Monthly contribution to counter federal cutbacks.

Without knowing it, this sister/brotherhood has given me hope and joy. Semper Fi
Major J.E. Sargent USMCR (ret)

I have loved seeing iDebate bloom from the start! A truly revolutionary labour of love for Rwanda’s youngsters 💪🏾

I gave to sponsor the online and in person retreat ministry of Rev. Dave.  His teachings each week are inspiring and guide my practice so much.

On a mission to create a more informed public. Every day, NPR connects with millions of Americans.

Independent, nonprofit media organization that was founded on a mission to create a more informed public. Connection people on the air, online, and in person to explore the news, ideas, and what it means to be human.

National Public Radio

We empower veterans to cultivate purpose and belonging by growing food, community and each other. Your generosity fuels us!

Discover options for [business sponsorship](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5fdbb1fec6c9177edb013647/t/67545979206d694fab82eb7e/1733581183202/GV+Sponsor+Tiers.pdf) and contact us to learn more.

Consider a [recurring "Give Monthly" donation](https://www.every.org/growing-veterans?suggestedAmounts=10%2C20%2C40%2C100%2C400&frequency=MONTHLY&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate) to sustainably support us! Or, [start an online fundraiser](https://www.every.org/growing-veterans/fundraiser) for us!

[Learn more here](https://growingveterans.org/donations) about other meaningful ways to give.

Growing Veterans

iDebate Rwanda  is a NGO that is using debate to change the lives of young Rwandans. We give students the tools to change their own world by teaching them how to think critically, how to solve problems creatively and how to impact their own society. 

iDebate Rwanda 

Studio Zero develops programming and resources on the subjects of meditation, philosophy, theology and the contemplative life.

In the past ten years we have helped hundreds of people to find greater serenity in their lives through meditation practice.

We have sponsored over 100 days of residential retreat practice.

A surprisingly large part of our impact has been among seniors, who have benefited from our gentle techniques.

Many have found our services to be supportive of longterm recovery from addiction.

Our non-sectarian approach to spiritual development has been beneficial to people both inside and outside of traditional religious communities.

Studio Zero Inc

Empowering Palestinians since 1983 through education, culture and relief programs in Palestine and beyond. Together, we build hope

**Taawon (Welfare Association)** is a **non-profit**, **civic organization** launched in **Geneva** in the year **1983**, upon the initiative of a group of **Palestinian and Arab economists** and intellectuals.
**Taawon has become one of the largest organizations operating in Palestine and the diaspora camps in Lebanon**, whereby it touches the lives of **more than one million Palestinians** on an annual basis, with half of these beneficiaries being **women**.
**Since its establishment, Taawon has invested funds reaching nearly US $900 million, dedicated to development and relief programs.**

**Taawon’s record** over the past 40 years reflects a journey full of achievements reinforced by **strong partnerships**.
Taawon’s long and rich experience has enabled it to:

- Overcome **obstacles** and **difficult conditions** due to the **Israeli occupation**
- Find **innovative and creative solutions** to crises
- Remain responsive to needs despite **social and economic instability**

Taawon maintains a presence in:

- **Palestine**
- **Jordan**
- **Lebanon**
- **Switzerland**
- **Great Britain** (via its sister organization)

Its **interventions reinforce the steadfastness** of **Palestinian citizens** in **Palestine** and the **refugee camps in Lebanon**.

**Taawon aims to:**

- **Empower Palestinian individuals** and **civil society institutions**
- Strengthen **identity**, **freedom**, **democracy**, and **human values**
- Preserve **Palestinian cultural heritage**, highlighting its **unique position**
- Unleash the creative energies of **youth**, **women**, and **children**
- Provide **equal opportunities** for all segments of society
- Promote **creativity** and **excellence** despite the most difficult circumstances

**Taawon works in partnership** with civil society organizations through:

- Purposeful planning
- High-standard policies

Guided by:

- The **Universal Declaration of Human Rights**
- The **United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)**
- The **Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity**

🏅 *Awards & Recognition:*

- **Taawon Awards for Excellence & Creativity**, granted annually to those advancing **sustainable development in Palestine** 
- Recipient of the **Mahatma Award (2018–2020)** for **COVID‑19 humanitarian efforts** [taawon.org](https://www.taawon.org/en/content/awards-received?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

***Our Vision****:*

*“To envision the Palestinian people as citizens of an independent, free, democratic Arab Palestine, living in dignity, prosperity and self‑fulfillment.”*

Taawon (Welfare Association)

Indigenous & non-Indigenous collaboration promoting practice of Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) language & lifeways in ancestral homelands

The Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ Learning Project is a collaboration of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people working to promote awareness and practice of Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) language and lifeways in their ancestral homelands and beyond. We hope to carry the idea of sgę́:nǫˀ gó:wah, the Great Peace, into our work, cultivating peace and cooperation through education and community outreach. Our partnership is based on a vision in which Indigenous and non-Indigenous people travel separate but parallel paths to engage in peaceful coexistence. 

