Brining back FADE was Jay's dream. Help us honor our late friend's final wish by donating to this campaign. 

Town Bizness is doing all the things we all say we want to do, and people need to do... but they *really* do it! Thank you!! 

 I know first hand how Lily Pads helps those that so dearly need some uplifting.

Thank you, AHADI Foundation, for all the worthwhile and worthy social work you do!

God bless you!

Nuna Nguembock

OPEN DOORS NYC invests in the creativity and leadership of Black and brown wheelchair users. 

**Led by the Reality Poets, OPEN DOORS** **NYC** is a collective of disabled artists, nursing home residents, advocates, and allies. We make art, perform, and host workshops, conversations, and events around community-building and disability justice. We are a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Transformative Action, an independent 501c3 organization. 

OPEN DOORS NYC

Organized volunteers providing outreach to unhoused folks with urgent relief: warmth, food, humanity, and  connection to services.

Town Bizness exists to bring the necessities of a dignified human life to the unhoused population of Oakland and Berkeley, CA. 
These necessities include good food, reliable shelter, clothing, toiletries, bedding, and basic creature comforts such as safe propane stoves and heaters, radios, and more, depending on each client’s needs. 

We also assist with housing, and keeping folks connected to service providers by supplying telephones and monthly service. 

The majority of folks we serve were born where they now live in tents, and once had property ownership in their families here in the bay area, but no longer do. Most are seniors, and many of them are now sick and/or disabled. 

Town Bizness

LilyPads Housing provides free lodging, meals, and comfort to families caring for children at UVA Children’s Hospital.

About LilyPads Housing

Every child deserves a caregiver by their side — especially when they’re in the hospital. But for far too many families, the cost of meals, lodging, and daily essentials can become an overwhelming burden during an already devastating time.

At **LilyPads**, we believe no family should have to choose between financial strain and staying close to their child.

That’s why we provide **free lodging, warm meals, essential supplies, comfort items, and community support** to families with children receiving medical care at UVA Children’s Hospital in Charlottesville, VA.

Our Mission

To offer **comfort and care** to every family navigating the unthinkable — so they can focus on what matters most: their child’s healing.

We do this through:

- **Free overnight lodging** with volunteer host families 
- **Meal assistance** via grocery cards, meals, and snack bags
- **Our Care Cart**, delivering daily essential and comfort items to inpatient families — from toothpaste to cozy socks to sibling activity kits
- **Connection and community**, offering emotional support, resources, and dignity during crisis
- **Hope in action**, creating moments of joy like holiday surprises, birthday boxes, and craft kits

Everything we do is powered by the kindness of volunteers, donors, host families, and partner organizations who believe that love can change lives — one family at a time.

Your Impact

- $25 provides snacks and comfort items for one hospital room
- $50 covers a week’s worth of grocery support for a parent bedside
- $100 houses a family for a night near the hospital
- $500 stocks the Care Cart for a full day of visits
- $1,000 covers a **week of care** for multiple families in crisis

Every donation — big or small — sends a powerful message: *you matter, and you’re not alone.* 

Why LilyPads Was Started

Our founder's family has spent much time at UVA Children’s Hospital (and Boston Children's Hospital) when their daughter, Lily, was little and fighting for her life. The medical care was excellent — but the days were long, the nights were sleepless, and the costs piled up fast. They often felt like they were alone and drowning.

That’s where the seed for LilyPads was planted.

They wondered, *what if there was a better way?*
What if families had a soft place to land — a real bed, a warm meal, someone to say, “Hey, you’re not alone”?

LilyPads was born out of that question. Out of the memory of sleeping upright in a hospital chair. Out of the hope that no parent would ever again have to choose between being with their child and affording a place to sleep.

The name LilyPads comes from the way lily pads float in stillness, giving aquatic life a place to rest, above the water. That’s what we offer families: a soft place to land, full of love and care.

