Beginning at a young age, I was taught to give as I had received . . .
. . . so when I began NICABM, I made it a cornerstone of our organization that we would give back to those who are in need.
I always like to take some time at the end of the year to reflect on what we’ve accomplished professionally. At the same time, it’s important for me to hold myself accountable for that promise I made to make a difference while also making a profit.
This past year, it’s been so rewarding to be able to share our work with you because with it, you are helping people transform their lives.
And it’s been rewarding to continue setting meaningful goals over the past four years for NICABM’s charitable donations (and this year has been no exception).
Here’s what we’ve given this year:
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- $46,500 – Save the Children
- $46,000 – One Acre Fund
- $20,000 – Smile Train
- $16,000 – Citizens Foundation (Supporting schools in Pakistan)
- $5,000 – Human Rights Watch
- $2,673 – World Teacher Aid
- $2,000 – The Foundation for International Community Assistance
- $2,000 – The Bowery Mission
- $1,100 – Alzheimer’s Association
- $1,000 – Doctors Without Borders
- $1,000 – Oxfam America
- $1,000 – Southern Poverty Law Center
- $1,000 – Sierra Club
- $1,000 – GLAD
- $1,000 – Amnesty International
- $1,000 – Washington DC Insight Meditation
- $1,500 – Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
- $1,000 – Human Rights Campaign
- $1,000 – World Wildlife Fund
- $600 – Macular Degeneration Research
- $500 – Women for Women
- $500 – Michigan State University
- $500 – Taylor University
- $500 – Provincetown Art Association
- $500 – Our Companions (Cat and Dog Shelter)
- $200 – The National World War II Museum
- $5,000 – Covenant Soup Kitchen
- $5,000 – Windham Area Interfaith Ministry
- $4,000 – Connecticut Public Television
- $2,000 – Windham No Freeze Shelter
- $2,000 – Salvation Army
- $1,000 – Windham Hospital Foundation
- $1,000 – WGBH Public Broadcasting Station (Boston)
- $1,000 – Public Broadcasting Station (Amhurst)
- $1,000 – National Alliance on Mental Illness
- $1,000 – CFECT – Celebration of Women
- $1,000 – University of Connecticut Foundation
- $1,000 – Mansfield Holiday Fund
- $1,000 – The William Benton Museum of Art at UCONN
- $1,000 – UConn Foundation/JOY Program
- $600 – UConn Foundation / Jorgensen CoStars
- $300 – Community Council Charity Event (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
- $100 – E.O. Smith Safe Grad Committee
Total: $183,073
As I look over this list, I already hope to exceed this next year.
And very shortly, we’ll be announcing our Holiday Special. This has become a yearly tradition in which we lower the price of one of our programs, and also give half of the proceeds to charity.
There are so many worthwhile causes, and we’ll let you know soon which one we’ve chosen for this year.
How about you? I always love to hear how folks are giving of their time, talent, or resources to others. Please tell me about your favorite ways to give in the comments below.
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Pro-bono work in my psychotherapy and counseling practice is my primary way of giving to the surrounding community. I live in an economically-depressed small town with no other trauma specialists or EMDR practitioners. I also encourage others to mentor children through a couple of different agencies. I am also pleased to see that some organizations I donate to are also listed above!
I never knew your organization gave such generous financial support to so many. I became involved many years ago and carry so much of my experiences from NICABM programs into every aspect of my work and life. Thank you Ruth for sharing your passion and your work AND your generosity with the world. Blessings in this season of light and dark and for the new year as it unfolds. m
Thanks Ruth, for posting the list of charities you give to, many of which are my favorites! I try to give to as many as possible, but things have been tight this year, so I’m happy to know you are giving as well, and that the donations come from our tuition for your wonderful programs. Keep up the good work!
Elaine
I am a member of Dining for Women which supports local organizations in developing countries that support women. Have a look at it as an agency you may want to support in the future.
thanks,
rachel aarons
Thank you so much Ruth for sharing your Time, Talent and Treasures!!! I also appreciate reading other peoples comments. It really reinforces that we do have like-minded people across the World trying to make a difference in the mental health field. Like other, I am part of a mental health co-op that began out of serving a county in Wisconsin with high poverty residents. In order to serve the community with a holistic approach for long term results we felt a co-op structure gave us the best platform to do so. Being able to participate in trainings via webinar format allows us to keep cost low and service high. So again, a HUGE Thank-You Ruth and to the many colleagues I share with you working one day at time!
