Favorites

Stupid Cancer

Is a global organization solely created to provide resources and support to cancer survivors aged late teens through thirties, particularly through the use of music and the arts.

Nearly 70,000 Americans between 15-40 are diagnosed with cancer each year and 10,000 will not survive, numbers 7x greater than those in pediatrics. Unlike every other age group, there has been no improvement in the 5-year survival of young adults since 1976.º This is not OK. Young adults also face unique issues that are not currently being met by the current continuum of care including fertility, isolation, insurance, dating/sexuality, financial assistance, education, employment and age-appropriate peer support such as social networking, both off and online. The last 30 years of cancer ‘progress’ have failed the next generation of survivors so there is no reason to think the next 30 will be any different unless change happens now.

Remission is not a cure, survivorship is all the rage and there’s more to ‘cure’ than just research. Are you in? It’s time. It’s our time.

eXile International

eXile international exists to instill hope, healing, and love to the traumatized children of war in Congo and Eastern Africa by providing peace-teaching and art/expressive therapy through a program called the HOPE Initiative.  When Bethany Haley went to Congo and Uganda as a trauma healing counselor in 2008, she realized the people were not only living in physical EXILE, but in emotional EXILE as well – lacking security and stability of the heart. Beth was shown a new level of hopelessness in the child soldiers asking her to be their mother, women trying to give her their children…  One primary thought prevailed, “This is so much bigger than we are. How can we make a difference?” On the plane back to the U.S., she sat next to a Kenyan boy with autism. Looking out the window at the clouds and the heavens, he started to repeat in his catatonic way, “It is bigger than we are. It is bigger than we are. It is so much bigger than we are.”

In amazement she realized it WAS so much bigger than we are….as individuals – but not as a collaborative team and not with a big God.  Combining her experiences in East Africa with her skills as a social worker and psychologist, Beth began to dream about creating a healing program for the war-torn youth of Congo and East Africa involving art, music, drama, dance therapy, trauma counseling, and peace/conflict resolution training.  The founding of eXile international by Bethany Haley and Peggy Cox was the next step in making the dream come true. Through partnerships with existing African organizations and local leaders on the ground, their hope is to bring their counseling program, the HOPE Initiative, into the wounded communities of Congo and East Africa.  Given enough time and with God’s strength and guidance, they hope to see Africa’s children learn to be soldiers of Peace rather than soldiers of War.

Cup of Change / Playground Now! Nepal

Cup of Change inspires compassion and change by empowering local communities and citizens around the world through support of sustainable projects and education.  Playground Now! Nepal is dedicated to building two amazing playgrounds near Kathmandu, Nepal for 160+ shelter children and orphans of war.

The children of Nepal have already witnessed too much violence in their young lives. From family abuse to the murder of their parents in the aftermath of a decade long civil war that claimed 13,000 lives, internally displaced 200,000 and left 2,000 Nepali people still missing. Now on the road to recovery, living in a shelter of peace and surrounded by love, these children deserve to be children – laughing, smiling, playing children. In our own countries, these young hearts would have playgrounds around the corner, in school yards and even in backyards. However due to their birthplace – the 12th poorest country in the world – the realities of our children remain only a dream for many Nepalese children. Don’t all children deserve the chance to run, jump, skip and play? Playground Now! Nepal believes every child deserves the right to play.

Mocha Club

On online community of people giving up the cost of 2 mochas a month – or $7 – to fund relief and development projects in Africa. We work in five main project areas: Clean Water, Education, Child Mothers + Women At Risk, Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children, and HIV/AIDS + Healthcare.

This began when Barrett Ward, was leading a trip of college students to Africa in 2005, and through talking with them, he realized the frustration among many young people today who feel marginalized by their perceived inability to make an impact in Africa. With only a few dollars – rather than thousands – to spare, many people feel like their efforts to give are like dropping a pebble into the Grand Canyon. This compelled Barrett to create a new model of giving, and Mocha Club was born.

Their vision is to provide a way for people who don’t have hundreds or thousands of dollars to make a difference in Africa. Their community-based website allows members to start a team and invite friends to join them in giving up the cost of 2 mochas a month to support their chosen project. They know that today’s tech-savvy generation can have a huge impact by using the viral nature of the web. So they have equipped Mocha Club members themselves to grow awareness and support for Africa by inviting friends.

They are aware of people’s general lack of trust that their money is being effective, and they address that by providing regular updates. Each month, they update the Mocha Club members on how their $7 is helping the people of Africa through videos and blogs of the specific projects they are supporting.

Ellie’s Run for Africa

The God-given dream of a young American girl to help families and children in Africa. Combining educational efforts in area churches and schools, a 5K run and family fun day, and most recently a night out in Nashville for the adult crowd, ERFA raises awareness of and funding for Africans who struggle to meet basic needs such as health care, food, water, shelter, clothing and education.

Faith Family Medical Clinic

Is a Nashville nonprofit providing primary healthcare for working individuals and their families who do not have access to health insurance. People without adequate health insurance often tend to skip primary care. As a result, they often find themselves in the emergency room with medical conditions that are more serious and more expensive then they might have been. In September Faith Family partnered with the Grammy’s MusiCares program to provide a free Musicians Health Clinic to uninsured or under-insured music professionals in need. Through this they hope to encourage music professionals to take care of themselves and their health.

Clinic patients also benefit from counseling and education services designed to help them achieve a healthier lifestyle.

People Loving Nashville

People Loving Nashville began with a hand full of people wanting to bring hot meals to some of the homeless community in Nashville in November of 2008.  Since then, they have made it a weekly meeting to all pitch in, and love on the homeless of Nashville.  They meet on Monday nights between 330pm and 630pm at the Belmont Church Fellowship Hall, and prepare approximately 150 meals to hand out downtown.  They have clothes donated from time to time and will give clothes out as well.  Some of them are churched, some are not.  They are just people driven by love.  All are welcome.  If you are not able to join and wish to help, partner with us by donating money or clothing.