Join Our Village

At LilyPads, we believe care is a community effort — a village built on kindness, compassion, and the belief that no one should face crisis alone.

By joining our village, you help create a world where:

- Parents can stay close to their child without worrying about where they’ll sleep.
- Hospital rooms feel less like waiting spaces and more like places of comfort.
- Siblings are remembered, caregivers are supported, and families feel the warmth of community.

Your generosity — whether it’s $10, $100, or simply sharing our story — becomes a lifeline. A reminder that behind every hospital door, there’s a village surrounding them with love.

**Give comfort. Share hope. Be part of our village.**
With you, we can make sure every family has a soft place to land.

LilyPads Housing

We support women with disabilities to lead boldly, break barriers, and shape a more inclusive world — in line with the 2030 SDGs



**AHADI Foundation – Empowering Women with Disabilities Through Leadership**

Founded in 2023 by Deza Nguembock—a disabled woman, social entrepreneur, and changemaker originally from Cameroon and now based in France—the AHADI Foundation is committed to transforming the leadership landscape for women with disabilities around the world.

Born from Deza’s lived experience of facing ableism, racism, and sexism, AHADI envisions a world where women with disabilities are seen, heard, and empowered to lead. Our mission: to break the cycle of invisibility by equipping 1,000 women with disabilities to rise as leaders and to build a global network of 20,000 emerging changemakers by 2030, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

💬 Why Your Support Matters

AHADI is not just a foundation—it’s a **movement** reshaping inclusion through leadership and visibility for women with disabilities around the world. An area that is still largely underfunded. Too often, organizations focus solely on inclusion without progressing to leadership, which is a crucial step for the empowerment of women with disabilities. We are now launching our **first fundraising campaign**, **your support is essential**.

💛 Every donation helps us fund:

- AHADI Leadership 
- AHADI Community 
- AHADI Data & Research
- AHADI Art for Change

You're not just giving—you’re **investing in a future** where every woman with a disability can lead with pride, power, and purpose.

🔍 Why This Matters

Women with disabilities face *systemic, compounded barriers* every day:

- **2 to 3 times** more likely to experience violence than non-disabled women
- **3 times** more likely to be illiterate than non-disabled men
- **2 times** more likely to be unemployed
- Almost invisible in decision-making roles—only **2.3%** held positions as legislators, senior executives, or managers in 19 countries (UN Women, 2017)

They are *routinely excluded* from economic and political life due to overlapping gender and disability discrimination. At AHADI, we are actively changing this—through leadership training, advocacy, visibility campaigns, and a strong, global sisterhood.

🎯 Our Key Programs

**💼 Leadership Program**
A 10-month hybrid initiative combining 4 months of intensive training with 6 months of personalized coaching. It empowers established women leaders with disabilities to lead advocacy efforts, claim media space, and mentor the next generation.

**🤝 Community Program**
Guides women at the start of their leadership journey by offering personal development tools, well-being sessions, and inspiring encounters—co-facilitated by alumnae of the Leadership Program.

**🎨 AHADI Arts & Culture**
Through immersive art installations and exhibitions, we challenge stereotypes and amplify the voices and visibility of women with disabilities.

**📊 AHADI Data & Research**
We collect and share key data to inform public policies and measure impact. Our upcoming **2030 Observatory** will track government commitments to four key articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

✨ Key achievements

- **March 2024**: Launched our first pan-European study on the visibility of people with disabilities in social, professional, media, and political spheres.
- **2024–2025**: Our **leadership pilot program** launched in France and expanded to Africa. To date, **77 remarkable women from 15 countries** have joined the movement.
- **March 2025**: Launched **"Les Objets"**, our first global awareness campaign—aired *in prime time* on CNN in North America and EMEA. Coming soon on France Télévisions and in **500+ cinemas** across France.
- **2025 (in progress)**: Our first art installation, *Aparté. Confidences. Liberté*, explores the intersection of perception, desire, and societal imagination surrounding disabled women.

