Get involved.  Photot Credit: Green for All

Happy New Year! Time to begin again. It’s that time of the year when people begin to evaluate their lives and accomplishments (or lack thereof) and determine how they will focus their energies for the next 365 days. Many people are concentrating on their weight, their finances, their stress levels and the opportunities they’ve missed. These goals are important for growth. But there is one more element that should be considered when determining yearlong goals and that is service. What are you doing for others? How are you serving the community in which you live? There is something almost magical about giving your time and energy to someone who needs it. And since this is the beginning of the year, it’s a great time to add one small goal to your resolution list (and keep it there); find a local non-profit that needs some assistance and lend a hand.
The next step is to decide who needs the help. Well this article has been written to suggest a few non-profit organizations that serve the community that are not always on the radar. They are sleeper non-profits. These organizations are staffed with brilliant, hard working, indefatigable employees who not only work in the community but also serve the community (and there is a difference). But their energy and love only go so far. They are strapped for cash and supplies. They are in competition with other larger, more notable non-profit organizations for funding. And yet their clientele continues to grow. What can you do? Donate, of course! Your time and dollars are crucial to non-profits. These organizations don’t have two hundred dollars a plate fundraisers or host benefit concerts with popular artists. They are not wrapped up in controversy or have leaders that are one step away from imprisonment. They are just here to serve. Period. And they need your help. They need money to continue their mission and volunteers to unload the burden.
Here’s a short list of a sleeper non-profits that serve many with very little. Pick one and get to work.

• Christ House- working to help the homeless in the area and has done so since 1985.  They provide medical services that would be otherwise difficult to receive. www.christhouse.org
• Miriam's House- provides housing, career counseling, case management, hospice care and more to women living with HIV/AIDS and other terminal illnesses. They host "Friend-raisers" frequently so you can learn more about them.  www.miriamshouse.org
• Joseph's House- a hospice care facility for people dying from AIDS and other terminal illnesses.  www.josephshouse.org
• Damien Ministries- provides case management and food for people living with HIV.  They have been a recognizable symbol in NE for 20 years.  www.damienministries.org
• Building Futures- provides permanent housing for people living with HIV.  They recently finished building a facility for homeless residents but their work is far from over.  www.buildingfutures.org
• Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League aka SMYAL-  they have been serving the LGBTQ youth of DC for 25 years.  If the youth needs it, they've got it.  www.smyal.org
• Transgender Health Empowerment- this one-stop-shop has practically everything for the transgender population including case management, support groups, housing, and prevention services.  www.theincdc.org
• La Clinica Del Pueblo- provides health care to the Latino community that is culturally appropriate.  (Many people underestimate the importance of getting help from someone who speaks your language).  www.lcdp.org
• Prevention Works!- the only harm reduction program in DC.  They provide needle exchange and other services to people all over DC with a concentration on Wards 7 and 8.  www.preventionworksdc.org

Contact these organizations and find out what you can do to help.  It can be an hour a month or five dollars from each pay check through CFC.   It's true that service won't make you thinner, or richer, or smarter.  But it will make you...well...better.