Search Nonprofits

UPTOWN LEXINGTON, INC. EXISTS TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT, WHICH FOSTERS THE ONGOING DEVELOPMENT OF LEXINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA'S HISTORIC UPTOWN CENTER, AS THE COMMUNITY'S PRIMARY ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND SOCIAL CENTER. ULI UTILIZES THE NATIONAL MAIN STREET CENTER'S FOUR POINT APPROACH AS TOOLS FOR GROWTH OF THE DISTRICT: [1] ORGANIZATION TO BUILD CONSENSUS AND COOPERATION AMONG MANY GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH AN INTEREST IN UPTOWN; [2] DESIGN TO ENHANCE THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS, ENCOURAGE SUPPORTIVE NEW CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOP SENSITIVE DESIGN MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (FACADE GRANT PROGRAM); [3] PROMOTION TO MARKET THE TRADITIONAL DISTRICT'S ASSETS TO CUSTOMERS, POTENTIAL INVESTORS, NEW BUSINESSES, LOCAL CITIZENS AND VISITORS (BBQ CAPITAL COOK-OFF, CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE, SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS STROLLS, GROUNDHOG'S DAY); AND [4] ECONOMIC VITALITY TO STRENGTHEN THE DISTRICT'S ECONOMIC BASE WHILE EXPLORING NEW OPPORTUNITIES AND MEETING NEW CHALLENGES.

MISSION To eradicate extreme poverty in rural areas of southern India. To improve the living conditions of India's most disadvantaged groups, enhance their dignity and self-esteem, and help them achieve the necessary means to combat poverty. To ensure sustainable development with the active involvement and leadership of the communities. To reach as many poor people as possible and help organize them both individually and as community-based organizations, affording them strength, confidence, and the ability to lead their own development. To transform the semi-desert land through a holistic approach involving land, water, vegetation, and livestock development and to ensure the people live in harmony with natural resources. To sensitize men and women to the inherent discrimination and violence against women in both family and society, and to develop appropriate support systems and networks to fight such discrimination. To help people with disabilities gain equal rights and opportunities in every area of development, as well as access to all resources and services related to health, education, livelihood, and rehabilitation, helping them live a dignified life. To build a dynamic and creative organization that strives to participate in all development efforts and is spiritual in its motivation, based on knowledge and skills, shares the aspirations and struggles of the poor, and, though permanent in time, adapts to the changing times and needs. To raise public awareness about the living conditions of the rural and urban poor and to promote a more caring society. VISION For everyone from poor and oppressed communities to live with justice, dignity, and socioeconomic equality, and for all people to live in peace and harmony with one another. For people to live in harmony with nature, on land capable of sustaining its population. VALUES Permanence: We are a long-term project. Respect: We respect the people's culture and customs. Participation: We encourage the active participation and leadership of our stakeholders. Action: We have an action-based work philosophy. Accountability: We believe in efficient and accountable program and financial management. Humanism: We are strong believers in people and their capacity to help others. OUR PRINCIPLES RDT-Vicente Ferrer believes that people are the main actors in their development process and ensures their active involvement and leadership in the programs. The organization endorses a multi-sectoral approach with a view to enhancing people's overall progress. As a result, RDT addresses all major areas of development, including access to quality education, improved livelihoods, ecologyand the environment, equal opportunities for people with disabilities, women's development and empowerment, and access to healthcare. We organize, at a grassroots level, women, men, andpeople with disabilities into groups to enhance their strength, confidence, and ability to resolve their own issues and problems. An important RDT-Vicente Ferrer approach is the continuous sharing of knowledge, skills, and awareness about all aspects of life. Collaboration with the government and other NGOs to draw maximum benefits from development. To raise people's awareness and support their use of government schemes and resources. Though the organization has a special program forwomen's development, it believes that women's progress should be a factor in every area of work and life, including education, where emphasis is placed on young girls, and healthcare, for the overall well-being of women and girls. We believe in continuous training and orientation for staff members and people. We also have an HR department that regularly organizes internal and external training sessions for staff members of all levels and people on leadership, group building, problem solving, and gender-related matters, among others. To create an efficient human organization capable of acting regardless of where the need arises, even in emergencies. We believe that we must have a strong organization focused on community development, yet flexible and able to accommodate the changing needs of the people. RDT-Vicente Ferrer also stresses continuous dialogue with people and seeks to ensure its programs are useful and practical. An empathetic approach to helping individuals in severe distress due to chronic or acute illness, abandonment, or abuse of any kind.

