SOME WORTHY END-OF-THE-YEAR DONATIONS

Last year at this time we touted the following organizations working in Haiti and we're doing it again this year. All are worthy of your support with little or no administrative costs and your donation going directly to the folks in need. All have websites you can log on to for more specifics about the work they are doing. All but one are 501(c)(3)'s, that is, they are registered as non-profit organizations with the U.S. Government, so you can claim a donation as a tax deduction.

lambifund.org

The Lambi Fund is a progressive non-profit organization benefiting community initiated projects, particularly those empowering women in the countryside. It maximizes its donations by working in coalition with existing Haitian organizations. You can donate on its website. It is a registered 501(c)(3).

lathletiquedhaiti.org

L'Athletique d'Haiti is a non-profit after-school sports and tutoring program founded by CNN Hero Boby Duval that works with youth from the Cité Soleil and Bel Air  neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince. It is now expanding its successful programs to cities outside the capital. Its website is a bit out of date but Boby and his comrades are slogging on and doing amazing work. They accept donations on-line and have partnered with Operation USA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, to accept donations until they get their own certificate.

enfants-bonheur.org

Enfants Bonheur is a French NGO that is supporting an orphanage, Kay Bonè Timoun, which sprang up in the Canapé Vert community after the earthquake to care for about 80 orphaned children. Enfants Bonheur is now working with the community to build a permanent, earthquake and cyclone proof structure to house about 100 children in the Canapé Vert neighborhood where they lived before the earthquake. The orphanage is a very well-run operation thanks to the leadership of a remarkable woman called Mamie Georges, a retired school teacher. You can donate on the site but the site is in French. It is not a registered 501(c)(3). If you wish to donate but can't navigate the site, you can send your donation to us at Ridge Art, 1123 S. Ridgeland Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304. Make your check payable to Ridge Art and write "orphanage" on the check and we will arrange to get your donation to them.

artforhaitianchildren.org

This is the website of Art Creation Foundation for Children (ACFFC). It is a non-profit after-school arts organization that provides meals, school tuition and arts training to very poor children in Jacmel, Haiti. This year the children completed a mosaic wall as a public memorial in Jacmel to those killed in the earthquake. Some of the children have been commissioned to help construct a mosaic installation in the new hospital Dr. Paul Farmer is building in Haiti. While the artistic achievements of the children are many, the greatest accomplishment of ACFFC is the lives of the children themselves. To quote from the website, "None have been forced into prostitution. None are begging on the streets. None have been indentured/enslaved as restavecs. They are responsible citizens, the hope of Haiti for tomorrow." You can donate on the site and it is a 501(c)(3).

Gallery Pink at 149 Harrison Street in Oak Park is selling some of the charming papier mâché bird ornaments made by the ACFFC children. They will be open through the holidays on Saturdays and Sundays, 1-5 pm.