Board Adopt a Family, etc. Discussion Thread

[crazytalk]

I love this idea. I actually just sent an email to a local org that I know is not religiously affiliated, that focuses on keeping families from going homeless. Helps with bills, food (which is apparently a big push), furnishings, etc. Then they do the thanksgiving and christmas drives too.

I bet this board could pick a few different charities / families / whatever to support, since there are so many people here.

If I get an answer from this place I know of that makes it sound like it might be doable, then I'd volunteer to organize one. Maybe. (Lol, I'm a little slow to commit b/c I'm already exhausted, but this would energize me I think.) I'm envisioning an amazon wish list, with the charity organization's address as the recipient ... then we'd just have to specify somehow on the shipping materials that it's for "Family 1B9" or whatever. Something.

[secretlyevil]

Oct 30, 2013 14:30:30 GMT -5 crazytalk said:

I love this idea. I actually just sent an email to a local org that I know is not religiously affiliated, that focuses on keeping families from going homeless. Helps with bills, food (which is apparently a big push), furnishings, etc. Then they do the thanksgiving and christmas drives too.

I bet this board could pick a few different charities / families / whatever to support, since there are so many people here.

If I get an answer from this place I know of that makes it sound like it might be doable, then I'd volunteer to organize one. Maybe. (Lol, I'm a little slow to commit b/c I'm already exhausted, but this would energize me I think.) I'm envisioning an amazon wish list, with the charity organization's address as the recipient ... then we'd just have to specify somehow on the shipping materials that it's for "Family 1B9" or whatever. Something.

THIS!!!!

[MrsAxilla]

Oct 30, 2013 14:27:13 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Oct 30, 2013 14:24:02 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

If we're going to do this, can we adopt a family in an area we know is under served? Like south side of Chicago, or butt fuck rural Appalachia?

You said it, start researching!

www.rush.edu/rumc/page-1282236923471.html#questions

[eclaires]

If we find a reputable org that serves Appalachia I would be willing to coordinate.

[secretlyevil]

Oct 30, 2013 14:43:32 GMT -5 eclaires said:

If we find a reputable org that serves Appalachia I would be willing to coordinate.

I found this organization: www.thecamelotdifference.com/

I sent them an email to see if they can point us in the right direction.

[downtoearth]

Here's an adopt a family that is based out of Michigan/Detroit. I know that is an area that we have often discussed - search zip code 48208 (poorest zip code in the US - or one of them). VOA is faith-based, but I don't know much.

adoptafamilymichigan.org/Sponsor/RequestFamily.aspx

[tef]

I like the idea. I also know of a number of Head Starts in my area that do an Adopt-a-Classroom. School supplies, including science/exercise/art/etc, are what they hope for as well as gloves/hats and reading materials. if we are looking for ideas (and I do this with Nicholas every year as I want him to give back at Christmastime every year to be grateful for what he has, even if he doesn't completely understand, he picks out the books for the kids) and I am happy to lead if needed.

[Deleted]

Has anyone volunteered to organize. I think we need it to be local to that person.

[Black Lavender]

I'm in and down for whatever. I'd also prefer to do families as opposed to organizations, but I do know a great non-profit that does some awesome work in many communities..http://www.rhd.org/Home.aspx

[sushi]

Oct 30, 2013 14:54:38 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Oct 30, 2013 14:43:32 GMT -5 eclaires said:

If we find a reputable org that serves Appalachia I would be willing to coordinate.

I found this organization: www.thecamelotdifference.com/

I sent them an email to see if they can point us in the right direction.

Dyslexia strikes again. I read this as camel toe difference.

[eclaires]

Oct 30, 2013 15:06:57 GMT -5 @letshike said:

I would love to donate. I know I'm new and people might not be comfortable with me participating which is fine and I can wait until next year but if you guys are down, I would gladly send some money or something from amazon.

I personally think it is totally fine for new peeps to participate/donate!  

Maybe we can talk proboards into donating to our endeavor?  Mostly because they are more awesome than the nest ever was.

[secretlyevil]

I've updated OP with a little summary up to this point.

