other medical institutions can. With strong administration and a clear vision, however, these groups can make a world of difference in a wealth of loves. AltaMed, once a one-site free clinic in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Los Angeles, now executes almost 10,000 patient visits each year.

Established in 1969 as the East Los Angeles Barrio Free Clinic, AltaMed founded as a support network for members of the Latino community. In 1977, under the direction of new President Castulo de la Rocha, the non-profit attained status as Community Health Center. In the next five years, it established teen-focused health services, implemented a transportation program, opened an Adult Health Day Care, and officially welcomed patients to a second location. Diversification of capabilities soon proliferated, when, in 1986, Cástulo secured a $1 million grant.

Since the late 80s, AltaMed has introduced HIV treatment resources, dental services, substance abuse treatment programs, a women’s health sector, senior citizen support systems, prenatal classes, and more. The large-scale, low-cost health institution now maintains 43 sites throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties. Recognized by the community as a model non-profit, AltaMed and its administration have received various honors. Recently, The Los Angeles Business Journal granted Cástulo de la Rocha the Lifetime Achievement Award for his undying efforts in making health care available to everyone, regardless of income.

Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago: Supporting People With Epilepsy Throughout Illinois

Founded in 1946, the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago began as a grassroots effort to help people with epilepsy in Illinois. Today, the non-profit organization provides advocacy, counseling, and educational services to individuals with epilepsy, their families, and their communities in 43 counties. The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago runs a number of programs for children, adults, parents and caregivers, and the community, including Camp Blackhawk and Seizure Smart Schools.

Camp Blackhawk, which takes place every summer, is week-long retreat for kids and teens with epilepsy. Filled with fun activities, Camp Blackhawk allows young people with epilepsy leave behind the challenges and exclusion they normally face in their daily lives. Meanwhile, Seizure Smart Schools is a series of educational programs that teach students and staff how to recognize seizures and conduct first aid, as well as alleviate the stigma and misconceptions associated with epilepsy within schools.

This year, the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago expanded its list of services by creating and launching new programs.

Amazon Watch: Keeping an Eye on the World's Largest Tropical Rainforest

Covering an area larger than the continental United States, the Amazon is the largest and most biodiverse tropical rainforest on the planet. Home to a third of the world's plant and animal species and hundreds of distinct ethnic groups, the Amazon rainforest is at great risk – nearly half could be lost or severely degraded by the year 2020 due to deforestation. Seeking to defend the rainforest as well as the indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin, Atossa Soltani founded non-profit organization Amazon Watch in 1996. Working together with indigenous and environmental groups, Amazon Watch campaigns for corporate accountability, human rights, and the preservation of the Amazon's ecological systems.

Through long-term partnerships with indigenous communities and environmental organizations, Amazon Watch helps them protect their rainforest territories and advocate for their rights. Amazon Watch gives indigenous peoples opportunities to communicate directly to decision makers and the worldwide public, including CNN viewers, corporate boardrooms, and United Nations delegates. The organization also provides audio-visual documentation, political advocacy, legal rights, media outreach, and equipment like video cameras and laptops.

 In addition to advancing indigenous rights, Amazon Watch stops dirty energy projects, demanding corporate accountability and advocating clean energy alternatives. Recently, the organization helped thwart ConocoPhillips' and Burlington Resources' plans to drill for oil in the Achuar, Kichwa, and Shuar territories in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador; pressured Occidental Petroleum to end drilling on sacred U'wa land in Colombia and Achuar territory in Peru; and supported the Achuar people in their resistance against Pluspetrol, which agreed to stop dumping one million barrels of toxic waste in their region.

In 2009, Amazon Watch partnered with Amazonian indigenous federations to equip them with the tools they need to advocate for their right in climate protection projects and climate negotiations. Currently, Amazon Watch is working to stop the building of Brazil's Belo Monte Dam and coordinating international pressure for Chevron to clean up Ecuador, among others.

A Dog's Life Rescue: Giving Dogs and Other Animals a Second Chance in Life

An animal welfare charity that “specializes in the underdog”, A Dog's Life Rescue is a non-profit, all-volunteer, no-kill organization dedicated to saving the lives of abused, neglected, or abandoned dogs and other animals. Founded by Julia Pennington and Allison Lange in 2005, A Dog's Life Rescue provides animals in need with shelter, rehabilitation, and care. The organization also continuously promotes the ethical treatment of all animals and the importance of spaying and neutering.

Pennington and Lange started A Dog's Life Rescue due to their great love for animals. They attribute their success to the community, however, saying that the difference A Dog's Life Rescue makes would not be possible without the help of its volunteers, donors, adopters, and fosters. Based in Los Angeles, California, A Dog's Life Rescue works hard to place animals in loving homes by holding adoption events at pet supply store Tailwaggers every second, third, and fourth Saturday of each month.

Arizona Charity Kids Need to Read Gets US Youth Excited About Reading

In 2006, science fiction author PJ Haarsma was visiting schools to promote his book when he realized that public libraries and children's libraries across the country were underfunded. He met kids who were eager to read but had nothing to read, as well as teachers who were using their own money to buy books for their students. At one school, a little girl followed Haarsma into the parking lot after his presentation and offered to trade a movie ticket she had gotten for Christmas for one of his books. Deeply moved, Haarsma decided start a charity. He enlisted the help of actor Nathan Fillion and Denise Gary, and together they founded Kids Need to Read in 2008.

