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Choose to Make a Difference By Arthur I. BlausteinMother Jones
The traditions of community service and citizen participation have been at the heart of American civic culture since before the nation was founded. Historically, our greatest strength as a nation has been to be there for one another. Citizen participatio n has been the lifeblood of democracy.
As Thomas Paine put it, “The highest calling of every individual in a democratic society is that of citizen!” Accidents of nature and abstract notions of improvement do not make our communities better or healthier p laces in which to live and work. They get better because people like you decide that they want to make a difference.
Volunteering is not a conservative or liberal, Democratic or Republican issue; caring and compassion simply help to define us as being h uman.
It is within our power to move beyond a disaster and economic crisis like the one that has engulfed New Orleans and to create new opportunities. What it comes down to is assuming personal responsibility. If we decide to become involved in voluntar y efforts, we can restore idealism, realism, responsiveness, and vitality to our institutions and our communities.
At her memorial service, it was said of Eleanor Roosevelt, the most influential American woman of the twentieth century, that “she would r ather light a candle than curse the darkness.” What was true for her then is true for us now. The choice to make a difference is ours.
How to help those individuals and communities hurt by Hurricane Katrina through donations and volunteering
The followi ng organizations and groups that provide direct emergency assistance:
American Red Cross
(800) HELP NOW (English)
(800) 257-7575 (Spanish)
www.redcross.org
America’s Second Harvest
(800) 344-8070
www.secondharvest.org
American Friends Service Committee
(215)241-7000
www.afsc.org
B’nai B’rith International
(888) 388-4224
http://bnaibrith.org
Catholic Charities, USA
(703) 549-1390
www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
Christian Disaster Response
(941) 956-5183
www.cdresponse.org
Church World Service
(800) 297-1516
www.churchworldservice.org
Feed The Children
(800) 525-7575
www.feedthechildren.org
Lutheran Disaster Response
(800) 638-3522
(no web site)
Oxfam America
(800) 77-OXFAM or (617)482-1211
www.oxfamamerica.org
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
(800)8 72-3283
www.pcusa.org/pda
Salvation Army
(800 725-2769
www.salvationarmyusa.org
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief
(800) 462-8657
www.namb.net/site/c.9qKILUOzEpH/b.224451/k.F902/Hurricane_Katrina_Disaster_Relief_Update__Donations.htm
Union For Reform Jud aism
(212) 650-4140
http://urj.org/index.cfm?
Unitarian Universalist Service
Committee
(617)868-6600
www.uusc.org
United Jewish Communities
(877) 277-2477
www.ujc.org
United Methodist Committee On Relief
(800)554-8583
http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/
Volun teers of America
(800) 899-0089
www.voa.org
YMCA of the USA
(800) 872-9622
www.ymca.net
YWCA of the USA
(800) YWCA US1
www.ywca.org/site/pp.asp?c=djISI6PIKpG&b=284783
The following organizations and groups provide direct or indirect assistance and/o r advocate for policies and programs to assist victims or stricken communities. This is particularly important because of the failure of the federal government and this administration to provide leadership and competence before and during the disaster. Vo luntary efforts should not be a substitute for government action, and advocacy groups must take the initiative to assure that the government fulfills its responsibility to the American people.
ACORN
(877) 55ACORN
www.acorn.org
Campaign for America’s Fut ure
(202) 955-5665
www.ourfuture.org
Catholic Campaign for Human
Development
(202) 541-3000
www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/
Center for Health, Enviroment and
Justice
(703) 237-2249
www.chej.org
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
(202) 408-1080
www.cbpp.org
Children’s Defense Fund
(202) 628-8787
www.childrensdefense.org
City Year
(617) 927-2500
www.cityyear.org
Coalition on Human Needs
(202) 223-2532
www.chn.org
Common Cause
(800)926-1064
www.commoncause.org
Community Action Partnership
(202)265-7546
www.communityactionpartnership.com
Corporation for Supportive Housing
(212) 986-2966 ext. 500
www.csh.org
Field Mobilization Department of the
AFL-CIO
(202)637-5000
www.aflcio.org
Habitat for Humanity
(229) 924-6935
www.habitat.org
www.MoveOn.org
NA ACP
(877) NAACP-98
www.naacp.org
National Congress for Community Economic Development
(877) 44-NCCED or 202 289-9020
www.ncced.org
National Council of La Raza
(800)311-NCLR
www.ncced.org
National Neighborhood Coalition
(202) 408-8533
www.neighborhoodcoalition.org
National Urban League
(212) 558-5300
www.nul.org
National Mental Health Association
(800)969-6642
www.nmha.org
People for the American Way
(800) 326-7329
www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general
Project America
(804) 358-1605
www.project.org
Sierra Club
(415) 977-5500
www.sierraclub.org
In addition to contributing money, basic supplies and services; the healthiest response for individuals is to volunteer to do community service in your own home town.
For a more complete in-depth list see: Make A Diffe rence: America’s Guide to Volunteering and Community Service by Arthur I. Blaustein (Jossey Bass/Wiley)
Please contribute to the health and vitality of our communities by sharing this list with as many people as possible.
Reprinted with permission.
Art hur I. Blaustein is a professor at the UC Berkeley where he teaches urban policy and community development. He served as chairman of the President’s Council on Economic Opportunity under Jimmy Carter. His most recent books are Make a Difference and The Am erican Promise: Justice and Opportunity.
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