Random Act of Kindness Day... Local Charities We Love
Tomorrow is Random Act of Kindness Day, there are many small acts of kindness that you can perform, such as buying a coffee for the person standing in line behind you, paying off an expired meter, etc. A great way to perform acts of kindness either tomorrow or any other day is by volunteering or donating to a local nonprofit. Here are a few charities based in Charleston that are meaningful to us.
Going Places: Most of us have fond memories of bike riding with friends as kids (except me, I was using training wheels until an embarrassing age). Unfortunately, for many kids, this is a joy they will never be able to experience. Katie Blomquist was a teacher at a Title 1 Elementary School, here in Charleston when she learned that the majority of the kids in her school would never own a bike. Unwilling to accept this, because all children deserve this simple pleasure, Katie set up a GoFundMe that would eventually raise $80,000, which provided bikes, helmets and locks for all 650 students at her school. The campaign was not only a success, but garnered national media attention. Despite her major accomplishment, Katie realized there was more work to be done and many more children to help and made the difficult decision to leave her teaching career to work full time founding and expanding Going Places, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing to disadvantaged kids and those who care for them, the most basic childhood right; a right to joy. Going Places has since partnered with Affordabike, to customize the bikes they provide to kids. The organization’s next goal is to raise the funds for 300 bikes, helmets and locks for Mt. Zion Elementary School. They will eventually expand to every Title 1 school in the district, then the state and eventually take the campaign nationwide.
How you can help:
Visit https://www.goingplacesnonprofit.org to donate directly or set up a fundraiser.
Throughout the month of February, you can also visit Sorghum & Salt, the eatery will be donating proceeds from their signature dish Spicy Pork Ragu to Going Places for the entire month. Sorghum & Salt will also be hosting Nate Whiting of Juliet, for a collaboration dinner on February 26, with the proceeds again being donated to Going Places.
Charleston Animal Society: The Charleston Animal Society has a very simple mission, the prevention of cruelty to animals. They strive to provide animals with five freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress. The organization touches the lives of 20,000 animals every year and helps far beyond the Charleston area. During hurricane season in 2017, Charleston Animal Society evacuated hundreds of animals from shelters in Houston and various parts of Florida.
How you can help:
Foster or Adopt, if you have room in your home for a furry friend, Charleston Animal Society is overflowing with fur babies that need a home.
Donate, you can contribute monetary donations through their site or purchase items on their ‘wish list’ and deliver to the shelter, CAS also has an Amazon list you can make purchases through https://smile.amazon.com/ch/57-6021863
Volunteer, CAS needs volunteers to walk and socialize dogs, care for cats and kittens, help with adoption events and provide post-surgical care.
To learn more, visit: https://www.charlestonanimalsociety.org
Y2O: Y2O is a program that provides positive youth development through opportunities in watersports, environmental education and exploration of nature, especially for underserved and at-risk youth. The elements that they incorporate into every program are self-confidence, perseverance, respect, exploration, health, recreation and environmental stewardship. Y2O offers beach outing programs, where kids have the opportunity to take surf lessons, comb for shells, birdwatch and learn about the coastal ecosystems. Y2O also partners with Charleston Kayak Company for a Middleton Place kayak experience and with Charleston SUP Safari and Flipper Finders for a paddleboarding and kayaking experience on the Folly River.
How You can help:
Donate, monetary donations are accepted through their website, http://www.y2o.org
Volunteer, if you are a naturalist, kayaker, surfer or paddle boarder who loves kids, Y2O is currently seeking guides to help with their programs.
Team build with Y2O, encourage your workplace or other organization you are a part of to participate in a team-building experience with Y2O, each participant = 1 youth enjoying one of Y2O’s programs, team building experiences include SUP, kayaking, surf lessons and boat trips with the option to add a public service project.
ONE80Place: The mission of ONE80Place is to end and prevent homelessness one person at a time, one family at a time. ONE80Place has housing, shelter, clinic, legal, veterans, training, community kitchens and food rescue services. They work with public partners, private landlords, and other agencies to provide affordable housing and has provided over a thousand homes (as of 2016). They also offer a shelter that houses 160 individuals to help those that are in between housing. In their shelter, ONE80Place runs an on-site clinic to help those that would not normally be able to afford healthcare. For many that are homeless, simply coming up with the money for housing is not enough, which is why the organization also provides legal assistance. More than providing a place to live, ONE80Place gives people the means to keep their homes through a five-week culinary training program, trainees can then hone their skills in the ONE80Place Cafe or Community Kitchen. The Community Kitchen is one of the biggest aspects of their program and has served over 175,000 meals.The organization also works with many local businesses, grocery stores and restaurants to prevent food wasted and has so far rescued more than 220,000 pounds of food.
How you can help:
Donate, Monetary donations can be made directly through the website https://one80place.org, ONE80Place also accepts food and move-in kits.
Volunteer, ONE80Place always needs a helping hand serving food in their community kitchen or running food drives.
Other Volunteer Opportunities: There are so many worthwhile charities in Charleston and opportunities to donate either time, money or supplies. For more options check out: https://www.volunteermatch.org a website that matches your interests with volunteer opportunities.