The Gayogohó:nǫˀ Learning Project is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action (CTA). CTA, an educational 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is legally and financially responsible for all our project activities.

**The Problem**

Gayogohó:nǫˀ people were largely displaced from their ancestral homeland (around Cayuga Lake) in the late 1700’s, when George Washington sent a military contingent to destroy crops and villages of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ and other members of the Hodinohsó:nih.  Residents were scattered to Ohio, Canada, and Buffalo Creek, and later to Oklahoma and Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Canada. Only a few remained in their ancestral lands. 
  
Land fraud by white settlers and the State of New York further exacerbated the separation of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ people from their land, which is an integral part of their language and identity. Many Gayogohó:nǫˀ people were forced into residential schools and Indian Day Schools. Non-indigenous governmental structures hindered the passing-on of traditional culture and language. 
  
Barely 250 years later, the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language is considered critically endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger.  As of December 2021, there are less than a dozen first-language speakers remaining – one of whom is a member of our group. Most live on the Six Nations reserve in Canada. A few hundred people have learned or are learning Gayogohó:nǫˀ as a second language, but with efforts, such as those of our group, that number continues to grow.
  
The impacts to mental and physical health of separating indigenous peoples from their language, culture, and land are well-documented. Language and culture revitalization efforts provide paths by which to address the health, socio-economic, and ecological impacts of colonization.
 
**Our Approach**

Our project seeks to complement and amplify existing Gayogohó:nǫˀ (Cayuga) language revitalization efforts from within Gayogohó:nǫˀ ancestral lands by supporting educational programs and access to language resources, and increasing opportunities to hear and see the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language in public spaces. Through this work of tangibly teaching and using the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language in the place it developed, and by creating opportunities for dialogue around difficult topics such as colonization, we hope to increase understanding of the history and current status of Gayogohó:nǫˀ people, language, and culture. A key part of our work lies in providing support for Gayogohó:nǫˀ people and others working to revitalize the Gayogohó:nǫˀ language. Through our work, we hope to both explore and spread awareness of ways in which Gayogohó:nǫˀ and other Hodinohsó:nih languages and cultures are connected to the land of the Finger Lakes and explore ways in which all people might cultivate healthy relationships with the land.
 
**Our Team**

**Stephen Henhawk** – Gayogohó:nǫˀ, otahyǫ́:ni: (Wolf clan) Historian and first-language speaker. Stephen grew up in a traditional Gayogohó:nǫˀ household at Ohswé:gęˀ (Six Nations of the Grand River reserve in Canada). Stephen is our language teacher, historian and conveyer of the inspiration behind the Gayogohó:nǫˀ Language Project. The inspiration itself comes from the wisdom and strength of all Gayogohó:nǫˀ people who came before who maintained language and culture and ties to the land against much adversity.
  
**Michelle Seneca**, project leader – Gayogohó:nǫˀ, genyahdę: (Turtle clan). Grew up on the Seneca Cattaraugus reservation in Western New York and lived for a number of years in the Gayogohó:nǫˀ community at the north end of Cayuga Lake. She currently resides in Ithaca. Michelle holds our whole project together.
  
**Jim Wikel,** advisory board member - Jim Wikel ni gya:soh (I am called). From Onǫdowáˀga:ˀ Gayogo̲hó:nǫˀ neh:ni Gahnawiyóˀgeh (Seneca-Cayuga Nation of Oklahoma). Currently resides in Salem, OR. Began learning the language in 2015 in Oklahoma. Worked in the behavioral health/addiction field since 2008. Worked with Native clients, encouraged them to learn their own languages. Recovery means getting back something you thought was lost. Ogwa:węh means "It belongs to us." I am reclaiming what belongs to us. 
  
**Noah Mark**, advisory board member – has been a student of Gayogo̱hó:nǫʼ nigawęnó:dę’ since June, 2021. The mission of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫʼ Learning Project resonates with him as someone who was born and raised on traditionally held Hodihnohso:nih lands and as a descendent of Japanese immigrants who underwent intergenerational loss of language and culture. His past work experience includes grassroots organizing and fundraising on environmental issues and sexual assault prevention, vegetable farming, and research on emerging contaminants. Currently, he serves as technical director of a citizen science-based nonprofit called the Community Science Institute. 
  
