12 Days of Giving

NBC's Holiday Series

One of the many joys of the holiday season is NBC4’s 12 Days of Giving. Wednesday marks the start of the annual series. The 12 Days of Giving will last from Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010 until Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

Each year we focus on 12 different non-profit charities. Pat Lawson Muse will get to know the people involved with the charities a little better throughout the series.

To help any of the organizations through monetary donations or to volunteers (if applicable), visit their websites below.  Thanks!

Wednesday, December 8
Homeless Children’s Playtime Project
www.playtimeproject.net/
The mission of the Homeless Children's Playtime Project is to nurture healthy child development and reduce the effects of trauma among children living in temporary housing programs in the District of Columbia. The Playtime Project provides the only children’s program offered in five shelters a total of eight times each week. Eighty volunteers serve more than 120 children in families who are homeless every week. The program model provides one-on-one attention, healthy snacks and access to developmentally appropriate toys and activities designed to reduce the traumatic effects of homelessness on children and to promote learning and joy.

 Thursday, December 9
Military Medicine
www.militarytomedicine.org/

There are more than 650,000 military spouses of active duty members stationed in the U.S. Nearly 80 percent of these spouses want a career, but frequent military relocations make it difficult. Military to Medicine offers state-of-the-art career preparation and assessment, to help you start a career in healthcare that can move with you. Military to Medicine will supply career-specific, technical healthcare training at no or little cost to you. This extended military family talent pool will provide our nationwide talent exchange employer network with reliable, workforce-ready candidates, answering the healthcare job shortage while providing meaningful, portable careers to our military families.

 Friday, December 10
ArtStream
www.art-stream.org
ArtStream is a consortium of compassionate, professional, experienced artists who wish to serve the needs of our clients. Their goal is to reach out to members in various groups such as persons with disabilities, seniors, people with short or long term illnesses and their families or caregivers, immigrants, veterans, people who are grieving, and students and teachers. Their purpose is to inspire and help heal through various art forms such as theatre, puppetry, visual arts, multimedia, music, and dance. This is accomplished through interactive workshops and productions, on-going classes, seminars, performances, and training.

  Monday, December 13
Friends of Homeless Animals
www.foha.org
Friends of Homeless Animals (Friends) is a non-profit, no-kill shelter that focuses on the rescue and placement of homeless dogs and cats in the Northern Virginia and Washington DC area.

  Tuesday, December 14
So Others Might Eat
So Others Might Eat is the only interfaith, community-based organization in the District of Columbia that offers a comprehensive, holistic approach to caring for the homeless and extremely poor citizens of our city.

  Wednesday, December 14
Mentoring to Manhood
www.mentoringtomanhood.org
Mentoring to Manhood was founded in April of 2005 as a non-for-profit program targeting young men ages 12-18 focused on developing an understanding of social responsibility and establishing a place as an effective leader in their immediate communities. M2M has grown a successful program to develop male youths into “men of excellence” by starting with a group academically, professionally and socially accomplished mentors. Their mentors are the heart and soul of our organization. They are attorneys, educators, politicians, writers, bankers and engineers positioned in various walks of life, born to different corners of the world, committed to the success of Prince George County youth.

  Thursday, December 16
StriveDC
www.strivedc.org
Strive DC is a non-profit career development center that assists unemployed individuals in the Washington, DC area in obtaining the skills, education and clothing needed to get and keep a job.  STRIVE DC has 3 programs:  CORE STRIVE – an intense three week attitudinal training course where people who lack these basic skills are transformed into work ready individuals, STRIVE for Success – a fast track GED program for young adults 16-25 and Career Gear – a clothing program for men in need of professional clothing.

  Friday, December 17
DASH
www.dashdc.org
The mission of the District Alliance for Safe Housing, Inc. (DASH) is to ensure access to safe and sustainable refuge for victims of domestic violence through the development and management of safe housing and related services, while increasing the capacity of other community-based organizations to expand housing for victims throughout the District of Columbia.

  Monday, December 20
Share the Warmth Coat Drive
NBC4 joins with the Georgetown nurses and Bergman’s Cleaners to collect coats for the needy.

  Tuesday, December 21
Crittenton Services of Greater Washington
www.crittentonservices.org
Since 1887, Crittenton Services of Greater Washington has been delivering innovative and proven goal-setting programs addressing key issues - pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships, teen parenting and goal setting that helps teen women create successful lives. Why girls? As proven the world over, an investment in girls is an investment in a community. By addressing game-changing issues with proven goal-setting curricula, Crittenton is supporting teen women in making smart choices. By demystifying the key issues – health education, self-esteem, pregnancy and STI prevention and the fundamentals of healthy relationships – Crittenton is doing what works all over the world in creating stronger communities right here in the Greater Washington area.

  Wednesday, December 22
A Wider Circle
www.awidercircle.org
The mission of A Wider Circle is simple: to help children and adults lift themselves out of poverty. Hundreds of thousands of mothers watching their children go to sleep each night in beds rather than on the floor. Children picking out their school clothes each morning from dressers rather than plastic garbage bags. Low-income, pregnant adolescents receiving the care-taking skills needed to raise healthy babies. Recently-homeless parents learning – and putting into practice – the basic life skills needed to find and retain a job.

  Thursday, December 23
DC JCC Day of Service
http://washingtondcjcc.org/volunteer/days-of-service/december-25th-day-of-service/about-december-25th-day-of.html
More than 1,000 volunteers of all ages and religious backgrounds will serve meals to the homeless, entertain seniors and children, give blood and paint homeless shelters on this Day of Service. Projects last from 1-3 hours and include serving meals to seniors, preparing food for the homeless and throwing holiday parties. Volunteers also have the opportunity to donate blood, paint walls at a local elementary school and spend time with children and seniors—filling in so their caregivers can celebrate Christmas with their families.

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