Thank you to you Ruth, and all the individuals involved with NICABM. My family, as I am certain it is with most, gives to various organizations with which we are affiliated or whom we support with modest cash donations. But the way we give back that is most rewarding is by volunteering. I am a volunteer for Freeing the Human Spirit which is a program to bring Yoga and Meditation into prisons. As a matter of fact I just came in the house from serving the residents Christmas Dinner. Their appreciation and acknowledgement knows no greater reward. There are so many in need and so many opportunities to give of yourself with compassion and caring it need not be financial, especially for those who may not have much extra.
Dear Ruth and NICABM team
These are delightful givings !
as one said here before: fabulous
Please also check giving for groups and charities working outside of the USA 🙂
As so many of your clients students and colleagues are from outside of the USA and you actually highlight that in your webinars, as a positive factor…
I believe it is a mindful act to allocate a nice part of the donations to those regions of the world, and to those from within the field itself.
This would be an act of sustainability and skillful means.
Of course we would love to present our project, ToWo, in Israel/Palestine (women groups), as well as in South Africa and Turkey. It is a training based in Mindfulness, Trauma therapy skills for the community and local therapists, and video Creativity.
In January 2015 we will be providing these skills for Syrian refugees.
Please do check our blog.
Your donation would be appreciated greatly
by us or by any other humanitarian project in this region, and the rest of the world.
Thanks a lot
Juditta
Juditta Ben-David MA SEP
ToWo group director and senior trainer
GHS MBSE founder
TDIL 2014 conference CEO (trauma-mindfulness-attachment-body)
towogroup@gmail.com
Thank you for your “giving as you have received”–what a wonderful gift!
And also thank you for your creativity of such educational and inspirational programs!
Ruth,
It is so inspiring to read of your generosity and support of healing work. Having discovered how trauma impacts men behind prison walls, I am moved by the spirit and impact of the teaching that your network offers and the many ways in which the insights that are showcased by NICABM can be “brought inside.” The trauma histories of the incarcerated are one of the “dirty little secrets” behind the persistence of the crime problem and the ways in which pain is “passed on” across the social landscape and over the generations. Thank you for sharing some of the discoveries that promise new ways of understanding and responding to trauma and the social problems that follow in trauma’s wake.
Steve – I am SOO impressed with your understanding of “how trauma impacts men behind prison walls.” The only way of really understanding that, is from working with them…which I gather from your posting.
I barely escaped prison because of my undiagnosed PTSD – I wanted to go to jail at one time in my life because of despair and immeasurable hurt and pain.
I thank YOU for you compassion and understanding/grokking at a very deep level.
Ronnie Moehrke
Thank you for your generosity to others and that I am able to learn from your programs from where I live, a real gift to me. We buy animals, school meals for children and families in Africa and give that as a gift to our family. it feels so good to give so we all receive.
I love your list of charities. It includes all my favorites. You are marvelous. Thank you for all you give and for the magnificent webinars!
In my case, with little funds and severe heart disease, I cannot give back in the usual ways. Therefore, I am writing a book about how my 44 years of practicing mindfulness have enriched my life. The more people practice mindfulness, the better off our species will be.
Yay! I’m so happy to see this fabulous philanthropy! I have been a NICABM gold member many times and it always gave me a pit in my stomach spending that much money. Now I feel great! It’s wonderful to know that all the great learning that I use in healing others also gives back to so many causes. Giving is one of my core values- we actually are our brothers keeper! I give to health and human services, education, and the arts. Thank you so much for sharing this list Ruth. I now won’t mind your hard hitting marketing, I’ll look at it and smile. Happy holidays. May we all be safe and free from suffering. May we be happy and as healthy as we can possibly be. May we live with ease.
Really good advice. Mental helath is the person’s emotional well-being or mental balance to realize the person’s abilities, capability to cope and productivity in making contributions to the community. By avoiding extra burden on oneself by rejecting surplus load of work or by taking out time to meet friends may help one in reducing stress level.
Thank you for your big heart.
Well! Knock my knitted sox off! Wonderful. What a great goal, intent and list. In the Fox Valley of Illinois we’ve Suicide Prevention Services of America, one of only seven full service organizations in the United States devoted to saving lives and restoring hope through prevention, intervention and postvention. SPSAmerica.org
Clarity, Calm and Joy to you.
