Employment for Seniors (EFS) is a Top-Rated Nonprofit honoree connecting mature adults with employment opportunities throughout Central Ohio. Founded in 1972 by Julian Marcus, EFS has helped nearly 30,000 individuals aged 50 or older find work. Over the past 42 years, the organization has provided clients with free employment services that include guidance and support from a volunteer job counselor. Job counselors prepare mature adults for their job search and link them to employers through the EFS job referral process. Employment for Seniors also runs workshops and programs to diversify its clients' career options and offers additional resources that lead to employment and financial stability.
Central Ohio employers can post their open positions on the EFS JobMatch system for free to reach thousands of qualified mature job seekers. They, too, receive assistance from the EFS staff and are guided through job postings and initial applicant screenings. Moreover, employers can take part in the Annual Senior Career Expo to network with a highly skilled workforce.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Clean Ocean Action: Protecting Marine Waters Since 1984
Headquartered in Highlands, New Jersey, Clean Ocean Action (COA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to cleaning up and protecting the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast. COA was founded in 1984 by a coalition of business, community, student, service, boating, diving, surfing, fishing, conservation, environmental, religious, and women's groups to investigate the sources, effects, and solutions of ocean pollution. As a leading national and regional voice working to protect waterways, COA utilizes science, research, citizen action, public education, and law to maintain the health of the marine ecosystem.
Always keeping up with the changing needs of the ocean and legislative initiatives, the non-profit's current areas of focus include dredging, wastewater discharges, contaminated sediments disposal, offshore energy development, marine debris and clean beaches, and swimmable and fishable waters, among others. Since its inception, Clean Ocean Action has worked to improve programs and laws that protect public health at beaches, educate and motivate citizens to take action, reduce plastics and litter in waterways, protect coasts from oil and gas drilling in the ocean, and more.
COA's campaigns begin with the staff researching pollution issues affecting the marine environment. They then create policy and campaigns to eliminate each source of pollution and coordinate with members of the coalition to hold press events and rallies, write letters, make phone calls, distribute literature, testify at public hearings, and the like. To date, COA has helped close eight ocean dump sites and reached hundreds of thousands of people.
Additionally, its Beach Sweeps program has seen more than 100,000 volunteers collect information on over 5 million pieces of trash from the Jersey shore since 1985, making it the largest grassroots environmental event in NJ. Beach Sweeps, which started with 75 volunteers nearly 30 years ago, is more than just about picking up trash. Volunteers record data about each piece of debris, and this information is then compiled in an annual report that provides evidence to reduce litter.
Always keeping up with the changing needs of the ocean and legislative initiatives, the non-profit's current areas of focus include dredging, wastewater discharges, contaminated sediments disposal, offshore energy development, marine debris and clean beaches, and swimmable and fishable waters, among others. Since its inception, Clean Ocean Action has worked to improve programs and laws that protect public health at beaches, educate and motivate citizens to take action, reduce plastics and litter in waterways, protect coasts from oil and gas drilling in the ocean, and more.
COA's campaigns begin with the staff researching pollution issues affecting the marine environment. They then create policy and campaigns to eliminate each source of pollution and coordinate with members of the coalition to hold press events and rallies, write letters, make phone calls, distribute literature, testify at public hearings, and the like. To date, COA has helped close eight ocean dump sites and reached hundreds of thousands of people.
Additionally, its Beach Sweeps program has seen more than 100,000 volunteers collect information on over 5 million pieces of trash from the Jersey shore since 1985, making it the largest grassroots environmental event in NJ. Beach Sweeps, which started with 75 volunteers nearly 30 years ago, is more than just about picking up trash. Volunteers record data about each piece of debris, and this information is then compiled in an annual report that provides evidence to reduce litter.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Sanlaap North America: The Voice of Human Trafficking Victims
Sanlaap North America is a New York-based non-profit that rescues, shelters, and empowers victims of human trafficking. The charity's story began four years ago, when founder and president Sindhura Sarikonda watched The Day My God Died, a documentary about young girls whose lives have been shattered by the child sex trade. Sitting in her dorm room at NYU, Sarikonda watched in horror as girls as young as seven described being abducted, sold, beaten, and forced to work as sex slaves.
The documentary prompted Sarikonda to learn more about human trafficking. As she dug deeper, she discovered that about a million children are believed to be living in India's brothels. What upset her the most was the fact that the child sex trade is largely ignored, with the majority of victims not being rescued. Determined to do her part and join the fight against human trafficking, Sarikonda partnered with Sanlaap India and started Sanlaap North America following a year of preparation and research.
Since 2010, Sanlaap North America has rehabilitated victims of human trafficking, giving them the tools to rewrite their once bleak futures. The organization helps young girls break the bonds of human trafficking and empowers them to become survivors instead of victims. Sanlaap North America provides food, shelter, education, and medical care for 140 girls who were rescued from the red light districts of India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Vocational training and economic rehabilitation are strongly emphasized at the shelter.