The Whispering Seed is a village based Home for Children and Sustainable Living and Learning Centre working in Myanmar and Thailand since 2004. We are a US registered 501 C3, tax-exempt charitable organization striving to bridge the traditions of sustainability and holistic education through innovative programs, trainings and design, drawing on the richness of local wisdom and traditional cultures along with renewed, socially appropriate models. With a pioneering spirit, Whispering Seed strives to support and build partnerships and collaborations between local groups within Myanmar and South and Southeast Asia, as well as with the international community. By supporting the diversity of cultures and richness of traditional wisdom within Myanmar along with the integration of new models for learning and sustainable development we are searching for creative solutions to the variety of challenges which Myanmar will face throughout the next critical years of development. WS is focused on five critical areas of development. With a holistic and integrated approach we aim to support the growth and development of a new society which is representative of the rich diversity of peoples and cultures of Myanmar. The five areas of focus are: 1. Children & Youth 2. Holistic Education 3. Pioneers in Sustainability 4. Mindfulness, Health & Well-being 5. Vocational Skills

The Friends of the Pterocarpus Forest, also known as the Amigos del Bosque de Pterocarpus (incorporated as PHA Pterocarpus Forest, Inc.) are a group of citizens committed to the conservation and maintenance of the 50.18-acre Pterocarpus Officinalis* forest at Palmas del Mar. The mission of the Friends is to ensure that this rare Forest ecosystem remains accessible -- in perpetuity -- to the people of Puerto Rico and visitors to the island for passive recreation, environmental education and research. To this end, the Friends seek funds and other resources for educational and public benefit projects that promote awareness of and knowledge about this unique ecosystem, as well as funds with which to maintain and enhance for the benefit of the public, the Forest's website and presence on social media; its interpretative signage; and the 3/4-mile elevated boardwalk, rest areas, observation tower, visitors' center, and other facilities. The Friends, in collaboration with the Palmas Homeowners' Association, the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other committed parties began the restoration of the forest in 2010. Our efforts made it possible, in less than 5 years, to turn a devastated and moribund environment that had suffered decades of neglect (particularly since Hurricane Georges in 1998) into a lush and vibrant ecosystem and a unique ecotourism destination. *The Pterocarpus Officinalis is known as the Swamp Bloodwood tree in English. In Puerto Rico it is known as Palo de Pollo, or Chicken tree, because of the shape of its large aerial roots, which resemble chicken feet.

Community Food Initiatives (CFI) is a 25 year-old organization serving families and individuals in Appalachia Ohio. The mission of CFI is to ensure everyone has equal access to healthy, local food. CFI's vision is a resilient region in which everyone in our community has access to an equitable, inclusive, and thriving local food system. As a membership-based social benefit organization founded in 1992, Community Food Initiatives is deeply connected to the region. CFI is a long-serving team player within the local food system, as we believe that we benefit when others succeed, because that is how community works. CFI is the only organization in the area routinely donating thousands of pounds of local produce to food pantries, connecting regional seed savers to promote seed diversity and sustainability, managing low-cost community garden plots, supporting school gardens and teaching youth to grow food, and offering gardening and cooking workshops to adults. Community members, regional farmers and food producers, partnering non-profits, local government, and foundations support our work. All of these programs come together to build a stronger community where citizens are empowered to grow and cook their own healthy, whole foods, despite the barriers of poverty. CFI is building capacity to reach more communities across the region by increasing collaborative efforts to fight food insecurity. We value naming our assets-soil, seeds, and an Appalachian heritage of food production and preservation-so that everyone can see their place in strengthening our assets and our community. We believe that by sharing the knowledge to grow and prepare wholesome foods, people become empowered to feed their families, improve their health, and strengthen their community. We are rooted in the belief that equitable access to fresh and nutritious local food leads to a safe and clean environment, meaningful work with livable wages, and fulfills the needs and rights of all people. Finally, we believe in the strength of collaboration and in doing better together. Our work is driven by those we serve: the community members themselves. We currently work in seven program areas: The Donation Station Program collects fresh local food at the Athens Farmers Market, Chesterhill Produce Auction, and farms and distributes it to regional food pantries and social service agencies. Additionally, the Discovery Kitchen project teaches healthy cooking classes to food pantry patrons using seasonal produce. These programs are now serving five Southeastern Ohio Counties - Athens, Meigs, Morgan, Vinton, and Washington. The Community Garden Program manages five community gardens, coordinates gardening and food preservation workshops throughout the year. Currently, we manage 20,000 square feet of garden space at five locations throughout Athens County. The School Garden Program offers support for school and youth gardens, working with day care centers, and youth social service agencies such as Athens County Children Services and all five Athens County school districts. CFI provides resources, consultation, volunteer coordination and curriculum integration resources for teachers. YEAH! Kids (Youth Entrepreneurs at Hope) program is funded by the Athens Metropolitan Housing Authority, and engages low-income youth between the ages of 11 and 18 in production gardening, culinary skills, money management, and professionalism. The YEAH! Kids grow their own produce in a community garden located at Hope Drive apartments, subsidized housing in Athens. They have weekly kitchen workshops where they make products such as jam and kimchi using the produce they grow. The participants sell those products at the Athens Farmers Market, and they log their hours and get paid according to how much work they put into the garden and kitchen. Ridge & Hollow Seed Alliance is CFI's regional seed company, named for the hills and valleys of Appalachia. Ridge & Hollow supports the preservation of regionally adapted, open-pollinated seeds through partnerships with skilled seed savers in the Central Appalachian region. Additionally, Ridge & Hollow Seed Alliance hosts seed saving workshops and annual seed exchanges. SEO FOODLINK is an action research project that maps emergency food networks and compiles data from 10 Southeast Ohio counties into an online resource hub. This is a new initiative launched by CFI in 2017, in partnership with West Virginia University. FOODLINK is designed to alleviate food insecurity through the sharing of resources and facilitation of grassroots collaborations.

