Tag: volunteering

Four Steps to Easy Donating

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Donating is one of the easiest ways to make a positive contribution to your community. Donating either your time or money (or both) is a great way to boost your own sense of gratitude while extended a helping hand to others in need.

In fact, a study from the University of Oregon, found that giving to others activates specific regions of the brain associated with euphoria. Their findings were supported by the National Institute of Health’s National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Science Foundation. Giving to others makes us feel good.

So, what are you waiting for?! Here are four steps to easy donating.

1) Find your passion

Donate to causes you personally support. If you’re unsure where to donate, think about how you spend your free time, problems you’ve had to tackle, or an issue that concerns you. This is a wonderful opportunity to find out what your passion is.

For example, if you have experience living through a natural disaster, perhaps you feel compelled to give to a disaster relief organization. Or perhaps you love working with children and want to donate to an organization that works with children. The first step is simply homing in on one problem or issue that speaks to you and your passions.

2) Research organizations

Once you’ve narrowed down the type of charity you’d like to donate to, start researching organizations. You can start with local groups in your geographic location or national groups with well-known branding.

The DollarDays Wish List tool is a great way to explore organizations of all sizes based on your passion. We have partners all over the country, involved in a wide array of issues. Using our search function, you can see all our partner organizations and visit their websites to better understand the kinds of work they do and find one of interest to you. You can search by name of organizations or by city or state. Because we work with groups all over, chances are you’ll find one close to home.

3) Find out what they need most

Most volunteer organizations and charities keep regularly updated lists of items they need most. The needs of each organization will vary based on the type of assistance they provide and where they are located. For example, groups in Miami would not have a need for winter coats or boots or a shelter in New York likely would.

There are several items that are almost universally needed like personal care, school supplies, clothing and shoes. DollarDays Wish List also allows organizations to create a list of their most needed items so be sure to check there too. With our unbeatable prices on wholesale items, you could quickly equip a school in need with backpacks, pens, pencils, and notebooks.

You don’t always have to buy new. Look through your own closet or your growing family’s clothes and pack up gently used items to give away. Donating clothes is an excellent way to get kids involved as well.

4) Donate and follow-up

Collect all the items you plan to donate and neatly package them. Make sure you have checked with the donation center to see if they have specific instructions for donating including the days they are open. Sometimes they may also have special instructions for where or how to donate items.

Be sure to follow up with the organization as well to ensure they received your donation and to see if they have additional needs. Items like education supplies, emergency preparedness supplies, and supplies to help the homeless are almost always appreciated.

Donating to a good cause can also be a good team-building activity for small businesses. Institute a day or month of giving at various points in the year to build goodwill for your brand and increase employee pride. Be sure to browse DollarDays incredible selection of goods to help do good while remaining under budget.


Disaster Relief: Ways to Prepare Your Organization

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While summer might mean sunscreen, hot dogs, and lazy days at the pool for some, for disaster relief organizations, it’s a great time to evaluate preparations and procedures for potential weather-related emergencies. Although May is National Wildfire Awareness month, it’s not just wildfires that are cause for concern in the summer. As the mercury rises, many parts of the country are also at a higher risk for hurricanes, tornadoes, and powerful summer storms.

Now more than ever, communities rely on non-profits and disaster relief programs to provide necessary supplies and expertise, making this the perfect time to ensure you are ready and able to help when called.

Make sure your supplies are well stocked

One of the most important and simplest steps you can take is to take inventory of all the supplies you currently have on hand. When an emergency hits, you won’t have time to go digging through your supplies or spend time wondering if you have enough. You also want to go through the items you have in stock and make sure they are not expired or are still in good condition. You want to be sure you’ve thought of everything you might need before, during, and after disaster strikes.

With DollarDays new Emergency Prepardedness line, we can help you manage all the supplies you’ll need to help your communities through any kind of natural disaster or emergency situation. We’ve got quality products for cleanup recovery like trash bags and sturdy buckets, first-aid kits and supplies like bandages and antiseptic creams, a wide selection of non-perishable food items, and more.

Buying these supplies wholesale can help your organization save money so you help save more people.

