Wounded Warrior Project

                Today I will talk about the Wounded Warrior Project. This organization was to help veterans. They aim “to honor and empower Wounded Warriors”. This organization raises awareness and asks the public for help to provide for injured veterans’ needs. They help them meet other injured veterans so that they can help each other and know they are not alone. They also provide programs and services to these veterans to help them. They offer a variety of service, programs, and events for veterans. They also look after the families of these veterans.

                The core values of the Wounded Warrior Project are: fun, integrity, loyalty, innovation, and service. The team works to “foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded warriors in our nation’s history”. They reach to show these five value in their work. They help veterans have fun even when they are hurting and also show them the loyalty that they have earned. They work to help them mentally and physically.

                Their website talks about four things: body, mind, economic empowerment, and engagement. For body, there are programs to provide “recreation, adaptive sports programs and overall strategies to help remain physically engaged while adjusting to life after injury”. This helps keep them active so that they don’t face any further damage and so they can practice working under their new conditions and make them independent. For mind, there are programs to help with their mental health and “cognitive needs” as soldiers return from war. These programs are to help them cope and reduce PTSD that many veterans suffer when returning home. Economic Empowerment provides programs to help them with education and also support their “health and wellness, mental health, and career development”. This is so any warriors who do not have a college education and desire one have a better chance and so they don’t get left behind as far as being well-off economically. Lastly, for engagement, we see programs providing “long-term support and camaraderie” for wounded veterans. There are many events and activities for them to participate in. Some examples are: sports, education classes, developmental sessions, activities, and more.

                Some of these veterans even continue with the program to help new wounded warriors as they come in. To get involved, you can donate, or “give back”, shop at their store, or volunteer. You can also meet a warrior on their website where you will see a picture of them and get to read a little about them. This is a wonderful organization providing the support that these veterans have more than earned.

Save the Children

                 This blog is about Save the Children. This is a non-profit that aims to do just as it says; save children. This organization invests in childhood in order to help them and give them better opportunities than they have now and to help give them a future and even a home. They give kids a fresh start, more opportunities, and protection. They also provide the support and resources necessary to start over and aim for a better future. They offer them education and all the help that they need. They truly change these children’s lives and the impact is far more than you could imagine.

                They are active in 120 countries and have helped over 140 million children, with many more to come. They are mainly active in the US, Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Eurasia. They provide protection, education, emergency response, health and nutrition. They aim to stop hunger, depression, and even diseases such as HIV and AIDS.

                This organization was started in 1919 as an effort to get rid of starvation during World War I. They promote children’s rights, provide relief, support, and comfort, and offer health care and economic opportunities. They also have “emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts”.

                You can get involved by donating, shopping, joining them, or even becoming a child sponsor. If you chose to become a sponsor, you could create an incredible bond with a child and change their life. You would be providing “food, health care, education, and much more” for under $1 a day. If you are interested in staying up to date, you can also sign up to get emails about what is going on with the organization and tips on how to help make a difference. I think that this is a great group and am interested in learning more about them.

Roses for Autism

            I’m going to talk about Roses for Autism. This is an organization that put its profit toward those with autism and helping them out. Their mission is “to foster meaningful employment and personal success for individuals with Autism”. They sell flowers to make money and support students. All their money funds scholarships and programs for “career training”. By participating with this organization, people can gain “valuable work experience and develop professional and social skills leading to meaningful employment and personal success”. Their roses are beautiful and fresh-cut. This business employs many individuals with Autism and supports “transitioning students”.

            Roses for Autism offers 12 kinds of fresh roses, 3 kinds of lilies, and gerbera daisies. The flowers are very pretty, but what they stand for is absolutely amazing and beautiful. You can make special orders or go in the store and pick some out for anyone for any occasion. They guarantee “next-day delivery anywhere in the U.S.”. These are very good for special events.

            They assist transitioning students and other young adults to help them find their strengths and to help them learn the skills they need to get a job and also to reach their own personal goals and success. They rely on the community to buy the flowers and stand by them and show support. “Our strength is our people” they say. They really are passionate about what they do and you can see their dedication to the people they are helping. They help them develop in their “abilities, talents, and skills”.

            You can get involved by volunteering, joining a partnership with them, donating, fundraising for them, or just talking to them on their website on in store. This really is a great cause and I support them and hope to see them around for a long time. They may be a small business, but the amount of support they receive makes it possible for them to make such a big difference in the world.

Life Without Limbs

                This blog is about an organization that I personally adore. I have researched this group on several different occasions and absolutely love everything that they stand for. This non-profit organization is called Life Without Limbs.

                Nick Vujicic is a 31 year old who was born without arms or legs. He was given no medical reason, but had many obstacles he would face for the rest of his life. His faith is what keeps him going and he is a very happy guy who tries to spread this love and happiness to anyone who will listen. Nick refuses to let this stop him from doing anything. There were times when he would question why this happened, but has realized that God is using this to spread a powerful message to people all over the world. He says, “If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart”. Nick takes great pride in what he has done, as he should. He is an inspiration to millions of people, including myself.

