2013 Service Work
Annual Non-Profit
2013: FRIENDS OF NGONG ROAD ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP OF A YOUNG GIRL Friends of Ngong Road (FoNR), a Minnesota-based 501(c)(3), and Ngong Road Children Association (NRCA), a registered Kenya NGO, operate with the shared mission of providing education and support for impoverished Nairobi children whose families have been affected by HIV/AIDS. The devastation
caused by HIV/AIDS in Kenya has left the country with approximately 1 million orphaned children and many more living with a surviving HIV+ parent. Children in this program all live in the slums of Dagoretti, Nairobi where the median household income is under two dollars per day. Approximately 50% of the children in the program are orphans and the other 50% live with a surviving HIV+ parent; 5% of children in the program are themselves HIV+. Without the opportunity provided by a high-quality education, these children would be sentenced to lives of continuing poverty and would be an economic drag on Kenyan society. Unfortunately, Kenya’s public education system is not up to the task as it is woefully underfunded and inconsistent in quality. FoNR believes that placing at-risk children in high-performing private schools for primary education and public high schools gives them the best chance of success and will have a long-term positive ripple effect on Kenya, Africa and the world. To learn more, click HERE.
Non-Profit Of The Month
DECEMBER 2013: SMILE TRAIN
Every child born with a cleft anywhere in the world has the opportunity to live a full, productive life. Clefts are a major problem in developing countries where there are still millions of children who are suffering with unrepaired clefts. Most cannot eat or speak properly. Aren’t allowed to attend school or hold a job. And face very difficult lives filled with shame and isolation, pain and heartache. Their clefts usually go untreated because they are poor – too poor to pay for a simple surgery that has been around for decades.
The good news is every single child with a cleft can be helped with surgery that costs as little as $250 and takes as little as 45 minutes. Click HERE to learn more.
ALSO in December:
The Louisiana State Bar Association’s “Secret Santa” project.
The National Asian Pacific Bar Association’s fundraising effort to help support the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
DECEMBER 2013: Brandi's Hope Community Services
Brandi’s Hope Community Services began operations in June 2010 after being a long time dream of owner and CEO, Danny Cowart. Danny and his wife Brenda are the proud parents of our company’s name sake, Brandi Erin Cowart. For almost ten years he and his wife Brenda received services/supports for their daughter who was born with Trisomy 18, a rare and fatal chromosomal disorder. They were determined to give her the opportunity to live at home and have a typical life. The Cowarts wanted to share their dreams for Brandi with other individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Currently Brandi’s Hope Community Services has 3 locations, Pascagoula, Picayune and Tupelo along with the corporate office in Magee, MS. We presently serve over 65 families across the state of Mississippi. For more information on Brandi’s Hope, follow this link.
NOVEMEBER 2013: WITS (Writers in Schools, Houston, Tx.)
Writers in the Schools (WITS) engages children in the pleasure and power of reading and writing. Every child deserves a holistic education that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and personal responsibility.Writing is an art that must be practiced and developed over time. Low-income students can thrive and grow through high-quality art education programs. The relationship between the WITS writer and the classroom teacher is a partnership. WITS supports classroom teachers as they adopt new approaches to teaching creative writing. WITS writers reflect Houston’s diversity to meet the needs of the community.
Everyone has a personal story to tell. WITS provides opportunities for storytelling and the skills needed to do it well. To learn more about WITS-Houston click HERE.
ALSO in November: bringing awareness to Dedifferentiated Chondrosarcoma, a rare form of chondrosarcoma (bone cancer), where a high grade of sarcoma is found adjacent to a low-grade sarcoma. It is an aggressive tumor that has a high metastic rate and extremely poor prognosis. For more information, please click HERE.
OCTOBER 2013: AIM FOR A CURE
The J.D. Silvetti Group of Companies, in partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, sponsors the “AIM FOR A CURE” target skeet competition. The competition is held in the fall of each year and serves as our primary fund raising event. The event brings experts and novices from all walks of life to compete, eat and have fun! The Lewis Scoring System ensures that not only does the “TOP GUN” win a new shotgun, but so do the less skilled & beginners! Door prizes, raffles and shooting games add to the excitement of the day!
If you would like to participate in “Aim for a Cure” and support St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, click HERE. If you would like more information about the event or to donate directly email aimforacure@silvettigroup.com.
SEPTEMBER 2013: EDEN HOUSE
EDEN HOUSE is a two-year residential program for women who have been commercially and sexually exploited. Eden House provides six to eight women a safe and supportive home for two years, free of cost. Through Eden House, women receive wrap-around services such as counseling, education, and job training. Since addiction is often connected with prostitution, a twelve-step program is part of the Eden House model. The program is expected to be highly successful: two and a half years after beginning the program, 72% of the women who join Nashville’s Magdalene House are clean, sober, and no longer working in prostitution.
Eden House has opened its doors to its first residents, and thanks to considerable community support and enthusiasm, the momentum is growing. Click HERE to check out this video for more information on Eden House’s founding and operation.
AUGUST 2013: TIMMONS HABITAT
TIMMONS HABITAT – establishes transitional and emergency housing for victims of domestic violence in the New Orleans area. Our organization is seeking funds to arrange housing in the New Orleans area to provide safe havens to women and their children who are victims of domestic violence.
Timmons’ Habitat is a new non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that aims to reduce the number of domestic violence cases by providing safer housing options for women and children in dangerous and hostile environments. Click HERE to learn more about Timmon’s Habitat.
