The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp Fund Raises Hell in a Good Way

Paul Newman’s motivation – to allow children to raise a little hell despite their illnesses - in founding the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp may not be the stuff of parents’ dreams but children love it. Founded in 1988, the organization provides children with a wide range of diseases and disorders with the opportunity to enjoy their childhood in a summer camp setting in Ashford, Connecticut. Today, it has added nine programs aside from the summer camp that serves over 30,000 kids and their families – and counting – in the Northeast every year.

Of course, the organization does not actually encourage children to raise hell. Otherwise, it will be counterproductive to the goal of allowing children to enjoy the transformational friendships that come with being in summer camp.

Instead, the men and women of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp implement summer programs that accommodate the physical limitations of the children while encouraging them to test their limits. The camp has expert yet unobtrusive medical experts on board to deal with emergencies.

Children who face the daily struggles associated with their diseases bloom under the tutelage of their camp mentors, many of whom also faced their struggles, and with the friendships of their kindred spirits. The strong sense of camaraderie and community among the children and their mentors allow the former to overcome their sense of isolation.

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp provides children and teenagers with programs suitable for their age, such as:

• Residential camp sessions for 1 week for seriously ill children and their siblings;
• Hero’s Journey for older campers who participate in 7-day wilderness-based activities;
• Leaders in Training for older campers who engage in leadership training activities; and
• Weekend Programs for the entire family.

The organization has also taken the summer camp experience into hospitals via its Hospital Outreach Program (HOP).

Smiles, laughter and love – that’s what the organization brings to and gets from children and their families. Donations – that’s what the organization needs to continue its mission.

SPCA of Luzerne County, Inc. and Its Dedication to Animal Welfare

The SPCA of Luzerne County, Inc. is one of the leading non-profit organizations dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals and in the promotion of their welfare. Its work involves:

• Providing shelter for discarded, neglected, unwanted and abused animals;
• Placing these animals into permanent homes via its adoption program;
• Enlightening the public about animal issues through humane education programs; and
• Addressing animal cruelty through human prosecution and law enforcement programs

The organization is well-known in the community for its free-of-charge adoption of all stray and unwanted animals into its clean and safe shelter. It accepts donations from individuals, groups and organizations in the local communities especially as it neither has official affiliations nor has funding from any national society, organization, and association. It does not also receive funding from any local, state and federal government agency, thus, the importance of contributions from kind-hearted people.

Aside from cash donations, the SPCA of Luzerne County, Inc. accepts donations of animal food, supplies, and products as well as office and cleaning supplies, among others.

National Down Syndrome Society Promotes DS Acceptance

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) was created by parent’s love – Barton and Betsy Goodwin, parents to Carson Goodwin who was born with Down syndrome in 1978 – but it has grown as one of the best resources for individuals with the genetic disorder as well as their family and friends. Established in 1979, the non-profit organization advocates for the promotion of the acceptance, value and inclusion of people with Down syndrome and, in the process, be able to provide them with a stronger voice in society.

The NDSS has several programs and projects for the achievement of its primary goal. Created in 2012, the DS-Ambassador program encourages individuals of all abilities to become volunteer advocates and liaisons between the organization and their congressional delegations. With stronger relationships between NDSS and the US legislators, the organization hopes to raise public awareness, education and advocacy for public policy solutions for the community.

Starting in 2014, the non-profit organization became a member of DS-Connect: The Down Syndrome Registry, which is hosted by the Down Syndrome Consortium and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a member, NDSS hopes to become an active participant in gaining a better understanding of the genetic disorder including new treatments, improved care practices, and increased knowledge about the health issues associated with it.

One of the most recent notable achievements of NDSS is the passage of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act in 19 December 2014; the bill was its foremost legislative priority. The act will enable people with Down syndrome to live productive lives in their communities while also enjoying the benefits provided by private and public sector programs, such as Medicaid, private insurance, and beneficiary employment.

Today, NDSS has four pillars of programming, namely, the National Policy Center for legislation; the National Buddy Walk Program for honoring and celebrating people with Down Syndrome; the Public Awareness Initiatives for bringing positive presentations into the community; and the Community Programs for information dissemination.

Southern Poverty Law Center Fights for Justice and Opportunity

Poverty comes in many forms. The best way to overcome it, nonetheless, is through the promotion and provision of equal justice and opportunity for all – and this is where the Southern Poverty Law Center comes in. The non-profit, non-governmental organization uses advocacy, education and litigation to achieve these modern-day ideals and, in the process, fight bigotry, racism and hate in society. The group works toward seeking and achieving justice in society and in the courts for society’s most vulnerable members.