**Josephine Martell**, advisory board member –  has lived on Gayogohó:nǫˀ lands for the past ten years and is of French, Scottish, and German heritage. Josephine is a social scientist who studies how message framing and language affects decision making and behavior, and leads the Office of Research Development at Cornell University in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She has over 20 years of experience in policy, research, advocacy, and grant writing. Josephine is a passionate mother of three children and an avid trail runner.
  
**Karen Melamed Smith**, advisory board member – has lived on Gayogohó:nǫˀ land for forty years. With a background in music, philosophy and education, she served as the education director of the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) from 1998-2018 and continues to teach piano and to perform with Music’s Recreation. Of Eastern European Jewish heritage, she has always wondered about the interrelationships of heredity, culture and place and feels honored to learn and support the language that is rooted here.

**Shirley Brown,** advisory board member
  
 
**Contact information** 

[gayogohono.learning.project@gmail.com](mailto:gayogohono.learning.project@gmail.com) 
   

Gayogohó:no’ Learning Project

Channel 38 Christian Television is a nonprofit television station, based in El Paso, TX, We have been broadcasting since 1989.

LIFE! Christian Broadcasting Network is an independent, non-profit, educational, non-commercial, public television station. LIFE! Christian Broadcasting Network is the only inter-denominational, trilingual (English, Spanish, and Arabic), 24-hour Christian television station in the Southwest. The Station’s purpose is to evangelize the lost, build-up believers and effect change in our world by:

- Providing inspiration and hope to those in need and hurting.
- To encourage believers.
- Reaching every home in our 100-mile radius viewing area with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Providing biblically-based programming as an edifying and alternative viewing choice for Christians and their families.
- Blessing the Local Church by supporting pastors and their congregations.
- Influencing the Southwest area with righteousness and biblical morality.
- Producing excellent quality Spanish Christian programs for its own use and the use of other Spanish stations throughout the United States and Latin America.
- Serving as a bridge of love between the Church of Jesus Christ and the world.

**LIFE! Christian Broadcasting Network** is El Paso’s only independent, non-commercial, locally owned and operated, educational public television station broadcasting inter-denominational, trilingual (English, Spanish and Arabic), 24-hour Christian television. We broadcasts daily on four digital channels and is carried on all local and regional cable systems with an average viewership of 15,000-30,000 at any given time in a 100 mile radius spanning 2 countries and 3 states. All funding is provided by program underwriting and donations from businesses, organizations and individuals.

**Mission Statement**
LIFE! Christian Broadcasting Network exists by God’s grace for the purpose of preparing the way of the Lord. Our mission is to reach every home in El Paso, Juarez, Las Cruces and beyond by providing wholesome, inspirational and educational viewing.

**Our Philosophy:**
We are an inter-denominational missionary television outreach with the purpose of evangelizing the lost, edifying the saints, and effecting change in our world.

Channel 38 Christian Television LIFE! Christian TV

We connect Black students and entrepreneurs to global Black excellence. We repair the exclusion created by lack of access.


The Diaspora Salon is an initiative of Association Collectif Eclats de Lune which organizes cross-cultural events . This specific program is an annual convening of scholars, artists, cultural practitioners, financiers, technologists, and community builders from across Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. It is designed as an intentional intervention: a space where students and entrepreneurs experience, often for the first time, what it means to belong to excellence—and to be seen, valued, and welcomed into it. 

Beyond inspiration the participants gain durable access to a global network that invests in their potential, mentors their ambitions, and walks alongside them over time. This is social capital made visible, transferable, and enduring. Most Black students and entrepreneurs remain structurally excluded from these global networks. Few have the opportunity to travel. Fewer still have direct relationships with Black leaders operating at the highest levels across sectors and geographies.

Philanthropic support for the Diaspora Salon directly addresses this gap. It ensures that proximity to excellence is not an accident of privilege, but a deliberate act of investment—one that creates lifelong networks, expands global possibility, and helps a new generation imagine, and access, futures previously out of reach.

Our past initiatives have shown that access to global networks and excellence creates permanent, life-changing impact.    

Our annual gathering unfolds in Marrakech, beginning on the final day of the Contemporary African Art Fair 1:54 — a moment when the city hums with creativity and the spirit of Black cultural imagination. The sponsored participants for most have never travelled. They are then immersed in a world where brilliance travels freely across continents, and art collectors from around the globe arrive to celebrate Black excellence in contemporary art.

