Jubilee Park and Community Center - April 2010

The Mission of Jubilee is to be a catalyst for community renewal and enrichment to the surrounding South Dallas/Fair Park neighborhood, with special emphasis on comprehensive, community revitalization and the education of children and adults. The main objective of Jubilee is to improve the quality of life for families and individuals living in a 62-block community in Southeast Dallas through innovation in community development that is comprehensive in scope, innovative in planning, outstanding in accomplishments and life changing for all involved.

What had once been a thriving and attractive community, this East Dallas neighborhood had, for decades, remained in a state of constant transition and neglect. Jubilee Park & Community Center was founded in 1997 with the collaboration of AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Greater Dallas Community of Churches and Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Jubilee has helped develop and implement a comprehensive plan to revitalize the community that includes public safety, housing, economic and physical development, public health and education.

Today, approximately 65% of the Jubilee community is Hispanic and 35% African American. Jubilee is home to a five-acre park, Davids' Place Head Start and The Jubilee Center, which serves as a hub for educational, recreational and community revitalization initiatives.

With strong and consistent leadership, capable teachers and amazing volunteers, O.M. Roberts, Jubilee's neighborhood Elementary, has climbed from low performing to exemplary in just six years. Repairing existing homes and building affordable homes is a pivotal piece of the revitalization process. The Public Safety Task Force enlists cooperation from residents, businesses, Jubilee, Dallas Police, and code enforcement personnel. Since 2002, crime in the Jubilee area is down 37%. Jubilee received a generous gift to build a new Resource Center and Community Center; the target completion date of both buildings is May 2010.

To embrace an entire neighborhood for renewal is a bold, challenging and unique effort. The community has responded with pride and commitment to the challenge of revitalizing their neighborhood. All have experienced the satisfaction of substantial progress in the revitalization of the community. The spirit of Jubilee is reflected in those who live in, work in or care deeply about the Jubilee Park community.

The Gordie Foundation - March 2010

The Gordie Foundation was created in 2004 after Gordie Bailey, a freshman at the University of Colorado, died of an alcohol overdose as a result of fraternity hazing. Founded by Gordie's family, the Foundation is dedicated to providing today's young people with the skills to navigate the dangers of alcohol, binge drinking, peer pressure, and hazing.

Each year, nearly 5,000 young adults under the age of 21 die due to alcohol misuse. Through outreach initiatives, strategic partnerships and programs, the Gordie Foundation is committed to the prevention of these tragic and needless deaths.

The cornerstone program of the Foundation is the Circle of Trust, a student-driven, peer-to-peer education program with chapters on over 150 college and high school campuses worldwide. These groups promote change by sharing Gordie's story, talking about responsible alcohol use and the signs of alcohol poisoning, educating about the dangers of peer pressure and hazing, and empowering friends to call for help to potentially save a life. Other outreach initiatives of the Foundation include National GORDIE day, speaking engagements, partnerships with like-minded organizations, and the production of the feature length documentary film Haze. This film examines the college drinking culture in America and includes an introduction by the foundation's honorary chairperson and spokesperson Robin Wright Penn.

Alcohol abuse is the #1 health risk facing students today. To learn how you can make a difference, please visit www.gordie.org.

The Global Fund for Children - February 2010

The Global Fund for Children (GFC) dreams of a world where all children grow up to be productive, caring citizens of a global society. To this end, GFC supports small, community-based organizations around the world serving the most vulnerable children and youth, and they create beautiful multicultural children's books that bring messages of tolerance and peace to children in the United States and abroad.

The children benefiting from GFC's support represent the most marginalized populations: AIDS orphans, children displaced by conflict or migration, disabled youth, child laborers, and those who have no access to basic education and health services. Using this approach, GFC is creating lasting change and rewarding community leaders who are dedicating their lives to the futures of children in their countries.

Some of the innovative projects that GFC supports are mobile libraries in Ethiopia, where books are carried by donkey through villages without libraries; trauma support centers for women and children in Serbia who have been victims of trafficking; and community gardens in Uganda for AIDS orphans who are learning the important role of nutrition in healthy development.

GFC's first grant, for $1,200, supported classrooms set up at train stations in India for the many children who live and beg on the train platforms. Since 1997, GFC has invested over $15 million in 375 community-based organizations in 73 countries, touching the lives of over 1 million children.

For more information about The Global Fund for Children, please visit www.globalfundforchildren.org.

