Charities We Support
Lars Poulsen - 2000-10-31
(I wrote this 20 years ago. One of these days I will post an updated version.)
Our Church
Like most families, this is our greatest item of giving.
We hope it is for you, too.
United Way
Your local United Way board collects contributions in your
community and redsitributes them to local groups that do good
work for children, for the poor, for battered women etc.
They know the groups and the needs better than most of us can hope
to keep up with. Support them! Also, they generally make it
easy for you to give. Most of the larger employers have
payroll-deduction programs for donations to United Way.
Schools
You local schools can always use a little help. Most schools have
a parent-teacher association (PTA) that has an annual fund drive.
If the parents who send their children to public schools would
pay as much attention to the school as the parents who send their
kids to private schools do, the schools would get a lot better, fast.
If the people who do not have kids in school would realize that
their retirement moeney (even if it comes from private investments
in 401(k) funds or stocks) depends on the children who are in school
today being able to hold productive jobs, they would support the schools
a lot better, too.
And just a hundred dollars per student channelled to classroom teachers
outside of the county or school district budget makes the teachers
feel so much more appreciated and helps them stay motivated.
Public Broadcasting
Public broadcasting consists of
- PBS Television
- National Public Radio
- Public Radio International
- Pacifica Radio
- a thousand local non-profit radio stations carrying programs produced
by the above as well as by local volunteers.
Give to your local station.
If you don't know what they are, or if you have any, turn on you FM radio,
set the dial at the left end of the scale (87.9 MHz) and slowly turn to
the right. Anything you find to the left of 92.0 is non-profit.
(A few are at other frequencies, also.)
This is where you find classical music, jazz, radio drama, and
the very best national and international news coverage.
It exists only because of gifts from you and me (and the occasional
one from widows like Joan Kroc who recently gave NPR a $230 million
endowment in her will when she died).
Give to your local station.
International Rescue Committee
One of the best refugee support organizations in the world.
Their expense ratio is very good. They are also a major vehicle
for US Government assistance to refugees in war zones around the
world.
http://www.irc.org/
Report card
on Give.Org
Cal Farley's Boys' Ranch
Cal Farley's Boys' Ranch, Girls' Town and Family Program
in Amarillo, TX
is sort of what an old-fahioned orphanage always wanted to
be. It caters to children from at-risk backgrounds in an
atmosphere of a working ranch and a family setting with
houseparents, school and church.
Although these people are firmly in the "Christian" camp, they
are not obnoxious about it, and they are eager to share
news of the ranch with contributors, and invite you to visit
when you are in the area.
http;://www.calfarley.org/
Report card
on Give.Org
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