You have $250 to give to charity -- who gets the money?

[EarlG]

Today's fund drive prize is a $250 donation to the progressive non-profit of the winner's choice. (See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5650655">this thread for more information.)

We were curious... if you were to win the prize, which charity would get the money? Post your favorite cause here - even if you don't win, you might give the winner some good ideas.

:hi:

[Renew Deal]

1. The US Olympic Committee

:hide:

[RT Atlanta]

2. Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities

n/t

[11 Bravo]

3. Fisher House does great work.

http://www.fisherhouse.org

[DU9598]

4. One Iowa

We need to fund the Marriage Equality ad that is currently running statewide here in Iowa.

- Click to see the terrific ad

[CBR]

5. ilovemountains... nt

Edit to add link: www.ilovemountains.org

[alfredo]

79. good group. I used to work with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. They

have long been fighters for the rights of the people of coal country.

[CBR]

82. Good work! I hope to move back home someday soon. I am from

Bluefield, WV and it is painful what has happened and continues to happen in that region. Thanks for your work. So whoever wins this prize should donate to ilovemountains.org

[alfredo]

98. Yeah. Check out Appalshop and WMMT raido

http://appalshop.org/wmmt/

You will get homesick, and this won't help much either

http://www.folkstreams.net/

The Rocky Mountains are cold and impersonal, but the Appalachian Mountains embrace you.

[adamuu]

6. ACLU n/t

[EFerrari]

64. Second that. Or a good independent media outlet like LinkTv

that funds and produces good reporting.

We need them both. :)

[csziggy]

99. Another vote for the ACLU - we need them more than ever nolw

To push Obama into doing the right thing.

[Lex]

7. If I were to enter & win, the $250 would go to knightsout.org

nt

[guitar man]

8. I'd choose

The "guitar man is a broke mf'er with plunbing that needs fixed and a daughter that needs dental work" foundation :D

jk :hi:

[NightWatcher]

9. NARF (Native American Rights Fund)

www.narf.org

[Waiting For Everyman]

10. A homeless DUer.

[question everything]

61. Second this (nt)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. KnightsOut or Servicemembers Legal Defense Network

[jeff30997]

12. To DU.

So I could have my star back.:hide:

[LuvNewcastle]

13. Southern Poverty Law Center

[960]

47. +1

[redqueen]

48. +1

[Control-Z]

14. Planned Parenthood -eom

[MrsMatt]

15. Sister's Camelot

http://www.sisterscamelot.org/

Sisters' Camelot is a collective working to create sustainability in the Twin Cities. By meeting everyone’s basic human needs (freely, with no strings attached) we move beyond survival and begin to recreate a healthy, glowing community. We are a 501(c3) non-profit reigistered in the state of Minnesota.

Our VISION:
· A nonviolent world free from oppression, arbitrary borders, and the domination of individuals
· A global economy based upon cooperation between local autonomous communities
· An ecologically conscious world in which long-term sustainability takes precedence over material greed

Our VALUES:
· Anti-authoritarianism
· Community autonomy
· Human rights
· Global solidarity
· Equality
· Economic justice

[RebelOne]

16. An animal rescue group if I could find a progressive one. n/t

[Merlot]

23. Animal Rescue is Where I'd send it as well.

I'd look for one that offers low/no cost spaying vouchers.

[NMDemDist2]

17. Free Speech TV

they are AWESOME and need help to stay on the air

www.freespeech.org

[Turbineguy]

18. Toys for Tots

[deadmessengers]

19. Americans United for Separation of Church and State. n/t

[adamuu]

24. nicely done. n/t

[cali]

20. Heifer International.

[mopinko]

32. heifer is a great one.

a really great one. we give to them at christmas time, in the name of my kid's teachers. they appreciate it, since they don't need any more chatchkes. or, mostly, cookies.

[lumberjack_jeff]

21. The Arc of Grays Harbor

http://www.arcgh.org/index.htm

[countingbluecars]

22. Doctors Without Borders n/t

[SalmonChantedEvening]

88. My local food bank. n/t

[Jean Louise Finch]

95. Me too

[LaurenG]

25. My local Rescue Mission and food pantry nt

[Lorien]

26. World Wildlife fund

one of the "best buys" in charities because more of your dollar goes to programs that combat climate change, preserve biodiversity and help low income people around the world learn to live sustainably, often creating new jobs for those who are struggling.

[elleng]

27. Doctors without Borders

.

[Lugnut]

28. My local no-kill animal shelter.

They are inundated with dogs but mostly cats. They need all the help they can get.

[Hepburn]

29. Guide Dogs for the Blind

Sight ~~ nothing can make up for not having the miracle of sight. But...a beautiful, well trained companion that allows a person with this disability to be somewhat independent? I cannot think of a better charity for this gift of $250.00.

A guide dog is not merely a tool for a handicapped person ~~ that dog is a friend, a companion and a way to gaining one's independence.

Please choose this charity for these reasons.

Thank you...and read more:



http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer

Edit to add: The dogs are given FREE OF CHARGE to persons in both the US and Canada.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

39. I always like seeing them train the dogs in Morristown

I know a couple people who trained them.

