Iya has supported us through every breath of her being - always...to stand in truth, mutual love, respect and forgiveness-now we can stand in the light of love's truth for her...Infinite love always-Shelley 

In honor of my late grandfather Vladimir Bugo. May his soul rest in peace 

A generais family member decided to help. 

In honor of Varun Menon, a big fan of the Shnowman. 

Supporting Iya Tahirah ensures her wisdom, resilience, and sacred legacy continue to uplift future generations.

Honor the Elders recognizes Iya Tahirah Abubakr as an exemplary Elder and Wisdomkeeper and is pleased to be raising funds to provide a gift in recognition of her lifelong service to her community. We believe that when we provide needed support to Elders and wisdomkeepers, the whole community benefits. 

Through the Grandmother Project and Honor the Elders, we provide services and gifts to exemplary Elders and wisdomkeepers whose work is aligned with the purpose of Nourishing Futures, who have lived a life of service to their communities, and whose life circumstances require financial resources to help cover the basic costs of food, shelter, health care, and medicine. All funds raised will be re-gifted to Iya Tahirah Abubakr, in honor of her life of service.

**Who is Iya Tahirah?**

Iya Tahirah AbuBakr, born River Lee Adams, was raised in Pocahontas, Mississippi as the eldest of seven children in a family of sharecroppers who turned hardship into strength and purpose. At seventeen, she left Mississippi for New Orleans, and in her early twenties moved to New York City, where her community activism within the Black Liberation Movement laid the foundation for a lifelong path of service as a social worker and community leader.

Her spiritual journey led to initiation into **Ifa** by **Ifa Priestess Yemọja**, grounding her in the ancestral Yoruba traditions of West Africa. A graduate of Social and Cultural Anthropology from IU Indianapolis, and trained in shamanism with **Malidoma Somé**, she emerged as Iya Tahirah AbuBakr—medicine woman, diviner, shamanic practitioner, and founder and co-founder of the St. Croix Council of Elders.

Iya Tahirah has dedicated her life to the service of humanity, with a deep commitment to nurturing youth and leaving the Earth better than she found it. Supporting Iya Tahirah ensures her wisdom, resilience, and sacred legacy continue to uplift future generations.

 **What is going on with her health?**

On Wednesday, November 26, 2025, Iya Tahirah was found alone in her home and rushed to the hospital, having suffered physical injury from a fall that was a result of an [ischemic stroke.](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24208-ischemic-stroke-clots) 

At first, the prognosis was dark (she only had days to live). We believe now that this was a combination of her condition (we estimate 36 hours between the stroke and when she was found), and the doctor’s inability to see beyond the facts (age, race) and into the truth. Iya Tahirah has shown that she is cogent, lucid, and generally aware of what is going on. She has begun the long walk to recovery and she needs our support, now. Learn more about her current condition through Caringbridge.

Iya Tahirah Abubakr, Honor the Elders Exemplary Elder

We are a research hospital that treats patients in all medical disciplines, focusing on oncology, neurology, and diagnosis.

The Fondazione Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza – Opera di San Pio da Pietrelcina (transl. Home for the Relief of Suffering Foundation – Work of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina) is a not-for-profit research hospital located in the city of San Giovanni Rotondo (FG), in the Puglia Region, Southern Italy.
As per Canon 1303 §1 of the Code of Canon Law, it has public, canonical and civil legal personality; it is therefore subject to the supervision of the Holy See and, on its behalf, of the pro-tempore Cardinal Secretary of State. 
Many of the stages that have thus far marked the history of the Work of San Pio of Pietrelcina have been achieved thanks to the loving generosity of many benefactors who, sharing the mission indicated by San Pio da Pietrelcina, the relief of suffering, wanted to donate to his work.

