Giving Something More...
At Kalamazoo Safari Company, our donations and sponsorships focus on empowering youth through education, improved wellness, and life experiences.
Some charities focus on skill building and support for women, thereby enriching the lives of the children they care for. Other innovative programs attempt to influence parents through educating the children on topics such as conservation. The directors hope that educating today's youth will not only change their behaviors but those of their parents as well. It is with these convictions that we make our giving decisions. And, through giving we receive moments of incredible insight. We focus on a few fabulous organizations whose work we know. These organizations are highlighted to raise awareness about their missions. Some of our profits support their empowering efforts both in Kalamazoo and in East Africa. Please visit their websites to learn more. |
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Kalamazoo, Michigan BasedUrban Youth for Africa
Urban Youth for Africa is a program of the Kalamazoo Deacons Conference, a non-profit located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. This program began in January 2009 as a desire to creatively and purposefully impact underprivileged youth in Kalamazoo by giving them a chance to step out of their circumstances and realize the incredible power they possess to change their world for the better. Kalamazoo Mud Run - Get Dirty for Clean Water
An annual 5k run through a muddy obstacle course whose proceeds will benefit communities in Africa by supporting efforts to drill new wells in partnership with The Bridge Church of Portage and Operation Starfish. After sinking the first well, water distribution, storage system with Good News Ministries in Uganda, it has become obvious that the digging of wells in other East African villages would drastically increase goodness in a community. Water borne illnesses not only cause sickness and death, but also keep students from going to school. The Kalamazoo Mud Run will support the goal of Operation Starfish to put 50 new wells in 50 villages over the next five years. FLAG - Foreign Links Around the Globe
FLAG's goal is to promote global understanding and world peace by providing families and youngsters from across the globe with the best intercultural experience friendship can buy. "Foreign student exchange programs have been very successful at helping our students learn about the language, culture, history, and government of other nations. In addition, the foreign students who come here to attend school learn about America, and bring a better understanding of our nation back to their home countries. I strongly support these programs because they are educationally effective and help foster international understanding," Maria Hernandez Ferrier, Ed.D., Director of USDE’s office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students. |
Tanzania & Internationally BasedMakoa Farm - Help for Knowledge
In the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, motivated local children get the chance of a good education. They are guided throughout their childhood, starting in preschool, all the way up through university or training for a specific profession. It is the children of today who will have the responsibility to care for their country and its natural heritage. Makoa Farm aims to assist some of these children by equipping them with the necessary knowledge. Diana Women Empowerment Organization
There is an alarming increase of Orphans and Vulnerable Children as a result of HIV / AIDS. Many children are scattered in the streets in urban areas, which can lead to a loss of peace and harmony with the rest of the community. DIWEO's mission is to promote the life standards of orphans and vulnerable children, the disabled, widows, and the aged socially and economically by allowing them to participate more fully through the economy through education and skill building. The goal is a path to future self-reliance. Widowed women are helped by teaching them Income Generating Projects (IGA) such as handcrafts and agriculture. Orphans are helped in every and any way possible through access to care, nourishment, clothing, shelter, medical attention, and education. Women for Women International
Women for Women International believes that lasting change can only be achieved when women have access to both knowledge and resources. They work with socially excluded women in eight countries where war and conflict have devastated lives and communities. East woman they serve has her own story - some of loved ones murdered, and others of physical and emotional trauma. Most have endured a struggle for survival. Women who enroll in their one year program learn job skills and receive business training so they can earn a living. They come to understand their rights and how to fight for those rights in their homes, their communities, and their nations. They learn how to become leaders. |
A planted seed becomes a flower. Shared knowledge becomes another's. Smile at someone and receive a smile in return.
These are just a few gifts from giving.
These are just a few gifts from giving.