Philanthropy In Danger: The Future of Shane’s Inspiration

There are more then 900,000 public charities in the United States, and most of these organizations are waiting anxiously to see how the incoming President elect Obama will affect them. At a time when our country is facing possibly the biggest financial crisis it has experienced charities are faced with cutting services in a time when people need the most help. David Knego, the executive director of the Curry Senior Center, who had an annual budget of $2 million dollars, which was cut 5%, said that “people in the non-profit sector are looking over their shoulder fearing what’s next.” Not since the 1973 Oil Embargo Act and the devastation of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 has our economy shown sign of cracking as it is today. Shane’s Inspiration is a revolutionary program, whose goal is to bridge the gap between special needs children and their peers and like other charities in this time of need is going to have to struggle for funds and existence. At this time of crisis, with the loss of jobs and homes, it may not seem that the “tolerance” lesson is where the little money from donations should be going. I beg to differ; in time of crisis, when anxiety is high, tolerance for others is the best lesson we can teach our youth. Although this may seem like a very simple and basic message, Shane’s Inspiration is devoted to making sure it is not lost.

Shane’s Inspiration started in 1997 to honor Shane Alexander, who was born paralyzed and lived only two weeks. The organization plans and builds universally accessible playgrounds from Southern California all the way to Sri Lanka, for children with and without disabilities. The public playgrounds are created to accommodate children with leg braces and crutches, or those who are in wheelchairs, as well as those children who have no physical limitations. These facilities provide an even playing ground. Shane's Inspiration’s message of acceptance and tolerance for children with disabilities drives this foundation that has raised has helped raise millions of dollars to develop over forty universally accessible playgrounds and has affected 2,600 children each year through transportation, education and community outreach programs.

"It's the birthright of every child to simply play at the park," says Tiffany Harris, CEO and co-founder of Shane's Inspiration . This organization runs on the platform that the playground is a child’s classroom and the earliest of life lessons are taught here: “[Children] learn to negotiate while waiting in line for the slide. They learn to communicate by playing pirates on the bridge. Most importantly—they learn to trust themselves and others by interacting physically, emotionally and socially with their peers.” All children have to learn valuable lessons and Shane’s Inspiration is making sure no child is left out because of special needs or limitations they have. The universal playgrounds not only benefits children to get along it also has been proven in studies that integrated play betters motor skills, communication skills, cerebral functions, physical strength, coordination and balance, and social skills of special needs children.

Innovative and Effective, Shane’s Inspiration has influenced others to get involved. The Friedman Charitable Foundation is funding a play structure and other elements such as a garden, and with a $500,000 contribution to Shane’s Inspiration. They are now working in conjunction to build playgrounds all over the US with the help and example of Shane’s Inspiration. The national Rotary Club has sponsored this program in the past two months as well. Because of recognition from the Rotary Club International a community in Medford, Oregon is looking to do a smaller scale program based on the playground already built. The Hoover PTO has developed a plan to build the first Boundless Playground in Oregon. Proposition 3 on the California ballot also concerns the future of Shane’s Inspiration this November. This measure authorizes the sale of $980 million in bonds to upgrade and expand children's hospitals in California. Proposition 3 would cost about $2 billion over 30 years. Backers are the state's children's hospitals who have a strong connection with Shane’s Inspiration that recently put playgrounds in Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. California voters authorized $750 million in bonds for this cause in 2004 but just under half of those bonds have yet to be sold. I believe that California voters can go either way seeing this as lost tax dollars or a real opportunity to help children in need but I myself truly believe this money is best allocated to the children.

Although Shane’s Inspiration is hoping for a bright future, there is real concern for all charities. At this point in time Shane’s Inspiration has not received any significant government budget cuts, but in the next few months this could change. The foundation is in danger because their service is free with support by the Los Angeles City Council and County Board of Supervisors, Laidlaw Transit Services, and private donors. In upstate New York, the Liverpool school district had to cut their classes for special needs children because they don't have the money to keep the program running. The non-profit organizations that depend solely on donations and government funding fear that philanthropy may become a lost art. The non-profit sector is in danger of losing it resources that finance their ability to help people, but there are still those groups and individuals like Shane’s Inspiration who are not going to let this get in their way of helping others.

Non-Profit Information in the Technological Age

As I have explored in my previous posts, and keeping with the theme of my blog (people who are changing the world), I have evaluated various blogs, online magazines and websites that connect to my posts. I have added twenty new links from my exploration to my linkroll (to the right). Using the Webby and IMSA criteria for evaluating websites and blogs, I have evaluated these sites based on their content, structure, visual design, and activity.

I first explored the web for online publications that connected to non-profit organizations in general. I thought the most informative publication was The Chronicle of Philanthropy: The Newspaper of the Non-Profit World. The website is very easy to navigate and has articles on all topics that would be useful for those who are a part of a nonprofit organization as well as those who want to get involved. I found the event section very helpful because it has different ways to become involved in all cities. Another online publication was the Nonprofit Times. This is similar to the Chronicle, but I found that the amount of ads was distracting, and although there are many articles, you have to be a subscribing member to access them. The blog section of the Nonprofit Times is unsystematic and occasionally has nothing to do with the non-profit topic, which I found a bit frustrating.