                Life Without Limbs is “all about sharing this same hope and genuine love” that Nick has experienced since he began traveling. He has been to over 50 countries and is still going. He has been to many schools, churches, prisons, orphanages, hospitals, stadiums, and also face-to-face encounters with people all over. He teaches about God and how special we are to him. He aims to help people realize that everything happens for a reason and that we are never given more than we can handle. He says that God has a plan for all of us and that plan is never meaningless. This group crosses boundaries and helps “build bridges that bring people to the love and hope found in Jesus Christ”.

                You can get involved with this amazing group by donating or even just supporting them and spreading his message to people who may be hurt, confused, or lost. On the website, there is a prayer and praise wall, stories of lives he has changed, and a space to share your story. You can also purchase merchandise or see the listing of events if you want to see him in person. I greatly admire this group and they have helped me realize so many things that have a great impact on my life. I support this group and hope to see them continue for a long time.

Dude Perfect

Today I’m talking about a different type of non-profit organization. This group is called Dude Perfect. This is a group of five guys who started out on YouTube. They are well-known for making trick shots that seem impossible. They are also in a comedy series called “Stereotypes”. They are the 2nd largest sports channel on YouTube today.

The guys all played basketball in high school and roomed together at Texas A&M University. Today, the group has about 4.06 million subscribers on YouTube. They provide “genuinely enjoyable entertainment” that people just love to watch. Their videos inspire people everywhere because they have a “Go Big philosophy”. They have filmed all over the world and have also been on the show Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, which is where I first heard of them. On the show they did some outrageous shots with Rob and his team and it was truly amazing. They have worked with several different brands and non-profits.

This group is religious, and inspire many people to find their faith. Each member feels that Jesus has changed their life and they want that for other people too. They don’t push it on people, but encourage them to at least open up to learn more about Jesus. Another thing they believe in is their Go Big philosophy. Their website uses this quote: “go big with what you love, and use that platform for a cause greater than yourself”. This is mainly what they aim to tell people. They want to improve lives and make “the best trick shot videos on the Internet”.

They are now their own brand, so you can buy their merchandise as well! I suggest going to their website for more information about the group, why they do what they do, and also for more information about the individual team members. You will also see links to their videos and their YouTube channel that is definitely worth the visit! These videos are seriously awesome. I love watching this group and am very happy that they aren’t afraid to show their faith to everyone. They are an inspiration to people everywhere.

Compassion International

                The organization I will talk about is Compassion International. This is a non-profit organization that aims to end child poverty and help children grow up healthy and become leaders and come to know God. This group will watch children and also mothers and help them build a relationship with God. They also help develop leadership qualities in the children.

                The website has some facts that I thought were very important. They have over 27,000 babies and mothers in their program. They have brought people to know Christ and have aided many mothers through birth, because many women have to give birth at home, sometimes all alone. Compassion International has 621 centers today. They focus on each individual and their development. They aim to “address their spiritual, economic, social and physical needs”. They give these children opportunities they would not have otherwise. They also help them grow into responsible, respectable adults who have an opportunity to know Christ and to practice their faith.

                To help Compassion International, you can chose to sponsor a child. When you sponsor a child you are kept up to date on what is going on and the child is “linked directly to you”. The child you chose will know your name and you can write letters to each other as well. This will create a bond that can change the child’s life and your own. You are the child’s greatest influence in many cases and can really make a difference in their life. The goal is a long-term effect on fighting poverty. The program will invest in a child from the beginning of it until they are adults. It covers everything from basic care and needs to a college education.

                Some other ways to get involved are by volunteering or donating to the organization. Most of these children live on “less than U.S. $2 per day”. This is not a lot, and definitely not enough for some of the opportunities some of us are blessed with. This organization is taking great strides to end child poverty and I hope they continue to touch the lives of millions more. 

Charity Water

This blog is about a non-profit organization called Charity: Water. This organization is basically about making clean and safe water more available. They aim to “bring clean drinking water to every person on the planet”. So far, they have funded over 13,500 water projects in 22 countries. They aim to help developing countries who may not be able to afford to make improvements in their water conditions, because it can get expensive. It improves the community by reducing the chance of illness, providing more access to food, and helping economies grow.

Charity: Water started this because clean water is more serious than you may think. Unsafe water carries diseases that kill more people each year than any kind of violence. This is especially effects children because their bodies are more vulnerable to disease and cannot fight them as much as adults. Their website tells us that 30,000 deaths occur every week from unsafe water and the lack of good hygiene. Most of these are children. Improving the quality of water available can save many lives and also prevent a lot of sickness.

Charity Water started in 2006 and is still going strong today. They have helped over 4.5 million people and are still counting. It is a non-profit, so any profit is invested into organizations that have experience with water projects. Anyone who donates to this organization is kept up to date with where their money is going. At the end of last year, they had raised over 155 million dollars. All of this money is put towards making water safer for people all over the world.

You can help raise awareness and raise money for this organization by creating your own water project. The first step is to think of an idea. After that all you need to do is tell anyone you know and ask them to tell even more. People will donate and you just have to stick to it. You can also watch where donations are going. Some examples from the website of water projects are: eating rice and beans for dinner every night for a month, selling bow ties, running a Spartan obstacle course, and jumping into freezing cold water. The possibilities are endless, so if you’re willing you can certainly help them make a difference.