Deaf Avenue
This site celebrating deaf culture is filled with information, entertainment, news and views, forums, services, and more. Here deaf users can find books, schools, events, and web links especially for them. Aimed at teens and young adults, the site features famous deaf people, deaf models, deaf scenes, opinion polls, a webcam, and dating advice. There is a computer help section as well. http://www.deafavenue.com

Charity Directory
Here is a large directory of "click to donate" charities. Want to donate to charity but don't have the funds? Here you can donate to many worthy causes for free. All you have to do is visit these websites, and the revenue generated from the sponser's banner ads goes directly to the charity. You can help cure and fight diseases, educate people, end war and violence, explore new worlds, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, protect the environment, save the animals, save the arts, and support volunteer work - all from your computer screen.

Share the Technology
Millions of computers are taken out of service each year in the United States. Many computers will sit around collecting dust until they are no longer useful. At the same time, many charities, schools, and disabled people do not have computers, or are struggling with outdated machines. The National Computer Donation Database is a way to connect donors with nonprofit organizations and disabled individuals who need computers. If you have computer equipment you no longer need, you can post a listing here and find an organization or person who could use it right in your local area. Those in need of computers can list their requests. There are no charges to either party. http://sharetechnology.org

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
You can call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) or go to this webpage to report a sighting of a missing child. Visit the National CyberTipline here to report child abuse or exploitation. Visitors can click on a picture for information on a missing child. There is a database with photographs of missing children, that makes it possible to search for a lost child by area, name, or description. Here visitors can read success stories of found children, other news, and events listings. Here you can also find information on how to protect your child, safety tips for children and teenagers, and what to do if your child is missing. http://www.missingkids.com/

Recovery Resources Online
This website is a comprehensive link directory of recovery resources on the Net, for both helping professionals and individuals seeking help. There are over 1800 links here dealing with alcoholism, addiction, mental health, and similar subjects; the links address education, prevention, and intervention. There are resources for counseling, therapy, and twelve-step programs; well-known programs like AA, NA, and OA are covered as well as links for bipolar disorder, dual diagnosis, grief and loss, gambling addiction, and more. There are links to recovery programs on radio, and recovery books, tapes, and gifts. In addition there are hundreds of links for mental health professionals, social workers, and treatment providers. http://soberrecovery.com

Volunteers of America Sidewalk Santa Website
The Volunteers of America Sidewalk Santa has been a cheerful holiday presence for decades; the very first Santa rang his bell collecting spare change for the needy in Los Angeles in the winter of 1900. Now, in keeping with the times, Sidewalk Santa has gone digital, collecting support on the Internet for programs that help the homeless, elderly, neglected and abused children, and others in need across the nation. Volunteers of America is a nonprofit, spiritually based organization providing hundreds of human service programs across the United States, each one locally created, managed, and delivered to provide practical remedies to social needs. Last year, more than 1.5 million people were served. During the holiday season, you can make a donation in honor of those you love, and make a difference in the life of someone in need. Volunteers of America will send you holiday cards that you can use to let your loved ones know of the Gift of Joy you have made. http://www.sidewalksanta.org

Heifer Project International: Charitable Gifts
Heifer Project International (HPI), a nonprofit organization, presents here its online holiday gift catalog, where you can give farm animals and trees to families in need around the world. A simple gift of a goat, for example, can do a lot to help a family become self-reliant for food and income. You can make a gift in your name, or in honor of someone else. Along with farm animals, the project provides training and agricultural resources so families can care for the animals and make best use of them. Families who receive animals, like ducks, goats, llamas, or water buffalo, agree to pass on the gift of their animals' first offspring to another family in need. At the website, visitors can read personal stories of gift givers and recipients whose lives have been changed by the project. Heifer Project has been working to reduce poverty for more than 50 years, and was selected as one of five effective charities in the Motley Fool 1999 Charity Drive. http://catalog.heifer.org/index.cfm?c

