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Hot List: Charitable Opportunities

As the holiday season approaches, you can show your appreciation by giving back to some of the numerous charitable organizations around the Bay area community. Grab some friends and spend some time volunteering for one of these worthy causes—you won’t regret it!

by Abby Cowart

1. Big Brother/Big Sister

What they do: The YMCA’s Big Brother/Big Sister program pairs mentors with children who may be at risk. In the past five years, they have served over 2,724 children locally through their school-based program. During the 2010-11 school year they served over 400 children, and are currently partnering with 10 local companies to provide mentors in schools throughout south Alabama. By the start of the 2011-12 school year they hope to add an additional seven local corporations to the current ten, increasing their ability to serve more children and broaden their impact.

How you can help: Mentors are always needed. The corporate sponsorship program has been a great way for companies to get involved as well. By donating just a little of your time, you will have a huge impact on a young person’s life.

Contact:
101 N. Water Street
Mobile, AL 36602
Aimee Risser, Executive Director, arisser@ysal.org
http://www.ysal.org/YMCA-Big-Brothers-Big-Sisters.html

2. Penelope House

What they do: The Penelope House is a non-profit organization that offers assistance to victims of domestic violence. The mission of the House is to provide safety, protection and support to victims of violence and their children through the provision of shelter advocacy, counseling, support groups and community education.

How you can help: To support this mission, volunteers can assist the Penelope House in a number of ways. First, the house needs volunteers to help organize and sort through the inventory of clothes in Penelope’s Closet and interact positively with customers. Other ways to get involved include assisting with children’s programs by creating and implementing structured activities or serving as a presenter in the prevention education programs that take place in Mobile county public and private schools.

Contact:
Joan Williams, Volunteer Coordinator, 251-342-2809 Ext. 31
Penelopehouse.org

3. McKemie Place

What they do:  McKemie Place is the only overnight shelter that provides services for single, homeless women in Mobile, Baldwin and Washington Counties. With the help of dedicated volunteers, McKemie Place has been able to provide dinner and a place to stay each evening for those in need since its foundation in 2007. But with a 65-bed capacity, the amount of supplies needed to keep this cause running is expansive.

How you can help: One way you can give back is by preparing and serving dinner for those staying at the shelter. Simply plan the menu, prepare the meal and bring it to the shelter around 5:30 p.m. Even if your availability to donate time is slim, you can offer monetary donations to this cause directly through the McKemie Place website. Additionally, the shelter has a running wish list of items such as toilet paper, paper towels, soap and cleaning supplies that always need to be replenished. Other wish list items include pillows, blankets, bath towels and reading items like books, magazines or Bibles.

Contact:
(251) 432-1122
Mckemieplace.org
info@mckemieplace.org

4. Child Advocacy Center

What they do: The Child Advocacy Center offers a variety of professional services and care to sexually or physically abused children throughout the community in one centralized, convenient location. Within the center, a special team of therapists and other trained professionals collaborate to provide support groups and counseling for affected children and their non-offending family members. The center also aims to provide education and training opportunities in the community in order to increase public awareness about the issue of child abuse and encourage active involvement in seeking out its prevention.

How you can help: To assist in making the center’s services possible, financial donations are always needed and welcomed. They also have a running wish list of needed gift items, especially as the holiday season draws near. The center is accepting gifts for all ages such as toys, clothes, and jewelry, as well as art materials like paint, paper, crayons, glue. You can also send in donations for Christmas gifts

Contact:
1351 Springhill
Mobile,  AL  36604
251-432-1101
cacmobile.org

5. Wilmer Hall

What they do: Wilmer Hall is a residential facility that offers shelter to abused and neglected children or children who must live away from their parental home.  Through the facility’s residential program, young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 have been given the potential to succeed with the provision of a stable, safe environment in which to live and work. Wilmer Hall provides vocational and social skills training, spiritual guidance, counseling, and life-skills instruction.

How you can help: You can further assist in promoting the mission of the program at Wilmer Hall by making a donation on the facility’s website.   Or, the facility is continuously in need of various supplies and items from their wish list. Some of these items include: slightly used clothes, new books, movies, gift cards, and school supplies among others.

Contact:
Margaret Scarborough in the Development Department
251.342.4931 ext. 116
Wilmerhall.org

6. 15 Place

What they do: 15 Place is a unique shelter that provides a network of support and numerous services to the homeless during the daytime hours. The shelter offers a hot lunch every weekday and breakfast on weekends. Additionally, 15 Place offers showers, laundry facilities, transportation assistance, computer and telephone access, clothing, hygiene items and mail privileges.

