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Recommended Sites for Making a Difference

Note: To find out more about how these sites were chosen, please read How We Select Our Recommended Sites.

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

http://www.aarp.org/100ways/

This national organization has a couple of excellent resources for making a difference for your family, and for your community. Their 100 Ways page contains ideas to help aging family members, friends, and neighbors continue living on their own. They also have a Serve Your Community guide to help you think about what you'd like to do so you can find a suitable volunteer opportunity.

Care2

http://www.care2.com/

They call themselves "the 'Yahoo' for people who care about the environment". They provide Action ideas, Community forums, Green Pages, a directory listing environmentally responsible businesses.

Dads Make a Difference

http://www.dadsmakeadifference.org/

Paternity education project for middle school-age through young adults, as well as teachers and other professionals who work with them. They offer curricula about the importance of fathers in the lives of children.

Gesundheit! Institute

http://patchadams.org/home.htm

This is Patch Adams' website. Although their stated mission is to " bring fun, friendship, and the joy of service back into healthcare", this site touches on much broader issues. There are many practical ideas for improving your community, as well as recommendations from Patch, himself:

Patch's Take 10

How to Throw a Neighborhood Potluck

House Calls

Global SchoolNet's Global Schoolhouse

http://www.gsn.org/

This site's stated mission is to seek "opportunities to partner with schools, universities, communities, businesses and other organizations to co-develop free or low cost programs to help students become literate and responsible global citizens, and to prepare them for the workforce".

The Hunger Site

http://www.thehungersite.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CTDSites

By clicking on a button on the homepage, you can help this site provide food to the hungry. Sign up for their newsletter, and give even more food! Corporate sponsorship makes this possible. They also have a store that helps support the cause, as well as information on world hunger.

Just Give

http://justgive.org/

This site is a "matchmaker" between individuals interested in donating —be it money, goods, time or services—and non-profit organizations. There's also Inspiration, and Charity Gift Baskets (that you can give as a gift). Check out their Ways to Give section for a comprehensive listing of how you can give or get involved.

Make A Difference Day

http://www.usaweekend.com/diffday/

This national event occurs annually on the 4th Saturday in October. Communities across the country sponsor events to improve their communities and recognize those who work year 'round to make a difference. At this site you can find a local project, register your organization's project, see what others have done, and find tips to make your event a success.

National Engineers Week

http://eweek.org/site/Engineers/50ways.shtml

For engineers, and those who love them, here are 50 Ways One Engineer Can Make a Difference.

National Patient Advocate Foundation

http://www.npaf.org/participation.php

This advocacy organization "seeks to create avenues of access to insurance funding for evolving therapies, therapeutic devices and agents through legislative and policy reform". Their Make a Difference section provides opportunities (through their Advocates Alliance program) on both local and national levels.

Network for Good

http://www.networkforgood.org/

Network for Good is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting people to volunteer opportunities, places to donate, and providing a forum to speak out on issues.

The Ocean Project

http://www.theoceanproject.org/

The Ocean Project brings together aquariums, zoos, conservation organizations, and museums in an effort to educate people about the role they can play in ocean conservation. Their Actions for the Ocean section allows people to find ways they can get involved.

Peace Corps Kids World

http://peacecorps.gov/kids/index.html

This section of the Peace Corps website is dedicated to explaining the Peace Corps mission, and exposing young people to the idea that they, too, can help make a difference in their communities, and in the world.

Reason For Hope

http://www.reasonforhope.com/

Inspired by Jane Goodall's book, Reason For Hope, this site's mission is to spread the word that there IS reason for hope, and to make a difference in the world. According to this site, the first step is to open one's mind, especially through the written word. Book recommendations, a Book of the Day, and Search are all available.

The Ten Steps

http://www.10steps.ie/

This Irish site provides concrete steps we all can take in our homes and neighborhoods to help the environment.

Unity in the Spirit of America

http://www.usa.pointsoflight.org/default.jsp

Sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, this initiative's mission is to organize volunteer activities nationwide to commemorate those who lost their lives in the September 11 tragedy. This site has a Project Search, a youth involvement section, and an excellent Resource Center

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—Adopt Your Watershed

http://www.epa.gov/adopt/

This governmental site provides information on how you can help the environment by adopting a watershed. Fifteen Things You Can Do to Make a Difference in Your Watershed will get you started

USA Freedom Corps

http://www.usafreedomcorps.gov/

This organization was a response to President George W. Bush's 2002 State of the Union speech, where he called for all Americans to dedicate at least 2 years of their lives to the service of others. There are sections for Volunteers, Organizations and Businesses, and Educators. Check out the Ten Tips for Volunteering Wisely. There's also a Awards and Scholarships section for youth who have demonstrated a commitment to community service.