Mona Magick :: Personal Help Links

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Below is a comprehensive selection of charities and organizations:

News Sources
One-Click FREE
Donation sites!
Environmental
Child Abuse
Literacy & Education
World Hunger
Poverty &
Homelessness
Disease Awareness
Drugs & Alcohol
Domestic Violence and Rape
Discrimination
Voting
World Peace
Political Action

Social Causes and How to Get Involved

If you live in this world, you are likely aware of all of the areas of human society that desperately need improvement. But you may not be aware of what you can do to help. This section offers many ideas.

What social causes are important to you?

Environmental Protection and Conservation
Animal Welfare and Protection of Endangered Species
Child Abuse and Neglect
Literacy and Education
World Hunger
Poverty and Homelessness
Disease and Disability Awareness
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Domestic Violence and Rape
Discrimination Issues
Voting
World Peace
General Political Action

If you want to help, but don't have a lot of time or money to contribute, look for the "One-click FREE donation site" indicators next to links in specific categories; or click here, for a links to a wide variety of sites offering FREE donations with no strings attached.

Environmental Protection and Conservation

Animal Welfare and Protection

Child Abuse and Neglect

In 1999, 800,000 children in America were victims of abuse and/or neglect. 70 percent of these were children of parents addicted to drugs or alcohol. Over 21 percent were physically abused. Over 11 percent were sexually abused. Over 1,000 died as a direct result of their abuse or neglect. Homicide was the number one cause of death for young people between ages 15-24.

Abused and neglected children are more likely to become criminals and drug addicts Ñ and more likely to abuse their own children Ñ than children that grow up in a healthy and supportive environment. This is a cycle that needs to be broken. The organizations listed below are good places to look if you want to get involved.

ChildHelpUSA
ChildAbuse.org
Prevent Child Abuse America
Ronald McDonald House
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
YesICan.org
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Also see the Domestic Violence section of this page, because these two topics are inextricably linked.

Literacy and Education

Illiteracy affects a huge number of people in this world, and more than you might think in the United States. According to the National Institute for Literacy, between 21 & 23% of adults in the United States are functionally illiterate. More than 60% of those are high-school dropouts. Click here to find out more of what the National Institute for Literacy has to say on the subject. Then click on one of the links below to see what you can do to help.

Box Tops for Education
Labels for Education
Reading Is Fundamental
ProLiteracy Worldwide
Literacy Center Ñ The Early Childhood Education Network
Build a School (One-click FREE donation site!)
Promote Education at FreeDonation.com (One-click FREE donation site!)

World Hunger

Over 20,000 people die every day worldwide from hunger and related causes. Despite being the most obese nation in the world, many of the hungry are right here in the U.S. There is much to be done, and the links below can give you an idea of where to start.

The Hunger Project
Freedom from Hunger
America's Second Harvest
Hunger-free America
Stop the Hunger (One-click FREE donation site!)
The Hunger Site (One-click FREE donation site!)
HungryChildren.com (One-click FREE donation site!)
Feed South Africa (One-click FREE donation site!)
End Hunger at FreeDonation.com (One-click FREE donation site!)

Poverty and Homelessness

Almost 3 million Americans find themselves homeless every year. 36.5 million live on means that fall below the poverty line. That is 13.7 percent of our population. 10 percent of those are senior citizens. 39 percent are children. Need I say more?

United Way
Toys for Tots
National Coalition for the Homeless
Help USA
National Alliance to End Homelessness
CARE International
NetAid
Oxfam International
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
End Homelessness Now (One-click FREE donation site!)
The Child Health Site (One-click FREE donation site!)
PovertyFighters.com (One-click FREE donation site!)
SolvePoverty.com (One-click FREE donation site!)
Build Me a Home, Brick by Brick (One-click FREE donation site!)
For the Children at FreeDonation.com (One-click FREE donation site!)
House the Homeless at FreeDonation.com (One-click FREE donation site!)

Disease and Disability Awareness

We have many diseases spreading in epidemics, many of which have no cure, and many of which can be prevented or avoided with proper education and awareness. The organizations listed below are all actively involved in finding cures or promoting community education and awareness for specific diseases.

Global AIDS Alliance
American Foundation for AIDS Research
Miracle House
Alzheimer's Association
March of Dimes: Saving Babies, Together
National Breast Cancer Coalition
National Breast Cancer Foundation
American Cancer Society
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
American Diabetes Association
Epilepsy Foundation of America
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
American Lyme Disease Foundation
National Mental Health Association
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Muscular Dystrophy Association
The Breast Cancer Site (One-click FREE donation site!)
End Breast Cancer (One-click FREE donation site!)
CancerCharities.com (One-click FREE donation site!)
Defeat Cancer at FreeDonation.com (One-click FREE donation site!)
The Stop HIV Site (One-click FREE donation site!)
Stop AIDS at FreeDonation.com (One-click FREE donation site!)

