Rotary Club of ChicagoRotary/One is the founding Club of the world’s premier international business and service organization. Rotary/One members are business and professional leaders who volunteer their expertise, compassion and power to improve communities at home in Chicagoas well as in communities around the world. Rotary/One was founded in 1905 in Chicago by four businessmen for professional synergy and friendship. They soonbegan to pull their collective talents together and started solving local community problems. Within 10 years, Rotary was on the east and west coasts and in Canada. Today there are over 34,000 clubs and 1.2 million members around the world.
Fulbright Association, Chicago ChapterThe Chicago chapter of the Fulbright Association engages current and former Fulbright exchange participants in lifelong experiences that advance international understanding through volunteer service to communities, people-to-people diplomacy, and dialogue on global issues throughout the Chicagoland area. Fulbright Association members form the active constituency for Fulbright exchanges to ensure that they continue to benefit future generations. Established in 1983, the Fulbright Association’s Chicago chapter is a private, nonprofit organization whose members are Fulbright Program alumni and friends of international education. The Association supports and promotes international educational and cultural exchange and the ideal most associated with the Fulbright name -- mutual understanding among the peoples of the world.
Friends of the ParksFriends of the Parks is a 38 year old advocacy non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving, protecting, improving and promoting the use of Chicago’s parks and Cook County’s forest preserves. Our programs include Neighborhood Parks, Volunteers in Parks, Environmental Education of Chicago Public School children, as well as Advocacy. Our Volunteer program includes the Earth Day Parks & Preserves Clean Up each year, as well as Community Service Days for business and other organizations. We facilitate volunteer activities in Chicago Park District parks, with the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, and at the Dunning-Read Conservation Area on Chicago’s Northwest side, where we manage the restoration of a native prairie, woodlands and wetlands project.
Chicago Fair TradeChicago Fair Trade is a metro wide coalition promoting global economic and environmental justice through consumer education and growth of fair trade businesses. Founded by Oxfam America in 2006, it has grown to seventy member organizations that include businesses, faith and non-profit organizations, universities, schools and individuals who are all committed to sustainable development practices embodied by fair trade principles. Chicago Fair Trade is part of the international Fair Trade Towns movement, completing requirements for Fair Trade Town status in May 2011, making Chicago the largest Fair Trade Town in the U.S.
Chicago Honey Co-opChicago Honey Co-op is a community based agriculture cooperative focusing on beekeeping training, sustainable urban agriculture, healthy food and awareness of the natural environment. After losing our longtime apiary in North Lawndale on Chicago's West side, we found three new homes. Thanks to offers from community members and 2 local businesses we now are located in three different Chicago neighborhoods. As a partner in the preSERVE garden, we maintain our connection to North Lawndale helping to transform neglected vacant land into productive community space where neighbors can learn to grow their own food Our work is supported almost entirely by sales of our products online and at farmers markets and by teaching beekeeping classes several times a year. To find out more about the co-op please visit our website www.chicagohoneycoop.com
archi-treasuresarchi-treasures has fourteen years of experience partnering artists, architects, and designers with community groups, such as public housing residents, school students, and community gardeners. By bringing people together to develop projects in spaces that they share, such as parks and open space, community rooms and lobby areas of buildings, archi-treasures creates projects that enhance the space, increase social bonds between community members, improve property stewardship, and ultimately, contribute to the health and safety of the community. archi-treasures’ participatory design and build process puts communities in the position of making decisions about their neighborhood, then supplements their skills and resources so that they can turn their ideas into reality. Communities experience change through their own hands, joined with those of their neighbors. archi-treasures uses participatory design to engage and strengthen urban communities.
El Fuego del SoLEl Fuego del Sol (FdS) is an international developmental initiative based in the Dominican Republic (DR) that works for social and ecological improvement in the DR and Haiti. The primary focus of FdS is facilitating the introduction and adoption of ecological cooking methods. This is accomplished through two primary programs: the Sun Oven Introduction and Adoption Program and the Recycled Materials Briquette Program. Over 95% of Haiti's original lush forests have been destroyed. Still, the primary cooking fuel in Haiti is charcoal. Current cooking techniques destroy the cooks' lungs and lead to horrendous infant / maternal mortality as well as stillbirth. Now, most of the charcoal in use in Haiti is illegally smuggled in from the Dominican Republic. This multi-country problem requires a multiple-country set of solutions. El Fuego del Sol delivers two complementary solutions that are scalable and working now to save lives and trees in Haiti. FdS partners with the UN World Food Program, the International Organization for Migration, and the Legacy Foundation to provide fuel briquettes, made from recycled materials, to cook hot lunches for Haitian School-kids. FdS also partners with Grupo Jaragua and Solar Household Energy to introduce Sun Ovens -- ovens that cook with only the sun -- on both sides of the DR/Haiti border. These two solutions are cross-compatible, scalable, long-term financially sustainable and designed to create hundreds of jobs. FdS is now seeking volunteers, ecotourism travelers, and tax-deductible donations to help us scale-up the programs.
