My Community
Let us help you get connected to communities that support caring.
Each community has differing needs. Connecting with nonprofit and local officials to inquire about urgent needs in the local community is a great way to start. We are collecting and sharing here ideas, inspiration and tools for Moving Caring Forward in your community.
Where Do I Start?
ANIMALS
Rescues & Shelters
Animals in Crisis
Wildlife Support
Marine & Waterways
REFORESTING
Tree Planting
Forest Recovery
Planting for Food
Community Planting
ELDERLY
Senior Assistance
Assisted Living
Pets for Elderly
Aging in Place
CHILDREN
Building Children’s Resilience
Is My Child Resilient? Tool
UCA created this simple tool to help our members assess each of their children’s personal resilience. Being resilient is now perhaps the most important skill every child needs throughout their development into adult life. It’s 1 page that can quickly change your child’s life and your ability to guide your child through these turbulent times.
HealthyChildren.org
The world can be a frightening place. Parents and Caregivers have an enormous task to prepare children for a chaotic and confusing world. To help, the American Academy of Pediatrics has published the 7 C’s of Building Resilience in Children: competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, and control.
Hunger
Create Your Own Hunger Campaign
Changing a life has never been easier. Your creativity and passions are what you can use to take an active role in ending childhood hunger in your community and beyond. In just 3 steps, facilitated by Feed the Children and UCA, you can have a quick impact!
Sex Trafficking
Polaris Foundation
There are many ways to help combat human trafficking besides donating money! You can contact your elected representatives about supporting important legislation to combat the crime and help survivors. You can learn more about how human trafficking really works and help educate others. And you can volunteer in your community to fight not just trafficking but the factors that lead to trafficking – including poverty, addiction and hopelessness. Here are immediate ways to take action to stop sex trafficking and help survivors:
- Dispel Myths About Child Trafficking
- Help Struggling Communities During COVID-19
- Help Protect Vulnerable Youth from Trafficking
- Share Infographics about Trafficking
- Stay Vigilant on Social Media
- Support aftercare organizations
ANIMALS
Rescues & Shelters
Call or walk into your local animal shelter to ask where they need help most.
Expect to see a smile, maybe be handed a leash or a list of needs. Typical needs for animal shelters are:
- volunteering to care for animals or keep the shelter operating
- fostering animals at your home
- adopting a pet to them a forever home
- donating towels, blankets and pet supplies
- organizing a fundraiser to support the shelter
Horses
Horses are powerful teachers and healers. In our modern times, they have become subject to abuse, neglect and even slaughter. As the Equus Foundation states, “too many horses in this U.S. need a life-line and opportunities to thrive.” Many horse rescues are emerging that provide sanctuary for life, while others help horses heal and then find new homes. To care for horses, these principles must be upheld in our communities:
- Horses are valued as a lasting symbol of freedom, companionship and healing
- Domestic horses need to live without prolonged risk of abuse, neglect and slaughter
- Wild horses deserve to be left free
Members in the equine community can help get connected through programs committed to the welfare of horses with the goal of building a support base of equine advocates and affecting change.
Animals in Crisis
From Crisis and Rescue to care of the pets and their owners, RedRover is one of the best.
RedRover helps animals rescued from disasters or neglect, domestic violence victims seeking safety with their pets, and animals with life-threatening illnesses. They work hard to prevent cruelty. There are many resources to help animals in crisis, available temporary animal shelters, as well as training and support programs that can be leveraged in your community.
REFORESTATION
Plant a Tree to Get Started
One Tree Planted supports local tree planting projects, fundraising , school projects and more. UCA sponsors tree planting as part of the “R” in our C.A.R.E. Projects. Their measurable goal is an 8-% survival rate of trees planted anywhere in the world.
Planting Trees for Food and Biodiversity in Your Community
What is a Food Forest, “Community Forest,” or a “Community Food Forest”?
Although a new concept to what we consider farming, the practice of planting food forests is an ancient practice; and has benefited humanity for thousands of years.
Planting Trees to Nurture Wildlife and Protect our Forests
How to plant trees to help the environment:
The National Wildlife Federation: provides seeds and seedling, and even guidance and instructions on how to plan your own “tree planting event” (events may be delayed or on hold due to COVID-19)
Planting trees or volunteering to help with efforts to protect and encourage healthy forests is a great way to engage in reforestation.
