Hello everyone! It's that time again, charity time that is. For September's charity we've chosen The Women's Center right here in Raleigh. The Women's Center works with women to break the cycle of trauma, abuse, violence, and homelessness and assist them with housing and other life necessities. Below is just a snippet of what this terrific organization does every day.

"The Women’s Center provides safe day shelter, as well as critical, life-saving services, such as:

• Safety and stabilization services
• Medical and behavioral healthcare
• Clinical/Case management and counseling
• Job and housing support
• 2 meals per day
• Clothing, hygiene items and basic needs
• Mail services
• Transportation assistance
  
• ​Instructional and enrichment workshops

In addition to the services above, staff and volunteers at The Women's Center provide a warm, safe environment in which women have the opportunity to get back on their feet and find hope for a new life."

There are so many ways to support The Women's Center beyond donations and volunteering. You can host a lunch, sort donations, host a workshop or activity, or work in the community garden. September 26th there is a 3-mile cycle ride to raise funds, if that is something you might be interested in.

Head over to their website, The Women's Center, and learn more about this wonderful organization and all the many ways you can help.

Happy August everyone, hope you enjoyed this past week's reprieve from the brutal heat.  It's time again for our charity of the month.

This month's charity is Stop Soldier Suicide in Durham, NC.  Here's a little about the organization.

The military suicide rate is 50% higher than the national average.

"After losing friends and fellow service members to suicide, Army veterans, Brian Kinsella, Nick Black, and Craig Gridelli were determined to create a solution for their fellow veterans who were struggling. For them, military suicide isn’t just a problem. It’s personal. It was clear that something had to be done - proactively - to get their brothers and sisters in arms the help they needed and reduce the number of service members and veterans lost to suicide.
Through their experiences, they realized that the key to preventing suicide is to identify, understand, and address the underlying issues — things like financial strain, post-traumatic stress and other mental health issues, and difficulties navigating the transition from military to civilian — BEFORE they escalate to a point of crisis.

The problem is clear: The systems in place aren’t working. Getting help isn’t as easy as it should be — and trying to navigate a complicated maze of organizations and resources can be overwhelming when you’re in crisis.

Stop Soldier Suicide was built to change that.

At Stop Soldier Suicide, we believe that no one who has served our country should ever feel alone.We serve all service members, veterans, and military families from every branch and every generation, regardless of discharge status.

As a veteran-founded-and-led organization, we know firsthand that when a loved one serves, the entire family does too. Stop Soldier Suicide is proud to serve every member of the military and veteran communities.
Whether you or your loved one are currently serving (active duty, reserves, or guard) or have transitioned out of the military, the Stop Soldier Suicide team stands ready to help you navigate your unique challenges."

Please head over to their webpage stopsoldiersuicide.org and discover the many ways you can help this very important organization.  Thanks!

Hello everyone, hope you all had a great holiday weekend! We were slackers on the June charity and were a tad bit late posting so we've decided to extend that charity through July.

https://tranzmission.org/

"Tranzmission was founded in Asheville, NC on April 2nd, 2001. We quickly discovered that amazing things can happen when people come together! Our membership includes nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender fluid folks as well as trans women, trans men, and our family, friends, and allies. Over the years our membership continues to change and evolve, and we continue to celebrate and nourish the incredible diversity within our community."

Go to their website and check them out, they have workshops and education as well as their name change project, they provide covid assistance and hold meetings and support groups. They are a resource for nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender fluid folks, trans women, trans men as well as family, friends, and allies. ​

Happy Pride Month Everyone!!
This month's charity is Tranzmissions in Asheville, Nc. I'm so excited for an opportunity to support this organization!

https://tranzmission.org/

"Tranzmission was founded in Asheville, NC on April 2nd, 2001. We quickly discovered that amazing things can happen when people come together! Our membership includes nonbinary, genderqueer and gender fluid folks as well as trans women, trans men and our family, friends, and allies. Over the years our membership continues to change and evolve, and we continue to celebrate and nourish the incredible diversity within our community."

Go to the website and check them out, they have workshops and education as well as their name change project, they provide covid assistance and hold meetings and support groups. They are a resource for nonbinary, genderqueer and gender fluid folks, trans women, trans men as well as family, friends, and allies. ​

Geez, it’s hard to believe that we are now into the fifth month of the year.  Time flies when you are doing good stuff.  Thanks to all who journeyed over to the Beyond Fences website last month and donated, volunteered, or just sent some good vibes to that awesome organization.

May’s charity of the month is our neighbor just around the corner, SAFEchild.  Child abuse and neglect, sadly, is a common problem.  1 in 7 children have experienced abuse and/or neglect in some form in the past year and that is likely an underestimate.  That’s why it is so important to support an organization like SAFEchild who’s mission is to eliminate child abuse in Wake County.  Here’s a bit about them.

SAFEchild – which stands for Stop Abuse For Every child – supports families having a wide range of needs. Expertly trained professionals and volunteers build strong families in which parents nurture thriving children.
SAFEchild annually protects 13,000 children, empowers 1,650 parents through education and support programs, and guides 12,000 Wake County first graders through the school-based Funny Tummy Feelings program.

