Viva la Feminista

This year I am asking you to consider giving to one (or both) of these organizations: Bitch Media is an almost-20-year-old feminist media organization. You may be most familiar with their magazine, but they also publish an amazing blog and podcast. They are independent and rely on reader support. Bitch Media has given a lot of writers their first paid outlet. Recently they launched a fellowship to further support their efforts to launch emerging writers. Earlier this year, I joined the board of directors. As a board member of Bitch Media, I need your help to raise $1,000 by the end of December 2015.  Please donate an amount that is a slight stretch for you. It can be $10 or even $100. Join me in being a sustaining member of Bitch Media by giving a small amount every month. When you do, you get to be a member of the B-Hive! How cool is that name? The Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) has a goal of $8,000 this year! They are a 25-year-old organization where countless in...

This #GivingTuesday Illinois organizations are asking us to give big - #ILGiveBig. Organized by the Donors Forum , you can search for an Illinois organization where you can donate. But if you don't want to do the searching here is a list of my recommendations: Chicago Abortion Fund : They support women who are in need of financial assistance to make their health care decision to terminate a pregnancy a reality. I served on as the co-chair of CAF's board for a few years and their work is transformational to the women they serve. H.O.M.E .: Simply put, they help seniors stay in their homes, find new homes when necessary and are basically awesome. A dear friend works for them so I am quite familiar with the awesome things they do and trust that any donation goes the distance. Access Living : They foster the dignity, pride, and self-esteem of people with disabilities and enhances the options available to them so they may choose and maintain individualized and satisfying lifes...

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and CyberMonday is Giving Tuesday . It started a few years ago by people who thought the focus on consumerism was getting out of control. So let's give back on Tuesday! As always, I have compiled a list of my favorite non-profits, charities and even a few crowd-funding projects that are worthy of your time. Some, like the Chicago Abortion Fund , may be simply a reminder to donate to your local abortion fund. Others are unique and deserve your love.

In the spirit of 16 Days merged with "Giving Tuesday," I present a list of 16 organizations that work on behalf of eliminating violence against women, as well as one handgun control organization, that you where you can give, give, give! Some also have shops, so if you still need a gift.... If I have missed your favorite, please let me know in the comments. Amnesty International Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence CARE Chicago Abortion Fund * Chicago Foundation for Women International Rescue Committee JASS National Network to End Domestic Violence National Women's Law Center Nobel Women's Initiative RAINN Say NO - UNiTE Stop Rape in Conflict suggests donating to members of their advisory committee   Women for Women   V-Day YWCA * They don't work on VAW issues directly, but many of the women who call requesting assistance are survivors of violence.

Can you believe it's almost gift giving time? Whether you are giving for Christmas or Hanukkah, Donors Choose has plenty of projects to select from. Seriously, why give a crappy $20 gift when you can donate in a loved one's name to a school that can put that $20 into action? I had intended to flip through Donors Choose and offer a long list of projects for easy donating. But I decided to go with three schools in particular: 1) The Learning Garden at Meadowdale Elementary This school was just up the street from the house I grew up in. I didn't attend this school, but I spent a lot of time at their playground. One of the outside walls is tall and flat without windows (at least when I was a kid, I haven't visited in years) and is on the parking lot. So this is where a young Roni use to pretend she was a tennis pro, spending hours hitting the three tennis balls she owned into a wall. It also had an awesome hill that was perfect for sledding. 2) Pregnant Teenagers ...

or a school in your part of the U.S. of A. This is the second week of classes for Chicago Public Schools and about the 4th or 5th week for other schools. In other words, class is certainly back in session. While there are a lot of debates happening in my lil part of the world about length of school day, school year, teacher pay and on and on, one thing is perfectly clear: Some schools simply lack basic supplies to educate our children. We can have the kids in school all day, all year around, but if they don't have basic supplies, all the reforms in the world won't do jack. That is why I am encouraging you to take a peek through the Donors Choose database to see if there is a school near you or a teacher requesting supplies for your favorite subject that you can support. The beauty of Donors Choose is that even a small donation can do a long way. You also get thank you notes! If you are lucky, you get a photo too. That is my favorite part. Last year my family supporte...