Living Dreams Foundation - January 2010

Anybody who sees a beautiful, handcrafted piece gets a sense of joy, because somewhere in it lies the essence of its creator, the artisan. In 2003 Living Dreams Foundation was born, dedicated to the cause of artisans in developing countries whose skills and effort most often get forgotten. With the vision of creating business leaders out of producers, Living Dreams focuses primarily on women, trying to empower them economically and socially, ultimately alleviating them out of poverty and teaching them the skills to become leaders in their own communities. Starting out as a workshop for 25 women from a slum near Delhi, India, Living Dreams began the journey to mentor each member, taking her dreams and turning it into reality. This was done through special training that ranged from fine tuning handiwork to teaching basic business management, to life skills counseling and coaching in home economics. In addition, Living Dreams sent at least one child from each family to school and ensured that all children were getting basic care and adequate nutrition at home. Today Living Dreams has transformed many of our women dreamers to leaders and given them the confidence and knowledge to make a difference, not just in their own lives but also within their communities. Shafia is such an example. Illiterate and living below the poverty line, Shafia joined the workshop five years ago with the dream of being able to own her own house for herself and her family. Through dedication and an unparalleled willpower, she made it happen and today lives in her own two-room home, which she is immensely proud of. She is also the senior supervisor of the Living Dreams production team. Living Dreams Foundation incorporates many more aspects that affect the well-being of the artisans. "De-Plasticize!" is the newest campaign taken on to stop the use of plastic bags, one of the harmful results of which is witnessed by the women everyday as hundreds of cows die by swallowing plastic bags mistakenly. Donations may be submitted to Living Dreams Foundation, 123 Oak lawn Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75207. Please specify program: Environment/ Skills development/ Children/ Community development. 100% of your donation will go towards the program specified. A 501(c ) (3) organization. For more information about the the Living Dreams Foundation, visit their website: www.livingdreamsfoundation.org.

Christian Appalachian Project - December 2009

Christian Appalachian Project is an interdenominational, nonprofit Christian organization committed to serving people in need in Appalachia area by providing physical, spiritual, and emotional support through a wide variety of programs and services. The realities of life in Appalachia include living in sub-standard housing, managing multiple health issues, and going without food, shoes and proper clothing. Over 22 million people live in the more than 400 counties that make up beautiful Appalachia. Also, the Appalachia area has a higher concentration of poverty, disability, poor education and serious illness instances than anywhere in the nation. The Christian Appalachian Project services allow the elderly, those with disabilities, and children to receive the much-needed basics. The Appalachian Project provides necessities to the families who need them most.

More than 1,000 volunteers spend time working with Christian Appalachian Project to further our mission. Building homes, visiting the elderly, delivering food, and caring for children throughout Child and Family Development Centers, volunteers are essential in reaching the thousands of people who need our help.

In some areas of Appalachia, up to 16.8% of homes are classified as substandard, having more people than rooms and no indoor plumbing. Christian Appalachian Project's Housing and Home repair program not only repairs, improves, and rebuilds but also teaches homeowners repair and maintenance skills.

Nearly 60% of the children living in Christian Appalachian Project's service area are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches because of their family's income level, but one meal a day is not enough. Children may get a hot lunch at school, but the rest of their family does not. Christian Appalachian Project provides hungry individuals and children with nutritious food, trying to make sure that no one has to go without food.

Christian Appalachian Project provides weekly checkups on Appalachia's elderly men and women, most of who live alone or are isolated because of their home's geographical location. Visiting over 1600 homes a year, a caring caseworker or volunteer makes sure the elderly have food, heat, and basic necessities as well as the companionship that provides hope for a better tomorrow.

Operation International Children - November 2009

Operation International Children (OIC) was established to bring desperately needed school supplies to the children of war-torn regions served by American troops. Founded by actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand and working in partnership with People to People International and its President and CEO, Mary Eisenhower, OIC promotes the collection and contribution of both supply and monetary donations. All contributions to OIC are used solely for the project. With the help of the United States Armed Forces, OIC's contributions are distributed to children throughout Iraq, Afghanistan, and other nations. The goal of Operation International Children is to improve the quality of education for children by ensuring their access to the basic tools of learning and to foster goodwill between American troops and local citizens while promoting the peace process.

Help us to build peace in the world by making a difference in the life of a child! After all, it is the children of the universe that are the real hope for peace in the future. We hope we have your support in being part of the solution.

Special Olympics - October 2009

Special Olympics is an international organization that uses sports as a catalyst to change society's perceptions and treatment of people with intellectual disabilities. This world-changing mission has been at the heart of Special Olympics since the First International Summer Games in July 1968. There, through the vision of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, athletes with intellectual disabilities commanded the spotlight at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. For the first time ever, the world witnessed the dedication, dignity and worth of a people who had long been invisible. The world has never been the same.

Today, the sports competitions seen as the hallmark of Special Olympics, are at the center of a broader Special Olympics experience encompassing health, education, inclusion, research, policy and human rights. This holistic approach has helped transform Special Olympics into one of the world's most powerful and effective social movements. From Special Olympics, the world sees a new way of thinking, feeling and acting. In the moments of the Special Olympics experience, the athlete is changed from a person of diminished value to a champion. And in the moments of the Special Olympics experience, everyone else is changed too. We are more open, joyful, tolerant and accepting. More than 3 million athletes strong in more than 180 countries, Special Olympics is changing the world.

If you are a fan of respect, acceptance and inclusion, then you are already a fan of Special Olympics. For more information about the Special Olympics, visit www.specialolympics.org.