Any Baby Can of San Antonio Believes in the Future of All Children

In 1982, Dr. Marian Sokol, a special needs teacher, started her advocacy of helping families with children affected by chronic illnesses, developmental delays, and disabilities with just a small grant and a trailer. Today, Any Baby Can of San Antonio still provides similar services rendered by Dr. Sokol but with expanded reach, all for the purpose of addressing the ever-growing needs of affected families in the community.

Indeed, the employees, board members, and stakeholders of Any Baby Can of San Antonio believe in the future of all children despite their physical and mental limitations. Since these children are typically dependent on their families and caregivers, the non-profit organization provides essential support services for the members of their primary support network.

First, case management services are directed toward families who require effective assistance including direction to the available local and state programs. Case managers, who are licensed social workers, assist families in linking with the appropriate programs, free of charge.

Second, counselling services are provided to individuals, groups and couples (i.e., marital counselling), too. These are usually provided in partnership with the Our Lady of the Lake University’s Counselling Department.

Third, sibling support services are designed for siblings of sick children to enable them a deeper understanding of the situation. These services are provided by a licensed psychologist.

Fourth, autism services are targeted at families dealing with children on the autism spectrum disorder. These services provide for parent education, training and counselling, among others, and are delivered by a speech and language pathologist.

Fifth, education materials also provide for children diagnosed with autism, among other learning disabilities. Families with children on the autism spectrum usually find these materials to be very useful.

Other services include Health & Wellness, Center for Infant and Child Loss, and Prescription Assistance. All of these programs are designed to provide caring, comprehensive and practical support for families struggling with children with special needs.

Center for Resilient Cities: Leading the Way for Communities

The Center for Resilient Cities, a non-profit organization, promotes best practices in sustainable community development by becoming a role model. Its dedicated men and women work with neighbors in building resilient communities that are good for both people and the environment.

Its innovative approach to community development begins with asking neighbors about their needs, values and priorities in relation to their community. It will then lend its expertise in community development and establish partnerships, both with the goal of addressing the neighborhood’s present and future challenges.

The organization has been involved in several community development projects with several also being currently implemented. These include the Badger Rock Center, a community-inspired collaboration; the Johnsons Park Initiative involving the rehabilitation of its facilities especially its playground and baseball diamond; and the schools in the City of Milwaukee including Brown Street Academy, Highland Community School, and Milwaukee Environmental Sciences School.

The Center for Resilient Cities is also crafting resilient children through its Parent Circles and Educator Workshops.

CATCH Neighborhood Housing Creates Housing Opportunities

CATCH Neighborhood Housing, a non-profit organization based in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, is highly respected for its passion for excellence in creating housing opportunities for low to moderate-income individuals and families. Its innovative housing solutions are geared toward the underserved market, thus, providing them with the opportunity to own affordable and quality homes.

CATCH has two main programs, namely, affordable rental apartments and Home Buyer Education via its HOMEteam. It has several achievements to its name including nearly 200 units of permanent housing in Concord as well as in other places including Friedman Court and Alden Place. It has also renovated duplexes via its Homes Downtown program, which will sell the renovated duplexes to buyers with modest means at affordable prices.

Furthermore, CATCH has established the Home Buyer Education Center to assist and educate families about financial planning and home ownership. The center has so far helped over 800 families while over 200 individuals and families have become successful at owning their permanent homes.

CATCH has earned several awards and citations for its admirable work. It was named as the Non-profit of the Year by the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce during its 2015 Pinnacle Awards; as the recipient of the Housing for Everyone Award conferred by the TD Charitable Foundation in November 2014; as the recipient of the Walter J. Dunfey Award for Excellence in Non Profit Management conferred by the NH Charitable Foundation; and the recipient of a Plan New Hampshire Annual Merit Award in April 2014, among others.

CATCH was also certified by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its Home Buyer Education Center. The center was cited as the star home counselling agency in the State of New England by HUD in 2005.

But CATCH is not resting on its laurels. The non-profit developer of affordable permanent housing will continue with its thrust of addressing the needs for affordable housing for low to moderate-income individuals and families.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Gets Into the Action

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an American animal rights organization, is widely considered as the most aggressive yet most effective organization of its kind. The non-profit organization has over 300 employees, 3 million members and supporters, and affiliates in many countries worldwide, thus, making it the world’s largest animal rights and welfare group.

Its motto is widely known, too – Animals are not man’s source food, clothing, and entertainment and cannot be used for experimentation and abuse in any way. Its endorsers, such as Alyssa Milano, Kristen Wiig, and Alex Baldwin, are known for their strong stance against animal abuse, too, as well as for their willingness to make provocative public awareness ads.

Established in 1980, PETA currently has four core issues that its members, supporters and endorsers agree on. These issues are opposition to factory farming, animal testing, fur farming, and animals in entertainment, which are highlighted in strategic marketing campaigns and public awareness programs.

Women's Sports Foundation: Advancing Women’s Causes

Co-founded by Billie Jean King, one of the world’s greatest tennis players, and her husband and business manager, the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF) is an educational non-profit organization. Its mission: To enhance the lives of women and girls through physical activity and sports – truly, a mission in line with the active and healthy lifestyle espoused by its legendary co-founder as well as its initial supporters including Donna De Varona and Suzy Chaffee.

Today, WSF is one of the strongest advocates for equal opportunity in sports for women and girls both in the United States and in other countries. Its past and present programs and projects are designed for such purpose, thus, ensuring that the organization moves forward in a strategic manner.

The International Women's Sports Hall of Fame award comes in two categories, namely, Pioneer and Contemporary. Both awards recognize the athletic achievements including breakthroughs, innovate style, and commitment to sports development among female athletes.