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

We have a serious problem in this country with irresponsible use of alcohol and drugs. Hundreds of people die every day from drug and alcohol consumption, or from the effects of that consumption. For every direct victim, there are countless others who suffer Ñ their friends and families.

Everyone I know has either had an addiction problem, known someone with a addiction problem, or lost someone as a direct result of the negligent behavior of someone with an addiction problem. And many people fall into more than one of these "categories," myself included Ñ I fit into all three.

The only way that I can see our society overcoming this problem is through education, proper parenting, and ditching the stigma of addiction, and the taboo that seems to prevent people from discussing it. Below are links to some organizations that are trying to help people to meet those ends.

Alcoholics Anonymous
DrugHelp.org
MADD
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.)
DrugAbuse.com
Partnership for a Drug-free America

Domestic Violence

Go to the newly expanded page now!

Discrimination Issues

Even though America is supposed to be the "Melting Pot" of the world, home to people of every race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, state of physical health, socio-economic class, etc., discrimination is still an epidemic problem in our society.

Much has been done to overturn the old discriminatory practices against minorities and women, but much remains to be done, and some of what has been done has actually gone too far, offering special rights instead of equal ones, turning some of those who were once the "discriminatees" into the "discriminators."

Solving the problem of discrimination is a complicated prospect, a balancing act of sorts, and needs to be done with the active involvement of the citizenry, as well as the lawmakers. The sites below can give you some ways to get involved!

American Civil Liberties Union
CivilRights.org
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Americans United for Separation of Church and State
The Secular Web
Tolerance.org

Voting

Since 1972, the number of citizens aged 18-24 who vote has dropped from 50 to 32 percent. The percentage of 25-44-year-olds who vote has dropped as well, from 71 to 49 percent. Now more than ever, the voices of America's young people need to be heard.

The following organizations have community outreach programs to encourage the citizenry to go to the polls, or offer information on voters' rights and/or registration.

National Voting Rights Institute
Youth Vote Coalition
Project Vote Smart
USA Votenet
Election.com
RegisterVote.com
Rock the Vote

World Peace

"Imagine there's no heaven, It's easy if you try, No hell below us, Above us only sky, Imagine all the people living for today...

Imagine there's no countries, It isn't hard to do, Nothing to kill or die for, No religion too, Imagine all the people living life in peace...

Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, No need for greed or hunger, A brotherhood of man, Imagine all the people Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope some day you'll join us, And the world will live as one." Ñ John Lennon, "Imagine"

After September 11th, 2001, I thought for sure that Americans everywhere would have learned that War is an atrocity that should never be committed, ever, anywhere, anytime Ñ that human life is too valuable, and that no one should ever have to endure the losses that it incurs Ñ and many Americans have realized this, but some have not. They instead grew bloodthirsty for revenge, and now seem content to be led like sheep by a shepherd who would seemingly like to plunge America into a war without end, which is to be waged against an ill-defined foe.

Now, more than ever, the voices of the people who would speak out against such senseless and counterproductive action need to be heard. Below are links to some organizations with ways that you can help.

Amnesty International USA
Antiwar.com
Not In Our Name
War Resisters League
Win Without War
Clear Landmines (One-click FREE donation site!)

General Political Action

These links will take you to organizations that can help you get involved in what I am calling "general political action." These are watchdog organizations that are keeping an eye out for any and all violations of human rights, animal rights, environmental safety, civil liberties, general human decency and good sense. If our government commits, passes legislation that would allow, or turns a blind eye to any incident of any of these travesties and breaches of social responsibility, these organizations will let you know what is happening and help you to get involved.

The Activist Handbook, presented by Protest.net
MoveOn.org
TrueMajority.org
Activism.net
Common Cause
Idealist.org: Action Without Borders
Open Democracy
WebActive.com (has a VERY extensive directory of activism organizations, as well as plenty of news about current events to inspire you to action.
PetitionOnline
The Petition Site

Be sure to also check out these recommended news sites, to get the REAL scoop on what's happening in the world.

Nausea Manifesto
AlterNet
BBC
Grist Magazine
NPR
Working for Change
TomPaine.com
Common Dreams News Center
The Progressive
Disinformation
Frontline (from PBS)

One-Click FREE donation sites

So you want to do some good in the world, but don't have much time or money to donate? Fortunately, the internet has made it possible for even the busiest and least wealthy of people to make a donation or three to the causes of their choice.

Each one of the sites below offers FREE donations, without requiring any personal information from you, no strings attached. They do this by getting corporate sponsors. The corporate sponsors place advertisements on these sites, and in return agree to contribute some amount for every time someone clicks the FREE donation button! It is easy. It is quick. It is convenient. Goddess Bless the internet!