America's Second Harvest and the Y GO 2 WASTE Campaign
America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief organization, helps millions of Americans who are hungry with food distribution programs including its millennium food drive, Y GO 2 WASTE, designed to redistribute food and supplies that were stockpiled for Y2K. Citizens who want to help can look here for addresses of local food banks where they can donate food or money. The site also has the latest news on hunger; profiles of the hungry; innovative food bank programs; facts on hunger; updates on pending legislation; and information on food industry partnerships. The goal of this project is to end hunger in America in the new millennium. http://www.secondharvest.org

VolunteerMatch: Powered By You
VolunteerMatch uses the power of the Internet to help individuals nationwide find volunteer opportunities posted by nonprofit and public sector organizations. Volunteers can search an online database of thousands of one-time and ongoing opportunities by location, category, and date, then sign up by email for those that fit their interests and schedule. Organizations seeking volunteers can post their own opportunities. Examples of activities include walk-a-thons, beach day cleanups, tutoring, home building, meal deliveries, online volunteering, and more. So far, the site has matched more than 50,000 volunteers with opportunities nationwide. The service is free and available to any nonprofit, government organization, church, school, or university. http://www.volunteermatch.org

Aid For Kids: Donate for Free
Here you can order freebies and give to charity without spending a cent. For each free item ordered, the site's sponsors pay a small amount which is shared between four children's charities: Unicef, March of Dimes, Children's Defense Fund, and The Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Freebies include ezines, magazines, catalogs, companies that pay to surf the Web, software, information, surveys, sweepstakes, and more. Users can join a mailing list to be notified of new offers directly. http://www.aidforkids.com/

The Hunger Site
It is estimated that 800 million people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition, and 24,000 die of hunger every day. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five. Here you can make an instant free donation of food to the hungry, simply by clicking on a button. The button is linked to a sponsors page; the listed sponsors donate food based on how many users click the button. The donated food is distributed through the United Nations World Food Program. The site also has a contact list of relief organizations around the world; facts about hunger; and a world map that shows the frequency and location of deaths from hunger around the world. http://www.thehungersite.com

Food for the Hungry
Over 200 million children under the age of five in developing countries are hungry, and 12 million of these die every year. Many more grow up with lasting mental and physical disabilities. But how can one person help? This website shows how an individual can sponsor a child, donate money to help the poor, volunteer time, or work in a salaried position to help end hunger. Food for the Hungry is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to meeting physical and spiritual needs around the world. The organization hopes to break the cycle of poverty, despair, and hopelessness in many parts of the world by providing nutritious food, clean water, medical care, and education. The web page is beautifully designed and easy to navigate, and provides facts about hunger around the world, a hunger awareness quiz, and ways to help victims of disasters such as the Colombia earthquake.
http://www.fh.org

Street Soldiers / Omega Boys Club
This website presents the history, programs, and staff of the Omega Boys Club, which helps inner-city kids get off the street, and The Omega Institute, which trains individuals in substance abuse and violence prevention skills. The Omega Boys Club began in 1987 with a handful of kids in a San Francisco community center basement, and since then Joseph Marshall and his small army of street soldiers have helped 600 kids leave gangs and drug dealing, and enabled 140 inner-city kids to get into colleges around the country. The Street Soldiers are committed to eliminating violence from their lives and their communities and adopting the Street Soldiers Rules For Living, which are listed on the website. The Street Soldiers Violence Prevention Program includes a radio call-in show which helps make contact with kids on the street; 1-800-SOLDIER, a 24-hour telephone counseling service; and a TV special hosted by Malik Yoba, called The Power of One. The book Street Soldier: One Man's Struggle to Save a Generation, One Life at a Time, by Joseph Marshall, Jr., describing his work to help crack dealers and gang members change their lives, has won praise from Spike Lee, Denzel Washington, Sinbad, and others. The website has articles here on How to Treat Violence as a Disease and other subjects.
http://www.street-soldiers.org