For many who may not often step inside museums, it becomes a revelation — a doorway into the vast and powerful presence of Black artists shaping the global stage. Creativity is not simply seen. It is felt, shared, and honored as part of a living, breathing heritage. 

After discovering the international power of Black visual artists, participants are then immersed in four days of luminous conversations with leaders who look like them — voices of brilliance, achievement, and imagination. In their presence, possibility widens. Dreams feel nearer. And students begin to see that they, too, can aspire — and belong — at the very center of excellence.

As someone who understands the power of being in the right place at the right time, we invite you to give that opportunity to others. 

We invite you to support this singular initiative, building lasting pathways to success and changing lives for generations.

Association Collectif Eclats de Lune 

ISHIDA transforms everyday being through meaning-filled, entertaining, thought-provoking, highest-caliber contemporary dance.

ISHIDA Dance Company prompts existential questions through timeless narrative dance that celebrates universal themes of our psyche—belonging, hubris, loss and love.

ISHIDA Dance presents original ISHIDA poetic narratives as well as works by exciting new choreographers working with some of the most sought-after dancers around the world (Houston Ballet, Ballet BC, English National Ballet, Tanzmainz, Nederlands Dans Theater, American Ballet Theatre). These unique works evoke self-empathy that lead to greater kindness within the community.

Center to the mission, beyond beautiful, community-centric arts, ISHIDA brings the healing power of dance directly to marginalized communities.

- ISHIDA provides free dance workshops to at-risk youth and disabled people in the community. Outreach partners include The Mary Lee Foundation, The ARC of the Capital Area, and Title One schools: Marshall Middle and Northside High School.
- We also provide complimentary tickets to economically disadvantaged youth and adults to attend performances.

Ishida Dance Company Inc

Story House Ithaca brings people together to share, study, create, and enjoy stories in all their forms.

Story House Ithaca brings people together around stories. We define “story” very broadly, to include fiction and nonfiction, poetry and song, documentary, journalism, photography, audio, film, theater, puppetry, visual and performance art, graphics, dance, and every other way of communicating ideas and experience. Our definition of “house” is also broad. We hope eventually to settle into our own space, but for now we’re excited to be popping up around the community.

**The Problem**

Our society is going through a period of fracturing, as people of different socioeconomic, cultural, and educational backgrounds divide into ever more insular groups. One reason for this is a lack of opportunities for people to interact in meaningful and non-threatening ways. This has had disastrous consequences in politics, public health, and many other areas.
  
 **Our Approach**

- Story House creates. We dream up, organize, and present workshops, discussions, readings, talks, screenings, exhibitions, performances, participatory projects, and other activities. 
- Story House collaborates. We work with organizations, artists, activists, scholars, and others to plan and present compelling programming. 
- Story House connects. We help creative people and groups find new partners and reach new audiences. 
- Story House empowers. We help members of our community acquire the skills they need to tell the stories they want to tell.

In all our programs and activities, we are committed to creating inclusive spaces that welcome diversity. We strive to foster interactions between people of different cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, with the goal of working toward shared understanding and a more equitable, anti-racist society.
 
**Our Team**

Lesley Greene (co-director) is a producer, designer, writer, and director. She worked for many years at the Kitchen Theatre Company, where she curated and produced three performance series, created sound and projection designs, and served as chief grant writer and head of marketing. She is a co-founder and co-organizer of Porchfest, a festival that began in Ithaca in 2007 and now takes place in more than 150 cities across North America.
  
Jonathan Miller (co-director) is a writer, journalist, editor, radio producer, podcaster, and media project leader whose work has taken him to more than 20 countries. Since 2006, he has been executive director of Homelands Productions, an award-winning journalism collective that specializes in public radio features and documentaries. Jon serves on the board of Ithaca City of Asylum and coordinates the ONWARDS project, which seeks to help displaced writers, artists, human rights defenders, and scholars find stability in the USA.
 
**Contact information** 

Lesley Greene and Jonathan Miller, co-directors
[info@storyhouseithaca.org](mailto:info@storyhouseithaca.org) 
   

Story House Ithaca

The Bay Area’s Adventure-Seeking Orchestra! We aim to make awesome orchestral adventures accessible to musicians and the public.

We hold free reading sessions about once a month. Part performance, part open rehearsal, we're open to all musicians and all audiences. Awesöme Orchestra Collective plays everything from Björk to Stravinsky in fun spaces all over the San Francisco Bay Area.