AHADI Foundation

Headquartered in New York City, Aspies For Social Success, AFSS is a peer-run organization that provides support and social groups, as well as cultural events, to adults 18...

Headquartered in New York City, Aspies For Social Success, AFSS is a peer-run organization that provides support and social groups, as well as cultural events, to adults 18 and over who have either been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome or an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), believe they might be on the Autism Spectrum, or who for other reason have difficulty with social communication, sensory processing, or executive functioning. AFSS is working to build a more inclusive community for individuals who otherwise may not have many opportunities or be able to find others with whom to socialize. We do not charge our members any fees, and our income comes exclusively from fundraising.

**The Problem**

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 1 in 68 individuals in the U.S. is somewhere on the autism spectrum. Because adulthood constitutes most of the human lifespan, the majority of these individuals are adults. In New York City, where AFSS is based, this corresponds to a population of nearly 100,000, with closer to 200,000 in the Greater New York area, most of which have not yet been identified. A common misconception is that individuals with autism prefer to be isolated and are not interested in either friendships or romantic relationships; in fact, for most adults, nothing could be farther from the truth. Consequently, there is a need for venues where adults on the spectrum can meet others who live with the same challenges, discuss and share the difficulties that they face in various aspects of their lives in a supportive environment, and be able to simply socialize with people who perceive and interact with the world in a manner similar to their own. Also, even though unemployment statistics for autistic adults are greatly overestimated (roughly half of AFSS group members are employed at some level), they are still higher than for any other disability. As such, many will not be able to afford the kinds of group and cultural activities that AFSS is working to provide. These costs can only be met through outside contributions and donations.
 
**Our Approach**

AFSS support groups, currently held in rented venues, allow members to discuss issues of concern to them in a group setting among other adults living with similar challenges. Each meeting starts with a specific theme chosen by the group. Past themes have included community, relationships, dating, isolation, and employment-related difficulties. For example, we have had discussions on what it means to be part of a community and on what an ideal community would be like. We then allow the conversation to evolve during the session, allowing members to relate their own personal stories to the group.
  
AFSS social groups encourage members to go out in public with others like them and to feel more a part of and accepted in a community, and meet at different restaurants and locations throughout the New York City area. This also provides an opportunity for the greater community to see that we are no different from anyone else and fully capable of participating in society in spite of our minor differences. These groups provide a sense of community for individuals who otherwise may not have many suitable opportunities to socialize, as well as somewhere to go, on a regular basis, with a relaxed, comfortable, judgment-free atmosphere where people can be themselves amongst others sharing similar difficulties and interests. 
  
AFSS cultural events provide opportunities for our groups to attend a variety of artistic, scientific, and cultural events. These take place in museums, galleries, exhibitions, theaters, and other venues throughout the NYC area.
 
**Our team**

**AFSS Leadership**
  
**Stephen Katz**, Program Director AFSS
  
*Stephen Katz facilitates a variety of support, social and cultural groups for adults with Asperger’s syndrome, along with those who are on the autism spectrum. In the past, this has included the GRASP Manhattan support group in New York City. He has also worked on a variety of projects for GRASP; including, “Persons on the Autism Spectrum in Their Communities of Faith”, a ground breaking seminar, moderated by GRASP founder, Michael John Carley.*
  
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
  
**AFSS Advisory Board**
  
 

- Karl Wittig, P.E. 
- Irma Jacqueline Ozer, Ph.D./ J.D. 
- Brian R. C. Kinghorn, M. Phil. 
- Jonas, Arnaldo, Founder of AFSS 
- Tim Itschner
 
**Contact information** 

Stephen Katz
[aspiesforsocialsuccess@gmail.com](mailto:aspiesforsocialsuccess@gmail.com) 
(917) 842-4984

Aspies For Social Success, AFSS

Lil BUB is a one of a kind space cat. Since landing on Earth, she's raised over $1,000,000 for homeless pets nationwide.

