As a young boy
Henri Landwirth survived the death camp of Auschwitz. He lost his childhood to the war and was determined that this should not happen again in the future. Later, as a
successful hotelier in Florida, he helped arrange free vacations for children with life-threatening diseases to Walt Disney World and SeaWorld. Sadly, the time it took to set up a vacation was long and when one child, Amy, died from leukemia before her wish could be fulfilled, Landwirth founded "
Give Kids The World."
[more inside]
posted by IndigoSkye
on Mar 21, 2013 -
12 comments
A new malaria vaccine has been shown effective in large-scale field trials. After decades of disappointment, researchers think they're finally on track to unleash the first practical vaccine against malaria, one of mankind's ancient scourges.
In the world's first large field trial of an experimental malaria vaccine, several thousand young children who got three doses had about 55 percent less risk of getting the disease over a year than those who got a control vaccine against rabies or meningitis. [more inside]
posted by BobbyVan
on Oct 18, 2011 -
21 comments
"What if America wasn't America?" That was the question posed by a series of ads broadcast in the wake of the September 11th attacks, ads which depicted a dystopian America bereft of liberty:
Library -
Diner -
Church. Together with more positive ads like
Remember Freedom and
I Am an American, they encouraged frightened viewers to cherish their freedoms and defend against division and prejudice in the face of terrorism (
seven years previously). The campaign was the work of the
Ad Council, a non-profit agency that employs the creative muscle of volunteer advertisers to raise awareness for social issues of national importance. Founded during WWII as the War Advertising Council, the organization has been behind
some of the most memorable public service campaigns in American history, including
Rosie the Riveter,
Smokey the Bear,
McGruff the Crime Dog, and
the Crash Test Dummies. And the Council is still at it today, producing striking, funny, and above all
effective PSAs on everything from
student invention to
global warming to
arts education to
community service.
Additional resources:
A-to-Z index of Ad Council campaigns -
Campaigns organized by category -
Award-winning campaigns -
PSA Central: A free download directory of TV, radio, and print PSAs
(registration req'd) -
An exhaustive history of the Ad Council [46-page PDF] -
YouTube channel -
Vimeo channel -
Twitter feed
posted by Rhaomi
on Sep 11, 2009 -
69 comments
ROSA LOVES is a non-profit t-shirt company. Their limited edition t-shirts are specifically designed to raise money for individuals in need. Each individual's story is told through a unique design on the front and also by actual text that appears on the inverse of the shirt, directly in line with the heart. They have been
featured in GOOD Magazine, and AOL
named them one of the top 12 businesses that could be the next big thing. Recently, they
introduced a t-shirt to "support the reinforcement and perseverance of a home that nurtures the culture of music in New Orleans".
[more inside]
posted by Houyhnhnm
on Mar 28, 2009 -
8 comments
March 19, 1979 - The United States House of Representatives goes live on television for the first time in history. Footage from the House floor aired on a network created by a consortium of American cable companies. The first member of Congress to speak?
Al Gore (Sorry, only seems to be available on Real Player. Embedded video, in case weird link fails). [more inside]
posted by IvoShandor
on Mar 23, 2009 -
17 comments
Can nonprofit news models save journalism? The advertising-supported, for-profit institutional model of journalism (
skip this ad) is
on the wane. Except for a few large and successful outlets, investment in comprehensive reporting has suffered from a shrinking bottom line, even as the hoped-for development of
citizen journalism has been generally underwhelming. But
some see a
solution taking shape in
not-for-profit, independent, citizen-supported online news organizations that would employ skilled professional journalists. Pointing to the encouraging recent growth of
NPR and
PBS as news outlets, many industry thinkers are starting to agree that "
The only way to save journalism is to develop a new model that finds profit in truth, vigilance, and social responsibility." Editors are beginning to experiment with models like that of
Paul Stieger's
ProPublica (a sort of reporting clearinghouse),
Geoff Dougherty's
ChiTown Daily News, The NYC
Center for an Urban Future's
City Limits, and
Scott Lewis' Voice of San Diego. Great idea -
will it work?
posted by Miko
on Nov 23, 2008 -
35 comments
Generations of Hope is a non-profit set up to bring kids out of foster care and into extended families with grandparents. The community of
Hope Meadows was repurposed from housing on a
closed Air Force base in Illinois. (The NYT article erroneously refers to the community by the non-profit's name. No matter. The story is still inspirational.)
[more inside]
posted by yiftach
on Sep 16, 2008 -
5 comments
"When we're running, you can't tell. When people look at us, they don't point and go, 'Yeah, he's homeless, she's not, she's educated.'"
Mahlum explained, "You look and say, 'Oh, look at the runners.' That's a positive association, because there's no separation."
[more inside]
posted by stagewhisper
on Dec 21, 2007 -
8 comments
Creativity, Inc: Dave Eggers of
McSweeney's is a proprietor. A shopkeeper. Perhaps even a franchise magnate! It was his keen perception of unmet needs in niche markets that led to the opening of a growing array of supply houses across the country. Among them:
The Pirate Store, for the well-outfitted swashbuckler;
The Boring Store, a subtle, unassuming purveyor of goods for secret agents; the
Superhero Supply Store, in Brooklyn, carrying all the eyewear and accessories today's world-savers require; and
Greenwood Space Travel Supply, where customers are reminded of the space-travel axiom "A lack of preparation is a prescription for mishaps." If these sound like curious business ventures for a celebrated author, there's a reason: the
storefronts, though real, are just that -
fronts. They're the streetside faces (and fundraising arms) of the nonprofit
826National, a family of learning centers for kids ages 6-18. The 826 'stores' provide free
field trips, creatively themed
writing workshops,
publishing, and
one-on-one instruction. Supported by an impressive field of
cultural types (including Ira Glass, Sarah Vowell, Sherman Alexie, and others), the program is growing. Coming soon: Michigan 826 will open
Monster Union Local 826, and
826LA will open the Echo Park Time Travel Mart.
posted by Miko
on Jan 11, 2007 -
51 comments
How We Got Homeland Security Wrong --
If all the federal homeland-security grants from last year are added together, Wyoming received $61 a person while California got just $14, according to data gathered at TIME's request by the Public Policy Institute of California, an independent, nonprofit research organization. Alaska received an impressive $58 a resident, while New York got less than $25. On and on goes the upside-down math of the new homeland-security funding. The TIME article uses
AIR Worldwide Corp.'s Terrorism Loss Estimation Model.
posted by amberglow
on Mar 22, 2004 -
20 comments
HR-2357. "The U.S.A. prides itself as being one of the most pluralistic societies on earth, with a stunning variety of houses of worship in many communities. But the right to engage in civic activities, and especially to engage in political speech, is severely curtailed among many faith groups because of the perception that the house of worship will
lose its charitable status if 'politics' is discussed." That may be
about to change...
posted by aaronshaf
on May 21, 2002 -
20 comments