IT STARTED WITH A MUSICAL EXPERIMENT

In the spring of 2013, conductor David Möschler called up a bunch of Bay Area musicians for an experiment — an open music reading session, with Beethoven, Bolero, and free beer. Over fifty people showed up. They realized immediately that they had created something special: a musical group dedicated to being awesome and accessible on every level.

What began as a small collective of friends playing music together has grown into a community that spans the Bay Area. Today, over 2,000 local musicians have played in Awesöme Orchestra. We hope that you’ll join us at our next musical adventure as a player or an audience member!

Our mission is to make awesome orchestral adventures accessible to musicians and the public. Our vision is to create a new model for orchestras to represent, serve, and inspire their communities.

Our core values: we strive for accessibility, community, and excellence in all that we do. We believe music sounds better when everybody is having a good time.

We recognize that orchestras have long been complicit in the systemic oppression of marginalized communities while passing off this exclusion as "tradition." We are aware these inequalities are deeply systemic and will take years to undo, and our organization remains committed to combating these injustices with the following actions and goals:

- Amplify voices of marginalized communities
- Form deeper partnerships with communities and organizations.
- Create more equity and representation at every level of our organization.

Awesöme Orchestra Collective

SFNF is San Francisco's premiere performance art troupe and a fiscally sponsored project of Intersection for the Arts.

The San Francisco Neo-Futurists are a collective of wildly prolific artists dedicated to the perpetual creation of experimental theatre that is immediate, ephemeral, accessible, and cheap. We believe the stage is an extension of daily life: we perform as ourselves in a non-illusory, interactive style that challenges the audience to create alongside us as active participants with a voice of their own. We respect and uplift each other on and off stage through non-hierarchical accountability, collective decision-making, and anti-oppression practice of all kinds. We do over 100 shows a year and we will never stop. 

San Francisco Neo-Futurists

Friends of Stewart Park, with the City of Ithaca, revitalizes and maintains Stewart Park and the Cayuga Waterfront Trail. 

Friends of Stewart Park (FSP) works in partnership with the City of Ithaca, the Wharton Studio Museum, and local community members and organizations to restore Stewart Park’s historic buildings, upgrade park facilities, and support enhanced maintenance. Our work ensures that Stewart Park remains a place where everyone can enjoy the natural beauty of the park; to play, exercise, or celebrate while feeling welcome, accessible, comfortable and safe. FSP achieves this by planning, designing, implementing, and fundraising for a variety of projects that are designed to enhance accessibility and inclusion, encourage a diversity of users, increase biodiversity, and increase sustainability. Projects include building a new inclusive playground, splash pad and bathroom, restoring historic buildings and structures, improving the historic carousel, creating wayfinding and interpretive signage for the park, organizing volunteers, planting and maintaining gardens and much more. 

Friends Of Stewart Park Inc

The Together In Hope Project is a nonprofit organization focused on changing lives through music with a purpose. 

The Together In Hope Project is a nonprofit organization focused on changing lives through music with a purpose. We create unique, music-anchored projects on issues of our shared humanity to promote healing and reconciliation.

Together In Hope Project

ITBA  Engineering, Technology & Business argentine university. A non-profit achieving proven levels of excellence among graduates.

For more than 65 years, ITBA - Instituto Tecnólogico de Buenos Aires  has contributed to solving the challenges of humanity through a university education recognized for its excellence, the production of scientific knowledge and international collaboration, and outstanding levels of excellence among its graduates.

Thanks to the financial contribution of companies and individuals, scholarships are obtained so that young people  with talent, passion and determination, can study at ITBA.

ITBA invests in people, in the equipment and infrastructure necessary to be at the forefront of technological progress.

The photo that illustrates this space (courtesy of Matt Dahle)  captures ITBA Rocketry Team celebration after successfully launching their hybrid rocket engine entirely designed and built at our labs by a team of 40 students from different careers, teachers and university technicians in record time of 9 months.
Together they developed LANIN a hybrid rocket and became the first Latin American team to launch it successfully with engines using solid and liquid propellants. 
Spaceport America Cup June 2024

 ITBA - Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires

The Rivanna Area Queer Center provides a safe refuge for all LGBTQIA+ people 
in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties.