At present, the organization uses a three-pronged strategy toward the achievement of these goals:

• Monitor the activities of groups with the intent of spreading hate, bigotry and domestic terrorism across America, as well as launch lawsuits to counteract their actions;
• Work toward systematic reforms by tapping the courts’ influence in behalf of the victims of hate crimes, discrimination, and bigotry; and
• Provide educators with appropriate resources in these matters.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings. Donors and contributors can provide their valuable assistance in ensuring that it continues to soar in the interest of equal justice and opportunity for all.

Physicians for Human Rights Calls Attention

Established in 1986 by a small group of healthcare professionals, the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a not-for-profit human rights organization with several notable achievements to its name. These include the first-ever documentary evidence of Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, the generation of critical forensic evidence of Rwanda’s genocide, and the co-sharing of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997.

The organization has established a well-deserved reputation for being one of the most credible sources of documentary evidence regarding human rights abuses in various countries of the world, even in the United States and its territories. Its dedicated men and women work toward the achievement of the organization’s goals in four areas, namely:

• Stop the mass atrocities including genocide, war crimes, and rape, among others, which cause severe physical and mental harm to their victims;
• Investigate the abuses using forensic science, medical examinations, and epidemiological research, among other scientific investigative methods, with the goal of ensuring accountability for these acts against humanity;
• Document the abuse including gathering of evidence and stories from victims and perpetrators; and
• Call for appropriate action by calling for interventions and sanctions, drafting legislation, and assisting in the prosecution of individuals, among others.

PHR focuses its programs and projects on four core values, namely:

• Atrocities committed against civilians particularly women, children and the elderly and disabled during armed conflict;Violence against women particularly rape during war;
• Abuse and torture of detainees; and
• Lack of access to healthcare because of ethnic, racial and gender discrimination

As a non-profit organization established and managed by healthcare professionals and scientists, the organization understandably also focuses on the protection of healthcare facilities and their professionals. Such protection is of crucial importance for healthcare professionals in the frontline of armed conflict, among other human rights crises.

PHR also maintains strong partnerships with several human rights organizations across the globe.

Food for Others, Inc.: Feeding the Poor People of Northern Virginia

Food for Others is a non-profit organization that provides food assistance as well as manages food bank operations to help feed the poor people residing in the Northern Virginia area.

The organization traces its roots back to 1984 in Falls Church where a man named Dr. George McManmon founded Lazarus at the Gate, a feeding program that provides emergency food services to the poor. The program moved to Merrifield in 1993, but abruptly stopped operations in 1995. With Lazarus at the Gate no longer operating, a group of volunteers from that program along with the Fairfax County’s Department of Community Action continued with the feeding activities. They then decided to create their own organization called Food for Others which was incorporated in October 1995. By December, the organization began operating and added more programs to their roster of services.

Today, Food for Others provides low-income families living in the Northern Virginia area with food through programs such as the Power Pack Programs for elementary school children, and a variety of food distribution programs and networks.

Junior Achievement of New York: Helping Kids Live Up to their Potential

Education is the key to success; however, there are valuable lessons in life that kids don’t learn in school. These lessons may spell the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Those who learn lessons outside of the classroom have a leg up over students that just concentrate on books and grades. Junior Achievement New York (JA New York) is a non-profit organization that aims to teach kids as young as kindergarteners the value of making the right academic and economic choices that would affect their future.

Founded in 1929, JA New York is the local affiliate of JA USA. Since its inception, the organization has been delivering programs that would empower students from New York City and Long Island and help them make the right decisions as they navigate their way through school towards a better, more stable economic future. JA New York offers core classroom programs tailor made for elementary, middle, and high school students. These programs are designed to enhance the social studies curriculum in terms of state and city standards. The lessons include topics on economics, life skills, business, and communication, and are delivered in a way that students in each grade level would understand and absorb. The idea behind these programs is to prepare kids for the changing world. In today’s global economy, students need more tools in order to succeed and JA New York’s classroom programs aim to equip them with just that.

Selected high school students are also invited to volunteer to help and give back to their respective communities. Some of them are also chosen to speak to students in the elementary level and become role models to them. Other programs delivered by JA New York include opportunities for personal and professional development. These programs include job shadowing, interactive games, after school programs, and a range of annual events participated in by the students.

Arlington Housing Corporation: Homes for All

Not all housing development companies work for a profit. There are organizations like the Arlington Housing Corporation which develops affordable housing targeted towards low to moderate income families in the mid-Atlantic region.

As a non-profit organization, the AHS has developed 49 properties since its inception in 1975. In these properties, more than 6,500 apartments have been rented out and sold to people who are in most need of housing in the area. AHS also has mortgage services for people who wish to own a home without the sub-prime gimmicks and adjustables most banks and mortgage companies have.

Aside from providing homes to those who can’t afford expensive rent or mortgage, the organization also provides services such as summer camps, after school and teen tutoring programs for the children living in any of their apartment complexes. They also have programs targeted towards adults and senior citizens which includes English language programs for non-English speaking residents, finance and parenting workshops, and field trips for senior citizens.