Non-Profit Resources & Directory

The Make A Wish Foundation

The Make A Wish Foundation was started in Phoenix, Arizona in 1980 when a boy with leukemia was granted his wife of becoming a police officer for one day. The event was covered by the local media and they program grew into a well known grass roots organization. The Make A Wish Foundation provides hope, strength and joy to hundreds of thousands of children with life threatening illnesses.

The Make A Wish Foundation has received lots of coverage from the media and was recently highlighted by ESPN. Athletes from the world of sports were shown meeting with these children who wanted to meet their favorite sports star. The event was successful and many children had their lives enhanced by meeting with their hero.

Today the Make A Wish Foundation has over 25,000 volunteers. One of the most touching stories was that of Red Sox slugger Mo Vaughn promising a young boy with leukemia that he would hit a homerun for him and then proceeding to do so. This story became well known and later the boy came to a Red Sox game and was presented the homerun baseball. The boy died sometime after that event. These stories warm the human heart and this foundation does its best to ease the suffering of children with life threatening illnesses.



The Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic evolved from the work of Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his two sons. After a bad storm, many people were cared for at Saint Mary's Hospital. The Mayo Clinic became integrated with Saint Mary's Hospital in 1889. The work of the two Mayo brother became well known. They created the model where a hospital patient was seen by a team of doctors, not only one primary physician.

The present Mayo Clinic is located in Rochester, Minnesota and has been used by some well known celebrities as President Franking Delano Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy and baseball players Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. The Mayo Clinic prides itself on caring for the patient using the most modern medical advances and for a caring and nurturing environment.

The staff at the Mayo Clinic represent some of the best doctors in the world. The Mayo Clinic can treat people with all kinds of illness and sickness. They also have hospital facilities in Arizona and in other places around the country. The staff at Mayo Clinic are known for their caring and loving attitude. The Mayo Brothers believed in providing top notch medical care in a professional and nurturing environment.



The Young Men's Christian Association

The Young Men's Christian Association (also known as the YMCA) was founded in London, England on June 6, 1844 by Sir George Williams. He wanted to win souls to christ. At the time there were unhealthy social conditions as a result of the industrial revolution. The first YMCA in the United States opened on December 29, 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts. Also known as the Y, the YMCA is dedicated to building strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

The YMCA has always believed in good physical fitness and most YMCA facilities have pools so that swimming and diving lessons can be given. Back in 1891, the sports of basketball was invented by James Naismith while he was a teacher at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was looking for a indoor game that could provide physical fitness activity during the cold winters.

Today the YMCA has a number of community programs such as outdoor concerts. The concerts are well attended and there is also a cookout that takes place. These events foster the building up of community. The YMCA also offers swimming lessons for children and adults. They also sponsor road races and other events that encourage good health and fitness.