HISTORY
The hospital was founded and inaugurated by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina on May 5, 1956 with a capacity of 250 beds. It took on the status of Provincial Hospital on 4 August 1971 and then of Regional General Hospital on 2 June 1980, thus becoming part of the Italian National Healthcare System. Since 16 July 1991, with a Decree of the Minister of Health and the Minister of University and Scientific Research, it has been a Research Hospital. Originally, the object of its scientific activity was limited to genetic and hereditary-familial diseases; subsequently, the Minister of Health, by the 5 December 2012 Decree, extended the research areas of its competence to "Genetic diseases, innovative therapies and regenerative medicine". Recently, on the occasion of the presentation of the research lines for the three-year programme of the Italian Research Hospitals 2022-2024, Casa Sollievo identified “Diagnostic acitivity, Neurology and Oncology” as its main research thematic areas, thus becoming a polythematic Research Hospital.

MISSION
The Foundation's mission is to provide health care and carry out research activities. In addition, the Foundation offers training activities for its personnel.
Around 2,750 people work at the Foundation.
The Foundation (hereinafter “CSS”) consists of three structures based in San Giovanni Rotondo: the hospital Casa Sollievo, the polyclinic Giovanni Paolo II, where outpatient activities are carried out, and the ISBReMIT research center for regenerative medicine (Institute for Stem-cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies); and the Mendel Institute in Rome, where research and diagnostic activities are carried out. In San Giovanni Rotondo, it also owns and runs a retirement home for the elderly.
In addition, CSS owns 3 hospitality facilities where affordable accommodation is offered to hospitalized patients’ relatives who have to assist them; and another facility (Casa Zeni) where accommodation is offered free of charge to the parents of the little patients hospitalized in the oncology-hematology unit.
Moreover, the Foundation includes the Padre Pio Prayer Groups Centre, which was also founded by San Pio and coordinates the Padre Pio prayers groups throughout the world, according to the Founder’s wish that Prayers Groups live and testify the importance of prayer and pray for CSS.
Lastly, CSS publishes a monthly periodical and posts on the Foundation’s official channels on the web updates on its research and clinical activity and its spiritual activity and the teachings of the Founder.
The hospital offers assistance also to people from underdeveloped countries. 
Moreover, a free-of-charge shuttle service has been provided for many years to radiotherapy patients coming from Bari and surrounding cities (Southern Puglia).

THE CLINICAL ACTIVITY
CSS has around 756 beds, 38 medical and surgical inpatient units, 26 operating rooms, in addition to services, diagnostic and multi-specialist outpatient units.
In 2022, the hospital recorded over 30,000 hospitalizations and 870,000 outpatient performances. 
Regarding the advanced technological equipment, CSS has 1 "Da Vinci" surgical robot, 1 PET/CT device, 3 linear accelerators, 4 CT devices, 1 CT simulator for radiotherapy, 4 NMR equipment, 3 digital angiographs, 2 gamma cameras and a RIS/PACS system for the filmless management of the radiology department.
Furthermore, CSS hosts an Umbilical Cord Bank and a Human Milk Bank.
Recent Achievements
In addition to the many important activities carried out in CSS, 3 new units have been opened: 1. a new Emergency Room hosting an Observation and Assessment Ward; 2. an Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Center. 3. an Sub-Intensive Geriatric Unit. 
CSS has also established a Stroke Unit, a Lung Unit, a Breast Unit, a Head and Neck Unit, and a Molecular Tumor Board to guarantee appropriate, quality and homogeneous procedures.
Future goals
Important technological investments have been planned for the years 2023-2025 in the following areas: oncology/nuclear medicine, diagnostic imaging, ICU, and surgery. 

