DEAR READERS: This is my favorite time of year. I love how the twinkle lights and dancing candy canes push the winter gloom away. Most importantly, the holiday season is a time to revive and remember the annual idea that a miracle is somehow just around the corner. 
 If you are inspired by this idea and believe that we create brighter futures for one another through sharing our gifts and talents, then please peruse my annual charity roundup for ideas on giving. As always, this is a list representing my own interests and passions. My intention is to inspire readers to dig deep this year and give what you can, within your own community and beyond. 
 All of the charities I recommend are highly rated (out of four stars) on Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org). Charity Navigator helpfully categorizes nonprofits according to many different metrics and offers a transparent system for assessing these organizations. Readers should use this (and other tools) to research any organization thoroughly before committing to support it. 
 International Shelterbox USA: The idea behind Shelterbox is ingenious and profound. The organization ships a box containing a tent (large enough for 10 people), a water purification system, a small cook stove and other living necessities to people displaced by natural disasters. I donated a box after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines; people can track their donated box as it is brought to the site by the Shelterbox team. shelterboxusa.org 
 Direct Relief: This California organization was founded and run by Eastern European immigrants after World War II to help provide for civilians after war. Now Direct Relief donates and ships medical supplies to local clinics in 59 countries and to clinics serving needy populations in the U.S. directrelief.org 
 Refugees International: RI sends teams to identify and document the plight of displaced people throughout the world; then the organization does the hard, thankless work of advocating for change. refugeesinternational.org 
 Make a Wish: This beloved organization helps make (all expenses paid) wishes come true for gravely ill children, partnering with families, making travel arrangements and picking up the tab. Basketball great Michael Jordan has personally granted 200 wishes over the years; committed individual donors help make it happen. Have a tissue handy to watch the stories of granted wishes on the organization's website. wish.org 
 Save the Children: For a dollar a day, you can sponsor a needy child for a year. Shopping in their online store, you can buy a goat or a hive of honeybees for an impoverished family, donate school supplies, medical care, or the means for clean water for displaced people. savethechildren.org 
 Books for Africa: The goal of Books for Africa is to end the book drought in Africa. Since 1988, they have shipped more than 27 million books to 48 African countries. These books land on once-empty library shelves, in classrooms in rural schools, and in the hands of children who have never before held a book. booksforafrica.org 
 Feeding America: This is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income Americans facing hunger (including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors). Please consider donating your money or your labor by volunteering at your local food bank. feedingamerica.org 
 Meals on Wheels: I support my local Meals on Wheels program because this favorite cause offers two essential elements for good health to vulnerable people: nutrition and human contact. Check the national organization for ways to donate and links to your local programs. mowaa.org 
 Homes for Our Troops: This group serves severely injured servicemen and women and their immediate families by raising money, obtaining materials and professional labor and coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility. The finished home is then given to the veteran. All services provided by Homes for Our Troops are at no cost to the veterans. hfotusa.org 
 The Arts: A vivid culture cannot survive without the arts. Please support cultural and arts education programs in your own community by attending live performances and events and by donating your time, talent and money.

DEAR READERS: This is my favorite time of year. I love how the twinkle lights and dancing candy canes push the winter gloom away. Most importantly, the holiday season is a time to revive and remember the annual idea that a miracle is somehow just around the corner. If you are inspired by this idea and believe that we create brighter futures for one another through sharing our gifts and talents, then please peruse my annual charity roundup for ideas on giving. As always, this is a list representing my own interests and passions. My intention is to inspire readers to dig deep this year and give what you can, within your own community and beyond. All of the charities I recommend are highly rated (out of four stars) on Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org). Charity Navigator helpfully categorizes nonprofits according to many different metrics and offers a transparent system for assessing these organizations. Readers should use this (and other tools) to research any organization thoroughly before committing to support it. International Shelterbox USA: The idea behind Shelterbox is ingenious and profound. The organization ships a box containing a tent (large enough for 10 people), a water purification system, a small cook stove and other living necessities to people displaced by natural disasters. I donated a box after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines; people can track their donated box as it is brought to the site by the Shelterbox team. shelterboxusa.org Direct Relief: This California organization was founded and run by Eastern European immigrants after World War II to help provide for civilians after war. Now Direct Relief donates and ships medical supplies to local clinics in 59 countries and to clinics serving needy populations in the U.S. directrelief.org Refugees International: RI sends teams to identify and document the plight of displaced people throughout the world; then the organization does the hard, thankless work of advocating for change. refugeesinternational.org Make a Wish: This beloved organization helps make (all expenses paid) wishes come true for gravely ill children, partnering with families, making travel arrangements and picking up the tab. Basketball great Michael Jordan has personally granted 200 wishes over the years; committed individual donors help make it happen. Have a tissue handy to watch the stories of granted wishes on the organization's website. wish.org Save the Children: For a dollar a day, you can sponsor a needy child for a year. Shopping in their online store, you can buy a goat or a hive of honeybees for an impoverished family, donate school supplies, medical care, or the means for clean water for displaced people. savethechildren.org Books for Africa: The goal of Books for Africa is to end the book drought in Africa. Since 1988, they have shipped more than 27 million books to 48 African countries. These books land on once-empty library shelves, in classrooms in rural schools, and in the hands of children who have never before held a book. booksforafrica.org Feeding America: This is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Each year, the Feeding America network provides food assistance to more than 25 million low-income Americans facing hunger (including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors). Please consider donating your money or your labor by volunteering at your local food bank. feedingamerica.org Meals on Wheels: I support my local Meals on Wheels program because this favorite cause offers two essential elements for good health to vulnerable people: nutrition and human contact. Check the national organization for ways to donate and links to your local programs. mowaa.org Homes for Our Troops: This group serves severely injured servicemen and women and their immediate families by raising money, obtaining materials and professional labor and coordinating the process of building a new home or adapting an existing home for handicapped accessibility. The finished home is then given to the veteran. All services provided by Homes for Our Troops are at no cost to the veterans. hfotusa.org The Arts: A vivid culture cannot survive without the arts. Please support cultural and arts education programs in your own community by attending live performances and events and by donating your time, talent and money.

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