Charities We Are Highlighting This Holiday Season
Charities We Are Highlighting This Holiday Season
The holiday season is a great time to reflect on everything we have to be thankful for, and to find ways to help those in our neighborhoods and across the world. From volunteering to making donations, there are several ways to give back. In this article, we talk about some of the charities we are highlighting this holiday season.
Visible Grace
Visible Grace is a non-profit founded by Ashley Rauch in 2013. After traveling to Kenya and spending a significant amount of time there, Ashley started Visible Grace to help end the cycle of poverty she witnessed. By focusing on education and helping orphans develop physically, mentally, and spiritually, Visible Grace gives children a stable home and chance for a positive future.
Visible Grace opened its first home in 2013, and now has a full time staff to care for ten kids. The success of Visible Grace has allowed a second home to be opened in 2016 which will house another ten children and staff. Generous and dedicated supporters are vital to the future of Visible Grace, and continuing to grow its number of supporters bodes well for a bright future. For more information on Visible Grace, please follow the link below.
World Vision
Founded in 1950, World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization active around the globe. World Vision partners with children, their families, and communities to help solve the problems of poverty and injustice. World Vision also works with local leaders in many communities and strives to serve as many children as possible, regardless of faith.
World Vision runs a number of programs, including the following:
- Health
- Poverty in America
- Economic Empowerment
- Clean Water
- Education
- Disaster Relief
- Hunger and Food Security
- Child Protection
World Vision began by providing food and shelter for orphans through a sponsorship program. Today, World Vision has a more comprehensive approach to achieving their goals. By partnering with local churches, World Vision helps create a safe and welcoming atmosphere in local communities.
World Vision is proud to serve all people regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. The child sponsorship program is the cornerstone of World Vision’s mission, and gives the charity a long-term relationship with children and sponsors. This also creates a network of funding that helps World Vision obtain grants and resources from different governments. For more information on the different programs World Vision offers, please click on the link below.
A21 Campaign
The A21 campaign was started in 2008 with a focus on ending human trafficking around the world. A21’s focus is on stopping human trafficking on both a local and national level. A21 uses different methods depending on location, as the problem of human trafficking requires different solutions depending on area.
A21 uses a program called Reach, Rescue, and Restore to provide a comprehensive response to human trafficking. The campaign partners with local leaders and trains them to make a difference in their countries, cities, and communities all over the world. In addition, A21 works with government entities such as law enforcement, non-profits, and individuals in almost every sector, all with the goal of bringing an end to slavery.
A21 is the recipient of several awards including the Hero Award, Mother Teresa Memorial Award, UN Women of Peace Media Award, and Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts. For more information on how you can donate or help with A21’s efforts, please visit their website by following the link below.
Hope for Heroes
The Hope for Heroes foundation was founded by Mitch Serlin in 2010 to provide services to individuals who have served in the military, police officers, firefighters, and EMTs. These individuals have given much in their service to the country and communities, and Hope for Heroes makes it their mission to provide hope and support to these heroes who have suffered emotional and/or physical trauma. Their mission can be summed up as follows: To make heroes whole again.
Hope for Heroes uses a program it calls “camouflage therapy.” By focusing on exciting outdoor activities such as hunting, deep-sea fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and competition barbecues, the program hopes to heal heroes subconsciously.
Many heroes have stated the sense of accomplishment and community gained after participating in these activities lasts long after they return home. Hope for Heroes activities are meant for the families, friends, and caregivers who work around the clock to care for their heroes.
Hope for Heroes has several exciting future activities planned, including the construction of a 120-acre, handicap-accessible lodge in Hillsdale, New York. The organization also hopes to partner with STRIDE Adaptive Sports in providing alternative ski lessons to heroes with developmental, intellectual, and physical disabilities. For more information on Hope for Heroes and how you can support their mission, please click on the link below.
We love the opportunities we get to help inspire and empower small business owners. We have used our platform to continue that mission but also recognize it is important to pause, especially over the holidays, to highlight some other causes that are important to us. We hope you take a moment with us to learn more about these nonprofits and support them.