THE RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The research activity is conducted in the Polyclinic, the ISBReMIT research center and at the Mendel Institute, for a total of 17 research groups.
Recent achievements
The consolidated experience of the staff working in CSS in the study of genetic diseases since 1991 and the continuous updating of technologies, instrumentation and genomics and post-genomics skills have made it possible to direct the research and clinical-assistance activity towards two complementary research lines: "personalized medicine - system biomedicine" and "regenerative medicine" based on the study of tumor stem cells and the use of normal stem cells.
The scientific fields in which the Institute is mostly involved in "personalized medicine" concern the identification of the genetic causes of rare diseases and the identification of diagnostic, prognostic and predictive markers in complex pathologies, including tumor pathologies. Regarding the identification of the genetic causes of rare diseases, we use the new next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and the skills acquired by the bioinformatics unit, one of the first established at national level. In parallel, the Institute boasts a large collection of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), produced from patient fibroblasts, in which pathogenetic variants have been identified, and use the skills acquired in differentiating them into mature cells, in particular astrocytes, neurons and oligodendrocytes.
Regarding regenerative medicine, two important studies were conducted and concluded: a phase I trial on anti-Multiple Sclerosis therapy based on the use of human neural stem cells, approved by the Ministry of Health and the Italian Medicines Authority AIFA (EudraCT code 2015-004855-37); and a phase I/II trial on anti-glioma therapy with biological drugs (EudraCT code: 2016-001761-92). The results of these studies will published in prestigious international journals.
In 2015, the new ISBReMIT Regenerative Medicine Research Center was started. It is a cutting-edge structure in terms of conception and equipment in the field of translational medicine for genetic, degenerative and oncological diseases. The structure hosts, together with the highly technologically equipped laboratories, a cell factory and a laboratory for the production of biopharmaceuticals under Good Manufacturing Practice, i.e. for clinical use, including somatic stem cells and iPS, vectors for gene therapy and biomaterials.
It should be noted that CSS has recently become part of three Networks of the Italian Research Centers: since 2016 it has been an Ordinary Associate of Alleanza Contro il Cancro; since December 2018, of the National Research Network on Aging; and, finally, since March 2020 of the Neuroscience Network. Starting from 2022, CSS has been part of the European reference networks for rare and uncommon diseases (European Reference Networks - ERN), in particular ERN-SKIN on diseases of dermatological interest, and ERN ReCONNET on musculoskeletal diseases and pathologies of the connective tissue.
Researchers publish about 200 scientific articles in the most renowned journals (Science, New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics) every year. They are engaged both as Principal Investigators and as partners in research projects in the biomedical field and ICT, obtaining funds from the EU (H2020 and FP7) and national or regional calls.
CSS is also a partner in Research and Innovation projects funded by private and public bodies, e.g. from the EU both under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, in the field of digital transformation of healthcare. The main areas of involvement concern Assistive Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data generated by consumer devices, eHealth, Digital Therapies, the Internet of Things and Cybersecurity.
Future goals
Starting from the identification of the genetic causes of diseases, the goal is to develop advanced therapies to bring to the patient's bedside and tailored to him/her.
Furthermore, at the end of 2023, the phase II study "Neural Stem Cell Treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A multicenter, randomized placebo controlled and biological endpoints clinical Trial" (EudraCt 2018-002373-22) will be launched. This involves the use of neural stem cells on patients suffering from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

CONCLUSION
Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza was born of the visionary mind of a poor friar, one of the most important, recent and internationally recognized and prayed Saints, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, right after the II World War, in a poor corner of the Southern Italy of those times. 
CSS, by its Statutes, is a not-for-profit organization. All the good work that has been done until now for the sick has been possible thanks to the generosity of donors and to the public and private funds that have been collected through the hard work of the Foundation’s researchers and clinicians, thus contributing importantly to the care of citizens from Southern Italy and underdeveloped countries and to the world research.

Fondazione di Religione e di Culto Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza - Opera di San Pio da Pietrelcina

Pediatric malnutrition treatment – reimagined for scale.

Taimaka has reimagined pediatric malnutrition treatment to make it **more cost-effective and scalable**. We’ve developed a malnutrition treatment model that is:

1. 53% cheaper than legacy approaches and:
2. Leverages digitally-enabled community health workers (CHWs) to deliver care to the most vulnerable communities. 

