Today’s LTP is a little more serious than I usually end up doing, but in light of the disasters in Japan and cuts to essential programs I’ve been thinking a lot about what my fantasy charity would be if I had the means to create one. Depending on the day, my vision changes all the time. Recently, it’s been creating more after-school programs, which comes from seeing a lot of kids and teenagers with nothing to do after school and no options available in their neighborhoods. It would be an amazing after-school program with homework help, and snacks, and games, and sports, and awesome social workers.
So how about you, what is the fantasy charity or program you would like to create if you could?
13 replies on “Lunchtime Poll – 3/16”
Currently, the mister and I are in the brainstorming phase of trying to figure out a way to start a non-profit micro-credit organization for the areas in Tunisia most neglected by the Ben Ali government. Tunisia is an interesting case where there is an impressively high number of people with college degrees, but due to (in)actions taken by the government, much of the potential for economic growth was channeled directly into the RCD’s coffers. For this reason, I think there are a lot of people out there with the potential to become micro-entrepreneurs, if only they had the resources and advocates to help them realize it.
Ideally, we’d like to do something similar to Kiva in that we create case profiles for individuals or families with a viable business plan and try to market them to both potential lenders both in Tunisia and abroad. There would also be a strong component of empowering women to enter into business and perhaps one day being able to even offer case workers who can work with the client one-on-one to help her map out a feasible business and financial plan.
Anyways, it’s all in my noggin right now, but I guess that’s what I’d do if I could start my own non-profit :)
I would to create a charity that builds homeless shelter with highly qualified psychiatrists and other mental health facilities that provide homeless people with the medicine they need. It’s sad how many homeless people suffer from mental illness and get no kind of support at all.
god…there are so many typos in that post I won’t even bother correcting it…but you get my drift, right?
I would like to somehow get poorer kids, especially girls, involved in physical activities like dance, so they can start having a relationship with what their bodies do (as opposed to how they look) from an early age. There are some organizations doing similar things already though.
The Mister asked me this once, when I was talking about getting out of politics and into the nonprofit sector and he suggested I start up my own nonprofit. I kind of feel like any vision for my fantasy charity probably exists in some form already. (For at most of the ones people have listed below, I know of organizations at least on the local level where I live that have that mission or a very similar one.) There are SO MANY nonprofits out there, all competing against each other for the same tiny pool of donor money and grants. It’s a shame that it’s all so fractured instead of working together toward the same goal.
I would fund a public library delivery program, so that low-income and outlying (rural/limited access suburban) individuals would still have public library access. I’d also like to fund a writing program for young women specifically – high school and college-aged women – to learn to write to express themselves clearly and forcefully.
There are just too many things. So many. I would honestly have to start 6. Or maybe 600.
The people, things, animals, EVERYTHING that needs help is just so overwhelming.
So let’s see, can I just create one uber-charity that would help: to fight poverty at home and abroad, homeless pets, homeless people, educationally-at-risk children, unempowered girls, girls who don’t like math and science, teachers, other public servants, foster children, healthcare for women and children, healthcare for everybody, people who need food and need to learn to cook that food into simple/healthful meals, people who just want to learn to cook/meal plan, college students to want to give back, fathers who need support to raise their children, children/highschoolers/adults who need to learn money management and simple home accounting, disaster relief, AIDS eradication, micro-financing for women in developing nations and, and, and……so many more things.
I always wanted to create accessible playgrounds for kids with physical and sensory disabilities in high-need neighborhoods. Or an emergency service for on-call caregivers.
A detox program for the deprogramming of Beckyism.
Something along the lines of free/really cheap therapy, esp. for poorer communities.
I would roll mental health prevention and care in with Canada’s regular public health program.
oh I LOVE this question.
My fantasy charity would involve helping people be better parents and helping kids have better childhoods through support services to help entire families in crisis.
My friend and I have a contract that if either of us ever win the lottery we will buy a farm and start a dog rescue and hire the other one.