Ask for Donations

Natural disasters and other unexpected emergencies are devastating. The good news is they often bring out the best in our neighbors and communities. People want to help. As the frequency with which these events occur, almost everyone knows someone touched by a catastrophic event. Chances are, they still remember how difficult that time was and want to help ensure no one has to live through what they did by providing disaster relief assistance.

However, many people don’t really know where to start. Asking for donations is a great way for your organization to increase its supplies, and for individuals to feel good about contributing. Even those outside communities hit hard often sit back and wish there was more they could do. Donating is a powerful action anyone can take.

DollarDays is committed to making it easy and affordable to make a huge impact with critically needed items for any disaster. Non-profits, schools, or even families can make charitable donations for the items your organization needs most. Don’t be shy about asking for donations!

Encourage people to volunteer with your organization

Another step your disaster relief organization can take to help prepare, is to actively encourage volunteers to help both during an emergency and during calmer periods. Before a crisis hits is the perfect time for organizations to recruit disaster relief volunteers.

No community is immune from potential disasters. As wild weather continues to become more the norm, disaster relief volunteers are more important than ever. Volunteers can make a huge difference in your community by extending their time and expertise.

Reach out to local religious institutions, corporations, and local officials to spread the word about volunteering with your organization. Invite former volunteers to share their experiences and how rewarding this work can be through social media and other channels of communication.

Preparing for a natural disaster is critical for most communities. We’ve come to rely on help of disaster relief organizations to heed the call when emergencies happen, but you don’t have to do it alone. DollarDays is proud to stock everything from fresh blankets to hygiene kits to survival gear so you can focus on helping people recover.


DonationDays Promotes DollarDays Mission, Encourages a Spirit of Volunteerism

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If you follow DollarDays on its social media platforms, you know how hard we work to help nonprofits stretch their donation dollars. Since 2007, we’ve assisted charitable organizations with their holiday outreach efforts by supplying more than 1.2 million blankets, five million pairs of socks and four million backpacks.

Offering affordable, wholesale products for nonprofits and their recipients is just one way we’re contributing to our communities, though; DollarDays also makes it a mission to donate its team where needed through the DollarDays DonationDays Program. Similar to programs at Fortune 500 companies, DonationDays encourages all DollarDays employees to give time in meaningful service to Arizonan nonprofit organizations.

Spreading goodwill Valleywide

The DonationDays Program launched in January 2018 and is currently spearheaded by Jim Jacobs, DollarDays’ Chief Financial Officer. According to Jacobs, “Many of our employees are already contributing in a number of ways to a variety of worthy causes. By taking advantage of our DonationDays Program, they can now use two paid workdays to spend time supporting organizations and promoting the DollarDays mission. From the Phoenix Rescue Mission to Strikes for Kids, we appreciate all that our team members have done to help local programs. We can and want to grow our influence across the region.”

Some of the Phoenix-area organizations benefitting from DonationDays year to date include:

Recently, DollarDays team members Joe Belcher, Gabe Sandoval and Frank Albanese volunteered with the Valley of the Sun United Way, donating time in support of a local service project.

“We had a great time helping the United Way,” said Belcher, one of the company’s Inside Sales Representatives. “The DonationDays Program makes volunteering and helping local organizations even more rewarding. As a company, we’re in the business of supporting nonprofits every day. It’s nice to also be able to give our time to make a difference. It’s great to know that DollarDays allows us to practice what we preach.”

Participation is easy

DonationDays is open to all employees who have been with the company for more than three months. Team members are encouraged to use two paid workdays every year to support Phoenix-area causes.

“We appreciate our team members taking and sharing photos of their volunteer activities so that we can spread the goodness with our partners and other local organizations in and around Phoenix,” explained Jacobs. “There is tremendous potential for doing good from the team within the walls of DollarDays. Together, we can make a difference in our communities.”

A Nation Built by Refugees

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Today, the number of displaced people in the world is at its highest level ever, according to CNN. We have surpassed World War ll numbers, when the world was dealing with the most devastating event in history. [Approximately] 65.3 million people are away from their home today, [or] one out of every 113. […] Anyone watching the news knows what is causing this devastating number.

We lose [sight] here in the U.S.A. that, since our founding, we have offered freedom and opportunity to refugees fleeing the world’s most dangerous and desperate situations, according to the Department of State’s Bureau of Refugees. Our refugee resettlement program reflects the core values of our country and has a tradition of [being] a safe haven for the oppressed.