So far, we’ve used our model to treat 6,000+ children out of existing government hospitals in northeastern Nigeria with world-class recovery rates of 95%+. Our track record has led charity evaluators like [Founder’s Pledge](https://www.founderspledge.com/funds/global-health-and-development-fund) to identify us as one of the most cost-effective nonprofits in global health, with a [cost-per-life saved of $1,644](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16czhbk2xjA1EkhQxebnTV_49cwVC9XYFE23Jal2Yhu4/edit#gid=0). Over the next five years, we’re on track to expand our program to treat tens of thousands of children, while helping governments revamp their outdated programs so that they can double the number of children they reach. 

Read more at taimaka.org. 

Taimaka

The official foundation of NFL Buffalo Bill’s star Dion Dawkins.

**Dion’s Dreamers was founded with the goal of providing mentorship and support to young men and women in underserved communities, as well as those in a place of mental, financial or physical hardship. Dion’s Dreamers also aims to advocate for vulnerable populations by increasing awareness of the environmental issues that directly affect their communities.**

Dion's Dreamers

High quality medical services for marginalized groups in Cairo and the region.

Mersal Foundation for Charity and Development is a non-profit organization that serves in the health field and works on providing all types of healthcare with high quality to whoever is in need.

**Vision**
To be the number one medical organization in Egypt and the Arab region and proactive in ensuring the right in healthcare for the marginalized groups and those who are in need the most.

**Message**
Working on analyzing and filling the gaps of the healthcare system to provide high quality medical services on the basis of equality and dignity through enabling a charitable healthcare system for whoever cannot afford it, as well as contributing to the development of the health sector.

**Objectives**  

- Providing medical services to whoever deserves them regardless the cost or for how long they will be needed.
- Spreading medical awareness in all the places it serves in.
- Achieving sustainability in funding its activities Core Values.
- Privacy: Mersal ensures the patient's eligibility to receive its services without hurting their dignity or exposing them to any kind of embarrassment.
- Healthcare With No Discrimination: Mersal is an open arm to all patients with no discrimination whatsover; whatever religion, nationality, color, or language, all patients in need are welcomed to receive the organization services.
- High Quality: Mersal provides all types of medical services in the highest possible quality through its network of specialized medical personnel.
- Credibility and Transparency: Mersal announces the size and sources of its fund as well as its administrative and medical expenditures, The foundation financial reports and annual budgets are available through several outlets through which any person can explore how resources are managed. Mersal believes in the importance of being specialized in specific fields and its early choice was the healthcare services.

In the past six years, the organization registered over 25,000 patients from 27 provinces.  Mersal has been seeking to enable access to its services all over the country. And the dream of helping those who are in need whoever they are and whatever the cost and time is still alive, Mersal has worked over the past six years on getting close to its patients throughout their treatment journey.

Mersal Foundation for Charity and Development 

From crisis to recovery: delivering relief, building resilience, and helping communities find revival.

**Our Mission:** To add as much value as possible, to as many lives as possible, as soon as possible. Every town deserves light that never goes out, neighbors they can count on, and a future their children can believe in. Our first initiative is to transform disaster response by walking with communities through every phase of recovery—from immediate relief through long-term revival—building lasting strength through energy, knowledge, and care that honors human dignity and creates thriving, prepared communities.

Ovanova Gives

Locally led. The last pot to boil. The last door to shut. A U.S. nonprofit (2024) focused on food, farming & survival in Gaza.

🍲 Gaza Soup Kitchen: Feeding 10,000 People Daily

As famine tightens its grip and markets collapse, Gaza Soup Kitchen is still boiling pots—feeding 1,000 people every day with dignity and determination.

We were the first soup kitchen in North Gaza to lean on local farmers and forage from nature to keep people alive. When others paused, we adapted. When supplies ran out, we improvised.

Today, we operate across 11 kitchens, run a community clinic, and deliver clean water and hot meals to hospitals—even in the hardest-hit zones.

This is survival work, done by people living through the very crisis they’re responding to.

Support the last pots still cooking. 

Gaza Soup Kitchen

An organization focused on preserving, protecting, and improving environment. It received its nonprofit status in 2024.