OUR BELIEFS 

• Every child has the right to grow up in an environment free from abuse and neglect.
• Child maltreatment should never be condoned or tolerated.
• The family is the fundamental resource for the nurturing of children, and children have a right to their families.
• Families are diverse and have a right to be respected.
• Families can grow and change. With support, information and community resources, most parents are capable of creating safe, nurturing environments for their children.
• All families experience periods of stress and crisis, and not all families are consistently able to produce a non-abusive, non-neglectful home environment.
• Seeking support and information, encouragement and community resources is a sign of family/individual strength.​

OUR GOALS 

• Prevent child abuse from ever occurring.
• Empower parents and caregivers to move toward healthy family relationships by breaking negative parenting patterns.
• Provide specialized intervention and treatment that promotes recovery, healing and promising outcomes for children, families and the community.
• Educate and raise awareness about the issue of child abuse in Wake County.

Please head on over to their website at safechildnc.org to read more.  Donate if you can, sign up to be a volunteer or visit their wishlist and see if you have any items that can be donated.  Thanks so much and have a great month of May!

Thanks so much for visiting last month’s charity, the National Inclusion Project, and helping out if you were able.  We know it’s greatly appreciated.

If you are the happy owner of a furry, four-legged friend you know that as soon as the weather warms they are ready to get out and run about in complete oblivion of the pollen pollution plaguing us right now.  That’s why it’s so important that these sweet creatures have a place to run and play.  Therefore this month’s charity of the month is Beyond Fences.
​
Here’s a bit about Beyond Fences.  “Many under-served neighborhoods lack access to basic pet care resources. Beyond Fences works to fill that gap. We honor people’s love for their pets and proactively reach out to the community to build trusting relationships with families and make connections to keep people and pets happy, healthy and together. We believe that a lack of financial means does not equate to a lack of love for a pet, and we seek to spread this principle through a philosophy of understanding and non-judgment.”  Their Fence Program provides free fences and doghouses to dogs living on chains.  But beyond that program, they also have a spray and neuter program, and outreach and wellness program, and a shelter intervention program.  Please head over to their website, beyondfences.org, and read about everything they do for all the furry four-legged in our community and while there please make a donation or consider becoming a volunteer.  They are a wonderful organization.  Thanks!

We thank you so much for taking the time last month to visit the Southern Coalition for Social Justice website to learn more about their wonderful organization.  Hopefully, you were also able to give a bit of time or money.

Time flies when you're doing good stuff and we are already here at our March Charity of the Month.  If you know someone who is intellectually or developmentally disabled you know that they are some of this earth's most beautiful humans.  Their love knows no bounds.  That's why this month's pick is the National Inclusion Project.  Here's a bit about them.

"We work to make the inclusion of children with disabilities the EXPECTATION, not the exception.  All too often, children with disabilities and their families find their recreational and social options extremely limited or segregated to special programming. The National Inclusion Project works to bridge this gap by providing recreational programs and community organizations the tools and training they need so that children of ALL abilities have the chance to play, laugh, and learn TOGETHER.

WHAT WE BELIEVE
The National Inclusion Project operates on three core beliefs:EVERY child can participate,
EVERY child can make a friend and
EVERY child can succeed.

WHAT WE DO
With those beliefs in mind, we've made it our mission to make the inclusion of children with disabilities the EXPECTATION, not the exception.

HOW WE DO IT
​We work with community organizations and recreational
programs, providing them with the training, tools, and support
they need so that children with disabilities can be included in ALL
of their activities and programs."

The story of how this organization was born is very sweet, please head over to their website to read all about it, www.inclusionproject.org.  There are so many ways you can help this awesome organization - become a volunteer, be a GEM, send a kid to camp, or just give a one-time donation.  Every child should have the opportunity to be included.

​Hi everyone, I’m Izzy. Although part of the Phoenix crew, I don’t really have a title. I guess you could say I’m just a magical fairy who does stuff behind the scenes. This information is utterly insignificant other than I wanted to let you know who the author was behind this post.

Everyone who knows Lacie knows that she has an enormous heart and she loves to splash rays of sunshine on local charity organizations. Sadly, the pandemic put a damper on such events last year, and this year’s gathering and giving may be thrown out the window too. So we’ve come up with something a bit different. Each month we’ll spotlight a local organization that reaches out and shines much-needed love on our community. We hope that, should one or more of these organizations tug at your heartstrings, you’ll hop on over to their website and give money, time, or supplies. We are all suffering from pandemic exhaustion but many of these organizations are really hurting so whatever you can muster up would be a great help.

Many of us know why it’s so important to support our family and loved ones who suffer from mental illness. 2020 has been especially difficult. So for January, we chose to spotlight the National Alliance of Mental Illness of Wake County.

Here’s just a snippet about NAMI.
Mental illness is plagued by a stigma that prevents people from accessing the treatment and support to lead a life of recovery. We are committed to diminishing the stigma and improving access to resources so that all those affected by mental illness feel welcome in the community. NAMI Wake County provides support, education, and advocacy to individuals, families, and caregivers, living with mental health challenges, to lead better lives.

Please head over to the NAMI of Wake website, nami-wake.org, and read more about this wonderful organization. While there, please considering donating, or check out the many other ways you can give. To celebrate the first charity of the year, Phoenix is donating $100 and we hope you’ll find it in your hearts to give too. Thanks so much for participating. You guys are awesome! #givingfeelsgood