Pongo Resume

Want to donate $500 to your favorite charity without spending a dime? Pongo will give $500 to three worthy charitable organizations this holiday season, and we'd like your help choosing them.

In 2008, we sent $250 to Camp Heartland/One Heartland.

In 2009, The Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League and The American Cancer Society through Relay For Life of Murrieta, CA each received $250.

Which organizations do you think should get donations this year? Nominate them in a comment below.

Prizes
3 reader-nominated charities will each receive $500.

How to Enter
In the "Post a Comment" section below, fill in your name and email, then tell us:

1. The name of your charity (a verifiable non-profit organization)
2. The charity's web site (or physical address) and telephone number
3. A brief description of what the charity benefits or supports

Don't worry! Your email address will not be posted on the site and we never spam!

Important Contest Dates

• Ends Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 5 pm EST
• Winners will be announced on this blog on Thursday, December 23, 2010.

If you have any other comments or questions, feel free to post those as well!

Happy Holidays!

-Team Pongo

RELATED LINKS
Congratulations to Our Charity Giveaway Winners
$500 Holiday Giveaway: Nominate Your Favorite Charity
$250 Holiday Giveaway: Nominate Your Favorite Charity

Kiva International (kiva.org) funds entrepreneurs in developing countries and helps lift people out of poverty.

The site has helped bakers in Afghanistan purhase new ovens, livestock workers in Bolivia purchase more cows, and door-to-door saleswomen in Tanzania open a brick and mortar shop.

"Donors" actually lend money to these entrepreneurs, who pay the money back--which means that after you're repaid, you can withdraw the money to donate it elsewhere or lend to a new entrepreneur.

Compassion International (800-336-7676)

Blogs at http://blog.compassion.com

Compassion is a Christian child advocacy ministry releasing children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty in the developing world.

They work in 26 countries and are currently assisting more than 1.2 million children.

They define themselves as a holistic child development organization. There core programs include:

Child Survival Program: The program supports and feeds malnourished children, while training mothers to sustain the growth and development of their little ones.

Child Sponsorship Program: This program connects one child with one sponsor and is the most strategic way to end child poverty.

Through monthly gifts, prayer and letter writing, sponsors invest in the lives of children living in extreme poverty. Children attend church-based child development centers where they receive life-changing opportunities that would otherwise be out of their reach.

Leadership Development Program: This program identifies students from the sponsorship program who have exceptional academic and leadership potential. Students receive a first-class education and are trained and discipled to become the leaders of the future.

Complementary Interventions: These programs play a vital role by helping removing barriers to effective child development. They complete the strategies of the three other core programs by tackling issues such as AIDS, malaria, disaster response and unsafe drinking water.

The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition is a non-profit agency, founded in 1989. My wife, Jaia, and I have used their services to adopt our twelve year old son Adrian seven years ago.

The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition does two things:

(1) Recruitment: We are one of the area’s largest recruiter of foster/adoptive homes because of our partnerships with the local media, including KSDK Newschannel 5 and 13 local newspapers.

(2) Resource Center: Foster and adoptive parenting is a rewarding—but demanding—job. We offer many supports to parents, including support groups, training, advocacy, newsletters, a resale shop, and the Little Wishes program.

The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition is committed to fiscal responsibility, and is proud to be recognized by the Better Business Bureau as an honor roll charity. Also, as a member agency of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, we are required to meet rigorous financial and programmatic outcomes.

To assist The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition to continue bringing children and families together, I recommend them for the award.

Dan's House Of Hope, Inc., is a 501.c.3 charitable non-profit that will provide support and low or no cost lodging and a supportive community environment to AYA (Adolescent & Young Adult) cancer patients who must travel far from home in search of care. This hospital hospitality house will be located in Houston, TX, with future additional sites to be strategically located near other high profile cancer centers. AYA cancer patients are the most underserved demographic of cancer patients. And while pediatric and geriatric survival rates are increasing, AYA's have been stagnant or decreasing. Unfortunately, the need for care for this age group (mid-late teams to mid to late 30's) is growing.

MISSION STATEMENT: Dan's House of Hope, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to reducing the financial burden of young adult cancer patients and their families who must travel lengthy distances from home to receive medical treatment. Dan's House of Hope, Inc. is committed to providing comfortable, affordable, temporary accommodations that promote healing in a supportive, hope-filled, home away from home environment.

The Fistula Foundation www.fistulafoundation.org

The treatment of fistula among the world's poorest women is both a novel and compelling cause. In the United States, the Fistula Foundation is the leader in raising funds and support to treat women suffering from fistula in Africa and Asia.

While obstetric fistula—caused by the extended labor associated with the unsuccessful passing of a child through the birth canal—remains the most common cause of fistula, there has recently been a troubling increase in the number of traumatic fistulas, or fistulas created by violent sexual attacks, as sexual assault is sometimes used as a means of oppression and intimidation.

Raising funds for the treatment of fistula is as important as ever, as are targeted educational campaigns to fight the causes of fistula. This is the mission of the Fistula Foundation.

Charity is St. Jude Children's Research Hosptial. 800-822-6322 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, TN 38105

This is a children's hospital that treats childrens cancer and other dibilatating illnesses. St. Jude's does not ask for a dime from the families of the children being treated. Once a patient of St. Jude's you become a part of a large family where everyone knows your name. It is a wonderful organization, but there is still much work to be done.

Hi I am a long distance runner with CMT. I am raising money and awareness for CMT. CMT is the most common inherited neurological disorder and no one has ever heard of it. It affects 150,000 Americans. It is a progressive disease of the extremities, leading to muscle weakness, loss of sensation and function. Please visit my site or the CMT home page to learn more about this condition and fund rasing efforts to find a cure

"The Mission of the Colorado House is:

To provide a safe, stable, supportive home environment for homeless families and individuals who are motivated to work towards self sufficiency; as well as to offer solid links to essential resources, and to serve as a gathering place for other community service organizations.

Our primary objective is to present the highest level of comprehensive self-sufficiency training and resources that are available; and to provide consistent, quality transitional housing in an environment conducive to success, growth, and prosperity"

Hi, thanks for this opportunity! The AHC Foundation raises money to fund research and support families affected by a very rare disorder called Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood. From website: "AHC is a rare neurological disorder in which repeated, transient attacks of hemiplegia (paralysis of a portion of the body) occur, affecting one side of the body or the other, or both sides of the body. It ranges from simple numbness in an extremity to full loss of feeling and movement. The attacks may last for minutes, hours or even days" With the help of more funding, the Foundation can increase awareness and research efforts to find the cause, develop effective treatments, and maybe someday find the cure. The Foundation is non-profit, tax exempt, and run by volunteers (parents of kids with AHC). My little sister has this disorder and it is absolutely heartbreaking to see her having one of these painful attacks of hemiplegia. I hope we can help these kids get better treatments and even find a way to prevent these attacks. Thanks!!