Seed Foundation

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)

Autism Empowerment is a neurodivergent-led nonprofit devoted to helping youth and adults  worldwide lead awesome meaningful lives!

**Autism Empowerment** is a passionate nonprofit organization led by individuals with lived experience. We are devoted to enriching and empowering the lives of autistic and neurodivergent youth, adults, and their families. We promote a culture of Autism Acceptance and believe every one of us has gifts and strengths to share with the world.

Through our enriching and empowering service-oriented programs like [Spectrum Life Magazine](https://www.spectrumlife.org), Autism Serves: Helping Hands, Autism Empowerment Cares and AWEtism We Embrace, we promote Autism Acceptance, Inclusion, and Advocacy for today's world and the future.

Come join us as an Ambassador for Acceptance of All Abilities! Be a meaningful part of helping create a world where people of all abilities are embraced! Your donations directly support programs that inspire and uplift our community members.

Thank you for your generosity and for being a part of positively changing our world!

Autism Empowerment

Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action was founded in 2017 to bring the clinician
voice to climate change advocacy in Virginia.

Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action (VCCA) was founded in 2017 to bring the clinician voice to climate change advocacy in Virginia. Through education, advocacy, and community outreach, VCCA builds a network of clinician advocates advancing local and statewide climate solutions. Since our inception, VCCA has become a leading health voice for a clean energy economy in Virginia.

Virginia Clinicians For Climate Action

We develop community-led, circular solutions to end plastic pollution in remote coastal areas, grounded in local heritage.

We are an East African circular economy movement that in 2018 built the world’s first 100% recycled plastic sailing dhow.  Built from 10 tonnes of beach plastic, it was covered in 30,000 pieces of discarded flipflops collected from Kenyas beaches, hence its name 'The Flipflopi'. 

We employ a “full-systems” approach to beating plastic pollution through 

(1) education and awareness campaigns, 

(2) waste-plastic innovation rooted in heritage, and 

(3) influencing legislative change to ban single-use plastics. 

Over the course of three expeditions, the Flipflopi sailing boat has proved to be an exceptional campaign tool to catalyse engagement and action all three of the above focus areas. Watch our latest video, "[Stubborn Optimism - A Plastic Revolution" 
](https://youtu.be/RjVd7RR\_vPs?si=5XrC37OrODfvgnZJ)The 2019 Lamu to Zanzibar expedition, conducted in partnership with UN Environment, brought international media attention - 890 million people saw our message, we hosted the presidents and government ministers on the boat, and played a central role in national plastic bag bans that came into effect in both Kenya and Tanzania shortly after our campaign.

In 2020 Flipflopi Co-founder was awarded Kenya’s highest civilian honour for his contribution to preserving Kenya's Swahili culture and his environmental campaigning.  

In 2022, Flipflopi was awarded the FCDO’s prestigious SMEP Grant to tackle marine ecosystem health challenges which led to the creation of an innovative community-centered programme that is ‘closing the loop’ on waste plastic in the Lamu Archipelago (on the coast of northern Kenya) by combining indigenous knowledge of boatbuilding with modern innovation.  In a 24 month perirod we have collected 288 tonnes of plastic from the enviroment within the Lamu region. 

In 2022 we set up a Heritage Boat Building centre that runs pioneering classes teaching Dhow building and traditional craftsmanship to mixed gender classes of young people from Lamu County.  Students on these 12 week courses have built everything from ornately carved traditional Lamu chairs to Swahili Dhows – all from recycled plastic lumber instead of wood.  

In 2023, The Flipflopi team met UK Monarch King Charles whilst on a visit to Kenya, presenting him with an elegant traditional Swahili throne made entirely from recycled beach plastic.  It made headlines around the world. 

To date Flipflopi activity has principally taken place within Kenya, and to a lesser extent, in neighbouring countries Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.  In 2025 we are turning our attention to globally scaling the many valuable lessons we have learned about how to create a circular economy for plastic waste.