[Hepburn]

41. I know a few who do this in SoCal...

...do not know them well, but I sure admire what they do when I have have the chance to exchange a conversation or two with them.

And..the fact that these dogs go for FREE to those who have the need? Great charity, IMO!

:hug:

[omega minimo]

30. I'd make hot weather kits to give to neighborhood homeless people in the coming heat.

:thumbsup:

[Lochloosa]

31. The North Shore Animal League America

http://www.nsalamerica.org/

[DU GrovelBot]

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

This week is our second quarter 2009 fund drive.
Donate and you'll be automatically entered into our daily contest.
New prizes daily!



No purchase or donation necessary. Void where prohibited. Click here for more information.

[TheCoxwain]

34. Sarah Palin for president !!

[ColbertWatcher]

37. BWAHAHAHAHAHA! n/t

[Robb]

63. Palin/Prejean 2012!!

Because, hell, we're all out of ideas over here. :D

[mopinko]

35. my personal connection-

http://www.womanmade.org/

[ColbertWatcher]

36. PLANNED PARENTHOOD! n/t

[proud patriot]

84. Seconded

:thumbsup:

[ananda]

38. ACLU

nt

[old mark]

40. Local animal shelter. I don't know how progressive it is, but they

do great work for little notice and are always in need of money. If I have any left when I die, they will get a lot of it.

mark

[blaze]

42. Food Bank of the Rockies

http://www.foodbankrockies.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home

:hi:

[LeftHandPath]

43. Community Youth Services

http://www.communityyouthservices.org/

CYS is an organization that supports at risk teens, and families in need. Just an amazing group of people.

[Hawkeye-X]

44. The Denver Dumb Friends League

I love animals, and they have been there for many years, and they REALLY take care of their animals - it's another no-kill shelter. Also, if I could split the $250 to 2 REALLY wonderful non-profit, I'd throw in Maxfund here in Denver.

www.ddfl.org
http://www.maxfund.org/

[blaze]

90. DDFL is not a no-kill shelter, I'm sorry to say

I agree they take good care of their animals (two of my dogs came from there) and I've always been impressed with the staff and the quality of care the animals gets. Still....

From this page on their site: http://www.ddfl.org/whoweare.htm

The Dumb Friends League is an open-admission shelter

The Dumb Friends League welcomes every animal in need. We turn no animals away. We are defined as an “open admission” shelter.

There are other organizations that call themselves “no kill” shelters, but we find the term misleading. These organizations are more accurately defined as “limited admission” shelters, because, generally speaking, they have to restrict the number of animals they take in. They may turn away those that aren’t healthy or behaviorally sound. To operate successfully, they have to limit their intake to animals that can be adopted quickly.

As an open-admission shelter, we take in ill and injured animals and those that are not immediate candidates for adoption. We receive pets that are no longer wanted, pets from people who can no longer care for them, as well as stray animals.

We work hard to give second chances to every healthy or rehabilitatable animal, and we do a very good job.

There is no set time limit for how long an animal can remain in our Adoptions program. As long as an animal maintains general good health, a sound temperament and we have space, we'll keep a pet for weeks, sometimes months. We may put a healthy but overlooked animal in temporary foster care and return it to the Adoptions program at a later time. We move sick animals into foster care or into our TLC Center for treatment, where they remain available for adoption. And we work with our placement partners (breed groups and other organizations), who find homes for some harder-to-place animals. We do everything we can to avoid euthanasia of healthy or rehabilitatable animals.

But more keep coming—an average of about 83 every day—and the reality is that there is not enough space and money to accommodate all of them. We humanely euthanize those animals—primarily cats—that are not chosen by new families. We also euthanize aggressive animals—primarily dogs—that are determined to be a potential threat to the community and those sick or injured animals that are unrehabilitatable given our resource limitations.

[Jennicut]

45. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

I have diabetes but to have it as a kid most be horrible. I have given my own money many times to different diabetes foundations.

[Earth_First]

46. Kiva

Not only does this help to micro-finance small business to folks (mostly women) in developing countries; it's a loan that gets repayed to Democratic Underground that can be used once again to re-finance another round of micro-loans or can be used during future fundraising drives by Democratic Underground.

It really could end up being a perpetual prize if reinvested to Kiva again and again.

www.kiva.org

on edit: Kiva URL

[Adelante]

93. I vote Kiva, too

The DU Team's link is in my sig.

[Ocracoker16]

94. Count me in for Kiva

[QueenOfCalifornia]

49. PETA

Just kidding-

I would give it to the SPCA

[ProgressiveFool]

50. EFF or ACLU /nt

[Me.]

51. City Harvest

Or God's Love We Deliver

[datasuspect]

52. The Human Fund

Money For People

[Robb]

53. Whatever charity wants to waterboard Hannity.

:evilgrin:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

55. LOL!

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

54. Arugula Latte's Fine Wine and Dining Fund

;)

[LeftyMom]

56. Sea Shepherd

http://www.seashepherd.org/

[EmeraldCityGrl]

57. Direct, donor to student scholarship funding.

We provided a small memorial scholarship fund for several years. We never reaped the benefit of a tax deduction. Many of these students would
not have received scholarships through traditional funding. The reward comes years later when they graduate. The last four years we have sponsored
a young man from Honduras graduating this Spring.