These news publications are filled with articles on various topics and are great places for someone who just wants to learn about what is happening in the non–profit world, and there are websites that are geared towards those who want to get involved. I found two organizations that aim for teenagers to get involved. Yes! World was founded in 1990 by two teenagers with the goal to connect, inspire and collaborate with “young change makers to join forces for thriving, just and sustainable ways of life for all”. They have many opportunities to volunteer with groups all over the United States. Although it explains in great detail the causes for which one can volunteer, the resource links are very limited. Rustic Pathways is the most popular program for high school students to be involved with, and its website offers the opportunity to go on a group volunteer project in various countries. I have personally done one of the Rustic Pathways trips, and they are arguably the best way to get youth involved in service. The website is chalk full of pictures and trip descriptions. They have a great question and answer page as well as testimonials from parents and students who have participated. The website is set up so it is very easy to navigate. It is free to order a catalog copy of their trips in addition to simply viewing it online, which is good for parents who do not like to read off the screen. The website is very user friendly, but this website, like Yes! World, does not have many external link resources for those who might want to do more research on the different topics or countries the website offers.

VolunteerMatch.org is a great website for all ages to start looking for places to get involved. This is most popular and well known site for finding ways to volunteer online. The website is easy to navigate and allows for very specific searches along with general searches. There is a window that asks the user to create an account, which is free and takes a few minutes. By signing up for this website there is a risk that the user's inbox will be filled with junk mail from the companies that sponsor the site. Spam mail is annoying but this website service, in my opinion, is worth it because it is updated daily, which is hard to find. Serviceleader.com is a very helpful website for anyone who wants to volunteer. Although it is not a flashy or visually inviting website, it’s a great way to stay involved. ServiceLeader.org provides information on all aspects of volunteering. They also have a library that provides full-text documents for you to download. PhilanthroMedia was established for discerning donors who want to increase the impact of their giving, so this website is really more helpful for those who already donate money as opposed to those who want to be involved actively or volunteer.

To learn what the top charities are and to identify the highly regarded people who are working to change the world, there are a few websites that people will find helpful. There are some websites that have highlighted the keys players in changing the world and the key charities. On the Oprah website there is a comprehensive list of the top 10 women who are changing the world. Although these are key women, there are some who not are given a lot more attention and explanations then others. It is also set up in a slideshow format, which takes a while to load and is a little difficult to navigate. The Forbes website, although it is difficult to navigate to the top ten people who are changing the world, highlights those people who are working in labs and behind the scenes to supply aid to some of the world's most prominent problems. Charity Navigator has top 10 lists for many different things; the only problem is that when you click on the charity it does not go the charities website, rather a data page supplied by the website company itself. The everyday giving blog is one that focuses on what individual people and neighborhoods are doing to give back to their community. This blog is not done collaboratively, it is just written by one author. Although it is unclear what the authority the author has in his analysis , which is a little concerning, the blog does have links to external sites that were cited in his posts.

In previous posts, I have talked about education for children; there are many other foundations besides Inner City Arts (see first post) that are working to better education in the United States. The Extra Mile foundation and Teach for America are both foundations that are working to get better teachers in low-income areas. Both of these websites are extremely easy to understand and have many resources and external links relating to education needs in the United States. "Public Schools Inc." contains the FRONTLINE and the PBS education series. The Merrow Report and The New York Times investigate the Edison Schools and their controversial leader, Chris Whittle, through interviews with educators, administrators, and observers on both sides of the debate. This page examines whether it is possible to create schools that turn a profit. This source is well done because it gives both sides' opinions and maintains an unbiased point of view. Although this is a PBS website and TV series, there are no videos on this website, only text which makes it very dense. The information is rich and well researched, but it can at times be tedious to read.

The topic of AIDS, was something I had blogged about in my last post and found two excellent foundations that serve as a great resource to learn more about AIDS in Africa. Camfed is dedicated to fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS in rural Africa through educating girls and investing in their economic independence and leadership once they complete school. This organization is very important, provides a great history of the problem in Africa, and gives the readers various ways to donate and get involved in its organization. The other AIDS website that I found the most informative and well researched is the West Africa Aid Foundation. They educate on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and Empower People Living with HIV (PLHIV). They have a clinic in Accra, Africa that is open to all people in need of medical assistance of any kind. Their studies and scientific reports are well cited, whereas on other websites, the medical aspect is lost in pictures of Africans with Aids. This website provides information on the services offered by WAAF and IHCC, their staff and the programs that are currently being run.

Along with blogging about AIDS, I had looked at celebrities endorsing charities, and some may want to find a way to get involved in this capacity. Look to the Stars is the web's number one source of celebrity charity news and information, covering what the top stars are doing to make a positive difference in the world. The site includes exclusive interviews and a database where fans can learn about their favorite stars' good deeds. Publications and websites such as Celebrity Society Magazine, Think MTV and E! Online use the information on this site for news stories. This site is updated and accurate, and what sets it apart from others like it is that it is not connected to any tabloid magazines and does not link to any on their website. Oprah's Angel Network, a public charity formed in 1998, was established to encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others. Oprah's vision is to inspire individuals to create opportunities that enable under served women and children to rise to their potential. Oprah's Angel Network initiates and supports charitable projects and provides grants to not-for-profit organizations around the globe that share in this vision. Oprah's public image and mission has helped form some great charity organizations that have been able to grow because of her fame.

Special Needs children are fighting around the world to be understood and lead lives as normal as possible, and I found a website and a blog that are working to solve this problem. Shane's Inspiration creates Universally Accessible Playgrounds and programs that integrate children of all abilities socially, physically and emotionally, fostering acceptance, friendship and understanding. The website is extremely colorful and filled with pictures of playgrounds that have been built in Los Angeles. Although each page is not filled with much content, the pictures speak very loudly about what this foundation is doing. The blog, Living Everyday Life, holds discussion about how to survive and thrive as the parent of a child with special needs. This website shares tips, ideas, and resources about inclusion and disability awareness. The blog is filled with discussions from many parents of special needs children. This blog is very active and acts a place for parents to relate. Although this is a great website for support, on the other hand its not the best website to find out more general medical information and or foundations that are working for special needs children.