"I may not be able to change the world, but I know I made a difference in their life today," says one foster parent. Foster parents do so much more than provide a safe, loving home to children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected - they can change their lives forever. "I felt like my world had come to an end and that I had no meaning in my life, but with the help from people that worked with me I have found out differently...without them I wouldn't have come to the conclusion that I am special and that I am a person who deserves to be loved" says Beatrice, 16 from ChildNet. Creating a meaningful connection with at least one caring adult is crucial to helping them thrive and achieve their goals. You can make that meaningful connection - click here to learn more about the significance and benefits of becoming a foster parent. 

Everyone has something to give. And now Neighbors 4 Neighbors is making it easy to share your talents and help neighbors in need with a new website – HelpingFeelsGood.org. Go online to connect with local organizations and find simple projects to help others. No talent is too big or too small. Perhaps you're a local mechanic who can help a family that can't afford to repair their car or want to share your green thumb to brighten a senior's yard. Together, we can spread kindness throughout our community. Step-by-step instructions on how to use HelpingFeelsGood.org are available here. Click here and register today to connect with a project near you! 

This month we're sharing Joshua Jamieson's experience with HelpingFeelsGood.org. A Pennsylvania-native, army veteran and Kansas State University graduate, Joshua is currently working as a substitute teacher in Weston, FL. "I have a passion for education and this project seemed like a great opportunity to help the community using the skills that I have," Joshua says. Despite Khaliel's being hard of hearing and the fact that Joshua doesn't know American Sign language, their tutoring has gone very well. "[Khaliel] is a motivated student and really wants to learn. He does what he can and he's not afraid to speak up if he doesn't understand something." Their initial focus was the FCAT and now as they await their scores, they will continue tutoring for the SAT this summer and throughout the Fall, focused this time on achieving Khaliel's dream of attending college on a Soccer Scholarship. Connect with a project on your terms, on your time through HelpingFeelsGood.org - your online resource to finding meaningful volunteer experiences that match your special talents with neighbors in need. Register today to connect with a project near you.

Being a Guardian ad Litem, a child advocate appointed in dependency cases to advocate for the best interest of the children involved,  means having a heart that exudes a passion which goes beyond just writing a report or attending court hearings. They take the time to get to know the children; where they come from and who they are underneath all the layers of trauma. With determination, they help guide children and families to accomplish goals and overcome obstacles and see beyond what their roles require of them to break down barriers between those involved in the case. The Guardian ad Litem program needs volunteers to ensure that children that end up in the welfare system, do not slip through the cracks and that their voices are consistently heard, loud and clear. Learn more about how you can become a Guardian ad Litem at weareguardians.org or call Issa Hosein at 305-302-2412. 

Heatstroke in vehicles is the leading cause of all non-crash-related fatalities involving children 14 and younger. Even the best of parents or childcare provider can overlook a sleeping child in a car, and the end result can be injury or even death. These injuries or deaths are completely preventable. Everyone has a role to play in protecting our children, so Look Before You Lock!

According to SSA.gov, The Ticket to Work Program is the way that beneficiaries can get the help they need to safely explore their work options without immediately losing their benefits. Beneficiaries also can use a combination of work incentives to maximize their income until they begin to learn enough to support themselves. Click here to learn more.

Subscribe here to receive your own copy of the Cause An Effect e-newsletter any time before June 4th and you will be entered in a contest to win a $10 iTunes Gift Card 

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If a disaster struck your neighborhood, would you be ready? You would only have a few minutes to react, and is that enough time to gather all the information and documents you would need? As Hurricane Season approaches, make sure you find out how to make sure you're financially prepared in case disaster strikes. These 4 steps can help you financially prepare for a disaster.

Neighbors 4 Neighbors is honored to receive 211 Broward's Non-Profit of the Year for Innovation award for our latest web-based program, "Helping Feels Good" - launching Monday, March 4th. The site was carefully developed and designed to help volunteers find meaningful community projects on their terms and help non-profits better serve those in need. Dozens of non-profits in Broward and Miami-Dade Counties have completed training and plan to take advantage of participating in the program. 

The Neighbors 4 Neighbors team was excited to celebrate the big win, Friday, February 22nd at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino with their non-profit partners and collaborators, HandsOn Broward and the web development team at Marketing Matters. We look forward to the growth of  "Helping Feels Good" and know it will provide a unique community resource to both citizens looking to engage in their community and non-profits seeking new ways to generate awareness and help their clients!

Tomorrow's Rainbow, a wonderful organization that uses horses to help children cope with grief is in need of a new permanent barn after this week's storms tore their old one down. If you can help by donating funds to help them build the barn please click here and enter Tomorrow's Rainbow in the intention field. If you can donate your skills or services to help rebuild the permanent barn, please email lynne@neighbors4neighbors.org.

