Helpful Resources

Building on the legacy of their founder, General Colin Powell, America’s Promise is a leader in forging a strong and effective partnership alliance committed to seeing that children experience the fundamental resources they need to succeed – the Five Promises (caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education and opportunities to help others) – at home, in school and out in the community.

The Best Friends Foundation strives to provide a nationwide network of programs that is dedicated to the physical and emotional well-being of adolescents. It provides scientifically researched and developmentally sound curriculum designed for middle and high school students. The Foundation promotes self-respect through the practice of self-control and provides participants the skills, guidance and support to choose abstinence from sex until marriage and reject illegal drug and alcohol use. In the spirit of true friendship, the Best Friends Foundation provides positive peer groups for adolescents and creates an environment that raises aspirations and promotes achievement.

Today, thousands of teenagers are falling behind academically, and as a result are losing an opportunity to develop their full potential. Elevate your G.A.M.E. was created to combat this problem and encourage teenagers to: Raise their grade point average to a level of excellence. Raise their school attendance to a level of employability. Raise their level of maturity in their relationships and service to others. Raise their level of empowerment in order to bring about positive and dynamic change in themselves, their families, schools, communities and the world.

Fritz Institute is a non-profit organization that works in partnership with governments, non-profit organizations and corporations around the world to innovate solutions and facilitate the adoption of best practices for rapid and effective disaster response and recovery.

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.

One child, one hour is the heart of KIDS HOPE USA. One caring adult mentoring an at-risk child one hour every week. Because when kids feel loved and valued, they are better able to learn, grow, and succeed. But one church, one school is its brilliance. KIDS HOPE USA is a church-based model because churches are better positioned to recruit volunteer mentors who will be faithful over the long haul. These volunteer mentors are loyal to the KIDS HOPE USA program since their church operates and funds it. And because it's provided free of cost for schools, it meets the urgent need of educators for an intervention without breaking their budgets.

In 1997, Orville Krieger founded Phoenix MatchPoint (now Mentor Kids USA), in partnership with Prison Fellowship, to address the needs of at-risk youth in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area by matching caring Christian adults with youth ages 8-17 who showed warning signs of becoming criminal offenders. Youth targeted for mentoring included those who had either trouble with the law, significant school problems, dysfunctional family backgrounds, or drug or alcohol abuse. Throughout the history of the organization, local churches have played a major role by providing program support and mentors. Mentors commit time each week to be a friend and role model for an at-risk youth. The mentors offer concrete expressions of unconditional love and support to the mentee; and the two participate in activities designed to build friendship, trust, and constructive values.

ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life - united as ONE - to help make poverty history. ONE is a campaign of over 2.4 million people and growing from all 50 states and over 100 of America's most well-known and respected non-profit, advocacy and humanitarian organizations. ONE is raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in the world's poorest countries. ONE is asking our leaders to do more to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE believes that allocating more of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries.

Operation Noah Rebuild is a three-year partnership project (through August 2009) between New Orleans churches and associations, the Louisiana Baptist Convention, and the North American Mission Board to help New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers are needed to rebuild homes; start, restart, or strengthen churches; and reach people with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Our mission is to fight global poverty by increasing access to microfinance. Unitus envisions a world where microfinance is available to every individual. We work toward this vision by accelerating the growth of the world's highest-potential emerging microfinance institutions. We provide capital investments and capacity-building consulting, thus empowering these organizations to scale and provide life-changing financial services to dramatically more of the world's working poor.

Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. Through thousands of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities in 44 states. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including at-risk youth, the frail elderly, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, people with disabilities, and those recovering from addictions. Our work touches the mind, body, heart — and ultimately the spirit — of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.

Water Missions International (WMI) is a nonprofit, Christian engineering organization serving the water and sanitation needs of people in developing countries and disaster areas. WMI uses low-maintenance, appropriate water technologies for drinking water treatment and distribution, wastewater management, and storm water control. WMI’s mission is to provide sustainable access to safe water and an opportunity to hear the "Living Water" message in developing countries and disaster areas. WMI’s vision is that no person should perish for want of safe drinking water or an opportunity to hear the "Living Water" message.