Re: Favorite charitable organization?

[Guest guest]

Hi !

My own personal preference is organizations who provide direct

assistance to seniors, such as the VNA, Meals on Wheels, etc.

Likewise, when choosing a charitable organization that's disease-

related, I tend to choose those who provide some sort of direct

assistance, for example, a local AIDS organization with a food bank

and direct medical assistance.

> What is your favorite charitable organization? I'd love to collect

> ideas because my wife and I are trying to decide where we would

like

> to tithe our first 10% this year.

>

> Thanks in advance for your helpful ideas!

>

> Likness

[Guest guest]

I am glad this subject came up.

I am planning on doing some seminars (boxing, kickboxing, jiu-jitsu,

self-defense, etc) for charity.

I think we will probably use a few different charities.

Thanks,

Butch Hiles

Advanced BKJ - Royce Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Network

http://www.advancedbkj.com

[Guest guest]

,

I've been involved with Lions Clubs International for about 28 years

now. It is the largest service organization in the world, based on

membership count.

A donation to your local Lions Club will be used locally, nationally,

and internationally, as that group sees fit. In our club (I'm

treasurer), I'd say that about 75% of the money stays in the

community. It would be a larger percentage than that, if not for a

large contribution we make to the American Cancer Society after an

annual golf tournament.

We sponsor youth sports teams, pay for eye and ear exams and

eyecare. We also make contributions to other local groups, such as

food banks, hospice, PTA, Girl Scouts, etc. And we've done projects

to renovate a camp for the deaf, built ramps for the handicapped, and

painted homes for the elderly. And a long-standing Lions-sponsored

program is the Guide Dogs for the Blind, in Rochester, MI.

Lions, through LCIF, have built a warchest that provides emergency

funds in case of emergencies throughout the world. These funds are

also available via " matching fund " grant requests to aid projects

sponsored by any local club.

Finally, to the best of my knowledge, there are no paid staff at any

local Lions Club. I assume state, national and international offices

do have paid staff, but I know a couple of guys in our club paid

their own way whenever they did anything at a district or state level.

While most Lions Clubs do not have a clubhouse or phone number, they

can be contacted through their officers. Most towns also have signs

posted, showing the time and location of their meetings. If you

would like information for a club in your area, please email me

directly, or visit www.lionsclubs.org

Bob

>

> > What is your favorite charitable organization? I'd love to

collect

> > ideas because my wife and I are trying to decide where we would

> like

> > to tithe our first 10% this year.

> >

> > Thanks in advance for your helpful ideas!

> >

> > Likness

[Guest guest]

Ok, here's a plug for the non-profit that I coach cheerleading

with... Pop Warner Football & Cheer is a nationwide non-profit

organization that offers football and competitive cheerleading

programs for children ages 7-15. Absolutely everyone (adult age)

who is involved in the organization is totally volunteer and each

child needs to pay a registration fee and equipment/gear fees.

Unfortunately, there are only a limited number of scholarships for

children who are in lower-income brackets, so there are quite a

number of kids who are shut out of the program due to the

prohibitive costs (usually around $400-800 per season, not counting

costs for travel to Regionals or Nationals).

The great thing about this program is both football players and

cheerleaders feed into the higher-education programs at high schools

and then colleges. This has been a huge benefit in keeping kids off

the streets and focused on athletics instead of the many evils that

are out there to tempt our youngsters.

The association that I coach for just received an anonymous donation

of (sit down for this one) $1 MILLION for building a practice

facility at one of our local high schools anbd guaranteeing a 10-

year contract between the HS and our Pop Warner association! Wow!!

Pretty cool. Not that most people can afford such a huge donation,

but still... any amount donated can be earmarked for scholarships

for lower-income children wanting to participate in the program,

which (IMNSHO) are exactly the type of kids who benefit the most

from organized athletic programs.

Off my soapbox now.

Jen B.

> What is your favorite charitable organization? I'd love to collect

> ideas because my wife and I are trying to decide where we would

like

> to tithe our first 10% this year.

>

> Thanks in advance for your helpful ideas!

>

> Likness