Refugees have been coming to our shores since the pilgrims fled religious persecution and were searching for a place to freely practice, which is the very heart of American identity. Other seekers of religious freedom found a home in the colonies, whether they were Protestants fleeing persecution by Catholics or Catholics fleeing persecution by Protestants. Starting in 1846, English colonialism stripped the lands of the Irish, and two million people fled Ireland, whose country population today is still below what it was in 1846. Between 1845 and 1855, one million Germans fled to the U.S.A. to escape economic hardship. The Civil War temporarily reduced the refugee flow, but then it began again, with four million Italians coming to America between 1880 and 1924, [along with] two million Jews from Russia and Eastern Europe. […] Another one million Mexicans came because of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.

Fast forward to the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s, when the American Cuban population was 71,000 and, today, has grown to close to two million. [T]he Vietnam War brought 125,000 Vietnamese in 1975 and another 280,000 between 1978 and the mid-1980s. Since 1975, the United States has resettled more than three million refugees from 70 different countries.

Refugees coming to the U.S.A. have shown spirit, toughness and strength. Their backgrounds are diverse — from doctors, scientists and journalists, as well as those who have never even used electricity. Most refugees seize the chance for a new start. They pay taxes, attend our schools, serve in the military, and make our communities more vibrant and diverse. After five years, refugees can apply to become American citizens. Many of our top citizens were once refugees, like Albert Einstein and former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger.

Today, 28.5% of all new businesses in the U.S.A. are launched by foreign-born Americans, according to the Kauffman Foundation. In Silicon Valley, the technical heartbeat of our country, immigrant founders started 52% of all new companies, reported by Inc. Magazine. Our country has a long history of foreign-born Americans creating businesses, from Alexander Graham Bell to Sergey Brin of Google. Forty percent of our current top Fortune 500 companies were founded by an immigrant or a child of an immigrant.

America has hundreds of nonprofit organizations that recognize the importance of refugees’ contributions to our country, and these organizations also have the compassion to help those in need worldwide. The International Rescue Committee helped 23 million people in 2015. Asylum Access helps refugees with basic human and legal rights. Many faith-based organizations like Catholic Relief Services, HIAS and Islamic Relief are dedicated to helping refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including being ethnic, religious or sexual minorities. All of these organizations are dedicated to helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity. Save the Children is working to help displaced kids in refugee camps with basic needs. The World Food Program is the largest humanitarian agency fighting the hunger of these refugees. All of us should be helping with donations to any of these nonprofits. […]

With 65.3 million people displaced in this world, we cannot, in good [conscience], live our lives as if nothing is wrong. These refugees have been forced to flee their homes by violence, persecution and instability. Everyone […] deserves shelter, basic services, medical care, and the chance for their children to go back to school and parents to begin work again. Helping refugees is not just up to the governments around the world; [e]very American should be playing a role, whether it is volunteering to help or donating so others can help. All of our families were, at one time, refugees coming to America.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/a-nation-built-by-refugee_b_12315096.html

Give Me Shelter

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Homelessness is not a modern phenomenon. The first cases of the homeless in America date back to the 1640s, according to Street News Service. Wars fought between the settlers and Native Americans displaced people on both sides. Back then, people would show up to a town and make a case for why they should be allowed to settle there. In most New England towns, the newcomers would sit before the town fathers and explain how they would pull their weight and not be a drain on everybody else. The people who were denied and told to move on were Catholics, people with physical disabilities, mental disabilities, alcoholics, widows, orphans and the elderly. We ended up with a transient class moving from town to town, so this new world did not offer opportunity for everyone.

When the Industrial Revolution was starting in the 1820s, people were moving from farms into cities, creating a poor urban underclass. [This] led to our first anti-panhandling ordinances, and our jails soon became our shelter system. [I]n 1830, Congress passed [the “Indian Removal Act,”] the first federal policy that caused massive homelessness; [this act] uprooted Native American tribes in the southeast and moved them to Oklahoma. [Workplace injuries during the] Industrial Revolution, [disabilities caused by] the Civil War, [and, then, large-scale displacement as a result of] disasters like the Chicago fire in 1871, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the massive 1927 Mississippi River flood […] created more homelessness. Then the Great Depression hit in 1929, and massive numbers of homeless people hit the streets like America had never seen before or since.