JULY 2013: COVENANT HOUSE
For 25 years, Covenant House New Orleans has provided a safe haven for homeless, runaway and at-risk youth ages 16-21. Located on the edge of the French Quarter, we shelter and care for neglected, abused, and exploited kids from the New Orleans area and from across the United States. Covenant House is governed by a local, volunteer Board of Directors and staffed with experienced, dedicated professionals and volunteers.
We have touched the lives of over 18,000 youth, providing them with food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, individual and family counseling, educational assistance, vocational and job training, life skills and so much more. We seek to rebuild and reunite families whenever possible, or offer youth the opportunity and the tools they need to build healthy, independent and productive lives. To learn more about Covenant House or to make a donation, please click HERE.
ALSO IN JULY 2013: COVENANT HOUSE
Toys and gifts are needed year-round for patients from birth to 21. They receive many gifts during the holiday season, but toy donations throughout the year are also needed to bring smiles to their young patients during every season, all year long.
Please click HERE to see their year-round toy donation list and contact information.
Please click HERE to see other donation options.
JUNE 2013: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL
Benjamin Franklin High School is consistently ranked as a “top public high school in the nation” by U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek, and Business Week magazines and has received the highest School Performance Score in Louisiana, making it the #1 public school in the state again this year. Franklin was also recently named a 2009 National Blue Ribbon School. It has also been recognized as the top Advanced Placement testing school in the Southern region of the United States. Franklin serves a population of students with high academic potential.
Please click HERE to learn more about Benjamin Franklin High School. Please consider a DONATION to help Benjanim Franklin High School continue to be one of the best schools in the country; to continue to nurture some of the best minds and hearts; to continue to model selfless behavior; and to continue to stand as a symbol of hope and joy to the entire New Orleans community. Benjamin Franklin High School is and will be one of the reasons that New Orleans really matters.
JUNE 2013: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL
Tulane Green Wave football player Devon Walker, a senior safety, suffered a broken neck during the Tulsa-Tulane football game on Sept. 8, 2012. He flew toward a Tulsa player on the last play before halftime, going for a tackle. His teammate Julius Warmsely, 100 pounds heavier than Walker, smashed in from the side, flinging Walker on top of a Tulsa player. Devon had surgery following the injury and now has been moved to a comprehensive in-patient rehabilitation center where he will continue his recovery. Devon is a senior majoring in cell and molecular biology.
Please click HERE to learn more about Devon and his continued hard work and success in rehabilitating his devastating injury. While you’re there, consider a donation to this very worthy cause.
FEBRUARY 2013: Women LEAD
Claire Naylor had grown up in Nepal seeing the discrimination and violence that women around her were facing every day. Despite their challenges, these women were strong and resilient. She knew how much they would accomplish if they were given a strong education and leadership opportunities. Our mission is to provide young women in Nepal, with the skills, support and opportunities to become leaders in their schools and communities.
Before Women LEAD was started, there were no leadership organizations for young women in Nepal. Most of the girls entering our program had never written a resume before or spoken up in public. We strongly believe that young women must be empowered with the training, confidence and resources to be leaders. When young women are given the tools to lead, they become powerful agents for change. We’ve empowered and trained more than 400 girls to be leaders!
To make a donation to Woman LEAD, please click HERE.
MARCH 2013: HELP FOR HEROES
FEBRUARY 2013: Women LEAD
In 2004, the AHA created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health as well as band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. It challenges women to know their risk for heart disease and use the tools that that Go Red For Women provides to take action to reduce their personal risk.
Funds raised by Go Red For Women allow the American Heart Association to help women by offering educational programs, increase women’s understanding about their risk for heart disease and support research to discover scientific knowledge about heart health. We turn science into materials and tools that healthcare providers and decision-makers can use to help women. Scientific guidelines on women and healthcare providers receive the most up-to-date strategies and treatments tailored to a woman’s individual risk.in 2004, the AHA also created Go Red For Women – a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health as well as band together and collectively wipe out heart disease. It challenges women to know their risk for heart disease and use the tools that that Go Red For Women provides to take action to reduce their personal risk. Funds raised by Go Red For Women allow the American Heart Association to help women by offering educational programs, increase women’s understanding about their risk for heart disease and support research to discover scientific knowledge about heart health. We turn science into materials and tools that healthcare providers and decision-makers can use to help women. Scientific guidelines on women and healthcare providers receive the most up-to-date strategies and treatments tailored to a woman’s individual risk. To make a donation to the American Heart Association’s GO RED Challenge, please click HERE.
FEBRUARY 2013: Women LEAD
The mission of The Gleason Initiative Foundation is to help provide individuals with muscular diseases or injuries with leading edge technology, equipment and services, and to raise public awareness toward amyotrophic lateral sclerosis “ALS” by providing and documenting extraordinary life adventures for individuals with muscular diseases or injuries.
Steve gleason played for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 – 2008. He will always be remembered for his blocked punt on the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina. Steve was diagnosed with ALS in January 2011; ALS is considered a terminal neuro-muscular disease. Beyond his faith that there is a solution to heal, it is his mission to show that patients can not only live, they can also thrive after this diagnosis. In doing so, he hopes to inspire others to do the same. NO WHITE FLAGS!
Steve and his wife Michel are a daily inspiration for all ALS patients and their families. Please support The Gleason Initiative Foundation in reaching it’s goals by donating HERE.