LGBTQIA+ people need spaces of our own where we can take refuge, build resilient communities, and organize for our collective liberation. RAQC provides a safe and loving home for the queer community in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. Programming at RAQC addresses multiple areas of need: support groups, peer counseling, and on-site mental health professionals contribute to the emotional wellbeing of our community. Classes and workshops on topics as diverse as screen printing, foraging, and self defense address our physical and creative needs. Social events like mixers, parties, and performances ensure that our region’s vibrant queer culture continues to flourish. In addition to our own programming, RAQC also serves as a safe and accessible space where all local queer organizations and individuals can host their own events.

Rivanna Area Queer Center (RAQC)

At LPTM, Black and Brown boys express themselves; navigate life challenges; mentor their peers; and transform their communities.

Life Pieces To Masterpieces (LPTM) provides opportunities for Black and Brown boys and young men ages 3-25 to express themselves; navigate the challenges in their lives; teach and uplift others as mentors; and contribute positively to their communities. 

Boys enter the program as early as age three, with programming including a daily afterschool arts and education mentoring program from 3:00-7:00, which involves transportation and a meal, a college- and career-prep Saturday Academy for high school young men who also serve as mentors, a full-day six-week summer program, and family and community engagement. All programs are free for all youth and families. 

In all programs, LPTM provides an environment of love, security, and expression. Black boys and young men, from pre-school to grad-school and beyond, discover their authentic selves; awaken to a sense of purpose; have their brilliance and humanity valued and nurtured – and see themselves as the beautiful Masterpieces they are. In their artwork, advocacy, and model of mentorship, our Black boys and young men are protagonists of positive change.

Life Pieces To Masterpieces

Did you know there's more than 1 million books in the Joburg CBD. Let's celebrate that.

Johannesburg, better known as Jozi or Joburg, is best showcased by the vibrant city centre at its heart. The area that residents refer to as “Town” is set apart by the combined bustling of hawkers, cross-continental traders, and white-collar office workers alike.

Between busy public transportation routes and the overall air of Afropolitan excellence, Town has something for everyone. This diverse and energetic part of the city is a prime showcase of the literary and artistic wonders that Joburg has to offer.

The Literary District runs on community support. We send thousands of books, new and used, for free to libraries across South Africa every year. We also work with community organisations that have literacy outreach programmes and donate books to their causes.

With more than 1 million books in the City Library and dozens of booksellers in the nearby blocks, our literary culture flows through the streets. We’re working with the Johannesburg Development Agency through its Our City, Our Block programme to highlight and expand this reading culture.
 
To start, that means keeping our streets clean. With the help of a grant from the Social Employment Fund, we have hired cleaners to help us keep the district looking refreshed.

Dozens of booksellers sell their wares in the LitDistrict. These booksellers provide easy access to books to the thousands of people in the city centre. We have fostered a relationship with these underground sellers, connecting them with publishers so that they can continue to provide the community with new books. We are working together as a neighbourhood to foster more of a reading culture that we hope will spread from our home to many others.

We are in the process of adopting the park that lies at the centre of the LitDistrict. The Library Gardens stretch out from the city library and is a popular gathering point for the community. We hope to turn this park into a literary hub by cleaning it up and filling it with books that are completely free to borrow and read.

We have adopted two outdoor township libraries – one in Alexandra and another in Soweto. We stock these libraries every month to ensure that these communities have access to an ever-changing and ever-growing selection of books. We plan to build more of these throughout Joburg, starting with Library Gardens.

With grants from the city’s Department of Community Development, we workshopped six storybooks in local languages. Three of these stories were accepted by Nal’ibali for translation into all 11 languages with free distribution, thanks to a grant from the Cadbury #InOurOwnWords campaign. See ‘The First Story Ever Told’ in isiXhosa here.

We have also worked on getting stories to print that have, up until now, only existed in oral tradition. In doing this, we hope to share South African stories further across the globe. 

Many South African books that would now be considered classics seem to have disappeared. Some were banned and never reprinted after the end of Apartheid, and others simply fell out the public consciousness but are taking on new resonance now. 

We have been working to publish new editions of such classics so that these stories can re-enter circulation.  We have reprinted a duology of H.I.E. Dhlomo’s ‘The Girl Who Killed to Save’ and ‘Valley of a Thousand Hills’. Dhlomo is a founding figure of South African literature whose work has become hard to come across – something that we are working to change. 

We host publishing workshops to help break down some of the barriers between writers’ ideas and books going to print. We also sell books from independent authors on consignment, helping their words reach readers.

We host Storytime Saturday every week, either at Bridge Books or around the corner at Ernest Oppenheimer Park. With this initiative, we hope to revitalise the art of oral narrative, and to give children a fun and enriching activity on the weekend. Our readers bring stories to life in all South African languages, depending on the week’s audience. We want the kids in the neighbourhood to know that kids like them can be on the covers of books, too.