The same issues that caused homelessness 300 to 400 years ago are still haunting us today. Tragic life occurrences like the loss of loved ones, job loss, domestic violence, divorce, family disputes, depression, untreated mental illness, natural disasters, war, post-traumatic stress disorder and physical disabilities are responsible for a large portion of the homeless. In this land of plenty and this land of opportunity, over 600,000 Americans experience homelessness on any given night, with 138,000 being under the age of 18. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the [U.S.] rate of homeless persons is 18.3 per 10,000 people, ranging from 120 in Washington, D.C., to seven in Mississippi. Veterans are at 25.5 per 10,000, with the high again in Washington, D.C., [at] 146 and the low in Virginia, at nine.

[W]e, as a society, need to focus on the homeless children in our communities. Homeless children, as defined by the federal “No Child Left Behind” program, include not just those living in shelters or transitional housing, but also those sharing the housing of other persons due to economic hardships; [those] living in cars, parks, [or] bus or train stations; [and those] awaiting foster care placement. According to NBC News, the National Center for Homeless Education reported local school districts have 2.5 million homeless children […] in public schools, [or] one in 30. […] Of [this total], 76,000 homeless students are living on their own and […] exchange sex for food, clothing, shelter and other basic needs, [and] 75% percent of [these adolescents] have either dropped out or will drop out of school. […]

America has not been able to solve the homeless problem for close to 400 years. What would make us think we can solve it now?

Throughout our history, we have learned that homelessness cannot be solved by the government alone, especially in times of government gridlock and lack of funds. This is a major issue that affects all of us, and, at this time of year, it involves the classmates of our kids. This is truly a local issue causing hardships on our […] schools.

There are many ways the average citizen can help out, either by volunteering their time or donating their money. The Covenant House opens up its doors to help homeless youth in 27 cities. Safe Horizons helps out children and families. Stand up for Kids helps get our children off the streets, and Move for Hunger helps feed them. […]

We all suffer when we allow our neighbors to go homeless, even for just one night. Our society suffers when we deny any of our children a good night’s sleep and a nourishing meal. With the limitless potential that many homeless youth have to make a lasting positive contribution to our communities, whether it is in science, humanities or sports, we cheat not only them but ourselves by not allocating dollars, either in taxes we collect or the disposable income we can spare. Every child should have a shot at attaining our American dream. This is not a political or religious issue; it is a moral issue that our entire society must embrace. With a little help from all of us, these 600,000 Americans can find shelter for another night.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/give-me-shelter_b_11297282.html

Who is Helping the Kids Left Behind?

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America now has 1,571,056 tax-exempt organizations, of which 1,097,689 are public charities, according to Urban Institute. [A]nother 105,030 […] are private foundations, and 368,337 are […] chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations and civic leagues.

Nonprofits accounted for 9.2% of all wages and salaries [last year], 5.3% of U.S. GDP [and reported] $1.74 trillion in revenues. [Approximately] 25.3% of Americans over the age of 16 volunteered for a nonprofit organization [in 2015], [and our nation’s total] volunteer time translates to 8.7 billion hours, which has a value of $179.2 billion.

All of these are big numbers, [s]o why do we still have so many Americans struggling to get by each day? […]

In New York City, there are 23,000 children between the ages of six and 13 [who] live in the city’s homeless […] shelter system. As we all know, homelessness places profound stress on a child’s life. [One] nonprofit, Homes for the Homeless, […] provide[s] a 16-day summer camp at […] Harriman State Park, […] 30 miles outside of NYC, for […] inner-city kids, [many of whom] have never left [the city, let alone] experienced nature up close. It gives these homeless children a chance to escape the stresses of everyday life and engage in healthy activities. What if every town had a program like this?

[In] Cleveland, [which] has a 58.5% poverty rate for children (compared to the national average of 21.1%), [t]he Footpath Foundation was founded by two mothers to help underprivileged and at-risk children by connecting them with positive life experiences. Like [in] NYC, these Cleveland kids are sent to local camps that temporarily help them let go of the pressures of life and begin to feel safe and at peace. […]

When schools close, millions of youths are cut off from access to education and nutritional support systems. This leads to [a] “slide,” [with] students [losing] educational achievements made during the previous year. In 2015, 46% of [students] who applied for summer jobs were turned down, so helping out our youth this summer is crucial.