World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. This day marks the beginning of an annual campaign designed to encourage public support for and development of programs to prevent the spread of HIV infection and provide education and promote awareness of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. It was first observed in 1988 after a summit of health ministers from around the world called for a spirit of social tolerance and a greater exchange of information on HIV/AIDS. World AIDS Day serves to strengthen the global effort to face the challenges of the AIDS pandemic. For more information about World AIDS Day, contact UNAIDS Secretariat, 20 avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland, ph: (41-22)791 3666, fax: (41-22)791 4187, e-mail: unaids@unaids.org, website: http://www.unaids.org What does HIV/AIDS have to do with violence against women? Um, a hell of a lot! Violence against women constitutes a global human rights emergency that has devastating impacts on women’s health, including com...

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS DAY, NOVEMBER 29TH Defending Women Defending Rights is an international campaign launched in 2004 for the recognition and protection of women human rights defenders who are activists advocating for the realization of all human rights for all people. The campaign asserts that women fighting for human rights and all activists defending women’s rights face specific violations as a result of their advocacy or their gender. November 29th is a day of recognition for women human rights defenders, and it is a day to commemorate activism, advocacy and courageous acts of resistance. The campaign focuses on defense of rights and the impact of abuses by state and non-state actors (including family and community members), the rise in militarism and fundamentalisms, and the many ways defenders are targeted because of sexuality, including the perception of being lesbian or gay. For more information, check the women human rights defender campaign website at...

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991. Participants chose the dates November 25 - International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10 - International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights . This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. Learn more at the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. For the next 16 days, Viva la Feminista will be joining thousands of voices in marking 16 days of activism against gender violence. In conjunction of this campaign, I am also asking Viva la Feminista r...

Originally posted at the AWEARNESS blog I am a sucker for holiday news stories that pull at your heart. Last week when I was at my dad's house for Christmas a news story zipped by on the TV that made me go "huh?" Luckily it was in the morning paper! "Moses Mathis, who for 19 years has repaired bicycles and then given them away at Christmas, set a record this year by fixing more than 1,100 bikes." Isn't that awesome? To see video of an interview with Mathis about his bicycle outreach, visit The Fayetteville Observer's website (the video was un-embeddable here, unfortunately). If you want to help Mathis give away even more bicycles in 2010, head on over to his website!

Mujeres Latinas en Acción provides a variety of structured activities during non-school hours for children and teens and we need your help to make this holiday season special by supporting our Annual Holiday Party for kids. The Annual Holiday Party provides the children in our Youth Programs with holiday gifts of winter clothing and accessories, games, sports equipment and books. Many of the children in our programs only receive gifts from Mujeres during this holiday season. The youth and children served in our programs are 100% low income and live in the Pilsen/Little Village area. The majority attends public schools and qualifies for free or reduced meals. Mujeres' Holiday Party Gifts for the participants of our Youth Programs will provide resources so that families can take part in a cultural tradition with laughter, fun and memories.  Parents will appreciate that they have been able to access resources that provide gifts for their children.  Further, the festive c...

Originally posted at the AWEARNESS blog I love Tom's of Maine toothpaste. It's environmentally responsible and it tastes good. Now, there is something more to love: their new community corporate sponsorship program . In their words, "Small differences in the community can make a large difference in the world, so we want to support and encourage your efforts to get involved! In November we'll award five 501c (3) nonprofit organizations with $20,000." Many, many organizations submitted applications and Tom's of Maine whittled it down to 50 finalists. Now the heat is on! It's up to us to head on over and vote for up to five organizations who you think should get $20,000.   How exciting for a company to empower its customers and include them in its philanthropy. I really love voting competitions like this, and learning about all the amazing work being done. Now off to vote!