ELDERLY
Senior Assistance Needs
In most communities, our seniors and the elderly among seniors in particular, need assistance with their most urgent needs. UCA experience in communities has produced a growing common list of urgent needs:
- Finding and pursuing meaning, passion and purpose in life
- Break isolation through sense of community, social interactions, companionship
- Transportation to and from all activities
- Affordable housing, food, utilities and health insurance
- In home supportive services including advice and help with all financial matters and paperwork
- Employment, making income and a contribution
- Computer, internet, phone app training
- Health and Exercise program
- Independent Social Security Advocacy
- Entertainment
Pets as Companions
Pets for the Elderly is a delightful website touting the rewards of pet ownership for the elderly. Cute pictures! Since its founding, Pets for the Elderly has helped nearly 100,000 seniors across the country pay their pet adoption fees. Executive director Susan Kurowski said helping to connect people with pets — and giving them assistance in caring for those pets — is even more important amid the current coronavirus pandemic.
Stay-At-Home Seniors Safety
Home Care Assistance provides a wonderful checklist to make a home safer to prevent falls or injuries to elderly, as well as addressing other safety issues in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen. Very thorough and comprehensive.
Meal Delivery Services
Want to help provide better nutrition right to the door of the elderly in your community? Join to information on the top 10 Meal Delivery Services for a valuable overview of meal delivery services, guiding you to their individual websites.
For Caregivers
Join to have access to the resources below
Caring Village App
Store important medications, legal, financial and medical documents all in one place. Create a “village” of family and friends so others can volunteer to help with transportation, meal delivery, errands and companion care. Create a care plan with daily activities for others to follow while you’re away from home. Ensure your loved one is safe by staying engaged and in contact at all times, even when others are caring for them with the wellness journal, secure in-app messaging and notifications. Keep a repository of medications and upload photos of the medications and labels.
CareZone App
This FREE app essentially allows a caregiver to enter and access all of a senior’s medical information in one place. If family members download the app, you can grant them access to the information, too. CareZone also includes the capability to note when appointments are coming up, store insurance information, create to-do lists and document symptoms. This app is available on both Android and iOS devices.
Family Caregiver Alliance
Family Care Navigator: a first-of-its-kind, state-by-state, online guide to help families in all 50 states locate government, nonprofit, and private caregiver support programs. The easy-to-use Navigator lists programs for family caregivers as well as resources for older or disabled adults living at home or in a residential facility. Join to have access to the Family Care Navigator.
Long Distance Caregiving
If you are responsible to ensure wellbeing of someone in a different state or country, Home Advisor gives great tips on how you can make sure you are communicating with caregivers as well as making decisions, solving problems and making your caregivers comfortable. This guide helps navigate through the decisions for long-distance caregiving,
- Communicating with providers
- Choosing in-home caregivers
- Managing in-home care
- Making final arrangements and end-of-life decisions
VOLUNTEERING & NETWORKING
Impact Connect Volunteer Network
Join TODAY to access this benefit!
As a UCA member, you can be part of a virtually volunteering global network. This Volunteer Network makes it safe and easy to connect with people and communities who have plans or dreams to be realized.
This extensive and growing volunteer network, called Impact Connect, enables people around the world — who are willing to change lives – to make an impact. Whatever your role, job, age or energy level, you can be part of our Volunteer Network. You can also create projects to request volunteers for a project you lead or assist. This volunteer network assists only with non-monetary needs. You will not be solicited for donations.
Connecting UCA Members globally to communities and causes in need. Making an impact through volunteering.
Volunteering
Those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life. This is a fact based on decades of research. One way to a healthier life is through giving your time and effort to help others.
The Corporation for National and Community Service plays a vital role in supporting America’s culture of service. Community solutions and being a volunteer can make a positive impact.
Networking & Communities to Join
Lifeline
Lifeline is a federal program that lowers the monthly cost of phone and internet. Eligible customers will get at least $9.25 toward their bill. Lifeline is available to eligible households nationwide to help with telephone costs.
Well Connected
Enriching lives and supporting well-being. This award-winning FREE program offers activities, education, support groups, and friendly conversation over the phone or online. Well Connected is a community made up of participants, staff, facilitators, presenters, and other volunteers who care about each other and who value being connected. All groups are accessible by phone from wherever you are at no cost to you.