by Leah Sottile & r & Project MOVE & r & (Mentoring Opportunities for Vocation and Education) & r & The lowdown: You may not be a genius, but chances are you know a heck of a lot about life. That's what Project MOVE is all about. MOVE matches up mentors with youth who have disabilities and are transitioning from high school to work or college (aka the real world).
How you can help: Become a mentor. Project MOVE currently has a waiting list with 38 youths who are in need of mentors. Mentor-youth matches are made on mutual interests and a try-out session. Mentors meet with their mentees two to four times a month, lending their knowledge in resume-writing workshops, computer classes, college choices and, most important, goal setting.
Sign me up! Contact Kim Lambright, Project MOVE coordinator, at 444-3088 ext. 205 or write
[email protected]. Call Kim for the details on upcoming information nights.
S.H.A.W.L Society & r & (Sovereignty, Health, Air, Water, Land) & r & The lowdown: When you chow down each night at the dinner table, you're usually not thinking whether you'll be poisoned. But many members of the Spokane Tribe do worry about that very thing. The more they live in their traditional way, the more they worry. In fact, three mines on their reservation have contaminated their water sources and affected their food supply. SHAWL is there to address issues like these along with the impacts of radiation on the reservation.
How you can help: Use your talents. SHAWL Society needs people to help educate others, to design their Web site, and to make contributions of supplies, money and most of all, time. Help brainstorm ways to inform the community of environmental and health issues.
Sign me up! Contact Deb Abramson, SHAWL Society Coordinator, at 747-3115 or at
[email protected].
North Idaho AIDS Coalition & r & The lowdown: Fighting AIDS is a war. The North Idaho AIDS Coalition is striving to win the local battle before it even starts. The Coeur d'Alene-based nonprofit provides care, prevention and advocacy for AIDS patients and those affected by HIV or AIDS. Providing everything from condom kits to groundbreaking prevention programs, the NIAC wants to put a stop to AIDS.
How you can help: Reach out. Opportunities to assist the NIAC are endless -- from participating in the famous condom kits bar outreach (and other prevention programs) to HIV support groups. A wine tasting and auction are held each fall, and support groups for gay and bisexual men, women at risk and those living with AIDS are held year-round.
Sign me up! Contact the NIAC at (208) 665-1448 and check out www.nicon.org/niac.
Inland Northwest Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation & r & The lowdown: Just as any of us need a shoulder to lean on, kids with cancer need as many shoulders as they can find. That's where the Inland Northwest Candlelighters come in. Their mission is to educate, serve, support and advocate for these children, their families and the professionals who treat them.
How you can help: Lend your shoulder -- or your hands. The Candlelighters are always in need of volunteers to help families and patients, but also need helpful hands to run their frequent car washes, rallies and events -- or even just to help around the office. The group also provides new patients with care packages, support groups for family members and extensive information on dealing with childhood cancer.
Sign me up! Contact Mary Anne Ruddis, executive director of the Candlelighters, at 844-4674 or at
[email protected].
SpokAnimal's Safe Haven Program & r & The lowdown: Get this: People who are victims of domestic violence are, unfortunately, 85 percent more likely to remain in the abusive situation if they live with a pet. Knowing this, SpokAnimal has paired up with the Spokane County Domestic Violence Consortium to arrange foster care for those animals -- meaning that people can escape domestic violence in the assurance that their furry friends will also be kept safe.
How you can help: Open up your home and become a foster family for a pet in need. You'll need to have any current pets vaccinated and spayed or neutered; you'll also need to socialize them with your new foster "child." Families must have a fenced yard and must be willing to participate in home visits until the stay is completed. Foster pets may be kept in care from 24 hours to two months.
Sign me up! Contact Laura Thulean of SpokAnimal at 534-8133. For more information, check out www.domesticviolence.net or www.spokanimal.org.