How you can help: 15 Place provides hygiene kits complete with shampoo, lotion, toothbrush, deodorant, comb a razor to each individual who comes to the shelter. Any donations of these items are encouraged so these kits can continue to be provided. Because the shelter serves an average of more than 200 lunches per day, common food items like rice, pasta and canned food are welcomed as well. To get involved hands-on, you can support 15 Place by attending the Art Soup event taking place on Friday, Nov. 18 at Christ Church Cathedral where music will be provided by the Bay Runners and a live and silent art auction will raise funds to benefit the shelter.

Contact:
15 Joachim Street
Mobile, AL 36602
251-432-7227
15place.org

7. Habitat for Humanity of Southwest Alabama

What they do: Habitat for Humanity aims to unite the community by bringing the security of home to families in need. With the help of volunteers, this non-profit organization builds affordable housing for those who may not be able to obtain or afford traditional home financing.

How you can help: Obviously, one of the main ways to give back to Habitat for Humanity is to help build houses! The organization needs skilled and unskilled labor for each phase of the home building process including framing, roofing, siding, painting, clean-up and landscaping. You can also join one of the organization’s committees, such as Family Support or Public Relations, or help out in the Habitat for Humanity office by answering phones and calling volunteers, filing, data entry and more.

Contact:
251-476-7171
habitatmobile.org

8. L'Arche

What they do: L'Arche is a local community that is a part of an international federation of communities that has been nationally recognized for its work with people with intellectual disabilities. The Mobile community of L’Arche began in 1974 and for years, has aimed to blur the distinction between “the helper” and “the helped.” To make this separation a reality, the organization has encouraged the establishment of genuine relationships between the team members, family members, volunteers and the community.

How you help: Giving back to this cause provides you with the opportunity to take part in an organization that recognizes the need for mutual respect and celebrates the unique value of every person. L’Arche appreciates donations of any kind, whether through the giving of time, goods or money. Or, if you are interested in visiting the community, contact the Home Life Leader for more information.

Contact:
151 South Ann Street
Mobile, AL 36604
(251) 438-2094
Larchemobile.org

9. Prodisee Pantry

What they do: Prodisee Pantry is a faith-based community food pantry located in Spanish Fort that offers assistance to Baldwin County families in crisis by providing emergency food, disaster relief, referrals and partnerships.  Since 2003, the pantry has provided assistance to more than 35,000 families facing hardships from unemployment, medical expenses, natural disasters and other crises.

How you can help: Prodisee Pantry has several upcoming events that could benefit from the help of volunteers. First, there will be a special work day on Saturday, Dec. 3 to pack food boxes for Christmas.  The pantry’s goal is to fill more than 1,000 boxes, so additional help would be appreciated! Secondly, throughout the month of December, volunteers are needed at various times and dates to wrap gifts at the Bass Pro Shop as part of the Wrapping for Hunger event. Contact the pantry for more information on how to participate in one of these special events.

Contact:
The Gathering Place in Prodisee Center
6530 Spanish Fort Blvd., Suite D
Spanish Fort, AL 36527
251-626-1720
www.prodiseepantry.org
volunteer@prodiseepantry.org

10. Miracle for Cayden

What they do: Cayden Ray Baggett has Optic Nerve Hypoplasia which is a condition where the Optic Nerve from the eye to the brain is very small.  This results in blindness or severe visual impairment.  Cayden sees some but very little.  There is no cure here in the U. S. for his condition. The treatment for Cayden includes one intravenous injection for the first two weeks and one lumbar injection each week for the next two weeks. 

How you can help: The treatments cost $29,000, which insurance does not pay.  When Cayden returns home he will need to sleep for one year at night in a Hyperbaric Chamber which will cost between $12,000 and $15,000. In all the trip, treatment and hyperbaric chamber will costs us approximately $53,000 to $60,000.
Donations can be made at Regions Bank under “benefit account for Cayden Ray Baggett” Any Regions Bank can accept deposits in his account.

11. Meals on Wheels

What they do: The Meals on Wheels program out of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church prepares and delivers lunch to elderly residents in Mobile. These daily deliveries provide an easy lunch for senior citizens and those in need.

How you can help: Food preparers, new drivers and substitute drivers are always needed. The organization also needs donations to help subsidize the meals.

Contact:
Meals on Wheels
Dauphin Way UMC
471-1511