In 2025 we begin our most ambitious campaign yet – first we will construct a 120 tonne, 24 metre long traditional Lamu Dhow (again, built entirely from recycled plastic) and then we embark on a global expedition that will convene the action we need globally to see a WORLD WITHOUT SINGLE USE PLASTIC. 

The Flipflopi Project

Founded in 2008, TGF partners with Cambodian villages for sustainable development and community empowerment to improve livelihoods

Founded in 2008 Temple Garden Foundation (TGF) works in partnership with local villages in Cambodia to improve livelihoods through sustainable development and the empowerment of communities. It supports projects that maximize community participation and minimize external support in four interconnected areas: Water & Sanitation, Health, Children's Education, and Income Generation.



**Our Vision:**

Empowered rural communities building a sustainable future.

**Our Mission:**

To work in partnership with communities to provide the resources and support needed to sustainably build livelihoods.



Over the years, TGF has contributed significantly to essential services, fostering a sustainable and self-sufficient environment in the rural area of Chi Kraeng – an area as big as Singapore. By empowering individuals and communities, we are driving sustainable and inclusive development.

Temple Garden Foundation (TGF)

At the heart of our Garden Council are 40+ community gardens, each nurturing an ecosystem of health, connection, and resilience. 

With more than 2,000 members spanning diverse backgrounds and neighborhoods, the Los Angeles Community Garden Council is a dynamic force for positive change in Los Angeles. From Watts to Pasadena, Santa Monica to East Los Angeles, our 47 community gardens serve as vital hubs of activity and collaboration, offering access to fresh food, opportunities for education and engagement, organizing smart environmental and community-oriented policy and advocacy, and a shared space for neighbors to connect and thrive.

Join us as we cultivate a healthier, greener, and more resilient city for all. Together, we can sow the seeds of change and cultivate a brighter future, one garden at a time.

Los Angeles Community Garden Council

Whole Child International is a nonprofit, international child protection and development organization founded in 2004. 

Whole Child International works collaboratively with local partners, governmental and non-governmental, to ensure that children receive the quality of care they need to grow into resilient, productive citizens, regardless of where they live.  We use an evidence-informed approach, drawing on cutting edge child development research, to train caregivers, child protection authorities, and government actors to ensure the entire child protection and development system is focused on ensuring positive outcomes for the most vulnerable children.  

Our work in Nicaragua and El Salvador produced statistically significant improvements in cognitive and social functioning, as well as weight- and height-for-age, without substantial changes to the material environment or their diets.  We change the behavior of the adults around the children to provide relationship-centered care and transform children's developmental trajectory.  Developmentally supportive care in childhood is associated with better educational, economic, health (physical and mental), and social outcomes later in life; that is, providing quality care for today's children helps reduce poverty, conflict, and social inequities in the future.  

Women and children are disproportionately affected by violence, climate change, and poverty; they are also key to disrupting these harmful cycles.  Our approach strengthens families, both biological and not, by equipping caregivers with the skills they need to care for their children's holistic needs, emotional, developmental, nutritional, etc.  We work with childcare centers and providers in low-income and high-violence areas to improve the quality of care available to children who might otherwise not have access to these services.  We especially work with women -- both caregivers and those working in the child protection system -- to develop their capacity as community leaders and models for positive change.   

At Whole Child International, we Embrace the Future.

Whole Child International

Supporting the Palisades rebuild, and building a model for all disaster communities


Team Palisades grew out of borrowed corners and improvised meeting rooms. In the weeks after the January 2025 fire, neighbors found each other on glitchy Zoom calls, over cups of coffee in local shops, and squeezed into borrowed spaces around town. Out of those small, determined encounters came a shared conviction: that recovery would be stronger if it was built by the community itself, with many voices and many hands at the table.

That spirit took root one Saturday in March, when a group of Palisades residents gathered at Team Molly’s space. World Central Kitchen served us a hot meal, and between bites we began sketching out what support could look like—block by block, family by family, and business by business. What started as conversation around folding tables has since grown into a living framework for rebuilding: block captains connecting neighbors, volunteers stepping forward with skills and time, and a widening circle of partners committed to our long-term recovery.

