This
month at Romancing the Genres the subject is charities. There are so, so many
different kinds from the horse rescue Paty Jager talked about, to the One Bead
at a Time Judith Ashley talked about, to charities fighting hunger, for world peace
and tons of charities to help research against various diseases.
I don't have a specific charity that I give to on a regular
basis. I've given a lot over the years to food banks, free meal programs, save
the planet, oceans, animals, water, children etc.
Instead I am going to highlight a
few different charities. A few that are more obscure.
Here in Bend there is Friends with
Flowers of Bend Oregon. It is similar to the Bloom Project. Volunteers collect
donated flowers from weddings.
These flowers are repurposed into
smaller bouquets in vases and delivered to Hospice, palliative care patients
and their families. It seems like a small thing to have a vase of flowers, but
I saw firsthand when I volunteered at the hospital how appreciative patients were
for this bit of brightness at a stressful time in their lives.
Another local charity is SavingGrace. Is a safe environment for women escaping an abusive relationship.
Here are their services as listed
on the website:
- “24-hour
hotline
- Support
groups
- Emergency
shelter
- Professional
training
- Emergency
transportation
- Court
advocacy
- Respite
child care
- Systems
advocacy
- Programs
for children exposed to violence
- Community
education
- Hospital
response
- Therapy
- Individual
crisis counseling
- Public
awareness
- Information
and referral to social services
- Youth
violence prevention
- Supervised
visitation and exchange center"
This group is in need of volunteers
and donations.
This program serves
youngsters between 11 and 17 yrs. From around Central Oregon who are at risk of
running away or have already run away or been kicked out of their homes. Young
people who come from homeless families where the parents can no longer take care of them. They find safety in a shelter or host home.
Teens would be accepted under
the following conditions:
couch surfing, staying temporarily with friends or family
living in an unsafe or unstable environment at home
unable to resolve conflict with parents or guardians
sleeping unsheltered, outside, in a car, or other places not meant for housing
services include:
·
education planning and support
·
employment search assistance
·
career planning
·
life skills training
·
positive recreational opportunities and
transition to self-sufficient living
Donations and volunteers
are needed.
Do you have a local charity you support?
Do you have a local charity you support?
5 comments:
What a great idea to promote local Central Oregon charities! I hadn't heard of Friends with Flowers of Bend, Oregon. What an awesome idea! Even those of us with health limitations could do this!
Love this post! Charities are so critical to many people in America.
Like you, I do support a number of charities. However, I volunteer for Village Without Walls, a non-profit organization that supports seniors in remaining in their homes. It is a national movement with over 150 local village chapters already running and an equal amount or more in the process of starting up.
Thank you for taking the time to share all of these.
Thanks for stopping by Sarah!
Maggie I read your post on Facebook about Village without Walls, it sounds like a wonderful organization. Do they have a branch in Bend, OR?
Because of my background, I support local programs that work with children from abusive backgrounds. I've heard of programs that recycle flowers from weddings and funerals. I'll have to check out Village Without Walls. I've a circle of friends (neighbors) and we watch out for each other: picking up prescriptions, driving to doctor appointments, etc. as well as just checking in.
Thanks for stopping in, Judith! And major congrats on finishing your novel!
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