Donate to DU during this week's fund drive, and we'll give 10% to Charity! (Final List of Charities)

[Skinner]

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving, DU is giving 10% to Charity!

This week is Democratic Underground's Fourth Quarter 2009 Fund Drive. If you http://www.democraticunderground.com/donate.html">donate to DU this week, we will give 10% of your donation to charity. Each day of the fund drive has been assigned a different charity -- your 10% will be given to the charity assigned to the day you donate. To help plan your giving, and to learn more about the selected charities, here is the schedule for the week. Thank you so much for your help, and Happy Thanksgiving!

DUers offered many great suggestions for charities. It was very difficult to narrow the list down to just six. We decided to go with a mix of well-known national charities, and smaller, more targeted charities. We hope there is something here that everyone can support!

Sunday-Monday
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading sexual and reproductive health care provider and advocate. For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood has worked to improve women's health and safety, prevent unintended pregnancies, and advance the right and ability of individuals and families to make informed and responsible choices. http://www.plannedparenthood.org

Tuesday
MODEST NEEDS
Modest Needs is an award-winning public charity with a simple but critical mission: we work to stop the cycle of poverty BEFORE it starts for the low-income workers whom conventional philanthropy has forgotten. They do this by empowering compassionate members of the general public to safely and securely help hard-working, low-income households to afford the kinds of short-term emergency expenses that we've all encountered before: the unexpected car repair, the unanticipated visit to the doctor, or the unusually large heating bill, for example. http://www.modestneeds.org

Wednesday
TREEHOUSE FOR KIDS
Treehouse for Kids offers kids in foster care what all children so desperately need: a safe place to dream. Their core programs – Tutoring, Educational Advocacy, College and Career Planning, Little Wishes, Summer Camp and the Wearhouse – give foster children a real childhood as well as hope for the future. http://www.treehouse4kids.org

Thursday
REMOTE AREA MEDICAL FOUNDATION
The Remote Area Medical (RAM) Volunteer Corps is a non-profit, volunteer, airborne relief corps dedicated to serving mankind by providing free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world. http://www.ramusa.org

Friday
AMERICA'S VET DOGS
America's VetDogs helps veterans who have served our country honorably to live with dignity and independence whether they are visually impaired or have other special needs, by providing them with guide dogs, service dogs, and innovative technologies. A project of the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind. http://www.vetdogs.org

Saturday-Sunday
PARENTS, FAMILIES, AND FRIENDS OF LESBIANS AND GAYS (PFLAG)
PFLAG promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons, their families and friends through: support, to cope with an adverse society; education, to enlighten an ill-informed public; and advocacy, to end discrimination and to secure equal civil rights. Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. http://www.pflag.org

Please kick and recommend this thread so more DUers will see it! Thank you!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/donate.html">

[Skinner]

1. kick (nt)

[tekisui]

2. knr!~

[chill_wind]

3. K and R'd.

[bjobotts]

20. Do You know real poverty.Medical bills came up all at once and am 3mos behind on Oxygen bill

[bjobotts]

21. They want to take it away.So broke I've been having to superglue my dentures 5Xs now.

[bjobotts]

22. I love my dog but they don't give dogfood at food banks.. 3mos emergency med bills took me down.

[bjobotts]

23. But when I get a dime to my name I'll donate to DU for all the wonderful videos and insights.

[bjobotts]

24. btw...I am on Medicare and SS disability but with disability they don't offer supplemental ins so ca

can still break you temporarily. Got a speeding ticket for going over the speed limit when passing another vehicle. 1st ticket in 45yrs, $227.50 and not allowed to make payments at this court. Same month had to make 2 trips to city for tests (400 miles away) and spend the night each time due to nature of heart procedures. I had added medical expenses and treatments before ever having to go to the big city so I was already way behind on my budget and this sent me into poverty hole big time. Can you imagine what it must be like for those displaced in Iraq?...no food or water much less a dog.

Gratitude keeps depression at bay...and only the dead cannot find a reason to be grateful.

[chill_wind]

31. I wish

that I didn't, bjobotts. The reality is that, for me, until the age of six, when I became a "ward of the state", poverty and hunger were all that I knew. I didn't escape or bootstrap. I and my siblings were rescued. A lot of my life since has been about needing to pay it forward. While we wait for HCR, we urgently need help for you and everyone that can tell your same story-- this is one tiny way for some here to make a small difference when we can. At the same time, I wish we could act directly in some way to help you.

