Imagine waking up each morning wondering if you are going to be able to feel the ground under your feet...or imagine being thirty years old, having a thriving career,recently becoming a new parent and then receiving the diagnosis of a lifelong disease that may force you into a wheelchair before the age of 50. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Gateway Area Chapter, helps over 6,800 people in our area who are affected by the horrible effects of multiple sclerosis.

World Pediatric Project is an awesome organization. Regardless of culture or geography, children create the love that inspires parents, they are the glue that connects families and the source of a community’s hope. Most developing countries still lack access to pediatric critical care resources, especially surgical care, leaving parents without a way to care for sick children. World Pediatric Project can help!!

I posted a request that the money gets donated to Payback, Inc. The money would stay local. PayBack works in partnership with five St. Louis Area Courts (St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County and St. Clair County, IL) to help children, victims, and our community, break the cycle of juvenile delinquency. Payback's mission is to secure funding which will enable juvenile offenders to pay back their victims through community service work. We provide non-profits where they can work and we keep track of their hours. We then pay back the victims through the money we raise based on the number of hours the teenagers work. It's hard to explain how amazing this program is. It builds job skills, accountability and responsibility with the teenagers who committed crimes. The victims, who are often poverty stricken, get paid back. And countless nonprofits across the city get volunteers. Since 1983, approximately 12,000 youth have generated 500,000+ hours of community service and returned more than
$600,000 in restitution to crime victims in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.
Estimated savings of more than $700,000 in crimes not committed by PayBack participants. http://www.paybackinc.org/?page_id=710 for more information.

One of my Facebook followers suggested the Affton Food Pantry. Great idea!

The Wyman Center team in Eureka just posted on the corresponding Eureka-Wildwood Facebook page they are excited to have this opportunity to further support their teens. (They are nominated.)

I work for Circle of Concern in Valley Park. We cover residents in school districts Valley Park, Parkway, and Rockwood. We a food pantry and we offer more services.

I just hope Baer isn't serving my hot dog. The guy can't write short articles well. No telling what he would do to my food. As for the donation, how about the Human Fund?

Thank you, Allan, for nominating Circle of Concern. Your nonprofit provides an important service to West St. Louis County. Some CofC board members and volunteers from the Wildwood area speak highly of the group's initiatives. Good to see you involved on Patch!

Another concern I have would be some sort of utility assistance. With the heat we are having, electric bills are going to be sky high.

I think that Stray Rescue of St. Louis should get the money. If you have not checked out who and what these folks are doing and why they are so passionate about what they do. Check them out they are on facebook. You need to read the story about Norm and Gash but be sure to see what others are helped.

Ron Paul's liberty movement. That would be the best thing you could possibly do for America's future.

Stray Rescue. The work that group does is amazing. They hit the streets everyday many times in extreme weather looking for dogs that need rescued. Just recently they saved a dog who was being used as a bait dog and was on the brink of death. What they do takes a HUGE heart and tons of dedication. Please give them your proceeds.

The Erin Eickmeier Foundation. We just purchased property for a day camp site for kids with disabilities and a group home site for ambulatory adults with disabilities. As a grass-roots start-up non-profit, we could use all the help we can get. We have a lot of modifications to make to our new property to get it ready for the kids next spring.

Project Peanut Butter in Maplewood saves children's lives in poor countries with their fantastic peanut butter product. See them at projectpeanutbutter.org

Love the ideas above!! With this being a local website, my big concern would be to give it to a local NP organization. Which ever one of those gets picked is great with me, but do have some input. My input, unfortunately is only from personal experiences within the last 2years. I too have been sick for that long, and to many doctor's until FINALLY getting correct diagnois of Pseudotumourcerecri (IH). I was 1st mistakenly diagnosed w/MS, and have dealt with our local MS Chapter=AMAZING organization. I'm a young (30yrs) of 2 small children in Florissant who has had to quit her job, and been bedridden mostly for last 2yrs. I can lastly tell you St. Vincent DePaul society is my official vote to receive funds for their nonprofit organization, which is local as well. I say this becuase when NO ONE else could help, they ALWAYS have, and without making me feel embarrased, ashamed, etc. They've helped me w/utility bills after calling all other agency's to hear the were out of funds, over and over again. I know St. Vincent is getting low too, and have referred them to many other people who have also received help/assistance. They have a food pantry, utility help, free counseling, and if I'm not mistaken a St. Vincents children home locally as well. The people are very nice, hard working, honest volunteers! Please take a look or give them a call if you or someone else is in need, Thanks

Such great ideas in this thread!

Rainbows for Kids is an organization which has fun things for kids with cancer and other life threatening diseases to do to "just be a kid". These volunteers sponsor one baseball game each year, in which the children get to play. There is also a flag football game in the fall, and the boys play flag football, and the girls are cheerleaders and one child even played in our band. These are just two examples of what the organization sponsors for these children. Believe me, the kids and the volunteers LOVE it!

George Csolak
I think the Kilo Diabetes and Vascular Research Foundation would be an excellent beneficiary of this donation. For the past 40 years, the Kilo Foundation has supported research to find a cure for diabetes and to determine the causes of diabetes and to determine the causes of diabetes and vascular complications. The research is conducted at the Kilo Laboratory at Washington University School of Medicine under the direction of Dr. Emil Unanue, Department of Pathology and Immunology. The laboratory has made great strides in the pursuit of a cure for the disease and, in 2003, achieved a cure for Type 1 diabetes in mice - unfortunately not yet in humans. In addition, significant progress is being made in Type 2 diabetes and autoimmune diseases. Dr. Charles Kilo founded the Kilo Foundation, whose mission is to find a cure for diabetes, preserve life, promote health and safeguard the lives of people with diabetes and vascular disease through research, education, proper care and treatment. For more information or to make a donation, please visit our website at www.kilorf.com or call the Foundation at 314-434-6500.

Rainbows for kids, they're a great organization who cares for children going through so much physical and mental pain and stress due to a life threatening illness that they have. They have touched our lives and many others and we would love to see them continue to touch others in their time of need.

Victor Davis

Rainbows for Kids is a local charity which benefits children with cancer, and their families.

Gateway Pet Guardians!!!!

http://gatewaypets.com/about_gateway_pet_guardians

Gateway Pet Guardians is a nonprofit, virtual animal shelter and pet rescue located in St. Louis that rescues stray dogs and cats in and around the East St. Louis, Illinois and St. Louis metro area. Our volunteers feed the strays in East St. Louis on a daily basis. When a foster family comes forward, we can then rescue one of the many dogs we see on our route. All of Gateway Pet Guardians’ adoptable animals are in the care of loving foster families within our network while they patiently await their turn to be adopted and go to a forever home.

Hassie
Wentzville Special Sports is an nonprofit organization in Wentzville School District. Our program consist of 65 special olympic athletes. Our program is available to students with developmental disabilities that compete against other athletes in Missouri. The program offers the opportunity for our athletes to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and develop friendship in our community. The athletes will appreciate if you vote for us. Wentzville Special Sports.

Sisters of Divine Providence Room at the Inn shelter for women.