Aiming to be the voice of young girls who suffer in silence each day, Sanlaap North America also works to raise awareness about human trafficking and encourage the public to take action. The charity's goal this year is to speak at 12 major universities and organizations.
A fast-growing non-profit with more than 40 volunteers, 400 donors, and 4 partner organizations, Sanlaap North America has reached over 4,000 people around the world to date.
The documentary prompted Sarikonda to learn more about human trafficking. As she dug deeper, she discovered that about a million children are believed to be living in India's brothels. What upset her the most was the fact that the child sex trade is largely ignored, with the majority of victims not being rescued. Determined to do her part and join the fight against human trafficking, Sarikonda partnered with Sanlaap India and started Sanlaap North America following a year of preparation and research.
Since 2010, Sanlaap North America has rehabilitated victims of human trafficking, giving them the tools to rewrite their once bleak futures. The organization helps young girls break the bonds of human trafficking and empowers them to become survivors instead of victims. Sanlaap North America provides food, shelter, education, and medical care for 140 girls who were rescued from the red light districts of India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Vocational training and economic rehabilitation are strongly emphasized at the shelter.
Aiming to be the voice of young girls who suffer in silence each day, Sanlaap North America also works to raise awareness about human trafficking and encourage the public to take action. The charity's goal this year is to speak at 12 major universities and organizations.
A fast-growing non-profit with more than 40 volunteers, 400 donors, and 4 partner organizations, Sanlaap North America has reached over 4,000 people around the world to date.
International Non-Profit Helps Women Survivors of War
Based in Washington, DC and London, UK, Women for Women International is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives. Women for Women International provides socially excluded women with the tools and resources they need to move from poverty and crisis to self-sufficiency and stability. Those who enroll in the charity's 12-month program receive job skills training and basic business education, as well as learn about their rights and how to become leaders. They are also matched with a global network of sponsors who provide monthly financial assistance and emotional support through letters. Graduates of the program are more likely to earn more, save a portion of their income, invest in small businesses and their chidlren's education, vote in elections, and seek access to health care for themselves and their family.
Since its inception in 1993, Women for Women International has served more than 400,000 women in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
Since its inception in 1993, Women for Women International has served more than 400,000 women in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
The Adult Reading Center: It's Never to Late to Learn
Located in Pearland, Texas, the Adult Reading Center provides free instruction to adults with limited English literacy skills. It is the only professional community-based literacy provider in its service area that relies on volunteer tutors to deliver instruction at no charge to students. An economic incubator and a complete service center, the Adult Reading Center offers a nurturing environment that teaches adult learners how to read, write, and speak English so that they can empower their children, obtain a GED, and succeed in the workplace. To this end, the Adult Reading Center provides classroom instruction, computer-based training, and individual tutoring, as well as partners with community organizations that offer career training opportunities.
Launched in 1987, the Adult Reading Center started out with three student/tutor pairs. Today, it is run by a small staff, about a dozen part-time instructors, and over 200 volunteers. In early 2006, the Adult Reading Center received ProLiteracy America Accreditation, which is awarded to outstanding literacy organizations.
Launched in 1987, the Adult Reading Center started out with three student/tutor pairs. Today, it is run by a small staff, about a dozen part-time instructors, and over 200 volunteers. In early 2006, the Adult Reading Center received ProLiteracy America Accreditation, which is awarded to outstanding literacy organizations.
Dignity U Wear: New Clothes Start New Lives
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, Dignity U Wear aims to positively impact the lives of people in need by distributing dignity in the form of brand new clothing. Dignity U Wear works in several communities across America, collaborating with other great social service agencies to give clothing at the right time, such as the first day of school, before a job interview, or in coordination with medical care. By not randomly handing out garments to people in need, the impact of clothing on lives is maximized. Dignity U Wear's areas of emphasis include school children in need; veterans who are seeking employment or have become homeless; and women and girls who have suffered emotional and/or sexual abuse, domestic violence, or are at risk to drop out of school.
Dignity U Wear was founded in 2000 by renowned hotelier, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor Henri Landwirth. Born in 1927 in Antwerp, Belgium, he was shuffled among five Nazi concentration camps from the ages of 13 to 18. After the war, Landwirth worked his way to America as a deck laborer, settled in New York, and received a draft notice. Following his service in the United States Army, he took a course in hotel management and joined the hotel industry. More than five decades later, he retired from a successful career that saw him work a number of positions, from bellboy to manager to owner.
Having dedicated himself to helping those in need for the past 20 years, Landwirth started Dignity U Wear because he knows what it's like to be stripped of personal dignity and not have any clothes. “After I left the camps, I was 18 years old and I was homeless. And I promised myself that one day, God willing, I would be able to help other people not to suffer as much as I did.”
To date, Dignity U Wear has distributed 8 million pieces of brand new clothing to over 610,000 people in the United States.