Progeny provides diverse communities with an opportunity to engage with one another. A program of education draws parallels between community cohesion and the environment, by focusing on a large interactive sound installation touring throughout the United States and Europe. Artists, investors, educators and beneficiaries metaphorically become part of a hive community. Modeled after the interior of a Langstroth beehive, 10 partitions clad in acoustic panelling are lifted from the ground and supported by custom-built flooring. By walking through the maze like chambers, each person forms part of a complex sonic landscape, which despite the inherent visual barriers heightens participants' awareness that their own presence can be felt elsewhere. Concurrently, participants are acutely aware that they are not alone. As the numbers increase the space becomes alive. A community is born. Following each exhibition the installation is transported to the next destination. The children and adult arts education program combines academic study and practical workshops with performing and visual arts. The wax that binds this project together, making it truly unique and accessible is provided by another thriving community; honeybees. Core Values Building Communities A community is all about connections - connections between individuals and connections between people and the other species with which we share the planet. We aim to promote social and ecological awareness within these communities and to celebrate the relationships that make life meaningful. Caring for the environment A sustainable society utilizes natural resources in such a way that future generations will benefit. By environmental stewardship and positive action, we can all be part of a solution to maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. Inspiring innovation and creativity The arts have a unique position within our global community. They educate, inspire, challenge and enrich. We promote creativity as a method for education, academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity. After all, we're all part of the progeny.. Background Beekeepers engage in a systematic migratory procession carrying up to 200 hives on flatbed trucks in search of seasonal pollen. Inside each Langstroth Hive lives a colony of 20,000-80,000 European honeybees. When the colonies are placed by the beekeeper in the new ecosystem, the bees begin their procession with the unified goal of feeding and caring for the next generation of their colony. How does a community of bees survive this migratory process? How do these colonies adapt to new and temporary ecosystems? How do they function within the limits of a man-made architectural object? Bees live in extraordinarily complex and cohesive societies. They coordinate virtually all of their activities with other individuals to ensure colony survival. Much can be learned and transferred from bee society to human society, including maintaining public health; organizing efficient information, communication, economic and transport systems while maintaining harmony. Each bee has a specific role in constructing a healthy society - as does each human. Should any segment of the societal body suffer, the whole body suffers. Progeny is a human project exploring a microcosm of human community through interaction inside an architectural space similar to the hive. The artists have figuratively become beekeepers. The hive-based installation is man-made. The structure is disassembled, transported on a flatbed truck to another temporary location where it is reassembled. With each exhibition an opportunity is provided for a new community to evolve, learn, adapt and interact.