Salvation Army's Chicago-based STOP-IT ProgramThe Salvation Army's Chicago-based STOP-IT Program, within its Family and Community Services Department, was established in 2006 to work with all victims of human trafficking – adults and minors, males and females, sex and labor trafficking, as well as domestic and foreign national victims. STOP-ITs mission is to assist people exiting or escaping their exploitive situations and to help them stay out. The four program areas of STOP-IT include: outreach to victims of trafficking; providing support and planning for safe exit from trafficking; training to community providers; and raising public awareness about the indicators of human trafficking. Since the program's inception, trained outreach workers have successfully supported the safe exit of dozens of trafficking victims from their life-threatening circumstances. STOP-IT is accredited by the Council of Accreditation, a national accrediting body for family and children's services. For more information about STOP-IT visit, www.sa-stop.org or www.facebook.org/SAStopIt.
Career and Technical Education (CTE)Career and Technical Education (CTE) gives high school students, like you, the chance to get a head start on preparing for college and careers. In CTE programs you will learn how core school subjects like math, science and writing are used in real-life. As a CTE student you have the opportunity to participate in hands-on training in your chosen program and gain real world experience through job shadows and internships. Many programs offer you the opportunity to earn nationally recognized certifications which you can use to get a job to pay for college or as the start of your career!
Arts & Business Council of ChicagoThe Arts & Business Council of Chicago (A&BC) links the strengths of the cultural and business sectors to promote community growth and vitality through the arts. By enlisting business volunteers to provide essential assessment, training, consulting and board service, A&BC enhances management capacity of arts organizations while promoting a highly engaged form of business participation in the arts. Each year, A&BC brings more than 300 arts organizations together with dedicated business professionals, ensuring the long-term vitality of metropolitan Chicago and preserving its reputation as a great place to work and live. A&BC was founded in 1985 and is a division of Americans for the Arts, the largest support organization for the arts in the U.S.
The John David Mooney Foundation The John David Mooney Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 public educational organization that seeks to transform the public domain through art, architecture, and urban planning in a way that fosters and demonstrates the unique societal responsibility of the artist. The Foundation fulfills its mission in three ways: by creating accessible art experiences within the public domain, by providing interdisciplinary, professional studio experience and leadership training in the arts, and by bringing the very best international art and architecture to Chicago. The Foundation's world renowned Apprentice and Internship Program and its vast array of free public exhibitions, symposia, lectures, and community programs demonstrate the Foundation's commitment to service through the Arts.
Special Olympics IllinoisSpecial Olympics Illinois is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that raises funds through private means, such as donations and grants. Special Olympics Illinois is accredited by Special Olympics, Inc. which operates in all 50 states and in more than 180 countries.
Illinois supports nearly 21,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and more than 6,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities annually from communities throughout the state.
The focus in Special Olympics is on what athletes can do. Like everyone, Special Olympics athletes like to win, but more importantly - they strive to do their best. The sportsmanship that is demonstrated on the court, in the field, or on the track serves as an inspiration to all.
Best Buddies IllinoisBest Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
People with intellectual disabilities are often excluded from society because of their disability. Best Buddies seeks to change society's perception of people with intellectual disabilities by establishing meaningful friendships which, in turn, help people with intellectual disabilities navigate through life with more confidence and ease.
By 2010, Best Buddies continues to build on its successful volunteer base in all 50 States, further expanding its accredited international programs to 50 countries and annually engaging more than 500,000 people worldwide.
DiveheartThe Diveheart Foundation was founded in Early 2001 and is a non-profit tax exempt 501 (C) (3) national organization chartered in the state of Illinois. The purpose of Diveheart is to provide and support educational SCUBA diving and snorkeling experience programs that are open to any child, adult, or veteran with a disability with the hope of providing both physical and psychological therapeutic value to that person.
It is the "CAN DO" spirit that Diveheart hopes to instill in all its participants by giving them the confidence and independence that allows them to face their own life challenges and overcome barriers that before might have seemed insurmountable.
Through SCUBA diving, the Diveheart Foundation supports and facilitates programs that teach children and adults with disabilities to fly. Thanks to the wonder of the water column, the oceans and lakes of the world become the forgiving weightless environment of outer space, giving perfect buoyancy to a child or adult who would otherwise struggle on land.
Great Lakes Adaptive Sports AssociationGreat Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA) is a non profit organization that provides sports and recreation opportunities to youth, adults and injured service members who have a physical or visual disability. GLASA provides a rich array of year-round sports, recreation, educational clinics and social activities for those in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, including Chicago. Programs are carefully adapted to permit those with all types of physical disabilities and visual impairments to participate and excel in over 32 different sports – ensuring they find an activity they personally enjoy and can achieve success in.
GLASA hosts weekly practices in various sports such as swimming, track & field, wheelchair basketball, goalball, sled hockey and more. They also host several special events, camps and clinics throughout the year including cycling events, water and snow ski events, Camp Trek – a week long adaptive sports camp for youth, kayaking events, Paralympic Experiences and Great Lakes Regional Games. GLASA utilizes over 800 volunteers to serve over 400 athletes annually.
