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| February's Charity Highlight |
 Welcome to the month of LOVE! We have some lovely new charities for February, including our spotlight Charity of the Month, from our Children category, Peer Solutions. Peer Solutions' founder Jennifer Rauhouse was kind enough to sit down with us for a quick interview. Read on to see what she has to say. We've also added new charities to our Animals, Environment, and Human Rights categories. As always, more information on our donation process can be found in our Donation FAQ!
CHILDREN
Peer Solutions - Phoenix, AZ
http://www.peersolutions.org/
We had the chance to interview Peer Solutions' founder Jennifer Rauhouse this month to find out a bit more about her organization. Here's what she had to say.
1. What are the Vision and Mission of Peer Solutions?
Our Vision: That we internalize respect in thought, reflect it in action, and spread it to others, resulting in an increase of peace in our hearts, homes, schools, workplaces and communities. Our Mission: To cultivate positive social change by uniting schools, families and communities through STAND & SERVE, an asset-based, primary prevention initiative fostering respect, empathy and ownership of solutions.
2. What geographical reach does Peer Solutions have?
Peer Solutions hosts 12 student-run STAND & SERVE clubs across metropolitan Phoenix (Maricopa County). Club members participate in on-going activities on and off campus with schools, families and community members and organizations reaching approximately 25-30K individuals per year.
3. What inspired you to start the organization?
In 1981, I began working in a treatment facility for juvenile offenders while attending the University of Minnesota. These young people were labeled as "hard core recidivists" and ranged from gang members in Chicago to middle school age girls being prostituted/raped. It was 100% apparent that these young people were angels that someone had harmed when they were younger, and no one was there to help them. They needed understanding and love, not harsh sentences.
In order to reach young people sooner, I then went into youth diversion and big brother/big sister programs. In 1989, I moved to Arizona, worked in a rape crisis center for a few years, and obtained a postbaccalaureate teaching degree to work with non-traditional students to strengthen the impact of interrupting the cycle of harm while cultivating the opposite. After a few years of teaching, running respect/violence prevention clubs every second of every day, it became clear that there was a huge need to unite others to help cultivate the change we wish to see in the world. Everyone must work together to promote good to end bad. That Gandhi guy got it right.
In May of 1996, Peer Solutions was born. At the heart of Peer Solutions' activities is ending sexual and family violence, as we believe these issues are at the root of most harm in our world today. To end sexual/family violence is also to prevent substance abuse, oppression, depression, suicide, self injury, eating disorders, school, gang, dating or gun violence, child abuse, harassment, pornography, child pornography, homelessness, poverty, teen pregnancy, criminality, poor school performance, re-victimization/re-perpetration and more.
Research clearly indicates that in order to rid the world of these types of horrors, we need Primary Prevention - stopping the problem before it happens. It takes everyone, and it is the most effective solution (including cost). In order to do this, we have to address the underlying reasons/causes/conditions on why they exist. The main reasons these issues exist and have even worsened over time are silence, denial, unhealthy gender role socialization and normalized violence. We have to normalize respect for everyone, speak up and take a STAND & SERVE our community. We are all Peers. We are all the Solution.
4. Is there a particular success story that stands out in your mind?
There are so many. These are the changes/positive impact we have observed over the past thirteen years:
- Students have improved grades
- Students have gone on to college when otherwise they may not have
- Students that come in with oppressive attitudes about anyone for any reason, leave with the opposite
- Students are able to talk about and help others with all the issues we address
- Our participants will be community service volunteers for the rest of their lives
- Families are positively effected
- Over the years, students are coming back to work with us
Individual Success Stories:
There is a student I will call Julie that just received the City of Tempe 2009 Diversity Award for participation in our STAND & SERVE program for the past 5 years. She has volunteered for countless numbers of service projects, is an excellent peer educator for younger students, facilitates discussions with legislators, is graduating from high school in May and filling out financial aid papers for college. She wants to be a teacher. When I met Julie, she was a very troubled middle school student for some very real, sad reasons. Her sadness manifests into anger and she had a bit of a problem punching out her teachers in middle school or getting grades higher than D's. She now serves on Peer Solutions' Board of Directors, rarely gets a C and rules the world.
There is another student I will call Tamika. She has been a STAND & SERVE member for 8 years, received the 2008 City of Tempe Diversity Award, is currently an Arizona State University student on a full ride scholarship and just returned from Virginia where we presented the STAND & SERVE program at their state conference. She is an excellent facilitator, translator and peer educator and has participated in countless numbers of service projects over the years, from feeding the homeless to assisting with cultural celebrations and trainings. Her story is sadder than most. She has experienced almost every issue listed including substance abuse, for which she received treatment. She is assisting Peer Solutions with a STAND & SERVE club at ASU and to implement the STAND & SERVE Central Corridor Initiative designed to cultivate a safe, healthy and respectful community along the new Metro light rail in Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix. She is brilliant and will do this type of work forever.
5. Where does the donated money go?
The money will go to feed program participants. A BIG NEED. We host lunch meetings, after school meetings and retreats, and funders will not pay for food. Because of the number of students we reach this is a huge need, especially in these times. Our food budget last year was $13,000, and we've had to cut it significantly. Healthy snacks are expensive.
ANIMALS
For the Love of PITS - Cleveland, OH
http://www.fortheloveofpits.org/
From their website:
For the Love of PITS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization run exclusively by volunteers. We are dedicated to rescuing homeless, abandoned, abused and unwanted "Pit Bulls" and other bully breeds subjected to the same discrimination. We work with various agencies and individuals to rescue and rehabilitate "Pit Bulls" that are deemed "unadoptable" and will likely be euthanized. With rehabilitation, training, personal attention, exercise, medical care and love, most dogs can be successfully matched with a loving new home. We are committed to changing the negative perception of these dogs, to rescuing these dogs and giving them a second chance by finding them loving homes and to providing adoption services and foster care.
ENVIRONMENT
The Outdoor Circle - Honolulu, HI
http://www.outdoorcircle.org/
From their website:
The Outdoor Circle's mission is to keep Hawai'i clean, green and beautiful by preserving, protecting and enhancing our environment for future generations. TOC engages in many activities to support its mission: plants and protects trees; protects view planes; provides environmental education to island children; fights to have utility wires placed under ground; works to eliminate illegal and inappropriate signs; protects open space; and promotes and sponsors community beautification. Throughout the years, The Outdoor Circle has helped prevent hundreds of ill-conceived land use plans and inappropriate development from moving forward.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Canine Companions for Independence - USA
http://www.cci.org/
From their website:
Founded in 1975, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, CCI is the largest non-profit provider of assistance dogs, and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. The result is a life full of increased independence and loving companionship.
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