I forgot to mention how much I appreciate being able to participate in NICABM webinars, hearing the wisdom born of experience of sooo many amazing clinicians! Thank you thank you thank you!
After a lifetime of working with children of all ages (including many who passed as adults!) in various medical and social service settings, I now live on a pretty small fixed income (very few social service jobs pay well, as you probably know). So I make small monetary donations to various causes from time to time. But – at the age of 67 I discovered quite by chance that I have a real love of working with preschool aged children! So. thanks to financial aid, I’m enrolled in degree programs in Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Development, and I currently volunteer at local Head Start programs. I can honestly say though that I probably get far more back from the children than I give – still, I give all I can. After decades of working on trying to help people heal from traumatic lives (worthy work for sure, but extremely difficult), I’ve found that being an adult that is fully present to the children I’m around, i.e. working on prevention of trauma to the best of my ability, is far more satisfying. I plan to do this until I drop in my traces!
VERY wonderful, Ruth!! Than YOU for all you offer in your courses and in this giving list to increase the wholeness of the world.
Wow! I had no idea that on top of the wonderful programming,
NICABM is a charitable organization giving to so many of my favorite
Organizations. Bravo and thank you for all your hard work, and great value of giving back!!!!
Happy happy new year to you and everyone involved with NICABM!!
I really admire your generosity and you have also been very generous with me as I have been able to listen and watch all your webinar programs for free! I would never have been able to afford the subscription in US dollars as our exchange rate is very unfavourable.
When I worked (Iam now retired) mostly with an EMDR approach, I was part of a humanitarian assistance group. We treated children after a serious flood and gave treatment to people who could not afford to pay. It was always very rewarding. Thank you for your generosity.
Just reading your list inspired me. So many of my favorite charities listed there, and so many that protect and promote human rights. What I do seems small in comparison, but I’ve spent the year supporting local candidates for things from park districts, to water districts, city councils, school boards, etc. that have worked to save our environment, find housing for those who are in need, and to end food insecurity. My greatest investment was in a District Attorney race where the candidate/prosecutor had the courage to speak out about reform, less incarceration and more rehabilitation, and took a position against the death penalty. Thank you for posting this inspirational list of organizations working for a planet where everyone succeeds.
Our agency does sub for santa for our low income clients. Our therapists get to shop for their families and deliver the packages. They love being able to help their families this time of year. Many involve their own families to spread the joy of giving. This year we helped 60 family members have a Merry Christmas. I also give to Wounded Warriors in honor of a friend’s military son who committed suicide. A colleague also committed suicide this year and I donated to the Snowbird Adaptive Sports Program. These deaths are a reminder of the hard work we still have yet to do to make outreach to those in need.
Wonderful Giving Ruth.. I know of some of the org living in bean town for 20yrs and NYC another 22 + other places. I am so grateful you are giving and some org. are not helping as they state.. The Salvation Army changes their politics as I experienced in their shelter that took 13yrs to get opened in FL supposedly for older women and women with children. Now, it’s only for women and children 2yrs later. Older women & men need places to live. In Martin Co people live in tents on empty property. There are 8 beds for Veteran Men in the county. Help is needed for many and unfortunately the politics is in need of new path cutters to change old stuck ideas. I hitch hike and people look at me thinking as from another planet. I live 2 miles from a bus that travels N & S on US1. I walk or hitch hike to get there and the bus comes once every hour. The transportation is only on M-F no holidays and starts at 6:45am-5:50pm where I live.
I was badly broken, with almost constant thoughts of suicide. I got into therapy and uncovered childhood trauma, plus started Mindfulness practice.
Now I have written a book, reclaimed my life, and will teach Mindfulness at Duke beginning Jan. 6th.
I am now seeking a grant to create a center in Durham NC to provide Mindfulness in schools etc. Graduating from Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies, I have made five DVD’s with children in an alternative school, and also with children in the Parks and Recreation program.
Ruth, you and your programs have been a constant inspiration. Sue Berry McMurray Durham, NC
Wonderful Creations Sue Berry McMurray;
Look at lifejacket and there are some other groups teaching kIndness. Mindfulness is needed in all age groups.. Bravo for making a change and being a pathcutter. Look at the Foundation Center.org for funding. There are many people and places wanting the change U R creating.