[The White House has taken notice, and they’ve stepped in with several new initiatives.] The Department of Education [has issued] a grant […] to open five new achievement centers [to house] mentoring program[s] for underserved middle-school students [in Baltimore, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Richmond, Va.] The Corporation for National and Community Service [has] committed $15 million to launch Summer Opportunity AmeriCorps, which uses service-learning projects [to enable] 20,000 youth to gain new skills and earn money for college. The Department of Labor, [meanwhile], launched a $20 million grant competition [that provided] young people [in 10 communities] summer and year-round jobs connecting them to career pathways.

Cities are [also] stepping up to help. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced a [plan] to hire 15,000 young people in 2016 through his Hire LA Youth program. This program targets youth from low-income families, families on public assistance, foster youth, youth on probation and homeless youth. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray committed to reach out to 15,000 youth in his community with summer jobs and enrichment. The city will also serve 5,000 children over 200,000 meals and invest in 23 summer learning programs. In Charlotte, Mayor Jennifer Roberts, in a partnership with the Microsoft Charlotte Campus, is holding high-tech camps for 4,000 underprivileged kids. What is your city doing?

[At the national level, Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization, serving hundreds of thousands of six- to 18-year-old kids. The Boys & Girls Club serves four million young people in 4,100 clubs throughout the country. […] The Children’s Defense Fund was formed to leave no child behind and works [to give] every child […] a healthy start [in life]. Southwest Key is [another] national nonprofit organization that is committed to keeping kids out of institutions and home with their families in their communities. […]

As much as our government and our cities are reaching out to pull the less-fortunate kids up, they are only affecting a small portion of those who need our help. We […] have a vibrant nonprofit system in place to begin to help those children in the most need, [b]ut these nonprofits need our help both financially and as volunteers. Giving is as good for your own soul as it is for the people you help. If you don’t have the cash, do what 25% of Americans do: volunteer to help a nonprofit that helps our youth. Giving your time or giving your hard-earned dollars [has] a rippling effect in our society; [a] single act of kindness can change several lives while helping to reduce the daunting statistics that [are] poverty and lost opportunity in this country.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/who-is-helping-the-kids-l_b_10818040.html

Businesses Need American Education to Be Great

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Listening to the [2016] presidential debates, all [of] the candidates want to make America better than it is today. They want America to lead the world, not to follow. According to Ranking America, [the United States leads] the world with the largest prison population at 2,217,000 prisoners, followed by China at 1,657,812 and Russia at 646,085. We also [claim the world’s] highest divorce rate, […] and [we have] the most lawyers per person (one for every 265 Americans). [T]he one thing we do not lead the world in is education.

The […] United States is ranked [No. 14 in the world when it comes to education], according to Pearson, [which should serve as] a real wakeup call. […] South Korea is ranked first, followed by Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Finland, the United Kingdom and Canada. Pearson found that the top-ranked countries offer teachers higher status in society and have a culture emphasizing education. [T]o think—just three decades ago, the United States was ranked first in the world [for education], and, if we could’ve hung onto that ranking, education would be a nonissue in this year’s elections.

[I]n 1990, the U.S.A. ranked first in the world in four-year degrees attained; today, we sit at No. 12. […] [Just last year], Atlas reported the U.S. government spent […] $154 billion […] on educational accounts, including the Department of Education, school nutrition programs, Head Start, student loan subsidies and veterans educational benefits. Education costs were 4.2% of the total budget, [a percentage surpassed by more than] 100 other countries worldwide. […]

The connection between a good education and income is overwhelming. Today’s working adults ages 25 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree earn [an average of] $46,900 [annually], while those with an associate’s degree earn $35,700 [per year]. High school graduates earn $30,000 [annually], and the median is $22,900 [per year] for those without a high school diploma.

