Non-Profit Organization is actually a hard phrase to define. All of the words in the dictionary point to a group that raises funds but doesn’t profit from them. What sense does that make!? Not much, right? So we go about defining non-profits by what they do. And there are so many of them. There’s a non-profit organization for just about everything from animal safety to medical research to wilderness preservation. Specifically, in this blog, I will be dealing with non-profit organizations that are 501(c)(3). Which means that they may receive funding from the government and donations, and that donations made to them from private citizens are tax deductible. 501(c)(3) organizations must use any money gained to benefit their mission.
Just where did these non-profit come from?, you might ask. They came around for a few reasons. A non-profit will pop up when your government fails to provide things that the general populace thinks they should be providing–roads, clean water, etc. One organization might pop up when a group of people realize that they’d like to achieve the same goal but know they can’t do it alone. If a group feels that the government is controlling too many pieces of a certain pie, they might start a non-profit organization to help spread the control around.
What do these non-profit organizations do? As I mentioned before, they do everything from animal rescue to wilderness preservation. They provide avenues for societal problem solving, they help us defend values we consider worth defending. They advocate coming together to solve problems that are too great for an individual to solve alone.
Are there any close to me? Why, yes, yes there are. Hundreds. Thousands. A quick Google search brings up hundreds and hundreds of pages. I’ve filtered my search and found a few that seemed interesting to me based on things that I care about.
Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that focuses on building houses for those who would not normally be able to afford it. The houses are built by volunteers and sometimes the new homeowners help build their own house. You can find out more about their Orlando chapter here https://www.habitat-orlando.org/
Planned Parenthood is an organization that provides medical care to women who can’t afford it. They get a bad rap because they provide some services that not everyone agrees with, but it’s only a small part of what they do. You can find out more about their Orlando branches here http://ppgo.org/
Affordable Housing Solutions for Florida provides housing for low-income families in the Southeastern United States, but will go wherever they can to help. They help build full communities. You can find out more about them here http://www.ahsf.org/
Phoenix House aids in the treatment and rehabilitation of drug and alcohol addiction. They have centers all over the United States. Addictions affect so many families across the world. You can find out more about Phoenix House here http://www.phoenixhouse.org/
Alzheimer’s and dementia are diseases that affect many families across the world. These diseases have no current cure, and we don’t even know exactly why they happen. I’m on track for watching some of my loved ones suffer from these diseases. The Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center is committed to helping those who have family members suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia learn more about how to care for their sickened loved ones. They are also committed to researching for a cure. You can learn more about them here http://www.adrccares.org/
When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut. I’m willing to bet that a few of you did, too. Even if it’s a dream I outgrew, there are those that did not. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation is committed to helping those who wish to see the stars. I haven’t done the research, but I’d guess that it’s an expensive endeavor. http://astronautscholarship.org/about/
Artists bloom wherever they can. By high school, many of them are beginning to consider careers related to their passions. Art schools are not inexpensive, and amateur artists generally make very little money. The Lake Mary-Heathrow Festival of the Arts uses funds it raises through shows to provide scholarships to high school students beginning their college careers in the arts. http://www.lakemaryheathrowarts.com/?page_id=32
WriteGirl is a writing community that empowers young female writers. They provide scholarships and tutoring and encouragement. http://www.writegirl.org/about/
The Second Harvest Food Bank provides food to families in need. They’re very active in their community, and regularly rely on the actions of their community to continue helping low income families eat. http://www.foodbankcentralflorida.org/site/PageServer#.U_d1u_BX-uY
Project Sunshine brings… well… sunshine to families of children with medical ailments. They provide educational, social, and recreational programs to those who cannot go to those programs. http://www.projectsunshine.org/
Adventure awaits!
amywritesforchange 