#ChaChaCha, No we aren’t dancing.
Houston—home of NASA, a crazy amount of bayous and, oh, like 20,000 nonprofits. Twenty. Thousand. Have you ever thought why? Because Houston is a giving city, people. We literally put our money where our mouths are and collectively help all kinds of organizations get what they need to thrive. But money is not the only way to support a worthy cause. Around the Black Sheep office, we’re always looking for ways to give back—whether that’s joining a nonprofit board, volunteering or learning about new causes.
One thing we’ve learned: it’s not that easy to find the right opportunities to get involved. While we’re the types who like a challenge, there are many, many other well-meaning, cause-loving souls who might shrug and say, “Oh well! Can’t figure it out. I’m going home.” So, we decided to make it really simple for others like us who want to give back and get involved. That’s why we started #ChaChaCha. We wanted to learn about more nonprofits so we could step up to get involved and bring others along for the party.
During our first Champagne Charity Chats event, we learned a HELLUVA lot and met a ton of movers, shakers and changemakers. What will the next one bring? Find out yourself this Friday, July 22 at 4:30 pm. On the agenda: five new organizations that are ready to chat about charity, clink glasses of champagne and challenge you to get involved.
So, what can you expect? Well here’s what we learned at our last one:
Amaanah Refugee Services
Amaanah aims to revolutionize refugee services, and our team is on a mission to integrate resettled refugees into their new homes and communities. We have four programs to carry out our mission: Amaanah’s Attic, an in-kind donations store; The Awesome Academy, an after school program; USL, a soccer league for refugee youth; and Transformed, a case management support program for single mothers and their families. Each program is designed to serve a specific need for long term integration, and each is delivered with a personal touch. Join their volunteer team by signing up on their website.
Houston Community ToolBank
The Houston Community ToolBank is a nonprofit tool lending program that provides fellow not-for-profit organizations with year-round access to an inventory of tools for use in volunteer projects and facility and grounds maintenance. We provide tools to enhance the charitable sector’s capacity to serve, facilitating hands-on volunteerism in the greater Houston area.
Access to ToolBank tools eliminates the need for agencies to incur the expense of purchasing, repairing and storing tools, reducing the costs associated with service projects and allowing these agencies to focus more of their resources on their mission.
Join the board or committee, donate or volunteer in their warehouse.
The Community Cloth
The Community Cloth is a microenterprise initiative empowering refugee women in Houston. It targets economic, educational and social goals through the provision of seed grants, training, and peer support, and by expanding market opportunities for refugee women artisans. It supports them in creating and selling handmade, indigenous arts and crafts such as woven scarves, knitted scarves, household items, children’s hats, and more.
You can support the program of empowering refugee women in our city: shop or volunteer.
Neighborhood Centers
Neighborhood Centers Inc. brings resources, education and connection to more than 600,000 people throughout Texas each year. For more than a century, Neighborhood Centers has offered comprehensive community-based programs for people at every stage of life—from infants to seniors. The organization works with residents of emerging communities in 71 service locations to help them discover the strengths and skills necessary to become productive, prosperous and self-sufficient. Building on the strengths of individuals and communities, Neighborhood Centers is transforming them. FOR GOOD.
For more information, go here.
DiscoverU
DiscoverU envisions the day when every young person demonstrates the ability to translate their personal vision into reality. To realize this vision, we focus our efforts on one mission: to provide resources and learning experiences that broaden the worldview of economically disadvantaged youth, while equipping them with the attitudes and skills to become advocates for their own success. Join the organization’s young professional board by emailing judith@discoverus.org.
Yep, we learned ALL THAT and drank champagne. Come on out, there’s no better way to end your work week and kick off the weekend!