We also work in collaboration with the Alliance Française. With monthly storytelling events, we support their mission of bringing South African cultures to French expats living in Joburg, encouraging them to introduce their children to more South African stories. Plenty of local children from our area come to listen, too, and to join in on the djembe drum circle. 

The LitDistrict is a part of the Johannesburg Inner City Walkable Network, which links neighbourhoods throughout the CBD to create a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for locals and visitors.
 
 In the LitDistrict, we are working to create a neighbourhood identity based on literature and community. Local kids stop by on their way home from school to do their homework and read together and young professionals hunker down together over coffee at Bridge Books. 
 
All in all, we want our home to feel more like a home – art on the walls, places to come together, books in hands.

African Book Trust

Preserve the cave mining elephants and support the local people of Mt Elgon, a massive extinct volcano on the Kenya-Uganda border.

Mount Elgon is a massive extinct volcano on the Kenya-Uganda border in East Africa. It is believed to have risen from the surrounding Africa plains in a period of intense regional volcanic activity 24 million years ago, probably forming the highest mountain in Africa at the time. It is now quiet and has eroded down to 4,321 meters at its highest peak, Wagagai in Uganda. However, at approximately 80 km north to south and 50 km east to west, it is still huge and is said, measured by its footprint, to be the largest free-standing volcano in the world. 

The cultural heritage, landscape and ecology of Mount Elgon are under threat with serious consequences for people both locally and regionally.  This includes Mount Elgon's elephants that go deep underground to mine salt. There are many factors driving this, a key one being deforestation which impacts on the hydrology of the mountain and results in soil erosion, the loss of biodiversity and human-wildlife conflict. This is exacerbated by a fragile economic environment of low security and opportunity. Mount Elgon's people and its rich biodiversity are largely being left behind in comparison with many areas of East Africa. 

The aim of the Mount Elgon Foundation is to seek viable long-term measures that will help mitigate the challenges faced by Mount Elgon. More specifically, it wishes to: 
• reduce human-elephant conflict, protecting people, their livelihoods and the elephants; 
• prevent deforestation and promote reforestation; 
• promote further recording and preservation of local cultural heritage, and 
• provide alternative environmentally and culturally sensitive economic opportunities. 

The Foundation and its trustees currently fund or have funded the East African Wild Life Society - Mount Elgon Elephant Project (EAWLS-MEEP), cultural heritage research and community livelihood / forestry related projects. To date, the projects supported are located on the Kenya side of Mount Elgon. We aim to also fund partners who work in Uganda or who are Kenya-based and collaborate on a trans-boundary basis with others in Uganda. 

For more info, please visit our website:  http://www.mountelgonfoundation.org.uk/.

Mount Elgon Foundation

We address food insecurity, social isolation, loneliness among Asian Elders living in under-resourced & underinvested communities.

**Donate to Heart of Dinner's mission in addressing food insecurity, social isolation, and loneliness among Asian American older adults living in NYC's under-resourced and underinvested communities.**

Concerning data reveals that 23% of Asian New Yorkers live in poverty, significantly higher than the citywide average of 16% of all New Yorkers. And a staggering 28% of Asian American older adults 65+ live in poverty. As the American Bar Association reveals, Asian elders, especially those from immigrant backgrounds, endure more social isolation and mental health struggles than their peers due to linguistics, financial, and cultural barriers. These factors combined significantly impact the mental and emotional well-being of Asian American older adults in a city where depression and suicide among older adult immigrants are on the rise.

**Heart of Dinner addresses these critical community needs by home-delivering to Elders with Heart of Dinner's signature nourishing care packages of culturally thoughtful and nutrient-dense food, bundled inside lovingly hand-illustrated bags, attached with uplifting handwritten notes in the Elder's native language.**

**Quick Links to Learn More about Heart of Dinner a 501c3 nonprofit public charity:**

- **[Click here](https://www.heartofdinner.org/)** to visit Heart of Dinner's official website to learn more about the organization.
- **[Click here to watch](https://fortune.com/videos/watch/Aging-Asian-Americans-face-high-rates-of-social-isolation-and-poverty/484b609c-e2bd-408b-9932-db06dac8faa0)** Fortune's video "Aging Asian Americans face high rates of social isolation and poverty" and Heart of Dinner's work in addressing this directly. 

