Search Nonprofits

There is something about playing the game that lights up a youngster’s eyes. But for children facing serious physical and mental disabilities that opportunity can often be difficult to achieve. Baseball diamonds weren’t exactly designed with wheelchairs and crutches in mind. The Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime. Since the main barriers for these children arise from the natural grass fields used in conventional youth leagues, Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assistive devices while helping to prevent injuries. But it’s more than playing a game. The Miracle League is about making new friends, building self-esteem and being treated just like other kids. To help the athletes, the Miracle League uses a “buddy” system – pairing each player with an able-bodied peer. The result is an experience that lasts a lifetime for all participants. The Miracle League serves children who suffer from disabilities that may cause them to be excluded from conventional youth baseball leagues. According to the 2000 Census Bureau, there are 12.3 million children in our country between the ages of 5 and 19 who suffer from some form of mental or physical disability.

YMCAs collectively make up the largest nonprofit community service organization in America. YMCAs are at the heart of community life in neighborhoods and towns across the nation. Ys are for people of all faiths, races, abilities, ages and incomes. No one is turned away for inability to pay. YMCAs' strength is in the people they bring together. In the average Y, a volunteer board sets policy for its executive, who manages the operation with full-time and part-time staff and volunteer leaders. Ys meet local community needs through organized activities called programs. In its own way, every Y nurtures the healthy development of children and teens; strengthens families; and makes its community a healthier, safer, better place to live. YMCA programs are tools for building the values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. Longtime leaders in community-based health and fitness and aquatics, Ys teach kids to swim, offer exercise classes for people with disabilities and lead adult aerobics. They also offer hundreds of other programs in response to community needs, including camping, child care, teen clubs, environmental programs, substance abuse prevention, youth sports, family nights, job training, international exchange and many more. Organization: Each YMCA is a charitable nonprofit, qualifying under Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Tax Code. Each is independent. YMCAs are required by the national constitution to pay annual dues, to refrain from discrimination and to support the YMCA mission. All other decisions are local choices, including programs offered, staffing and style of operation. The national office, called the YMCA of the USA, is in Chicago, with Field offices in California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota and Texas.Its purpose is to serve member associations. International: YMCAs are at work in more than 120 countries around the world, serving more than 30 million people. Some 230 local US Ys maintain more than 370 relationships with Ys in other countries, operate international programs and contribute to YMCA work worldwide through the YMCA World Service campaign. Like other national YMCA movements, the YMCA of the USA is a member of the World Alliance of YMCAs, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. History: The YMCA was founded in London, England, in 1844. The Y movement has always been nonsectarian and today accepts those of all faiths at all levels of the organization. The first U.S. YMCA started in Boston in 1851, the work of Thomas Sullivan, a retired sea captain who was a lay missionary. Ys spread fast and soon were serving boys and older men as well as young men. Although 5,145 women worked in YMCA military canteens in World War I, it wasn't until after World War II that women and girls were admitted to full membership and participation in the US YMCAs. Today half of all YMCA members and program members are female, and half are under age 18.

Joy of the People is a 501 (c)(3) that promotes the idea of free play as a way to build healthy kids and communities. In 2017, JOTP provided more than 1,500 hours of safe, monitored free play soccer time at no cost to participants.

It is the mission of Kids, Incorporated to be an organization of excellence by providing quality year-round sporting activities, while ensuring that every child who desires to participate has the opportunity to do just that!

Our mission is to honor the heroes and heroines of tennis through enshrinment, to operate a museum, to foster an appreciation of tennis history, to present tournaments and tennis related activities for the enjoyment of the public, to promote the sport of tennis and to preserve a historic theater.  

Mission: Our mission is to inspire the innovator in everyone. Vision: Our vision is to become a resource for innovation.  

To make more running opportunities for VI runners.

To inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

HOLA’s Mission: Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) provides underserved youth with exceptional programs in academics, arts and athletics within a nurturing environment, empowering them to develop their potential, pursue their education and strengthen their communities.

To inspire by celebrating, sharing and preserving the enduring contributions of Colorado's extraordinary women.

Friends of the River is dedicated to preserving and restoring California's rivers, streams, and their watersheds as well as advocating for sustainable water management. The organization accomplishes its mission by providing public education, citizen activist training and organizing, and expert advocacy to influence public policy decisions on land, water, and energy management issues.