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10. Oaktree Foundation (Poverty Awareness)
Charity’s version of Menudo, the Oaktree Foundation is an aid and development organization run exclusively by young people under the age of 26.

9. Community Voice Mail (Homelessness)
Community Voice Mail provides free voice messaging services for the poor or homeless throughout the United States.

8. First Book (Literacy)
Provides new books to children by mitigating the most important factor affecting literacy—access to books.

7. Modest Needs (Financial Crisis)
Their grant programs are designed to assist people who generally pay their bills with no help from anyone, but can’t qualify for conventional assistance.

6. Ushahidi (Information Technology)
Founded by Kenyan journalists to map post-election violence, Ushahidi is a free and open source web platform for data collection, visualization and interactive mapping of fast-moving crises or political events.

5. Donors Choose (Education)
Public school teachers spend $40 a month on classroom materials, often using their own money. DonorsChoose is changing that, with a website that allows donors to browse school projects and donate directly to classrooms in need, instead of to a general fund (which is often mismanaged).

4. Kiva (Microfinance)
KIVA is the world’s first online micro-lending program, specializing in loans and grants to the developing world.

3. Verizon Hopeline Phone Program (Domestic Violence)
Since 2001, Verizon has distributed 90,000+ wireless phones (with service) to battered women’s shelters.

2. Mary's Meals (Famine Relief and Education)
Mary’s Meals runs school feeding projects, providing 390,000 of the world’s poorest children with a meal a day AT their place of education.

1. Habitat for Humanity (Housing)
Habitat for Humanity is probably the most famous community service project in America. Habitat builds affordable, simple housing for the needy using local volunteers as much as possible.

Acronym Finder.com
Find out what any acronym, abbreviation, or initialism stands for. With more than 900,000 human-edited definitions, Acronym Finder is the world's largest and most comprehensive dictionary of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms. Combined with the Acronym Attic, Acronym Finder contains more than 4 million acronyms and abbreviations.
Patti's Comment: This is the coolest thing!

Angela Carson Photography
Nationally renowned family and children’s photographer Angela Carson is publishing a limited edition coffee table book of newborn baby portraits to benefit the Just for Kids Children's Foundation. Angela began this project because of her strong passion for children and her deep desire to give back to the community that has been so good to her for over twenty years. Just for Kids is a Michigan-based charity supporting the patients and families being treated at Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor. The Just for Kids foundation is driven by a singular purpose; replace the pain with a smile, if only for a while.

Patti's Comment: Angela is a lifelong friend and I recommend her to all!

Carl Hiaasen (Satirical novelist) - Patti's Comments: I just love him!

Carl's Friends:

Collision Six
Patti's Comment: This is my niece's band. Rock On!

Customer Service Details for Companies A-Z
To talk to real people in Customer Services.
Patti's Comment: Do you hate voice mail hell?? Then this is for you...

Ed Blondin's Blog
This is my dear friend Ed's blog. In fact, my veggie garden is featured!

Family Travel Gear
Specializing in products to assist families traveling with kids.

Hortulus Gardens (Ed Blondin)
A niche company serving residential and commercial clients in southeastern Michigan.

Junk Mail:
   Catalog Choice. A free service that lets you reduce unwanted mail and choose how you hear from brands.
   Dramatically Reduce Junk Mail in 3 Easy Steps. (The Consumerist - 7/11/09) (contains links to other services)

My Horse University
An online learning community developed by world-renowned experts.

National Assn. of Baby Boomer Women
The only association devoted to addressing issues concerning 38 million of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best educated generation of women to ever hit midlife...baby boomer women.

Stuck on My Story
A free brainstorming service for fiction writers.

Tax Girl
"Because paying taxes is painful...but reading about them shouldn't be." I especially enjoyed the "Top Ten Tax Stories of 2008: The World According to taxgirl."

Time Goes By
What it's really like to get older...
Patti's Comment: This blog is really so well done.

Wine Lovers Page
I particularly like the 30 Second Wine Advisor.

Winsondominic's Weblog