We’ve come far since those first tentative meetings, but our work is still just beginning. Team Palisades welcomes new energy, new ideas, and new neighbors every day. Whether you join as a volunteer, a partner, or simply as a voice in the conversation, you are part of writing the next chapter of our community. This is the essence of our work: neighbors helping neighbors, not just to restore what was lost, but to create a Palisades that is stronger, more connected, and more welcoming than ever before.

Team Palisades

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

Kids’ Club supports underserved youth in our community by awarding grants for programs for kids from birth to age 18 and beyond. 

Kids’ Club of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow provides support for underserved youth.  As a community organization, we marshal resources, increase local awareness, advocate for programming, and strengthen services to improve the lives of children and families. We collaborate with a variety of community organizations to identify needs, close gaps in services and provide opportunities for children.

*Through our close ties to the community, we are able to find, fund, and facilitate programs we believe will have the greatest impact on the lives of those we serve.* 

At Kids’ Club, we are all volunteers; we have no paid staff.  We all live or work in the community or surrounding areas. **Administrative costs are covered through the generosity of our Board members, enabling 100% of every dollar you donate to Kids’ Club to help the children and families we serve.** 

Kids' Club of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow, Inc.

You can help us find, treat and rehabilitate another woman restoring her health, dignity and future.

There are around 30,000 women in Ethiopia living with devastating childbirth injuries called obstetric fistula, because they don't know help is available. An estimated 1,000 women suffer a new fistula injury every year. Catherine’s trailblazing **Hamlin Model of Care** - today replicated around the world - finds, treats and holistically heals these women, restoring their lives.

Women living with childbirth injuries suffer great trauma. Following obstructed labour, they are left incontinent and usually lose their baby. They are shunned from their community and live hidden not knowing help available.

In a single year, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia treats more than 6,000 patients and perform more than 2,000 surgeries.

We also provide counseling and a range of vocational training to support nearly 1,000 women in their recovery. A woman's healing journey starts the moment she arrives at a Hamlin fistula hospital. She is given a Comfort Package containing a Hamlin blanket that has been lovingly made by a volunteer, hygiene items, a new nightgown and slippers, and a homecoming dress.

These are utter luxuries for the many women who arrive at a Hamlin hospital without shoes, wearing the only stained clothes they own. When they wrap themselves in their Hamlin blanket, they feel the warm embrace of people like you.

$45 provides a Comfort Package for one woman
$90 provides two women with a Comfort Package
$1,000 covers the cost of surgery for a woman with simple obstetric fistula
$3,000 covers the cost of surgery for a woman with complex obstetric fistula

Your gift has a life-changing impact by restoring a woman's dignity. Thank you for supporting women as they reassert their humanity, secure their health and well-being, and regain their roles in their families and communities.

Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia's work is centered in Ethiopia, a country with one of the highest fertility and maternal mortality rates in the world. Our vision is simple: To eradicate obstetric fistula. Forever.

For more than six decades, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia has implemented our world-recognized approach to the holistic treatment of women and girls with obstetric fistulas — severe injuries resulting from prolonged, unrelieved and obstructed labor, typically in the absence of skilled birth attendants.

In 93% of cases, the mother suffers not only dramatic tissue damage, but she also loses her new baby. Nerve damage and weakened pelvic muscles make many daily tasks unmanageable. And, women are also often ostracized from their communities – cut off from avenues to leading a full, healthy and happy life.

The Hamlin Model of Care – The World's Leading Approach to Treating Obstetric Fistula

Dr Catherine Hamlin pioneered an approach to treating obstetric fistula, including developing a new surgical technique, that dramatically changes the lives of women and girls — in some cases in no more than an hour.

The Hamlin Model of Care is unique because it is not just about repairing injury, but restoring dignity. Hamlin's Rehabilitation and Reintegration Program at Desta Mender offers counseling, literacy and numeracy classes. Additional programs for vocational and life skills training help women find sustainable employment or establish their own small businesses. Today, Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia is staffed by more than 550 Ethiopian medical professionals and five regional hospitals have been established to respond to the significant demand for fistula surgery.