[KB]

Oct 30, 2013 15:14:23 GMT -5 eclaires said:

Oct 30, 2013 15:06:57 GMT -5 @letshike said:

I would love to donate. I know I'm new and people might not be comfortable with me participating which is fine and I can wait until next year but if you guys are down, I would gladly send some money or something from amazon.

I personally think it is totally fine for new peeps to participate/donate!  

Maybe we can talk proboards into donating to our endeavor?  Mostly because they are more awesome than the nest ever was.

LOVE this idea. 

I'm happy to coordinate as well. What about Fisher House? They work with military families and may be able to point us in the right direction. 

[taratru]

We do this at my school, so I have a connection and could easily get a family. This is not as poor or under served of an area, but there are some needy families (even homeless) at my own school.

So there's a backup plan.

[gpw]

I'm in for donating, but have zero time to do any boots on the ground work. I'd prefer to go the family route vs. org route, but as long as we've done our homework and the org is legit and aren't assholios, then I'm good.

[KB]

Oct 30, 2013 20:37:50 GMT -5 taratru said:

We do this at my school, so I have a connection and could easily get a family. This is not as poor or under served of an area, but there are some needy families (even homeless) at my own school.

So there's a backup plan.

I'm definitely up for this. 

[sushi]

This is the org I mentioned is this.

kidshurttoo.org/

They're local (our activity this past weekend was surfing, and the costco pizzas were set up on an impromptu surfboard table , but they're affiliated with the Dougy center which has something like 500 other centers around the country.

[secretlyevil]

check OP

[secretlyevil]

It's going to get lost on AE day. Better bookmark.

[pixy0stix]

Oct 31, 2013 11:12:35 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

It's going to get lost on AE day. Better bookmark.

It's linked in the sticky thread above.

ETA: I stickied this too.

[secretlyevil]

Oct 31, 2013 11:46:25 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Oct 31, 2013 11:12:35 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

It's going to get lost on AE day. Better bookmark.

It's linked in the sticky thread above.

Oh yes, good point.

[Jermys]

www.onesimplewish.org is an organization that helps foster kids with a wish.

[secretlyevil]

@jeremys, that's a great organization.

I'm going to organize some sort of voting poll tomorrow....

[sushi]

Oct 31, 2013 15:53:42 GMT -5 Jermys said:

www.onesimplewish.org is an organization that helps foster kids with a wish.

I'd definitely support something like this.

Let me email the director of my org and see if he has specific requests. Even if it's not a board thing, maybe someone will want to donate, and I know I for sure will.

[sushi]

Oct 31, 2013 19:33:20 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

@jeremys, that's a great organization.

I'm going to organize some sort of voting poll tomorrow....

Can you please wait until a reasonable time for Hawaii tomorrow (6 hours later than EDT)? I have some emails out to local charities who are attached to national charities. I implicitly trust their recommendations.

Of course, I know everyone should give where their heart tugs. This will not be my only holiday donation. But I just want to make sure I follow up on a few orgs I feel passionately about (that aren't divisive like PP )

I don't really care how much people give, but I'd love for someone to give crayolas to a good organization AND to brag that it's the lady internets that caused it. Yep, I'm a fanfarron.

[secretlyevil]

Nov 1, 2013 3:50:14 GMT -5 sushi said:

Oct 31, 2013 19:33:20 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

@jeremys, that's a great organization.

I'm going to organize some sort of voting poll tomorrow....

Can you please wait until a reasonable time for Hawaii tomorrow (6 hours later than EDT)? I have some emails out to local charities who are attached to national charities. I implicitly trust their recommendations.

Of course, I know everyone should give where their heart tugs. This will not be my only holiday donation. But I just want to make sure I follow up on a few orgs I feel passionately about (that aren't divisive like PP )

I don't really care how much people give, but I'd love for someone to give crayolas to a good organization AND to brag that it's the lady internets that caused it. Yep, I'm a fanfarron.

Yup, I got a lot of work to do. Probably won't do the poll until tonight. I think it should be left open for a few days, maybe even until next Wednesday.

[secretlyevil]

Just dropping this here from the other thread so I can remember to add it to the poll.

Oct 31, 2013 21:31:30 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

Alright, well, I'm glad to see this thread because I'll share a little info of my own.  