It matters where you donate last season's clothes and unwanted furniture! The Salvation Army is proud that 88 cents of every dollar donated or produced from sales in our Family Stores goes directly to helping the neediest families in your community. So when it's time to clean out your closet, make sure that your gift does the most good.  Support your local Salvation Army and help change the lives of people like Alejandro, a man who entered the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Program, addicted and missing out on a valuable relationship with his only daughter. Click here to learn more about Alejandro's road to recovery and how your donation truly makes a direct difference in the lives of the individuals at the Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation program.   

If your child is under 17 years old, you may save money during tax time with the Child Tax Credit. It helps reduce your federal income tax by up to $1,000 for each child you claim. In order to see if your child qualifies you for the credit, click here.  There are many locations in South Florida where you can have your taxes done for free and also see if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. To find a location near you in Broward, click here or Miami-Dade here. 

Check out these great resources to help you and your family eat and be healthier: 10 Tips Nutrition Education,  Fooducate, SuperTracker, Food Safety, USA.gov

Legal Aid Service of Broward County and Coast to Coast Legal Aid are providing free legal advice, counsel, and/or representation to income-eligible Broward residents. Open through June 30th, the program covers the areas of bank, homeowner & condo association foreclosure defense, mortgage modification, pre-foreclosure issues and tax liens. Learn more here.

Join us as we celebrate twenty years of caring and help us continue our work in the community with our "Twenty 4 Twenty" campaign! Every $20 donation represents the twenty years that we have been serving the South Florida community and gives us the opportunity to continue connecting those who can help with those in need. Click here to make a donation and click here to learn more about Twenty 4 Twenty Campaign. Be one of the first 250 donors to this campaign and you'll receive a $15 dining gift certificate to the Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood, FL! Plus, for every $20 donation you make, you'll also receive a gift set of 6 Kindness Cards!

The Children’s Services Council of Broward County provides leadership, advocacy, and funding for services for and on behalf of children. More than 100 CSC programs are delivered by “provider” agencies that have clearly defined goals and outcomes and are regularly monitored for quality and performance.

Neighbors 4 Neighbors is proud to partner with the Children's Services Council on important initiatives to help the children and families of our community, like our annual Back to School campaign and Swim Safety initiative.

Click here to learn more about the Children's Services Council. 

ATTENTION STUDENTS - We're looking for great Summer Interns to join our team. 3 positions available: special events, social media and production. Social work, public administration, marketing or journalism background preferred. Interested? Send your resume & a brief narrative describing what you'd like to get out of an internship experience with us to administrator@neighbors4neighbors.org.

Our community partners at HandsOn Broward connects individuals and groups to meaningful hands-on service opportunities at over 600 nonprofit organizations in Broward County - and they will soon be serving Miami-Dade as HandsOn Broward this Fall.

Click here to connect with HandsOn Broward and learn more about volunteer opportunities, trainings and events.

Filled with tons of tips and info for your growing family. If you live in Broward County, download your copy or pick one up at The Children's Services Council of Broward. If you live in Miami-Dade or Monroe Counties, you can download or pick up a copy from the Early Learning Coalition of Miami!

If you're unemployed and live in Miami-Dade or Broward County, check out these great links!

- Access Miami Jobs

Broward County: 

- Hollywood Job Opportunities 
- Ft Lauderdale Job Opportunities
- Dania Beach Job Opportunities
- Lauderhill Job Opportunities
- Miramar Job Opportunities
- Pompano Beach Job Opportunities
- Sunrise Job Opportunities
- Tamarac Job Opportunities
- Hallandale Beach Job Opportunities
- Oakland Park Job Opportunities
- Margate Job Opportunities
- Broward County Schools

Miami-Dade County: 

- North Miami Beach Job Opportunities
- Coral Gables Job Opportunities 
- Miami-Dade Schools

We want to thank one of our founding underwriters,The Herbert W. Hoover Foundation, for their continued support of Neighbors 4 Neighbors over the past 20 years!

Adopt-a-bear is a grassroots non-profit campaign dedicated to fighting child abuse. Our daily mission is to help comfort abused, neglected and abandoned children – one teddy bear at a time!

At the core of our adoption effort is the experience of children helping children. The “adoption” of the teddy bear by one child for another who is less fortunate, is a treasured gift for all. Of course, we encourage loving adults to adopt as well.

The campaign was created by CBS-4 News Chief Investigative Reporter Michele Gillen in response to state budget cuts that endangered the gifting of bears by our Juvenile Court Judges. Thanks to you, the bears are being rescued – and so are the children.  To make a donation to Adopt A Bear, click here.

Head to Westland Gardens Park on Saturday, June 1st in support of the 30 million Americans affected by rare diseases. Bring your family, friends and coworkers to the walk to create awareness, increase understanding and eliminate stigma. Click here to see the flyer.