To accelerate change for women in Ethiopia, our Project Zero teams will go from door-to-door, in every Woreda (district) to identify women living with historic fistula cases and organize care and treatment. At the same time, we will strengthen maternal healthcare services, to reduce the incidence of birth injuries, and increase awareness, so women have the tools and knowledge they need to give birth safely. Lasting change for women and girls requires building a workforce of skilled birth attendants. Through our Hamlin College of Midwives, we recruit women from rural communities in Ethiopia to learn the Hamlin Model of Care during a four-year Bachelor of Science in Midwifery program.  The curriculum is fully certified and includes the precondition that students conduct at least 40 deliveries before they graduate. Upon graduation, Hamlin midwives return to their villages – today staffing over 90 rural midwifery clinics in remote areas.

https://catherinehamlin.org

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO GIVE:
Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation is fiscally sponsored in the USA by Myriad USA *(formerly King Baudouin Foundation United States - KBFUS)* (EIN582277856)

For gifts by check: Write your check to Myriad USA, write "Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation Friends Fund" in the memo section of the check, and send it to Myriad USA, 551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400, New York, NY 10176.

Gifts by wire transfer or to contribute other types of property: Email Myriad USA at: brenda@myriadusa.org or phone (212) 713 7660.

Donor Advised Funds (DAFs): You can designate Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation as a beneficiary for your donor-advised fund (DAF). A DAF allows you to give cash, stock, and other assets and you will receive a tax deduction when the contribution is made.
How it works:
Request a grant distribution through your DAF sponsor.
Share that the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation is a Friends Fund held by Myriad USA *(formerly King Baudouin Foundation United States - KBFUS)* (EIN 58-2277856). As a fiscally-sponsored Friends Fund, the grant will be made to Myriad USA with a designation allocating it to the Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation Fund.
You will receive a receipt from Myriad USA and a letter of thanks from Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation.

Catherine Hamlin Fistula Foundation

SORBA Orlando is the Orlando/Central Florida chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.

Founded in 2013, SORBA Orlando has grown to include eight distinct and fun trails in and around Orlando and its suburbs, with more trail miles on the way!  SORBA Orlando trails offer everything from family-friendly places to ride, endurance bike races and time trials, skills-building sections, and opportunities to give back to the community.

By partnering with the community SORBA Orlando builds and maintains our local trails. Your support goes directly to materials, workday essentials, and training needed to keep the area rolling in a fun, sustainable and safe environment.

We bring several events to the community including the annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day and have sponsored The Battle of Snow Hill and Markham Woods Masher endurance races for several years.

\*\* We now offer the opportunity to donate to SORBA Orlando and/or donate to a specific trail. There are eight trails that we maintain and eight trail options to donate to. 

Build! Ride! Learn! Engage! Get involved!

SORBA Orlando

Founded to research and implement regenerative medical therapies for circumcised males.

Foregen’s goal is to heal the physical detriment that that is inherent to circumcision, including the functional and sensory losses to the penis when circumcised, as well as the potential for psychological damage for those on whom such surgery was performed. Fortunately, regenerative medical techniques offer great potential to regrow human tissue, especially dermal tissue, lost in prior trauma. However, those techniques have not yet been applied to those who have been circumcised and no longer wish to be.  After dismissing many unsatisfactory proposals from research institutions, we decided to conduct our own research and human clinical trials. With the help of dedicated scientists, we will apply known regenerative techniques to the foreskin in order to restore normal penile function and sensitivity.  Foregen is not an activist organization and we have no legislative or political agenda; Foregen is a pioneering research organization dedicated to creating options for circumcised men. Foregen, although unique, is a great example of an organization that regenerative medicine was made for, as it applies to over one billion people - circumcised males and their partners! Since Foregen’s foundation, countless men have expressed great delight that an organization such as this finally exists, something for which they have been searching for years.

Foregen

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