It seems that nearly every August, when our family travels to the Jersey Shore, we get the chance to watch horrific destruction unfold somewhere as hurricane after hurricane rolls in at summer’s end. One year, it was Katrina, and we thought we would never see anything so devastating again. A few years ago, we ourselves became the victims as Hurricane Irene roared up the coast and sent us all packing.

And now we are all transfixed by the severe damage and trauma that Hurricane Harvey is bringing to Texas and the Gulf Coast. Seeing the images and reading the news, we are horrified but also heartened by tales of bravery and humanity.

We have reached out to our three grantees based in the area and all of them have reported back that they are safe. Teresa O’Donnell, founder of Plant It Forward, which works with refugee farmers, is secure in her home at the moment, but is trying to reach out to the organization’s “farmer families” to ascertain their welfare.

Rabbi Amy Weiss, founder of Undies For Everyone, is safe, though her message left us overwhelmed: “Unfortunately, we have lost the house, probably most of the things in it. People in the neighborhood are being rescued by helicopter. There are literally swarms of fire ants, snakes and alligators in the waters.”

Yan Digilov of Firestarter, another organization working with Houston’s enormous refugee population has just checked in and reported that he has gotten to a safe place as have some of those refugees we have been helping.

We know that human nature is such that everyone wants to help now.  As we have in the past, The Good People Fund will rely on those we know and trust on the ground to tell us where verified needs are most critical.  This takes time.  But when the time comes, we hope you will support us as we help those impacted by the storm.

How excited we are to once again support computer training classes for Druze women in the city of Daliat-el-Carmel in Israel. Two classes which began earlier this month include 25 women between the ages of 55 and 68, all anxious to embrace modernity and learn more about the world around them. Samih and Nihaia Halibi are the forces behind this effort. The two work tirelessly in their community to help in many ways–from buying and delivering food to  neighbors who are struggling, to this computer course which will give the women self-confidence, the skills to work outside of their homes or to help their children with school work. We witnessed Samih and Nihaia’s compassion and hospitality this past winter while visiting Israel-12 course meals are the norm for this amazing couple!

What could be better than a warm summer day spent interacting with friendly horses at the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association  (INTRA)? Yesterday’s visit by African refugee kids living in Jerusalem included six hours filled with riding, horse care and farm work and, perhaps more significant, were the human horse bonding activities such as communication with a free horse in a round pen. Yotam Sheffy, a long-time volunteer at INTRA and now staffer, reported, “Their enthusiasm, interest, gentleness and calmness was nothing less than amazing. They were just pure loving children. The therapeutic side of the day was incredible and brought out sides of the children that the people escorting them could not believe they were seeing.”

The magic of horses…The Good People Fund loved being able to make this special day possible!

For the second consecutive year, The Good People Fund has been named a Four Star Charity by Charity Navigator,  the country’s largest independent evaluator of nonprofit organizations. As we approach our tenth year of operation it is especially heartening to receive this classification as we have always worked tirelessly to project transparency and operate with fiscal responsibility.

In Charity Navigator’s own words, The Good People Fund has received this best possible rating which “indicates that your organization adheres to sector best practices and executes its mission in a financially efficient way. Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that Good People Fund exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work. Only 28% of the charities we evaluate have received at least 2 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Good People Fund outperforms most other charities in America. This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator sets Good People Fund apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness.”

We could not be prouder!

We have been thanked in many different ways for the grants our generous donors allow us to make in their name. Nothing comes quite close to this shot which just popped up in our email. Pictured is Dana Marlowe, founder of Support the Girls which has spearheaded the collection of  more than 135,000 bras and nearly one million feminine hygiene products in less than two years. Dana’s weight loss served as the impetus for her work. With the shedding of several pounds she found herself with a drawer full of perfectly good bras which no longer fit. A saleswoman suggested they could be used by women in local shelters and that was where Dana headed with her surplus. Today, chapters are popping up all over the US and abroad and we are certain that Dana’s work will grow exponentially.

If you look closely, you will see that Dana took this shot will sitting on the floor in the midst of sorting an almost literal mountain of recently donated bras and tampons. Our matching grant will allow Support the Girls, which already operates on a shoe string, to do even more. We couldn’t be happier.

Thank you soo much for allowing me the opportunity to go to the best place outside of my home. This with be my 7th summer and will be the greatest summer ever.