Lil BUB’s Big Fund exists to advocate for special needs companion animals and build a community that celebrates and fosters the human-animal bond. With a focus on animals that are the most difficult to adopt, the most expensive to care for, and are at a high risk of euthanasia. 

Lil BUB’s Big Fund provides access to care for special needs pets nationwide. We work with community leaders, shelters, and rescues nationwide to create special needs focused frameworks. We visit schools to promote kindness and inclusion. Through our work, we share BUB’s message of overcoming adversity and the knowledge that the things that make us different are worthy of being seen and appreciated.

Lil BUB's Big Fund

An SF Queer Theater Company, fiscally sponsored project of Intersection for the Arts

Eye Zen Presents illuminates and preserves hidden LGBTQ+ histories through interdisciplinary performance, archival activation, and intergenerational exchange. We create immersive public art rooted in place, memory, and accessibility that connects queer elders, artists, and audiences. Our practice pairs hands-on archival preservation with new creative works so that endangered legacies are safeguarded and shared as living culture. 


Eye Zen Presents

Kameie unites performing arts, community, rural renewal, and sustainability, hosting an international artist residency.

Kameie was founded in Parma, Italy, in May 2024, as a nonprofit association registered in the Italian National Third Sector Register (RUNTS). At its core is the conviction that performing and new media arts are powerful tools for reflection, able to impact communities, awaken belonging, transform relationships, and foster awareness of the connection with the natural and social environment.

The Association was born from the encounter of consolidated professional experiences in the performing arts sector, many of them matured within prestigious and highly structured institutions, but always with an acute awareness of the critical and complex nature of today’s socio-political context. Kameie brings these skills together, along with a deep cultural and civic consciousness, to create a project uniting vision with pragmatism. The project is rooted in the Parma Apennines, a territory of extraordinary natural and cultural wealth, yet fragile and at risk of depopulation. Here, Kameie has chosen to operate, enhancing a heritage of stories, memories, and traditions while intertwining them with a strong vocation for artistic and pedagogical experimentation.
Kameie’s mission is to foster personal and civic growth through the conscious practice and experience of the performing arts, while ensuring maximum accessibility and inclusion. The association aims to contribute to removing the obstacles that still prevent many citizens from fully experiencing art, culture, and beauty, while promoting an open, supportive, and respectful approach to all forms of life. The choice of the name is highly significant. “Kameie” comes from the imaginative Na’vi language of James Cameron’s Avatar, where the expression "oel ngati kameie" means “I see you”: not merely a greeting, but an act of mutual recognition and acceptance of the inner essence of every living being. This name reflects the Association’s vocation to build communities based on solidarity, to foster authentic bonds, and to promote a harmonious dialogue between human beings and nature. Environmental sustainability is an integral part of Kameie’s mission. Every project is designed in balance with natural resources, promoting respect for ecosystems and enhancing the Apennine environment where the association operates. Studying, producing, and experiencing the arts in a pristine natural setting enriches both creativity and personal growth. The Association also embraces a strongly humanistic and holistic approach, placing the individual, the community, and their relationship with nature at the center. This approach is reflected in its training programs, educational workshops, and artistic productions, supported also by the contribution of certified counselors among its members. At the same time, Kameie positions itself as a permanent laboratory to test and validate pedagogical programs designed to employ music and theatre as tools for cultivating “civic awareness.”

In just over one year of activity, Kameie has already built solid foundations. Today, it brings together sixty members, including international artists, musicians, university professors, professionals, naturalists, doctors, counselors, and educators, all motivated to contribute to the project. This community is a unique wealth of skills and relationships, the backbone of the organization.

