Choose to Make a Difference

Choose to Make a Difference

The disaster in New Orleans makes at least one thing clear -- the importance of serving our communities and being there for one another.

by Arthur I. Blaustein

September 08, 2005

THE TRADITIONS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE and citizen participation have been at the heart of American civic culture since before the nation was founded. Historically, our greatest strength as a nation has been to be there for one another. Citizen participation has been the lifeblood of democracy. As Thomas Paine put it, "The highest calling of every individual in a democratic society is that of citizen!" Accidents of nature and abstract notions of improvement do not make our communities better or healthier places in which to live and work. They get better because people like you decide that they want to make a difference.

Volunteering is not a conservative or liberal, Democratic or Republican issue; caring and compassion simply help to define us as being human.

It is within our power to move beyond a disaster and economic crisis like the one that has engulfed New Orleans and to create new opportunities. What it comes down to is assuming personal responsibility. If we decide to become involved in voluntary efforts, we can restore idealism, realism, responsiveness, and vitality to our institutions and our communities.

At her memorial service, it was said of Eleanor Roosevelt, the most influential American woman of the twentieth century, that "she would rather light a candle than curse the darkness." What was true for her then is true for us now. The choice to make a difference is ours.
How to help those individuals and communities hurt by Hurricane Katrina through donations and volunteering.
The following organizations and groups that provide direct emergency assistance:

American Red Cross

(800) HELP NOW (435-7669) English; (800) 257-7575 Spanish

America"s Second Harvest

(800) 344-8070

American Friends Service Committee

(215)241-7000

B'nai B'rith International

(888) 388-4224

Catholic Charities, USA

(703) 549-1390

Christian Disaster Response

(941) 956-5183

Church World Service

(800) 297-1516

Feed The Children
(800) 525-7575


Lutheran Disaster Response
(800) 638-3522

Oxfam America

(800) 77-OXFAM or (617)482-1211

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

(800)872-3283

Salvation Army

(800 725-2769

Southern Baptist Disater Relief

(800) 462-8657

Union For Reform Judaism

(212) 650-4140

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

(617)868-6600

United Jewish Communities

(877) 277-2477

United Methodist Committee On Relief

(800)554-8583

Volunteers of America

(800) 899-0089

YMCA of the USA

(800) 872-9622

YWCA of the USA

(800) YWCA US1

The following organizations and groups provide direct or indirect assistance and/or advocate for policies and programs to assist victims or stricken communities. This is particularly important because of the failure of the federal government and this administration to provide leadership and competence before and during the disaster. Voluntary efforts should not be a substitute for government action, and advocacy groups must take the initiative to assure that the government fulfills its responsibility to the American people.

ACORN

(877) 55ACORN

Campaign for America's Future

(202) 955-5665


Catholic Campaign for Human Development

(202) 541-3000


Center for Health, Enviroment and Justice

(703) 237-2249


Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

(202) 408-1080


Children's Defense Fund

(202) 628-8787


City Year

(617) 927-2500


Coalition on Human Needs

(202) 223-2532


Common Cause

(800)926-1064


Community Action Partnership

(202)265-7546

Corporation for Supportive Housing

(212) 986-2966 ext. 500


Field Mobilization Departmentof the AFL-CIO

(202)637-5000


Habitat for Humanity

(229) 924-6935


MoveOn.org


NAACP

(877) NAACP-98


National Congress for Community Economic Development

(877) 44-NCCED or 202 289-9020


National Council of La Raza

(800)311-NCLR


National Neighborhood Coalition

(202) 408-8533


National Urban League

(212) 558-5300


National Mental Health Association

(800)969-6642

People for the American Way

(800) 326-7329

Project America

(804) 358-1605


Sierra Club

(415) 977-5500


In addition to contributing money, basic supplies and services; the
healthiest response for individuals is to volunteer to do community service in your own home town.
For a more complete in-depth list see: Make A Difference: America's Guide to Volunteering and Community Service by Arthur I. Blaustein (Jossey Bass/Wiley)
Please contribute to the health and vitality of our communities by sharing this list with as many people as possible.

Arthur I. Blaustein is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley
where he teaches urban policy and community development. He served as
chairman of the President's Council on Economic Opportunity under Jimmy
Carter. His most recent books are Make a Difference and The American
Promise: Justice and Opportunity.

@2005 The Foundation for National Progress

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