Business leaders recognize that U.S.-based firms cannot compete without an educated populace and a skilled workforce, according to Harvard Business School. Of the 34 countries that signed the Convention for Economic Corporation and Development, [the] United States [ranks] 27th in mathematics, 17th in reading and 20th in understanding science. […]

How can we reverse this slide? [Your initial response may be to] throw more money into education, but that is not the right answer. America is the greatest, most technologically advanced country in the world, and we need to put this advantage to work in all schools. […] [O]ur schools need to let go of archaic practices and embrace technology to engage students, connect learners with educators, and invest in redesigning traditional school models that embrace the Internet and technology. Our own kids are way ahead of us on this. When you see a three-year-old teaching her grandmother how to use the Internet, you know this new generation is ready for just about any technology our schools can throw their way. Once we wake up and realize that our kids can use modern technology to learn the sciences and math in an engaging, relevant and personalized learning experience, this newest generation will drive us back to being No. 1 in the world. [D]on’t [think] that technology [alone can] enhance our kids’ experience; […] the real keys to strong schools are great teachers and principals who can implement technology creatively and efficiently.

During this election year, we can’t count on Congress to help our schools with additional funding in the near future. Our teachers take an average of $513 out of their own pockets [every year] for classroom supplies, […] instructional materials and books—[w]e cannot ask for more from these dedicated public servants. [I]t is up to concerned citizens, parents and business owners to make a difference for our kids. The nonprofit NPower has [a] community corps skill-based volunteering program engaging technology professionals with our schools, so if you are not technologically inclined, you should donate to help them help others. Code.org believes that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science, so donate to help this cause. […]

One or two business leaders are not going to make a difference in fixing our educational system. It is a country mindset that needs to permeate every school in every city like the attitude found in all the countries now beating us. Our past presidents have set national goals, and we, as a country, have risen up to achieve these goals. Think of Roosevelt taking on the Great Depression or Kennedy telling America we will land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. During this upcoming national election, we need a candidate who truly wants to take America back to being the No. 1 educational country in the world. We know that a better-educated populace will create new businesses and higher-paying jobs that will lift our entire economy. Every business person I know wants that for their company and for their kids.

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/businesses-need-american_b_9239576.html

America Does Not Have Enough Volunteers

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Unlike the 141 billionaires who have pledged to give away at least half of their wealth to charity through the “Giving Pledge,” an effort started by philanthropists Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates, most of us don’t have the big extra dollars to help out our favorite charities, [s]o [we] need to help by volunteering […] instead.

According to the Corporation for National Community Service, 25.3% of Americans volunteer, [or roughly] 62.8 million [individuals]. They average 32.1 volunteer hours per person per year, which comes to 7.9 billion hours of service. […] Volunteering to help religious activities accounts for 34% of all volunteer hours; [e]ducation [accounts for] 26%, social services [for] 15%, health-related fields [for] 8%, civic duty [for] 5%, [and] sports and the arts each [represent] 4%. [A]ll ages volunteer, so the ethics of volunteering is being passed down from generation to generation. [Individuals] under 24 years old account for 22.6% of all volunteers, while [those] ages 25 [to] 44 [total] 26.7%, ages 45 [to] 64 [equal] 27.4%, and those over 65 account for 23.6%.

[What’s] discouraging, […] though, is the discrepancy of volunteer participation [by U.S.] state. [Several states’ constituents have a higher propensity to volunteer, including] Utah, [which boasts] a volunteer rate of 46% [of its total population], followed by Idaho (35.8%), Wisconsin (35.4%), Minnesota (35.3%) and Kansas (35.1%). [At the other end of the spectrum, however, are] Florida (20.1%), Nevada (19.4%), New York (19.2%) and Louisiana, with only 17.4% volunteering. […]

Why do people volunteer? Energize Inc. reports that most people find themselves in need at some point in their lives—today, you may be [able] to help, and tomorrow, you may be the recipient of another’s volunteer effort. […] Another reason is [because] “doing good” has been embedded in us since we began grade school. Every day, we are bombarded with disheartening news stories [with] issues we cannot influence or control, [s]o volunteering becomes a proactive way of doing something to make the world a better place. […] A third reason people volunteer is to do something they love, whether they are a gardener helping to clean up a blight in their city or a carpenter helping to build or repair a home. Volunteering can help new people in a community make new friends who share their interests and values. It can also can help you polish your resume with a commitment to help others, work in a new type of environment and help develop new skills. […]

Each volunteer’s story is unique. The Arizona Republic recently reported about Keith Colson of Phoenix, who was part of volunteer groups as a youth and wanted to teach his son the same values. [The Colsons] began by giving food to the homeless people on street corners together, [then] they volunteered at the Salvation Army, where he [volunteered alongside someone] who [would become] his wife. Reader’s Digest told the story of Austen Pearce of Maricopa, Ariz., who started volunteering at a food bank at age 10 and noticed the produce was past its prime. He lobbied his city for a community garden, and four years later, he is supplying 200 needy families with fresh produce he and other volunteers are growing.