So a few months ago, someone posted an article about the unbelievable defunding of Philadelphia's public schools.  It really touched me.  Indianapolis has its own problems but NOTHING like what inner-city Philadelphia is going through [insert rant about charters, politicians, intentional disenfranchisement of the poor...].  I tracked down one of the teachers who was interviewed in that article (because I gotmad googlefu skillz, yo!) and sent her an email asking her to send ME and email of everything she needed for her classroom and then I would circulate it around my kid's school and my friends and we'd try to make a dent in it.  She told me that there is actually a website that already does this.  donorschoose.org  There are lots of different ways to use it, but one way is to type in the zip code of a specific area and see what the schools in that area need.  

I would invite you all to do this.  You can pick whatever area you want, but when you type in a zip code for Phili, it's pretty fucking sad.  The 19111 zip code needs things like:

160 Grade 5 Grammar Workbooks.

Sterile Swabs for the Biology Lab.

Jump ropes, balls, and frisbees for PE

54 Thesauruses

50 Packs of paper


Leaving aside the fact that it is fucking atrocious that schools have to beg for charity from others to get basic school supplies in a developed nation, to me, this felt really doable.  I can't build a new gym or outfit a state of the art computer lab, but I can donate enough money to get some fucking paper and jump ropes for these kids for fucks sake.

If anyone else is interested, I feel like this is a "legit" charity since it came specifically recommended over a person-to-person donation when I reached out to one of the teachers.  

[crazytalk]

Oct 30, 2013 14:31:20 GMT -5 secretlyevil said:

Oct 30, 2013 14:30:30 GMT -5 crazytalk said:

I love this idea. I actually just sent an email to a local org that I know is not religiously affiliated, that focuses on keeping families from going homeless. Helps with bills, food (which is apparently a big push), furnishings, etc. Then they do the thanksgiving and christmas drives too.

I bet this board could pick a few different charities / families / whatever to support, since there are so many people here.

If I get an answer from this place I know of that makes it sound like it might be doable, then I'd volunteer to organize one. Maybe. (Lol, I'm a little slow to commit b/c I'm already exhausted, but this would energize me I think.) I'm envisioning an amazon wish list, with the charity organization's address as the recipient ... then we'd just have to specify somehow on the shipping materials that it's for "Family 1B9" or whatever. Something.

THIS!!!!

I love this particular org, and I was really hoping they'd respond to me so I could throw one of their families into the ring here, but they haven't even responded to my email. If they do so in time, I'll post the info & see where it goes. If not, I'll support someone else's efforts here. 

And the donors choose website is fantastic!! Sometimes you can find opportunities that are being matched by corporate donors too, so that a $600 iPad is only going to need $300 in donations because of matching. (Plus see if your own company matches your donations, so then it's like a triple whammy.)

My only complaint with donors choose is that I get overwhelmed. There are so many requests, and I have left that site doing nothing a few times because I'm unable to do ALL that I want. Which is stupid and ridiculous, I know. 

asdfjkl - maybe if your particular teacher that you reached out to has one you want to push, link it. 

[Beeps (WOT?*)]

I have school supplies that I've purchased and have on hold for our local school district Children In Need program from the beginning of the year. I'm more than willing to send some over to the right coast from the left coast or to other groups as well. (Bought a lot during the TRU buy-one-get-one deal so I still have a bag of stuff even after my initial giving push to Backpacks for Kids.) Our school is very generous toward the local organizations that help the less fortunate (as in less active PTA and parent involvement) and lower income schools in the region so it might be a nice thing to add to our Humanitarian Committee program. (I'm captain of the HC and this week alone we're doing our first of two book drives for the area school and a candy drive for troops, next month is a clothing drive for the kids' closet and we've got another couple things going forward as well.)

I love www.donorschoose.org and would love to see something like this go forward as well, and not just at Christmas. Maybe CEP can do something like ML (I think it was ML???) did earlier this year when they adopted a classroom and provided supplies. There are several teachers on the board who were all commenting on how much out-of-pocket is involved during the school year and even in our (well-endowed) school I can see how the money would go pouring out of their wallets.

But that's another topic for another day unless it's decided to do a CEP Christmas for a Classroom.

[secretlyevil]

I will put the poll together when I get home tonight.