At the same time, Kameie has established a local network of collaborations with schools, social services, municipal administrations, theaters, festivals, enterprises, and banking foundations. This shows the Association operates in a territory rich in potential meaningful partners. The Association also operates in an economically vibrant context, home to globally renowned companies such as Barilla (2024 revenues: €4.8 billion), Chiesi Pharmaceuticals (€3.4 billion), and Dallara, a leader in racing car engineering. These stakeholders have already expressed appreciation for Kameie’s vision and goals, offering concrete prospects for substantial future support. But Kameie was born and operates in an area extraordinarily rich in history and cultural traditions of international significance, the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi, Arturo Toscanini, and Bernardo Bertolucci. Parma, with its legendary Teatro Regio and Verdi Festival, stands as a true cultural capital—well beyond opera.

The association has already acquired a starting real estate asset: a cluster of old rural stone buildings that make up the small and picturesque village of Selva di Specchio, in the municipality of Solignano, Province of Parma. These properties, long abandoned and in need of restoration, form the tangible foundation of the regeneration project. 

Kameie has also successfully implemented educational projects for children and students in local schools and for the Teatro Regio and the Verdi Festival in Parma. Following the great success of "High School Falstaff"—that offered a reinterpretation of Verdi’s masterpiece as a teen musical and specifically designed to be performed in school settings—, in October 2025 the Teatro Regio’s Verdi Off Festival will present eight new productions created and produced by Kameie together with the young Lynus theatre company, the creative team entrusted with the association’s theatre and music theatre projects.

The strategic project that will accompany the Association over the next five years—until its full logistical, functional, and organizational development, operational capacity, and financial sustainability—is called: “A Residency for Artists, a Village of Arts.” Its purpose is to transform the long-abandoned village of Selva di Specchio into a permanent laboratory of territorial and social regeneration, through an interconnected national and international network of artistic, cultural, educational, and pedagogical initiatives. The project consists of four main components:

- restoration of stone buildings, including demolition of non-recoverable parts;

- redevelopment of green areas, including community gardens, orchards, botanical trails, educational farms;

- construction of new facilities, including the auditorium Kameie’s Hall and the Teatro dei Ciliegi, an open-air theatre immersed in nature;

- community-building activities directly linked to the new and restored spaces.

The new theater, Kameie’s Hall—like all the buildings involved in the restoration project—will be designed according to a philosophy that integrates respect and enhancement of the landscape with principles of sustainability. Its architecture will adopt highly energy-efficient solutions, with careful attention to the selection of materials and construction methods, minimizing environmental impact and emissions. The aim is to create a space that not only hosts artistic and educational activities, but also embodies Kameie’s vision: an open, harmonious place in constant dialogue with the surrounding natural environment.

The Teatro dei Ciliegi will also represent a unique initiative in Italy: a landscape-integrated, organic open-air theatre, set within a system of orchards and natural pathways, destined to become a gathering place and a symbol of innovation.

Educational, musical, theatrical, and audiovisual workshops will be developed in collaboration with expert pedagogues and university professors. The University of Bologna will support pedagogical activities, while the University of Parma will accompany the restoration and architectural redevelopment of the village’s buildings. Kameie positions itself as a permanent laboratory to test and validate pedagogical programs that employ music and theatre as tools for cultivating “civic awareness.” The project will also have a significant impact on youth inclusion: NEETs and vulnerable young people will be actively involved in workshops and in the construction and management processes of the spaces, acquiring technical and artisanal skills in the fields of theatre, music, and audiovisual production, while also gaining experience in active citizenship. Particular attention is devoted also to young Italians of first and second generation, who will be among the main beneficiaries of the community-building and cultural integration activities.