What is your story, or what is the story you are going to create?

If you want to volunteer but don’t know how, go to the Hands On Network, which has 250 volunteer action centers matching 2.6 million volunteers to 236,000 different nonprofit initiatives. [You can also] visit Volunteer Match, which connects millions of people who want to volunteer to help animals, children, the homeless, their community, education and many more causes. […]

Community service is not political and it is not mandated by the state. It is something that comes from deep within our core values. Helping others can be as simple as washing dishes at your local shelter or delivering a meal to [the] elderly. […] Can you imagine the impact on our country if just another 10% of our friends and neighbors decided to volunteer for a worthy cause? […]

In our modern-day society, volunteering still forms the core of the American character; [i]t is who we are and how we pass caring and freedom to the next generation. […] If our kids can convince their friends and neighbors through social media that to help others is, in a sense, helping ourselves, we can continue to be the most charitable nation, just like our forefathers [envisioned].

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/america-does-not-have-eno_b_9032152.html

Shouldn’t We Be Helping Those at Home First?

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The United States spends $30 billion a year on official development assistance overseas, according to Oxfam America. […] We have foreign aid [to protect] our national security with [the] hopes it will reduce [the] poverty and injustice that fuel social tensions and [destabilize] countries. It also helps with our own economic interests, because aid can support the generation of demand for U.S. goods, which builds stable trading partners. [Additionally], based on the morality of our country, [providing aid is] “the right thing to do,” because it may help advance human rights and, in turn, democracy. Anyone picking up a newspaper over the last couple of months has […] to question if our aid has made countries more stable, brought democracy to the rest of the world or created a larger demand for U.S.-made goods.

Last year, we spent $14.4 billion to support Title 1, [otherwise known as] the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), [which] provides resources to schools situated in low-income communities. […] This is down from the previous year […] because of the government cut in funds due to our ongoing “sequestration.” Childhood poverty in the United States stands at 21.1%, [or the equivalent of 15.5 million children]—more than one in five. […] The National Education Association says that to reach all eligible children in poverty, Title 1 needs $45 billion. What a coincidence that Title 1 is $30 billion short of helping our kids at home—the same amount of dollars we are shipping overseas.

Title 1 support is so important to the future of America and what makes a school successful. According to Newsweek and the research done by Harvard professor Roland Fryer, Jr., strictly controlled environments foster success in students. Five principles are reflected in successful schools: frequent teacher feedback, the use of data to guide classroom instruction, frequent and high-quality tutoring, extended school days and years, and a school culture of high expectations. Title 1’s funding goal is “to ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on state academic achievement standards.” [Effectively], Title 1 funds are to be used to improve curriculum, instructional activities, counseling [and] parental involvement, [as well as] increase staff and program improvement.

No kid in America should go hungry, and our government does have a federally subsidized school lunch program. According to NewAmerica.org, this program supports student nutrition in over 101,000 schools and provide[s] free and reduced-price […] meals to low-income children before school, during school, after school and over the summer. […]

In September, the Children’s Defense Fund released the latest data about poverty, stating there are 46.7 million poor people in America, [33% of which] are children, [making them] the poorest age group. […] Children of color […] are disproportionately poor; […] 37% of black children and 32% of Hispanic children [fall into this category], [compared to] 12% of [Caucasian] kids. The younger the children, the poorer they are, with 25% of kids under age five considered poor—and these are the [strongest] years [for] brain development.

We have to be realistic. The government only has so much money to spend to continue to operate. Our legislatures scared us in September by averting a government shutdown and approved temporary spending measures to keep federal agencies operating through December 11. Much like we have trouble balancing our checkbooks and prioritizing where we spend our own money, our government is having that problem on a massive scale and continues to kick the can down the road. […] So until our leaders get their acts together, it falls back on individuals to help the poor, the hungry and the disadvantaged in this country.