Based in Mesa, Arizona, Kids Need to Read works to create a culture of reading for kids by providing inspiring books to underfunded schools, libraries, and literacy programs in the United States, particularly those serving disadvantaged children. The organization's goal is to see every child and adolescent have access to quality books regardless of economic status, race, or capabilities. Kids Need to Read also offers programs designed to boost literacy rates and reduce dropout rates in the country.

Kids Need to Read understands that merely donating books to institutions that lack sufficient funding is not enough. To make a large and lasting impact, the charity actively gets kids excited about reading – an undertaking that begins with selecting the best books possible, books that will engage children's minds and imaginations and make them want to read new books on their own. Kids Need to Read's flagship program, Reading Revolution, was developed in partnership with Arizona State University and ASU Preparatory Academy. The program educates children and teens on the importance of reading in an engaging and relatable manner and teaches them how to integrate books into their lives.

The Trevor Project: Supporting LGBTQ Youth Across America

The leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ youth in America, the Trevor Project was founded in 1998 by James Lecesne, Peggy Rajski, and Randy Stone, creators of the Academy Award-winning short film Trevor. The short is about a homosexual teenage boy named Trevor, who faces rejection from his parents and friends. When Trevor was set to air on HBO, Lecesne, Rajski, and Stone decided to broadcast a lifeline number with the film for young viewers who might be going through the same things as Trevor. After finding that there was no such number, they created the Trevor Lifeline in August of 1998. Since then, the Trevor Project has provided support to LGBTQ teens and young adults across the country. In addition to the Trevor Lifeline, the organization runs TrevorChat (live, online counseling) and TrevorSpace, the largest social network for LGBTQ youth. The Trevor Project is recognized by the White House as a Champion of Change.

Waves for Water: Getting Clean Water to Everyone Who Needs It

Founded in 2009 by pro surfer Jon Rose, Waves for Water is a non-profit organization that works on the front-line to get clean water to every person who needs it. Many people living in impoverished areas still do not have access to clean water; every year, 3.3 million die from drinking contaminated water. The goal of Waves for Water is to take existing solutions (portable water filters) into countries that need them. With these filters, dirty water becomes clean and drinkable and lives are saved.

During a surf trip in September of 2009, Rose was on a boat off the coast of Sumatra when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Padang. He was supposed to deliver 10 water filters to Bali for his first Waves for Water mission, but upon seeing the devastated city, he handed the filters over to rescue workers to help provide clean water to the victims. The experience solidified the need for Waves for Water; since then, the organization has been bringing clean water solutions to communities in need around the world.


To date, Waves for Water has distributed 100,000 filters in dozens of countries worldwide, providing more than 7.5 million people with access to clean water. Waves for Water filtration systems are portable, effective, and easy to use, and one filter can supply 100 people with clean water for up to 5 years.

Aiming to be proactive rather than reactive, Waves for Water has partnered with surf company Hurley International to create Clean Water Couriers, a DIY volunteer program wherein surfers looking for waves in developing nations can carry filters with them in their luggage. The program isn't exclusive to surfers, though. Anyone who travels can volunteer and help as well. In addition, Waves for Water has teamed up with other non-profits and government agencies to launch large-scale solutions where needed.

Gingerbread: Supporting Single Parent Families Across the UK

Based in England and Wales, Gingerbread is a national charity dedicated to supporting and improving the lives of all single parent families in the UK. Single parent families account for a quarter of all British families but still face tremendous challenges. With 95 years of experience helping single parents and their children, Gingerbread operates a helpline manned by expert advisers, runs a website packed with useful information, and offers training and courses, all for free. Additionally, Gingerbread campaigns on behalf of single parent families. The organization's goal is to create a society where single parents and their children are valued and treated fairly.

Gingerbread's history began in 1918, when Lettice Fisher founded the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and Her Child (and for the Widowed or Deserted Mother in Need). The organization changed its name to the National Council for One Parent Families in 1970, the same year a new charity called Gingerbread was founded by Tessa Fothergill. In 2007, the National Council for One Parent Families and Gingerbread merged to form an organization with campaign expertise, highly regarded support services, and extensive grassroots reach – the organization that is now known as Gingerbread.

NEA and Renaissance Dental Promote Reading and Oral Health This Read Across America Day

The largest professional employee organization in the US, the National Education Association (NEA) represents 3.2 million education professionals in public schools and higher education institutions committed to advancing the cause of public education. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NEA has affiliate organizations in every state across the country. Recently, NEA and Renaissance Dental sponsored a special read-in held at the New York Public Library to kick off the 16th annual Read Across America Day.

The award-winning literacy program, which highlights the magnitude of developing an appreciation for reading at a young age, was founded by NEA in 1997 in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House. Since then, Read Across America Day has become the largest reading event in the nation, seeing more than 45 million participants annually. Read Across America Day is celebrated every year on or around the birthday of children's book author Dr. Seuss. This year, the program is educating students about the importance of good oral health and reading habits through the easy-to-remember equation of 2 x 2 + 20, which means brush your teeth two times a day for two minutes plus read for 20 minutes each day.


According to NEA president Dennis Van Roekel, “This Read Across America Day, we want students to sink their teeth into a good book. When students are absent from class due to oral health problems, they're missing out on critical instruction time.”

In fact, students in America miss 51 million hours of school every year due to oral health issues, many of which can be easily fixed and prevented. Additionally, kids who don't read at grade level by fourth grade are four times more likely to drop out of school. To remind them of the 2 x 2 + 20 habit, the children who attended the read-in each received a goodie bag with a toothbrush, a copy of The Cat in the Hat, and healthy snacks.