NATIONAL CHARITIES

The Adopt-A-Native-Elder program supports the Traditional Navajo Elders on the reservation at Big

Mountain with the essentials for survival.  In the greatest food-producing nation on earth, several thousand Traditional Navajo Elders living on the Reservation face hunger and economic insecurity every day. The status of elderly Navajo is, to put it simply, very poor.

The Adopt-A-Native-Elder program supports traditional Elders through:

• the twice-a-year food runs that include clothing and firewood
• provision of wool yarn so the Elders can continue weaving their rugs 
• facilitation of the annual Rug Show as a market for their weavings  

Impact: Seven hundred Elders, ages 75-100, and 15,000 others living in poverty on the Reservation receive some form of aid through Adopt-A-Native-Elder.

The organization, NEADS World Class Service Dogs, changes lives through its highly trained dogs. The individuals who are matched with a service dog receive a precious gift:

• A gift of independence for people who are deaf or have physical disabilities, or are veterans with PTSD
• A gift of confidence and socialization for children who have autism or other developmental disabilities

The training of NEADS service dogs starts at 8 weeks of age when the puppies leave the Early Learning Center to join the Prison Pup Program to begin their training with an  inmate. The influence of the Prison Pup Program on the men and women in the program is tremendous.  Even the officers and inmates not participating in the program, report that the presence of NEADS dogs changes the atmosphere for everyone. 

There are weekend furloughs for the dogs to be with volunteer foster families who help out by socializing the puppies with car rides and visits to bus stations, movie theaters, restaurants, grocery stores - all the typical experiences of life. The Prison Pup Program operates in seven correctional facilities, six in Massachusetts and one in Rhode Island.  In FY 2019, NEADS matched 48 dogs with clients and provided training support for its 407 active clients.

Operation Second Chance (OSC) is a group of caring citizens, committed to serving our wounded and ill combat veterans. It operates in 40 states and the District of Columbia. The organization supports veterans while they recover in military hospitals by identifying their immediate needs and interests, as well as the needs of their families. 

OSC’s counseling program focuses on combat/military related trauma, substance abuse as a maladaptive coping mechanism, parenting/family/marital issues and complex childhood trauma.  OSC also provides outings from the hospital for wounded veterans to help improve their motivation and morale during their recovery.  Day trips or nights out might involve going to a ballgame or a group trip to a rented movie theater.

To help meet the needs of the veterans’ families, OSC offers the following supports:

1. Pays utility bills, mortgages and/or rent 
2. Dispenses grocery cards 
3. Secures medical equipment
4. Provides emergency flights and lodging. 

In 2019, Operation Second Chance helped 4,120 veterans, service members, and their families.

The Tahirih Justice Center protects courageous immigrant women and children fleeing all forms of violence including forced marriage, rape, female genital mutilation and human trafficking.

·  Immigrant women and children are up to 2X more likely to experience domestic violence as the general population.

·  70% of Tahirih’s clients are escaping violence that occurred on American soil.

Tahirih’s holistic, interdisciplinary model for service combines free legal services and social service case management. With a vision towards healing, attorneys are trained to work alongside medical professionals to serve these traumatized women.  

Tahirih operates through their offices in Atlanta, Baltimore, the Greater DC area, Houston and San Francisco.

IMPACT: In 2019 Tahirih helped 3,598 women.  Since its inception in 1997, Tahirih has worked with 29,000 women and children fleeing violence, providing free legal services to achieve the immigration status and vital social services needed to rebuild their lives.