Rainforest Alliance: Environmental, Social, and Economic Sustainability for All

Progress – be it social or economic – is always a good thing. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for progress to come at the expense of the environment.

The Rainforest Alliance is an organization that was founded to change that. The organization which was founded in 1987 has been working with foresters, farmers, and people in the tourism sector to ensure biodiversity while achieving progress through sustainable means. They do this by educating people regarding biodiversity and issuing certifications to companies and groups that utilize natural resources in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. While these certifications are not a requirement, they serve as encouragement for companies to do things the right way. Other programs they are working on are the Adopt-A-Rainforest program and the Sustainable Tourism program.

Today, the Rainforest Alliance has 16 offices across the globe and employs more than 300 people. They also have roughly 35,000 members in the alliance who help promote socio-economically and environmentally sustainable business practices all over the world.

Comic Relief: Charity through Laughter

They say that laughter is the best medicine. It is also a great way to raise money for charity. One example of using comedy to help those in need is a British charity known as Comic Relief. It was founded as a response to the famine that swept through Ethiopia in 1985. Its founders are comedian Lenny Henry and comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis. The charity’s vision is to one day have a just world that is also poverty-free.

Comic Relief raises money for its projects through its biennial telethon, aptly named Red Nose Day, which is broadcast on its broadcast partner BBC. Another major fundraising project was born in 2002 when Comic Relief partnered up with BBC Sport and came up with Sport Relief. This event happens during even-ended years and alternates with Red Nose Day which is held on years that end with an odd number.

The organization has reached out to several big corporations for sponsorship. The money the sponsors give the organization goes to operating costs and other expenses. This way all the proceeds coming from their projects go directly to their beneficiaries. The charity’s major sponsors are BBC, British Airways, BT, and Sainsbury. They help by providing money or services to help the organization with its fund raising projects.

The success of Comic Relief and the Red Nose Day telethons has inspired other organizations in other countries to do the same. In the US, Bob Zmuda created Comic Relief USA which conducts irregularly dated telethons which are broadcast on HBO to raise funds to help the poor and homeless people in America. Other countries on the other hand, had adopted the symbolic Red Nose for charity projects with beneficiaries ranging from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) research to charities for children with serious and life threatening diseases.

National Black Child Development Institute: Ensuring a Better Future for Black Children

The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is an organization that dedicates itself to ensuring the wellbeing and success of black children. Their main focus is to look after the wellbeing, health, and education of black children and their families.

The NBCDI was launched more than 40 years ago by another group – the Black Women’s Community Development Foundation in Washington D.C. The leaders of this group were concerned with the conditions wherein they were to raise their children. During that time, poverty and racial discrimination were at its peak and this affected black children and their families the most. The NBCDI was formed in order to become an advocate for these children who deserved better healthcare and education than what they were receiving at that time.

Today, the NBCDI continues to be the voice of black children all across the nation through country-wide programs that aim to uplift the lives of black children and their families through education and proper healthcare.

PAWS Atlanta: 49 Years of Saving Pets

For many people, pets are a part of their family. Unfortunately, there are those who neglect or mistreat animals that are considered companions by others. This is why there are many organizations that look after these animals’ welfare. One of these organizations is PAWS Atlanta.

PAWS Atlanta began in 1966 as a branch of the Atlanta Humane Society. The organization which was originally called the DeKalb Humane Society was incorporated as a stand-alone organization the following year. Initially, the organization was comprised of a network of foster homes for rescued pets. These foster families kept and took care of the pets until they were adopted and placed in permanent homes. They were able to secure a property and turned it into a kennel to house the rescued pets in 1983 and this shelter was opened to the public in 1989. They changed their name to PAWS Atlanta in 2002 and continued on their quest to rescue, treat, and place neglected pets. They have also expanded their services to include spaying and neutering of pets to keep the animal population in the city under control. Vaccination services have also been offered to the public as well. PAWS Atlanta has also gone the extra mile by offering behavioral training services, as well as opening a dental clinic and food banks for pets.

PAWS Atlanta operates under a No-Kill Philosophy. This means that they only euthanize pets if they are terminally ill or show irreversible and extremely aggressive behavior that may cause harm to foster families or people who wish to adopt them. If the space they have isn’t enough to comfortably house the rescued pets, they find foster homes to take them in until they are adopted.

The organization relies mainly on donations, grants, and fund raising efforts scheduled by the group. They do not receive funding from the government for their services.

Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund: Protecting the Rights of Asian-Americans across the Country

In 1974, there were roughly 1.5 million Asian-Americans living in the United States. Four decades later, that population has boomed to around 15 million. As the Asian-American population continues to grow, the need to protect their civil rights becomes greater. 

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund was founded in 1974 by a group of students, activists, and lawyers in Lower Manhattan. The idea behind the organization was to be able to educate Asian Americans about their rights and to provide legal aid to those who can’t afford it. Part of the group’s advocacy is also to stop human trafficking, as well as the occurrences of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

The organization has done a lot for the Asian American community by litigating cases that made sure that back wages and overtime pay is given to those working as laborers in the domestic services, hotel, restaurant, and garment industries.  They also help immigrants get over the language barrier and help them understand their rights

Alzheimer's and Aging Research Center: Putting the Elderly First

Alzheimer’s disease is very common among the elderly, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a normal part of aging.  It is a disease that affects the part of the brain that controls memory, thought, and language. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s yet. In the United States alone, approximately 4 million people, many of them between the ages of 65 to 74, suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. It is also said that almost 50% of those aged 85 and up suffer from this disease. This alarming number of people affected by this disease is the reason why the Alzheimer's and Aging Research Center was founded in 1995. The organization supports scientists that conduct studies and try to find effective treatments for Alzheimer’s and other age-related health issues.

The goal of the Alzheimer’s and Aging Research Center is to find treatments and drugs that can help alleviate the symptoms of the disease and make life easier not just for those suffering from Alzheimer’s but also for the families who take care of them. Aside from funding the research, they also support research training as early as in the high school level and they also spread awareness of the disease and the progress being made in finding a cure. The organization believes that by collaborative efforts made by scientists, researchers, doctors, and other medical professionals, the elderly can live fuller lives, of course, with the support of their families, friends, and loved ones.

The Alzheimer’s and Aging Research Center isn’t just about one disease. They also support research that aims to help us understand the aging process better in order to provide better care for the elderly. The organization also focuses on other age-related diseases and chronic health issues that affect senior citizens such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.