Days 12 and 13

The holiday blogging project continues!

Day 12: The YMCA

Ok, so the Y is another non-sexy nonprofit, but I have a lot of reasons for really loving their work. One, they offer access to fitness facilities, child-care services, and health education at a rate that's affordable to anyone. Also, the values they support and implement have a wonderful effect on the communities around them, as they promote a "paying it forward" type of lifestyle.

Their mission: From their website, "The YMCA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all." The Y has three major focuses: youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. They offer classes and sports programs for children, after-school and summer meal programs, and lots of health education projects. I consider the Y to be a great asset to any community they are a part of (which are many: there are over 2,600 YMCA facilities serving 10,000 communities).

What you can do: Well, you can join, for one thing. Just becoming a part of this community strengthens it, and it plugs you into the network. From there, you can have easy access to a lot of opportunities for charitable work and giving. You can also donate, volunteer, or become an advocate for the Y and the projects they do in your area.

Day 13: Beth-El

My first love is the Good Samaritan Mission, because I have found a home there in the friendships I made and the work I did there. However, if you are totally motivated by ministries that are focused on helping migrant farm-workers and their families, here's another great mission that also does a lot of great work.

Their mission: From their homepage,  "Beth-El Mission helps farm workers achieve self-sufficiency through its open opportunities to worship, its extensive educational programs, and the many services it provides to meet basic needs." While Good Samaritan offers more job-training and social services, Beth-El offers more school-related education. They host a bilingual charter school and an RCMA childcare program. They also offer adult education, health screenings, and legal services. They have campuses in the Florida towns of Wimauma, Immokalee, and Arcadia.


What you can do:  Their website has contact information for you to inquire about their immediate needs. You can donate financially or materially, and there are many volunteer opportunities.