Dignity U Wear was founded in 2000 by renowned hotelier, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor Henri Landwirth. Born in 1927 in Antwerp, Belgium, he was shuffled among five Nazi concentration camps from the ages of 13 to 18. After the war, Landwirth worked his way to America as a deck laborer, settled in New York, and received a draft notice. Following his service in the United States Army, he took a course in hotel management and joined the hotel industry. More than five decades later, he retired from a successful career that saw him work a number of positions, from bellboy to manager to owner.
Having dedicated himself to helping those in need for the past 20 years, Landwirth started Dignity U Wear because he knows what it's like to be stripped of personal dignity and not have any clothes. “After I left the camps, I was 18 years old and I was homeless. And I promised myself that one day, God willing, I would be able to help other people not to suffer as much as I did.”
To date, Dignity U Wear has distributed 8 million pieces of brand new clothing to over 610,000 people in the United States.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Give Kids the World: Granting the Wishes of 127,000 Children and Counting
Give Kids the World is a non-profit organization that was created to fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses and their families to experience the popular attractions of Central Florida. Its story began with a little girl named Amy, who had leukemia and wished to visit the theme parks in Orlando. Amy's family requested a complimentary stay to renowned hotelier Henri Landwirth, who gladly obliged as he had done many times before. Unfortunately, the rest of the travel plans took too long to arrange and Amy passed away before her wish could be granted.
Landwirth made a vow that this would never happen again and reached out to his colleagues in the hospitality industry to bring families to Central Florida within 24 hours if necessary. Give Kids the World grew quickly and Landwirth saw a need to create a place that would better serve these children and families. In 1989, the Give Kids the World Village opened its gates to the public. Today, it is a 70-acre resort featuring over 140 villa accommodations, whimsical venues, and entertainment attractions especially designed for children with special needs.
Since its inception, Give Kids the World has provided magical and memorable experiences to more than 127,000 families from over 70 countries for free. No child has ever been turned away and none ever will. With the assistance of numerous compassionate individual and corporate supporters, thousands of tireless volunteers, and dedicated staff members, Give Kids the World has been able to give deserving families a rare opportunity to relax, have fun, and enjoy quality time with each other.
Named one of the “12 Most Caring Individuals in America” in 1988 by the Caring Institute, Landwirth has since retired from a lengthy and successful career in the hotel industry. He now dedicates his time and efforts to improving the lives of people in need through the many non-profits and foundations he has founded.
Landwirth made a vow that this would never happen again and reached out to his colleagues in the hospitality industry to bring families to Central Florida within 24 hours if necessary. Give Kids the World grew quickly and Landwirth saw a need to create a place that would better serve these children and families. In 1989, the Give Kids the World Village opened its gates to the public. Today, it is a 70-acre resort featuring over 140 villa accommodations, whimsical venues, and entertainment attractions especially designed for children with special needs.
Since its inception, Give Kids the World has provided magical and memorable experiences to more than 127,000 families from over 70 countries for free. No child has ever been turned away and none ever will. With the assistance of numerous compassionate individual and corporate supporters, thousands of tireless volunteers, and dedicated staff members, Give Kids the World has been able to give deserving families a rare opportunity to relax, have fun, and enjoy quality time with each other.
Named one of the “12 Most Caring Individuals in America” in 1988 by the Caring Institute, Landwirth has since retired from a lengthy and successful career in the hotel industry. He now dedicates his time and efforts to improving the lives of people in need through the many non-profits and foundations he has founded.
Shelter: Everyone Deserves a Home
Shelter is a UK-based charity dedicated to helping anyone who is homeless or suffering in bad housing. Through its website and in-person local services, Shelter provides free, confidential advice, information, and advocacy to people in housing need. In addition, the organization campaigns for lasting political change to put a permanent end to the housing crisis.
Shelter believes that everyone should have a home. The organization was founded in 1966 by the Reverend Bruce Kenrick, who was alarmed by the state of the tenements around his Notting Hill parish. With slums multiplying in the inner cities, homeless families being forced into overcrowded hostels, and landlords exploiting their tenants, Kenrick knew something had to be done and thus launched Shelter to complement the work of charities providing housing.
For the past five decades, Shelter has developed practical solutions to address the housing crisis; lobbied government and local authorities for better laws and policies; and worked alongside the housing sector to promote good practice, provide professional training, and publish reports.
Shelter believes that everyone should have a home. The organization was founded in 1966 by the Reverend Bruce Kenrick, who was alarmed by the state of the tenements around his Notting Hill parish. With slums multiplying in the inner cities, homeless families being forced into overcrowded hostels, and landlords exploiting their tenants, Kenrick knew something had to be done and thus launched Shelter to complement the work of charities providing housing.
For the past five decades, Shelter has developed practical solutions to address the housing crisis; lobbied government and local authorities for better laws and policies; and worked alongside the housing sector to promote good practice, provide professional training, and publish reports.
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