2020 Charities

Every year I pick a few charities that I think are worth another look. Please investigate and if so moved, please consider making a donation. I'm only selecting two this year. The need is great, there are many fabulous charities making a difference in the world. If these don't do it for you, please do your research and pick a charity to support this year. This is how we keep America great, but supporting and celebrating those who help make this world better for those who need a little help.

Bithiah's House
In their words: "Bithiah’s House is a short-term residential therapeutic program for infants and toddlers in the foster care system.  We specialize in medically-fragile cases and strive to offer a loving home-like environment for each child who comes through our doors.

Throughout our 6-bed facility, we offer specific care plans and therapeutic services for babies and toddlers ages 0-4. Bithiah’s House is an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the mission to provide safe, temporary housing and treatment for babies with the goal of transitioning to a family."

Why I chose: I learned about this Southern California foster program earlier this year under very sad circumstances.  They had fostered a child who came to them when he was 2 years old, malnourished and unable to walk.  He lived with them 7 months while they worked on his diet and on helping him to learn how to walk.  Sadly, he was eventually placed back with his parents and you don't need to know anymore than that, trust me. But I really love the approach of Bithiah's House and the care they have for the little ones amongst us.

RAICES (The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services)
In their own words: "LEGAL SERVICES: We provide affirmative, defensive, and litigation services to low-income immigrants. With more immigration lawyers than any organization in Texas, in 2018 RAICES managed 37,863 cases at no cost to our clients. Without pro-bono legal services most of our clients, including children of all ages, would have to go to court alone, with zero representation. We believe no child should go to court alone. Our legal services extend from low-cost residency and citizenship services to pro-bono representation for families and children in detention.

SOCIAL SERVICES: We empower the community by offering services to remove barriers of oppression, multiply agents of change, and increase clients’ quality of life.  We offer a wide range of services including case management, resettlement assistance, a national hotline to connect migrants with local community resources, and transit support for recently released migrants."

Why I chose: Forever, we have told the world of what a wonderful place America is. We have exported that dream through the entertainment and media we share with the world, the companies that have started here and gone out to sell their products (and set up local shops) around the globe, the aid our country has offered to other countries and the times we have acted to step in and stop conflicts and wars. We haven't always done everything right and there's plenty about America that could be better and there've been times where our meddling has made things worse, but all-in-all, we've sold that "American dream" to the world.  So much that people desperate for a better life overcome all kinds of odds to get themselves and their children to our doorstep. But we've changed the rules: You're no longer welcome here, America isn't what it seemed. We've become a land of small-minded, petty people who feel better when we see someone else suffer. Cruelty is the point. But it's not the America I know and love and idealize.  When we separate families, randomly move people around the country, incarcerate people for long periods of time, force people (or children!) to navigate the court system with no understanding of how it works (and maybe not even speaking the language necessary to speak for themselves in court) or throw people out of the the only country they've ever known for the lack of some paperwork, that is real and really sad impacts -- and people die.  RAICES works to lessen those impacts by helping people understand their rights, what's their obligations are, helps reconnect families and when our government in its infinite wisdom thinks it's smart to dump a kid at a bus stop in the middle of the night, volunteers from RAICES (and other organizations) are there to meet them and help them try to find their families.