American Library Association: Sponsors Banned Books Week

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The American Library Association (ALA) sponsored the banned books week; which protects the freedom to read and viability of the First amendment.

Banning Books week draws the public’s attention to book bannings across America by various types of organizations. Held at the end of September, banned books week emphasizes the importance of free access to information and underscores the harm of censorship by informing about attempted and actual book bannings throughout the United States.

Banned Books week is based on the preservation of intellectual freedom, even if the ideas and content are unorthodox or unpopular.  Many of the books are considered literature, such as To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger. These books and others were condemned for a variety of reasons such as drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to the age group involved.

The Issue of freedom of speech, however, demands that we allow all books to be available because no one decide for others what they should not read.

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is an organization with close ties to the American Library Association.  The Freedom to Read Foundation performs the legal work required to fight book bannings in the courts and to protect our freedom of speech right and our freedom to information.

Childfund: Helping Children Right Now

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Childfund is dedicated to helping children around the world. One great childfund program involves giving farm animals to needy families. For example, they give chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, pigs or cows to needy families. These animals provide two benefits. First, the family can eat the eggs or drink the nutritious milk from these animals and so escape the ever present hunger and malnutrition in their lives. In addition, the animals multiply and can be sold for food or eaten, thereby helping the family support itself. Cows help with farming. By making the families self sufficient, the children don’t have to work all day and can spend some time in school, to make a better future for themselves and their children.

Childfund International helps children in the United States and in 31 other countries. Their programs in the U.S. reach some of the poorest counties in Mississippi, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas.

Their work is focused on improving the lives of deprived, excluded and vulnerable children. They believe that improving children’s well-being creates a better world for everyone. Childfund works to empower children to thrive throughout all stages of their lives and to become leaders of ongoing change.  Currently ChildFund International helps more than 15.2 million children and their families to break the cycle of poverty and to become healthy and productive citizens

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles

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With over 50 years of service and experience, Big Brothers and Big
Sisters of Greater Los Angeles has as their mission to help children
in need.  They do so in a number of ways.  They offer a one-to-one
mentoring program that offers needy children a chance to form a
lasting bond with a pre-screened adult who commits to working with the
child for one entire year.  They help children to strengthen their
sense of self-worth, to improve each child’s resilience, self-efficacy
and sense of future and more.

In the past year alone, 1670 at-risk children and youth from the
greater Los Angeles area were matched with carefully-screened
supportive adult volunteers.  90% of the children come from families
with annual household incomes at or below the Federal poverty level.
More than 75% of the children are from single parent households and
30% of the children are referred to the program through the L.A.
County Department of Children and Family Services.

Enterprise Community Partners Turns 25

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Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, Jr., Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, District 4, and other state and local dignitaries joined Enterprise Homes, Inc. to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary at a “topping off” and
flag raising ceremony at The Greens at Liberty Road in Randallstown, Md. When completed, the new green apartment building will feature 105 affordable rental homes for low- and moderate income seniors.

The $15.6 million Greens at Liberty Road is one of six developments totaling 600 homes now being developed or slated to close on financing by Enterprise Homes, which is celebrating 25 years as a leading developer of affordable and mixed-income communities in the mid-Atlantic region.

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Health Care Deep in the Heart of Mumbai

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AmeriCares India recently partnered with Karunya Trust to provide health screenings, medicines and other aid to vulnerable women and girls. The groups set up temporary health clinics to reach a severely underserved community on the outskirts of Mumbai.

“Most of our patients in this community live a hand to mouth existence. They are so poor that they do not seek medical help due to the fear of losing their daily wages,” said Dr. Purvish Parikh, Vice President of AmeriCares and Managing Director of AmeriCares India Foundation. “Providing medical care close to home is practically the only way the women and children in this community can receive treatment for their illnesses and injuries.”

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Save the Children Heads to Kyrgyzstan

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Save the Children is distributing relief supplies to families caught up in the wave of hostilities in southern Kyrgyzstan.

Save the Children yesterday provided hygiene kits and bulk supplies to 400 families — some barricaded in their neighborhoods and others living in temporary shelters — in the city of Osh. Today the organization plans to reach another 300 families and expects additional supplies to arrive overland from Tajikistan.

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