Tugging at the Heartstrings

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by Beloved

I've been to India and widows are just thrown away. They are seen as a burden. They are often abused, hungry, and dehumanized. I'd love to build a safe haven for them.

I love that idea. There's a wonderful young adult novel, Homeless Bird, about that very thing. There's a city in India where many widows are dropped off, to beg for the temples. If they're lucky they'll have long hair to sell, that goes to wigs for women in America. It's so sad, such a tragic, woman-hating cycle.

[Reader]

Originally Posted by IslandScout

If I were a venture capitalist looking for some non-profit to benefit from my largess, I would fund and create an organization to collect the plants from corporate building lobbies that are pulled and discarded every two weeks, and donate them to housing projects, community gardens, prisons and nursing homes.

Project team members, including coordinators, plant-collectors, truck drivers and so on, would income qualify and be well paid. I would also fund a budget for education, and to train people to lead ecology workshops explaining where plants in public places come from, how they benefit us in the urban environment, what their natural environments are like, and so on. The workshops would be offered in all the places that receive the plants.

What a good idea.

[Beloved]

Originally Posted by IslandScout

I love that idea. There's a wonderful young adult novel, Homeless Bird, about that very thing. There's a city in India where many widows are dropped off, to beg for the temples. If they're lucky they'll have long hair to sell, that goes to wigs for women in America. It's so sad, such a tragic, woman-hating cycle.

There are many in Vrindavan and Varanasi.

[WolfyOne]

Since I've already taken money out of my pocket for rescue cats, I'd have to go with a no kill shelter. I want to start trapping ferals in areas overpopulated. It's what I was doing before I found a neighbor where I used to live, killing those my ex and I paid to fix and release back into the area we got them from. I'd like some acres and and fencing that is made to keep them in and anything that could harm them out. This shelter would have indoor/outdoor buildings with spaces built inside like kitty bunk beds, so they would have refuge from the weather. I'd put a house on the same property, so I could be there to look after them everyday. In my head I can honestly see what I'd want to create. Too bad I have neither the funding or the property to do it.

[Liam]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

I was reading a comment in another forum about what someone would do as a way of giving back, if she had the money to do it. I know we have threads about what we already do to give back BUT, if money was not a concern, what would you do to benefit (in a NON-PROFIT WAY) the world around you?

If money were not a concern for me, I would fund more educational teams, as well as be part of one, for the Center for Nonviolent Communication, an international peacemaking organization.

Center for Nonviolent Communication

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by Hunter Green

What a good idea.

Thanks.... (I added elipses to make the message long enough, not for dramatic pause...) Seriously thanks, I hate to see the plants thrown out in the building where I work.

[deedarino]

I LOVE this thread!!!

I would start a business that would employ women with barriers (domestic violence, drugs/alcohol, criminal history, etc) Along with employment would be specialized training in work habits, communication, self esteem, etc. Counseling would be required along with treatment if needed.

Conditions of employment would be strict but the goal would be to break the cycle of abuse and addiction that keep women from becoming or staying strong. Once they have "mastered" the program, they would be placed in a local business in their chosen career path.

Continued support would also be provided to make sure life doesn't take them back down.

[princesskathie]

Ooh as a professional fundraiser I've thought a lot about this one! I have three:

An organization that provides legal support and therapy for children who have been sexually abused. I've read that the two most helpful things to help a child recover from this horror are getting them into therapy, ASAP, and seeing their abusers brought to justice.

A recovery house for lesbians who want to stop using alcohol and drugs because gay girls are less likely to get treatment for addiction than some other populations. I'd love to make a safe place for those who are suffering to get clean.

And I'd give a dumptruck full if money to no- kill shelters and lo-cost spay & neuter programs!