The GoGirlGo! program provides communities across the United States with the education, funding and networking support to encourage girls to become more involved in physical activity. The organization does not deliver the direct service but by providing the abovementioned support.

The Sports 4 Life program is designed to increase participation and retention of identified minorities in sports. Today, the program includes Hispanic and African-American girls.

The Travel & Training Fund provides aspiring women athletes with grants for their travelling and training expenses. The organization applies a stringent selection process since only athletes with great potential to enter high-level competitions can be awarded with grants. The previous awardees include the US National Water Polo Team, Mallory Weggemann, and Michelle Kwan, all of whom have made their mark in sports.

With the strong and strategic support of the WSF, female athletes can look forward to becoming the best in sports and getting the doors of opportunity to open.

Just Detention International: Refuge For Prison Rape Victims

Just Detention International (JDI) is a human rights organization dedicated to ending sexual abuse and rape in all forms of detention particularly among prison inmates. With its dedication, the non-profit organization seeks to contribute to the effective implementation of the international law regarding the rape of detainees as a crime; the rape can be done either by inmates or by corrections staff.

JDI’s work is of importance in the United States because sexual assault including rape in detention has become a major issue with over 200,000 people per year subjected to the violence. It must be emphasized that sexual assault while in detention presents several issues including several physical and psychological harm, spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and the reinforcement of unjust practices.

JDI works toward ensuring the well-being and safety of all inmates in local, state and federal facilities including jails, prisons and immigration detention centers, among others. Its thrusts include programs related to survivor services, state reform, and human rights in the US, among others.

Beyond Pesticides Leads the Fight Against Toxic Pesticides

Known previously as the National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides, Beyond Pesticides is a Washington D.C.-based non-profit organization leading the fight against toxic pesticides in the United States and in the world. Its founders established the advocacy organization with the aim of harnessing the power of an organized national network in promoting public health concerns and environmental issues related to pesticides use.

Its dedicated men and women work toward ensuring that local, state and national private and public policy organizations will not be unduly influenced by the chemical industry’s pressure to push for a more prevalent pesticide use. It strongly believes that ordinary people have the right and responsibility to participate in decisions – to have a voice, so to speak – in decisions that have a direct and indirect impact on their daily lives, particularly where chemical pesticide companies are concerned.

Beyond Pesticides does not work alone especially as the task of taking on the chemical industry is no mean feat. Instead, it establishes strategic and strong partnerships and alliances with government agencies, non-profit organizations, and individuals toward the reduction of unnecessary pesticide use. Their common goal: To protect public health and the environment from further harm caused by these toxic chemicals.

Beyond Pesticides is admittedly limited by governmental regulations regarding the provision of hands-on services to the general public. It takes on a different approach, namely, the identification and interpretation of potential hazards as well as the design of safe pest management programs.

The non-profit organization provides relevant and reliable information so that people can make informed choices, adopt safe practices, and implement measures to reduce their unnecessary exposure to these toxins. People can also make an impact in their own communities by participating in community-wide pest management activities.

Again, the emphasis here is on providing people with a strong, decisive and determined voice in pesticide use and exposure both in their homes and in their communities.

The Jackson Laboratory: Leader in Genetics Research

The Jackson Laboratory is considered as one of the leading organizations in mammalian genetics research for many reasons. The non-profit organization works toward the advancement of human health through the discovery of precise genomic solutions for many of humanity’s diseases. Alongside the members of the international biomedical community, it shares the vision of human health advancement by sharing its research studies and resources.

Today, the organization has over 1,700 employees in its headquarters and its genomic medicine institute. It is a cancer center, as designated by the National Cancer Institute, in addition to its National Institutes of Health centers of excellence in systems genetics and aging. It is also the home for one of the largest mouse genome databases as well as a global hub for science and technology education, training, and conferences.

The Jackson Laboratory has 50 principal investigators with teams focusing their research on six major areas, namely, cancers, immunology, metabolic diseases, computational biology and bioinformatics, developmental and reproductive biology, and neurobiology.

Globus Relief: Working Toward Better Healthcare Delivery

Founded by Robert Allen Haltom Jr. in 1996 in Salt Lake City, Globus Relief is a fast-rising star in the non-government, non-profit industry. The organization is recognized as an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charity, which means that donations made to it are tax-exempt.

As a humanitarian medical resources organization, Globus works with other non-government organizations, governments and their instrumentalities, and corporations, among others, toward the improvement of healthcare delivery worldwide. It has identified 5 key deliverables in this regard, namely, assessment; consultation; acquisition, packaging, and distribution; provision of bio-tech solutions; and training.

Basically, Globus is a partnering non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction of unnecessary duplication in the health-related programs and projects of its partners. By producing a synergistic environment between all the partners, it enhances the impact of their efforts and magnifies social change.

Globus adopts a two-pronged approach. On one hand, it works with corporations in the medical and pharmaceutical industries in gathering donations of usable products including equipment. The donated products, many of which are considered as nearly-obsolete in the United States but are God-send in many other countries, are then placed in identified medical humanitarian situations. These resources are immediately used by medical professionals in providing much-needed healthcare services for the world’s most vulnerable populations.

On the other hand, Globus has trained medical professionals including doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians as well as civic and religious organizations, charities, and non-government organizations that receive these donations. The matching of donations and needs will be performed by Globus, thus, ensuring that the donated goods are put to effective and efficient use.

For example, hospital beds discarded by a hospital in the United States will be donated to Globus Relief that will then inspect, repair and ship the items to a clinic in South Africa. The result: There are fewer wastes in landfills in the United States and greater opportunities for healthcare professionals in South Africa to care for patients – truly, a win-win situation.