**A Note from Our Founders about Heart of Dinner & Our Evolution from 2020-2024:**

Dear Cherished Supporter,

Thank you for taking a moment to connect with our mission. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share our journey with you—a journey born from a deep, instinctive need to care for our Elders. **In March 2020, at the onset of the global pandemic, we leapt into action to support our Asian American elder community, who were facing devastating food insecurity, isolation, and loneliness.**

While many believe the urgency that defined the pandemic has passed, **the reality for our Elders remains critical. Even now, 1 in 3 Asian American older adults live below the poverty line.** These challenges are not new. For decades, this community has been overlooked, its struggles masked by the harmful “model minority” myth, which conceals the deep inequities faced by Asian American Elders. This, combined with language barriers, technology gaps, and economic hardship, means that many continue to lack access to the resources and care they deserve.

Out of a guttural instinct to protect and uplift our Elders, we **transformed our 300 square-foot apartment on the cusp of Chinatown and the Lower East Side into a sanctuary of cultural resonance and care.** We hyperfocused on those in the most critical state, providing emergency food relief and addressing their emotional needs through handwritten notes in their native languages, making sure our Elders felt seen, valued, and dignified.

**These care packages are more than just food—they are a lifeline.** Filled with culturally meaningful lunchboxes and fresh groceries beloved in Asian immigrant households like bok choy, rice, mung beans (and more!), all lovingly bundled inside decorated bags, attached with notes of love & joy that deliver warmth, connection, and belonging.

As our work evolved beyond emergency relief, we **built Heart of Dinner into a nonprofit focused on sustainable care.** Thanks to our incredible community of donors, partners, volunteers, and small team of staff, we have transformed into a **501(c)(3) public charity that continues to nourish and uplift our Elders, week after week.**

By Summer 2024, **we have delivered over 200,000 meals to beloved Elders living in significantly under-resourced and underinvested communities across New York City.** And our work is far from over. The challenges our Elders face didn’t begin with the pandemic, and they certainly won’t end with it. **These hardships are rooted in long-standing societal and governmental neglect, where policies and systems have historically overlooked the needs of this community.**

**Looking forward, we have plans to build Heart of Dinner's own delivery infrastructure with a fleet of electric vehicles, hire a dedicated team of drivers trained in our protocols—which emphasize cultural respect and thoughtful care when serving our Elders—and we aim to increase our care package distribution by 25%.** **These efforts will build upon our ongoing commitment to delivering care packages to our Elders and existing beneficiaries with the same high level of deep care and compassion.**

**Behind the scenes, we are strengthening systems to support Heart of Dinner’s sustainable growth,** so that we can continue to serve with deep care for years to come. **With these steps, we aim to cover all five boroughs of NYC—and even dream of extending our love and care to California.**

At the heart of Heart of Dinner is our belief in nourishing souls, bridging cultures and generations, and redefining what it means to care. We proudly support local businesses, empower individuals to uplift communities, and prioritize sustainability, creating a ripple effect of positive change.

**We invite you to take action with us today. Your support will help build a world where love, dignity, and connection are not just ideals—but fundamental human rights.**

With heartfelt gratitude,

Yin Chang & Moonlynn Tsai

Founders, Heart of Dinner

Heart Of Dinner

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We celebrate diversity, embrace innovation, value lifelong learning and partner with those who share our passion for public service.

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ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Our work focuses exclusively on truly important stories, stories with “moral force.” We do this by producing journalism that shines a light on exploitation of the weak by the strong and on the failures of those with power to vindicate the trust placed in them.  Investigative journalism is at risk. Many news organizations have increasingly come to see it as a luxury. Today’s investigative reporters lack resources: Time and budget constraints are curbing the ability of journalists not specifically designated “investigative” to do this kind of reporting in addition to their regular beats. New models are, therefore, necessary to carry forward some of the great work of journalism in the public interest that is such an integral part of self-government, and thus an important bulwark of our democracy.

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We've come a long way since we first got started in 2001. When Creative Commons was  founded, the internet was a budding universe with high potential, and platforms widely used today like Wikipedia and Google were only just taking off. CC’s founders were keen to ensure that, as the internet continued to grow, safeguards to knowledge, culture, and creativity were firmly in place, and the Creative Commons license suite was born.

Now more than ever, CC recognizes the urgent need for these licenses in advancing Better Sharing, key to preserving our global commons. As we look toward the next 20 years, CC seeks to fearlessly advocate for Open Knowledge to address the many challenges our global community faces today from the Climate Crisis and educational inequalities to the spread of "fake news" and barriers in access to cultural heritage.

Creative Commons

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