Luckily, there are several nonprofits […] we can turn to with our donations and volunteer[ing efforts]. The Children’s Defense Fund is a strong and effective independent voice for all children in America. The Salvation Army, in their mission for “doing the most good,” feed, clothe and comfort those in the most need. The Gospel Rescue Missions provide social services to help the less fortunate. […]

The numbers of those in need in America are staggering. Our government has no more money to allocate to additional programs, so it must move its dollars around rather than hoping to collect more taxes. This country needs to look to help itself first. What would happen if we took all of this foreign aid and poured it into lifting [up] our own struggling citizens?

Original article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/shouldnt-we-be-helping-th_b_8401336.html

For the Love of Animals

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While on Valentine’s Day, we show our love for other humans, February 20th is “National Love-Your-Pet Day,” where we turn to our four-legged friends to show them how much we love having them around. The Humane Society estimates there are 67 million [U.S.] households that have pets. […] The pet industry made $58 billion in sales in 2014, [which] includes retail pet stores, online sales, grooming, pet hotels, innovative pet product manufacturing and even pet funerals. Considering the cosmetic and toy industries brought in $56 billion and $22 billion, respectively, the pet business has turned into a significant piece of our economy. On February 20th, we should not only be loving our pets but thanking them for helping drive our economic recovery!

Sadly, we often hear about pets being abused all over the country. Just in 2015, the former mayor of Sorrento, La., was accused of torturing and abusing cats. There’s also the retired Phoenix police officer [who] collected over 100 animals—zebras, horses, chickens and pigs—and kept them without proper shelter, food or water. [T]here’s the individual cruelty, like the dog in San Diego whose owner used rubber bands as a muzzle and caused severe injuries to the poor dog’s face. […] This disregard of compassion for animals cuts to the core of human nature. It is not only about how we treat our beloved best animal friends, [but, in] a sense, it is about how we treat each other.

So where do […] unwanted, unloved animals go? According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), there are 13,600 community animal shelters nationwide. There are 7.6 million animals entering shelters each year, of which 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats. Each year, 35% of [these] dogs are adopted, 31% are euthanized, and 26% are returned to their owners. For cats, 37% are adopted, 41% are euthanized and only 5% are returned to their owners.

There is a major strain on our community animal shelters this time of year. With the temperature below freezing in many parts of the country, it does not take long for an animal to freeze to death when left outside. Luckily for these animals, [several] communities [are taking] action. […] Cleveland just passed a new law to protect animals being left outdoors without shelter. The city ordinance requires that [those] left outside have shelter large enough to stand up, turn around and lie down in freely, and the shelter must have one entrance and exit with a door or flap to protect the animal from the elements.

Besides weather, the inhumanity of our fellow human beings continues to burden these underfunded shelters. The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter just took in over 70 dogs that were seized in a major dogfighting operation. […] Evidence seized in this case included firearms, treadmills, breaking sticks, heavy chains, steroids and bloodstained dogfighting rings. I just cannot image the physical and psychological wounds these abused animals now have.

It falls back on all of us to have the heart to help defenseless animals that can’t speak for themselves. There are plenty of concerned organizations that need our support to fight animal abuse—great nonprofits like [the] ASPCA, Humane Society and the American Humane Association. There are also many lesser-known animal nonprofits like World Animal Protection [and the] Best Friends Animal Society. […] If you can’t support these helpless animals with money, donate your time to help care for them at the shelters. All shelters welcome people who will feed, walk and groom these ignored animals.

Those of us with pets know they provide therapeutic benefits for many of life’s invisible scars. Our pets help us socially and emotionally. The unconditional love pets give us transcends work issues, family conflicts and death. Animals don’t care about the color of your skin, whether you can read or not, or if you are missing a limb. […] Donate to animal shelters and organizations to help care for these innocent animals. Volunteer at your local shelter to help the animals cope with being alone. No one wants to be alone, and your simple act of kindness goes a long way for animals that don’t have anyone.

Original article here: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-joseph/for-the-love-of-animals_b_6459194.html