Once spaces are fully functional and supported by stable partnerships, the culmination of Kameie’s vision is the creation of a new arts festival, unprecedented in its form and philosophy: performances and artistic experiences in dialogue with nature, new technologies in harmony with the ecosystem. As a meeting point between the values of local tradition and international artistic excellence, it will be the most visible synthesis of Kameie’s mission

Kameie is distinguished by its ability to combine strong local roots with an international vocation. On the one hand, it serves Apennine communities by counteracting depopulation and promoting social cohesion; on the other, it aims to become a hub of attraction for artists from all over the world, offering them a full-immersion experience in Italian tradition, language, and food culture, while enabling them to embrace a conscious lifestyle based on respect for the natural environment and its resources, attuned to the voices and rhythms of nature. Kameie represents an unprecedented initiative in Italy—and probably in Europe—for its unique synthesis of territorial regeneration in rural and mountain areas at risk of depopulation, accessible and inclusive enjoyment of the performing arts, environmental sustainability and respect for all forms of life, and pedagogical innovation with civic and integrative purposes. All of this is realized through a strongly humanistic and holistic approach that places the individual, the community, and their harmonious dialogue with nature at the center. This uniqueness, combined with the clarity of its vision, could make Kameie an international case history and a reference model for donors, investors, and institutions wishing to support projects capable of combining culture, nature, and social innovation

Kameie Impresa Sociale ETS

The ICJ is a unique legal NGO that shapes international laws to protect human rights, and makes sure these laws are used.

Over the past 70 years, our work has benefited the lives of millions of people - including yours. 

We have been responsible for building and strengthened the legal processes need to protect human rights globally. But as growing authoritarianism threatens decades of progress, we are asking **you** to help ensure that this continues, and that judges and lawyers can stand up to political pressure and protect the rights of ordinary people. 

With your support, cases that decide whether a journalist goes to prison, whether survivors of abuse are heard, or whether a child faces persecution can be fought - and won. Your donation translates into **real freedoms restored, fair trials secured, and systemic reforms that protect millions long after your gift is given**.

Without your support, the rule of law will erode more quickly and more quietly. Judges silenced, activists prosecuted, and communities left without justice are not just stories — they are the frontline of whether or not the law can still protect us. If the ICJ cannot step in, those who abuse the law to silence dissent or enrich themselves will succeed. If we lose ground on the decades of progress made since the Second World War, there will be lasting consequences for those who have nowhere else to turn.

Around the world, democratic institutions are under unprecedented attack. Supporting the ICJ now means ensuring independent courts and legal systems survive the current wave of repression, so that the law will protect, rather than persecute. The urgency is not abstract — the next few years will determine whether rights roll back for decades to come.

The ICJ is trusted by governments, bar associations, leading foundations, UN agencies,  and civil society groups worldwide — but perhaps most tellingly, by **judges, lawyers and human rights defenders themselves**. When their safety is at risk, they turn to the ICJ for expertise and solidarity. 

We work shoulder to shoulder with national partners in over 30 countries, supporting the drafting and adoption of landmark human rights treaties and conventions, submitting legal interventions in domestic and international courts, providing legal education and training on human rights law, and building networks of lawyers and judges committed to upholding the rule of law.

By donating, you will be joining a global community of institutions and individuals who support the ICJ's critical work.

The ICJ's Commissioners are serving or former senior judges, lawyers, and legal academics from all legal traditions, selected for their experience, knowledge and fundamental commitment to human rights. Their pro bono support gives the ICJ's legal teams unique credibility and influence with governments, courts, and international organizations. We speak with the unbaised authority of legal scholars, not just as an advocacy group. 

ICJ - International Commission of Jurists 

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

Since 1958, Children of the Mekong supports children’s education in Southeast Asia. 

In Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, we help children grow through [child sponsorship](https://www.childrenofthemekong.org/sponsor-a-child/) and [education projects](https://www.childrenofthemekong.org/get-involved/support-a-project/).

Our priorities of action are early childhood, girls' education, slums, rural populations, refugees, children with disability, and ethnic minorities.

Children of the Mekong

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We are a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees we rely on the generosity of donors like you.

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OPEN DOORS NYC

AHADI Foundation

Town Bizness

Town Bizness

LilyPads Housing

Town Bizness

Disabilities