Clicking Our Heels - Charities and Social Issues We Care About

Clicking Our Heels - The Charities and Social Issues We Care About

The Stiletto Gang members have lives outside of writing. Today, we tell you about some of the charities and social issues we are passionate about.

T.K. Thorne- Maranathan Academy, a non-profit school in Birmingham, AL that gives critically at-risk children a second chance, because I get to see faces turn from despair to excitement with learning and hope for a better future.

Dru Ann Love - The New York Blood Bank – because when I needed blood for a transfusion, it was there for me.

Shari Randall - I'm very interested in literacy issues (you can take the girl out of the library but you can't take the library out of the girl!) I volunteer with my local libraries in book sales and book nooks. So much research has shown how libraries play a big role in leveling the playing field for less-advantaged children. Many parents cannot afford books for their children and it's vitally important to keep libraries open to help those families.

J.M. Phillippe - LGBTQ Rights, because of how much people in my personal life are impacted by being denied the same basic rights of other people. And reprodctive rights, because again of the impact they have, not just on women, but on entire communities.

Judy Penz Sheluk - Canadian Cancer Society — I’m a breast cancer survivor (10 years and counting)

. I’ve done volunteer work for Golden Rescue (golden retrievers) and support them — I’m on my fourth purebred Golden and had a Golden mix as a kid.

Kay Kendall - I support the Sierra Club in all it stands for. It's the oldest and most influential environmental organization in the U.S., amplifying its 3.5+ million members' voices to defend our right to a healthy world. Helping the Sierra Club keep fighting for Earth's natural resources is important to me.

Mary Lee Ashford (1/2 of Sparkle Abbey) - As Sparkle Abbey, we are involved with several local pet rescue groups and contribute a basket of goodies (and sometimes a chance to have your pet in a book) to their Raise Your Paw Auction. These groups do great work to rescue animals that are abandoned or in bad situations and find them forever homes. The other cause near and dear to my heart is literacy and I donate, speak, do whatever I can to support local literacy groups. 

Debra H. Goldstein – I have a special interest in issues relating to women and children. Consequently, I support the YWCA of Central Alabama’s domestic violence and pre-school programs as well as programs sponsored by the Girl Scouts.

Bethany Maines - The Pacific Northwest has a higher percentage of Multiple Sclerosis than any other spot in the nation and they don't really know why.  MS causes deterioration of the connections between the body and the brain and there is no cure. I can count at least five people I know personally who have MS or have died from MS and that is at least five too many.  If you would like to donate or help in some way the National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a great organization that is BBB accredited and is dedicated to curing MS and helping those have MS live better lives.  https://www.nationalmssociety.org/

Julie Mulhern - I worked for ten years for a not-for-profit that helped individuals and families manage the challenges posed by serious or chronic illness. It remains a cause dear to my heart.

Linda Rodriguez - I've been a member of Amnesty International for many years. What they do for political prisoners around the world is tremendously important work. I have long had a recurring donation going to Doctors Without Borders because their work in the locations where violence and war are devastating people is critical. I also have long had a recurring donation that goes to the American Indian College Fund, which provides funding for tribal colleges and Haskell Indian Nations University, the only four-year university for Native Americans. Ironically, my son now teaches at Haskell Indian Nations University, but my involvement with the American Indian College fund goes back to his grade school days. I have a recurring donation that goes to the ACLU, who are doing yeoman's duty at this time in this country as it has become, defending our Constitution and our law against all of the attacks which are being waged against our kind of liberal democracy. And there are others, but those are the ones I've been involved with for a long time.

A.B. Plum - The Health Wagon operates in West Virginia and serves people without health or dental or vision care. Mostly run by volunteers, THW manages its money and resources in an amazingly frugal way. One day I hope to join them on site—in addition to supporting them with $$.  https://thehealthwagon.org/hwwp/

Cathy Perkins - While my husband and I have offered financial support for numerous charities over the years, my volunteer time has gone to The Sexual Assault Center. The agency recently extended their services to all crime victims but the mission remains one of support and healing. In today's political environment with the constant attacks on women's rights, I find it vital to stand up and give back and encourage everyone to pick your passion and support it.