[soothsayer]

58. Kiva because then I could lend it over and over again

[renate]

62. ditto that!

Them or the Grameen Foundation.

[uppityperson]

59. MSF (Doctors without Borders)

[FloridaJudy]

60. Amnesty International

Or Doctors Without Borders.

[NoGOPZone]

65. International Physicans for the Prevention of Nuclear War

[flvegan]

66. My animal rescue.

Sorry if that sounds greedy, but things are tight right not and $250 is about 2 weeks worth of kibble.

[Scurrilous]

67. Chicago All-Saints Hospital

Just write the initials on the check. :thumbsup:

[PBS Poll-435]

68. St. Jude's

Probably.


or Habitat for Humanity.

[Arkansas Granny]

69. Doctors Without Borders.

[CTyankee]

70. Probably that org. that provides a cow or other animals that poor people in 3rd world

countries need to support themselves. I think it's called Calf International or something like that...

[intheflow]

76. Heiffer International. n/t

[CTyankee]

81. Thank you. I will do it if I have the option.

[eppur_se_muova]

71. Populationconnection.org (formerly Zero Population Growth)

Because if we don't solve the population problem, it won't matter what other problems we do solve.

[mnhtnbb]

72. Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina

http://www.foodbankcenc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FBCENCHome

[orleans]

73. reading this thread--there are just so many good organizations

i don't have a preference--and i couldn't decide to post here.

what organization do you prefer?

[bear425]

74. Because I'm becoming a "one issue voter" ...

Either Courage Campaign or Human Rights Campaign

Hope that doesn't bias the choosing of the winner, unless of course I win. :hi:

[madamesilverspurs]

75. Komen Foundation

or Habitat. Or food bank. Or Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Or any veterans outreach.

[noamnety]

77. National Lawyers Guild

For their work on behalf of Katrina Victims, for helping some of my students personally when they were charged with a stupid stupid crime (misdemeanor vandalism - for using regular sidewalk chalk - the NLG represented them for free and won), for stepping in to help a local national guardsman injured on duty who couldn't get care because technically his orders had expired.

[alfredo]

78. God's Pantry.

[Suich]

80. Food Lifeline

They can get 5-6 meals for $1!

http://www.foodlifeline.org/

:hi:

[The Hope Mobile]

83. MARIANJACK! nt

[Sheltiemama]

85. My local Second Harvest.

That's where all of my United Way Fair Share contribution goes.

[Forkboy]

86. Two local food banks, or Our Father's House, a homneless shelter

[OhioChick]

87. American Cancer Society or St Jude Children's Hospital

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp



http://www.stjude.org/waystohelp

[proteus_lives]

89. The CBLDF!

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Fighting for the First Amendment.

http://www.cbldf.org

[Mike 03]

91. I am not sure if my favorite causes are progressive or not.

1. Southern Poverty Law Center
2. The International Myeloma Foundation, for a type of cancer
3. Lance Armstrong's "Livestrong" association to raise more money to find cures for cancer.

4. The ACLU
5. An association I became aware of during the Prop 8 debate, called LAMBDHA, which I donated to because I feel that the legislation against Gay Marriage is unConstitutional.

But I love this idea. It is a great way to get DU'ers to care about how this money is used.

[Sisaruus]

92. Class Action (www.classism.org)

...a national resource center on class, providing individuals, organizations, and institutions with the tools and resources needed to work on eliminating classism.

Class Action, a national nonprofit founded in 2004, inspires action to end classism. Class Action provides a compelling framework and analysis, as well as safe space, for people and institutions across the class spectrum to identify and begin to confront classism. Our strategies for trainings, workshops, organizational consulting, and public awareness are based on core values of bridging the class divide, building cross-class alliances, and promoting economic justice.

[clear eye]

96. 1payer.net

1payer.net is using the 'net and TV very skillfully to build the call for single-payer healthcare--something that can be acheived within our lifetimes.

[1]

97. the human fund...

[BuyingThyme]

100. I would give it to that guy with the dog with the bandana.

[horseshoecrab]

101. Physicians for Human Rights

http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/torture/


horseshoecrab

[Eric J in MN]

102. ACLU (NT)

NT

[friendly_iconoclast]

103. The Greater Boston Food Bank

They help a *lot* of people

[babydollhead]

104. Global links, Pittsburgh

www.globallinks.org

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

105. Remote Area Medical

http://www.ramusa.org/

[Heidi]

106. Veterans for Peace

Veterans for Peace

Also:
Innocence Project
Nebraska Appleseed Center

[ConsAreLiars]

107. I would pick a smaller, probably regional, organization like "Heart of America NW"

since the money means more to those with smaller budgets. This group, which I regularly support, is working on Hanford nuclear contamination related issues, and has made a significant difference: http://www.hoanw.org/