We here at the Indie Fixx believe that those who are fortunate enough to have a comfortable and secure life have a duty to share with those who are less fortunate and in need. We also believe there are causes in the world of the utmost importance and those of which we should help further their goals.

That said, throughout the year we will be donating a portion of our proceeds from Indie Fixx to a different charitable organization. These organizations will provide humanitarian support, focus on the arts, provide for environmental stewardship, be concerned with animal welfare and more. Whatever the case may be, they will be organizations that we want to not only donate to, but which we wish to help publicize and promote.

2008
January

Kiva - Provides micro-loans to individuals in developing countries. You can lend money to specific individuals and choose to reinvest your donation when it is repaid. We have donated several times in the past and have even reinvested our original donation.

February

Playpumps International- Their aim is to provide a source of clean drinking water in Africa where a major source of illness is contaminated drinking water. They have an ingenious approach to this problem-merry-go-rounds! Installed near schools, the PlayPump system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children. Inexpensive and easy to install, over 950 have been installed in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, and Zambia.

March

One Laptop per Child - The mission of One Laptop per Child is to provide children in the developing world with new opportunities to learn, experiment and express themselves. It is at its core an educational project with the goal of empowering children with the greatest educational lesson…the ability to learn how to learn. To reach that goal, a powerful, durable and fun $100 laptop was developed by the MIT Media Lab. A long-time project in the making the mass production of the $100 laptops finally began in November 2007. You can read more about One Laptop per Child here, here and here.

April

Rainforest Action Network’s Protect-An-Acre Fund I chose this group mostly after reading and hearing how biofuels may actually be contributing to global warming rather than helping to alleviate it. Founded in 1993, Protect-An-Acre’s goal is to protect the world’s rainforests and the rights of their inhabitants by providing financial aid to traditionally under-funded organizations and communities in temperate, tropical and boreal forest regions. Protect-an-Acre works to protect threatened areas and to empower the indigenous inhabitants of the targeted areas by helping them gain legal recognition of their territory, establishing protected reserves that recognize the rights of local communities, developing locally-based alternative economic initiatives, assisting in community organization, promoting environmental education and practicing resistance to destructive practices such as logging, fossil fuel development and large-scale infrastructure projects in forest areas. Read more here.

May
WHYY - Public Radio station
This month I chose to donate to my local public broadcasting radio station, WHYY. I listen to NPR every day, for the better part of the day, in my office and in the car. I’ve been a long-time listener and supporter and this month is was time for me to renew my support for public broadcasting. WHYY is a great station and produces two of my favorite programs, Fresh Air with Terry Gross and Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. I also enjoy these other NPR programs: Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and This American Life. Public broadcasting, and NPR specifically, helps make my life more enjoyable, informed and richer.

June
Food Bank of Delaware
After hearing & reading how high food & energy costs are hurting food banks and other charitable organizations that provide food assistance, I decided to donate to the Food Bank of Delaware this month. The Food Bank of Delaware is my local food bank, but you can learn how you can donate at Second Harvest, the Nation’s Food Bank Network.

July
Vets 4 Vets
This month, I donated to the organization Vets 4 Vets after hearing (and now here) about how many Iraq and Afghanistan vets aren’t getting the mental health care that they need from the Veteran Administration.  Vets 4 Vets is a peer support outreach group that is staffed exclusively by veterans. Their goal is to help soldiers feel good about themselves and heal from any negative aspects of service and war through the use of peer support.

September - December
Food Bank of Delaware
My local food bank has really been struggling to feed people in need, especially now that we are in a recession, and I decided to allocate all my giving funds to it for a while.  The Food Bank of Delaware is my local food bank, but you can learn how you can donate at Second Harvest, the Nation’s Food Bank Network.

2009
January - April

Feeding America is the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity and it just makes sense to donate to them in these trying economic times. Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.

May
WHYY - Public Radio station
I decided to donate again to my local public broadcasting radio station, WHYY.  WHYY is a great station and produces two of my favorite programs, Fresh Air with Terry Gross and Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. I also enjoy these other NPR programs: Talk of the Nation, All Things Considered and This American Life.

June - December
Food Bank of Delaware
The Food Bank of Delaware is my local food bank, but you can learn how you can donate at Second Harvest, the Nation’s Food Bank Network. We have also been donating our surplus produce from our garden.