I looked at the needymeds website someone posted here a while back, figuring that while oxygen isn't a med, there might be a link or resource mentioned about O2. Their FAQ addressed it saying they know of no assistance for O2 comparable to their meds program. I don't know much about the modest needs program's criteria (linked above)to speculate whether that could help you in your present circumstance?

There is also this one I just came across, called Wish Upon a Hero. Maybe check it out.

http://www.wishuponahero.com/

I often think it would be wonderful to have some formal equivalent of that right here at DU.

[bjobotts]

34. Thanks. That was inspiring. The irony is that for yrs when I was much younger I was a nurse.-haha

[bjobotts]

35. I live in a state (MO) where Medicaid was dismanteled, and lost O2 coverage so got right sided

heart failure from lack of oxygen while sleeping. Medicare kicked in but there was a 2yr waiting period after I got on SS disability so finally got the oxygen back under Medicare's 80% coverage, but had to go to big citry hospital Drs. for all these test to get approved for a new drug for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (which I'm sure was caused from oxygen deprivation) and the oxygen restarted 24 hrs/day.

I was barely making it but making it all the same until this occured, now I can't even pay my (many) Drs bills. or get caught up on this.

I just keep letting go of it hoping something will happen that I can't forsee but it will not stop me from actively seeking HC reform for all or my personal war on poverty. Thanks for your encouragement though.

[Kindigger]

39. Modest Needs program

I applied for help with them a few months ago and was rejected.

If you put in an application with them it MUST be for something unpaid--a business or something they can send money to.

My mistake was having to pay for several unexpected things and having no money left for my rent, utilities etc. I didn't want to be late so I borrowed the money from someone.

They don't make it clear in the application process that you can't get money to pay yourself back--once you've dug the hole you're stuck in it.

[chill_wind]

42. Thanks

for clarifying that. It sounds like it might be a possibility in the case, though, of someone like another poster here struggling to pay back owed bills to an oxygen supply company, if the foundation could compensate the company directly? That's worth knowing.

We all say it over and over, but the disparity of wealth in this country and the predatory greed of the banking CEO's as one example, who just reaped 40-60% increases over this last year in their profits (almost $1 million in salary, bonuses and other compensation) while we have citizens who have to choose between things keeping the utilities turned on and essential life sustaining medicines is unconscionable, insane and heart-wrenching beyond words.

[NYC_SKP]

4. Thank you for VetDogs.org!!! K&R

:kick:

[glinda]

29. Yea VetDogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am going into the poor house basically at our home but I am going to ask hubbie to help pony up small amount of money for them.

[lillypaddle]

5. I worked for Planned Parenthood

for 13 years. A wonderful organization. I was inspired to dig as deep as I can right now (not much). What a great idea!

[EarlG]

6. kick nt

[GardeningGal]

7. Great list admins. n/t

[Joe the Liberal]

8. k&r. n/t

[Bluenorthwest]

9. Excellent choices

[Robb]

10. Excellent choices. Rec'd. nt

[Lisa0825]

11. K&R& Thank you so much!

This is a great idea for a fund drive, and you picked a wonderful group of organizations!

I am partial to Modest Needs, but I am sure everyone can find one or more to donate in support of!

:woohoo:

[babylonsister]

12. Thank you-I like your choices! nt

[Skinner]

13. Kick (nt)

[krispos42]

14. k&r

[endless october]

15. kicked and recommended n/t

[Tikki]

16. treehouse4kids, excellent and all choices excellent.....

Tikki

[Skinner]

17. kick (nt)

[wellstone dem]

19. kick for treehouse and modest needs

great list

[calimary]

18. Kicked and very happily recommended!

[Skinner]

25. kick (nt)

[Lorien]

26. Interesting choices

I hope the next fund drive includes something related to our environment.

[EarlG]

27. If this fund drive is a success

we'll do it again next year, and you can be sure we'll change up the categories.

[BrklynLiberal]

28. K&R

[Missy Vixen]

30. Thank you so much for choosing Treehouse

We think their work is vital and would love to see them expand on a national level.

Again, thank you. I'll be donating on Wednesday.

[tavalon]

32. I'm so pleased that you guys are doing it this way this time

Multiple reasons, including that I love the donating to charities and picking them democratically, but I also like that you aren't aiming for 1000 so you'll likely get more donations since people will still feel like they are contributing to the final goal.

Thanks for another great idea!

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our fourth quarter 2009 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[lamp_shade]

36. Done. Great choices. K&R.

[Skinner]

37. Good morning!

Kick!

[HughMoran]

38. K&R

Good idea!

[sellitman]

40. I will donate again as soon as I land a job.

Been out a year already.

Things are tightening up.

[Skinner]

41. kick (nt)