GLASA's goal is to give each and every person with a physical or visual disability the opportunity to be physically fit, active, independent and healthy. They accomplish this through ongoing programs, special events, lending adaptive equipment and providing the highest level of coaches, staff and volunteers to work and train these athletes. GLASA is breaking down barriers so that these individuals have the opportunity to access sports and recreation opportunities and so they can live active and healthy lifestyles.
The Rotary FoundationThe mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share Rotary's vision of a better world.
In 1985, Rotary International created their flagship program, PolioPlus - a program to immunize all the world's children against polio. When Rotary began their fight against polio, there were over 350,000 cases of polio annually in 122 countries. To date, Rotary has contributed more than $900 million and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than two billion children and has reduced the number of polio cases by 99 percent.
Recognizing Rotary's resolve to eradicate polio and its extensive volunteer network, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Rotary a $350 million grant. In return, the Rotary Foundation and Rotary members are committed to raising $200 million by June 30, 2012. With more than one year left in this fundraising challenge, Rotary members have raised over $150 million towards this goal. Together, Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide over half a billion dollars toward creating a polio-free world.
Chicago HOPESChicago HOPES provides after-school tutoring and enrichment programs to students living in 23 homeless shelters across Chicago. An initiative of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Students in Temporary Living Situations Program (STLS), Chicago HOPES empowers homeless students to succeed academically.
Supported by committed volunteer tutors, we collaborate with shelters and community organizations to offer one-on-one tutoring sessions and cultural enrichment activities for school-aged homeless children. In addition to academic empowerment, Chicago HOPES strives to be a consistent, positive presence in these children’s chaotic lives.
Since its inception in 2006, Chicago HOPES has expanded from its original 2 shelters to 23 current sites, serving around 350 students last semester. Ultimately, the goal of Chicago HOPES is to continue expanding until it has established a program at every Chicago homeless shelter for families, women and children, and unaccompanied youth. Our work is funded primarily through grants, fundraising events, and individual contributions, as well as in-kind donations.
Open BooksOpen Books is a nonprofit social venture that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond. We transform lives through reading, writing, and the SHARED power of used books.
Open Books runs a variety of reading, writing, publishing, and mentoring programs designed to build the literacy skills and unlock the voices of thousands of low-income students, both at our literacy center and at schools around Chicagoland. Open Books is also the site of a fantastic non-profit bookstore, boasting over 50,000 books for sale to help support our literacy programs. Whether you volunteer your time to support budding readers and writers, shop at our bookstore or online bookshop, donate books or organize a book drive, support us in fundraisng, or even simply spread the word, there are endless ways to become involved in the cause.
School-in-a-BoxThe School-in-a-Box has become part of the UNICEF standard response in emergencies, used in many back-to-school operations around the world. The kit contains supplies and materials for a teacher and up to 40 students. The purpose of the kit is to ensure the continuation of children's education by the first 72 hours of an emergency.
In addition to the basic school supplies, such as exercise books, pencils, erasers and scissors, the kit also includes a wooden teaching clock, wooden cubes for counting, a wind-op/solar radio and a set of three laminated posters (alphabet, multiplication and number tables). The kit is supplied in a locked aluminium box, the lid of which can double as a blackboard when coated with the special paint included in the kit. Using a locally developed teaching guide and curriculum, teachers can establish makeshift classrooms almost anywhere.
The contents of the kit are culturally neutral, can be used anywhere in the world, and are often supplemented by locally purchased products, such as books in local languages, toys, games and musical instruments. Exercise books are printed without margins, so that children who write from left to right or from right to left can use them. Another version of the kit, without the lockable metal box, the School-in-a-Carton, is also available, as is a replenishment kit.
TeachUNICEFTeachUNICEF helps teachers engage students as active global citizens in learning about UNICEF—the United Nations Children's Fund—and its efforts on behalf of children worldwide.
TeachUNICEF is a resource for U.S. educators. TeachUNICEF education materials have been designed to help educators bring a global understanding of the needs of children and families around the world into the classroom.
Based on UNICEF's annual flagship publication, The State of the World's Children report (SOWC), the U.S. Fund for UNICEF has developed and released these free resources for educators to use with students in grades 3-12. The lesson plans and resources in these units are designed to be used sequentially or separately. Topics include addressing global affairs issues such as the Millennium Development Goals, real life stories from youth, the causes of childhood exclusion, and water and sanitation.
UNICEF Tap ProjectIn 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project was born in New York City based on a simple concept: restaurants would ask their patrons to donate $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free, and all funds raised would support UNICEF’s efforts to bring clean and accessible water to millions of children around the world.
Since its inception in 2007, the UNICEF Tap Project has raised over $3 million in the U.S. and has helped provide clean water for millions of children globally. The first program of its kind, the UNICEF Tap Project has become a dynamic movement that affords everyone the opportunity to help provide the world’s children with safe, clean water.
Through numerous fundraising and volunteer activities, the UNICEF Tap Project celebrates the clean water we enjoy on a daily basis by encouraging celebrity, restaurant, volunteer, corporate, and government supporters to give this vital resource to children in developing countries. The concept is basic and compelling: “When You Take Water, Give Water.”