EMERGENCY:
The Police Notebook
Where can you find out how to handle an obscene phone call, how to protect your valuables from theft, and what to do if you get bit by a poisonous spider? In The Police Notebook, created by the University of Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to bring important emergency and safety information to the public. This comprehensive law enforcement website has over 600 web pages and more than 130 articles on crime prevention, personal safety, Internet safety, fire safety, first aid, and many more topics.
http://www.ou.edu/oupd/

GuideStar
If you are interested in donating time or money to a worthy cause, check this website first. GuideStar is a free service with reports on more than 600,000 American charities and nonprofit organizations. Guidestar aims to help potential donors seek out and monitor the performance of nonprofit organizations, and to stimulate nonprofits to greater accountability and more effective operating practices. Users can search the database by name, keyword, location, or revenue; each organization is listed with contact information, a description of its programs, and a breakdown of its finances. There is an explanation of some nonprofit concepts and some information on tax deductions. In addition, there are up-to-date news stories on philanthropy, articles about particular nonprofits, and a cartoon. A forum is being developed where members can meet, discuss, and share ideas.
http://www.guidestar.org

The Collective
Multiple personality disorder arises in childhood, as a protective reaction to extreme trauma. It is estimated that there are at least 2,000,000 cases in the U.S. The Collective is a website created by Rainbow House, a member-run support organization for people with multiple personality disorder or other dissociative disorders. The organization has a group of professionals who serve as advisors. The organization provides information on community resources, literature, and professionals in many specialties. It also sponsors art and music therapy, religious issues groups, writers' groups, computer classes, sign language, movement therapy, and sports activities. Educational programs are offered to members, community organizations, and health care providers.


Operation: "Security Blanket"
This site honors police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, and has many useful emergency and law enforcement links. Operation: Security Blanket is a worldwide, all-volunteer effort to collect law enforcement shoulder patches and make them into a memorial quilt to honor officers who have fallen in the line of duty. The quilt is scheduled to travel the U.S. in 1997, and will be displayed at various locations to make the public aware of the increase in violence against men and women in uniform. This site sponsors an Undernet IRC channel discussion (#copblanket) Monday through Friday; you can download the free mIRC software here and join. The site also provides news updates, monthly email newsletters, and a FAQ.


Vietnam Veterans Home Page
This web page is an interactive forum where Vietnam veterans and their families and friends can exchange information and share stories, poems, songs, art, pictures, and experiences. Find notices here for important veterans' events such as the Moving Wall, and memorials honoring veterans in the United States and around the world. Users can search a database to find POW, MIA, and KIA records. Finder services help veterans locate old buddies, and reunite relatives and friends of veterans who were killed during the war. There are reports for individual units and their reunions, homecomings, and gatherings. In addition to virtual tours and maps of Vietnam, there are entertaining travel stories and diaries, and schedules of tours oriented toward veterans. Many veteran-related organizations have links here, including such diverse groups as The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association, Vietnam Veteran's Oral History and Folklore Project, and Vietnam Veterans Against theWar. Those doing research can find resources here on unit histories, specific battles or campaigns, formerly classified reports, Vietnam vets' slang, World War II captured German records, and much more, including photographs of base camps and other subjects, and photo restoration services. Veterans who need legal services, government resources, or free counseling can find contacts here. There is a selection of books, videotapes, disks and CDs, plus Vietnam-related magazines and newsletters. The Post Exchange section features POW / MIA service products, T-shirts, jackets, caps, sweatshirts, belt buckles, patches, bumper stickers, and other items, many from veteran-owned businesses.
http://www.vietvet.org/

The Contact Center
Are you looking for a missing child? Do you need help with an older parent? Are you worried about the quality of your local school? Would you like to help the victims of a war or an earthquake? The Contact Center Network, Inc. is a nonprofit organization working for a better world, a one-stop shop for information and referrals. This comprehensive directory of nonprofit resources on the Web has links to over 3,000 sites arranged by issue and geography. Some topics covered are international resources, art, children, civil liberties and human rights, community service, technology, disabilities, disaster relief, economic development, education, environment, foundations and fundraising groups, sexual issues, health, poverty, immigration, conflict resolution, race, addiction, abuse, religion, wildlife, and women's issues.