DJ John Thomas - Important Links

Here is some good information about the organizations I support. If you are not involved with any type of life-changing organization any of the following are great. . Though I did take much of this information straight from the websites I highly recommend you go to their websites and find much more apt information. I simply didnt want to misrepresent them, so I used their own carefully chosen words.

In the spring of 2003, three young filmmakers traveled to Africa in search of a story. What started out as a filmmaking adventure transformed into much more when these boys from Southern California discovered a tragedy that disgusted and inspired them, a tragedy where children are both the weapons and the victims.

After returning to the States, they created the documentary "Invisible Children: Rough Cut," a film that exposes the tragic realities of northern Uganda.s night commuters and child soldiers.

The film was originally shown to friends and family, but has now been seen by millions of people. The overwhelming response has been, "How can I help?" To answer this question, the non-profit Invisible Children, Inc. was created, giving compassionate individuals an effective way to respond to the situation.

Who We Are

We are storytellers. We are visionaries, humanitarians, artists, and entrepreneurs. We are individuals part of a generation eager for change and willing to pursue it.

As a non-profit we work to transform apathy into activism. By documenting the lives of those living in regions of conflict and injustice, we hope to educate and inspire individuals in the Western world to use their unique voice for change. Our media creates an opportunity for people to become part of a grassroots movement that intelligently responds to what.s happening in the world.

But our work extends beyond our borders. In war-affected regions we focus on long-term development, working directly with individuals and institutions that are eager to realize their full potential. Through education and innovative economic opportunities, we partner with affected communities and strive to improve the quality of life for individuals living in conflict and post-conflict regions.

How We Make a Difference

Our approach to humanitarian work is founded in the strength and intelligence of the Ugandan community. We learned early on it was not only important but essential to heed the wisdom of people that had not only lived in the war, but were surviving it. People who would know better than anyone what the greatest needs were and the best ways to meet them. What we came to find is that while there have been many efforts to address the issues that stem from living and fighting in such a long-lasting war, the people of Uganda are asking for a future beyond the conflict.

All of our programming is a partnership between those of us at Invisible Children and those in the Ugandan community. We focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their future and the future of their country. Our programs are carefully researched and developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, resettlement from the camps, and financial stability.

ONE is a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by more than 2 million people who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and other campaigners, ONE is nonpartisan and works closely with African policy makers and activists.

At ONE, we achieve change through advocacy. We hold world leaders to account for the commitments they've made to fight extreme poverty, and we campaign for better development policies, more effective aid and trade reform. We also support greater democracy, accountability and transparency to ensure policies to beat poverty are implemented effectively.

ONE works closely with policy experts, African leaders, and anti-poverty activists to mobilize public opinion in support of tested and proven methods for tackling poverty. At ONE, we believe the fight against poverty is not about charity, but about justice and equality.

A group of concerned individuals who aim to protect children from the sex trade industry.

Presently, we are planning a trip to Chiang Rai, Thailand where we will serve at a local orphanage. Many of the children there have battled through prostitution, opium addiction, sexual abuse and slavery. The orphanage provides them with a home, education and skills as they eventually grow into self-sustaining adults. We will be there with video equipment to document and interview many of the children. Our hope is to redeem their testimonies and share them with the world.

Our funds will help support the various orphanages and after-care facilities that protect children from sex trafficking. On a micro-level, we would love to begin by spreading awareness, especially to the MySpace generation and the young adults of the world. As the project gains momentum and support, our goal is to move towards a macro-level and share these stories to the Thai Embassy, United States government, and United Nations. Armed with footage and powerful testimonies, we will petition for intervention and justice to prosecute the brothel owners and set these children free from bondage.

Why did we name it The Blind Project?

For the afflicted: Young children in Southeast Asia who are victims of the sex-trade have a warped view of reality. The repeated abuse quickly erodes their psyches and blinds them of all hope and a future.

For the world: Many people living in more affluent, civilized parts of the world are unaware and sometimes overlook the social injustice taken place towards children and sex trafficking. Our plan is to uncover the eyes of the world.

For ourselves: On a more personal note, we called it The Blind Project because we honestly do not know what we have in store. Although we have a plan to serve orphanages in Thailand, we do not know what is going to happen when we meet these orphans. We do not know if our vision will succeed or fail - but we do know that we will fail if we do nothing at all.

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” - Edmund Burke

To Write Love On Her Arms

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters.

We live in a difficult world, a broken world. My friend Byron is very smart - he says that life is hard for most people most of the time. We believe that everyone can relate to pain, that all of us live with questions, and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know that you're not alone in the places you feel stuck.

We all wake to the human condition. We wake to mystery and beauty but also to tragedy and loss. Millions of people live with problems of pain. Millions of homes are filled with questions – moments and seasons and cycles that come as thieves and aim to stay. We know that pain is very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.

You need to know that rescue is possible, that freedom is possible, that God is still in the business of redemption. We're seeing it happen. We're seeing lives change as people get the help they need. People sitting across from a counselor for the first time. People stepping into treatment. In desperate moments, people calling a suicide hotline. We know that the first step to recovery is the hardest to take. We want to say here that it's worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it's possible to change.

Beyond treatment, we believe that community is essential, that people need other people, that we were never meant to do life alone.

The vision is that community and hope and help would replace secrets and silence.

The vision is that we can reduce the suicide rate in America and around the world.

The vision is that we would learn what it means to love our friends, and that we would love ourselves enough to get the help we need.

The vision is better endings. The vision is the restoration of broken families and broken relationships. The vision is people finding life, finding freedom, finding love. The vision is graduation, a Super Bowl, a wedding, a child, a sunrise. The vision is people becoming incredible parents, people breaking cycles, making change.

This began as an attempt to tell a story and a way to help a friend in Spring 2006. The story and the life it represented were both things of contrast – pain and hope, addiction and sobriety, regret and the possibility of freedom. The story’s title “To Write Love on Her Arms” was also a goal, believing that a better life was possible. We started selling t-shirts as a way to pay for our friend’s treatment, and we made a MySpace page to give the whole thing a home. Our friends in Switchfoot and Anberlin were among the first to wear these shirts. In the days that followed, we learned quickly that the story we were telling represented people everywhere. We began to hear from people in need of help, and others asking what they could do to help their friends. We heard from people who had lost loved ones to suicide. Many said that these were questions they had never asked and parts of their story that they had never shared. Others were honest in a different way, confessing these were issues they knew little or nothing about. It seemed we had stumbled upon a bigger story, and a conversation that needed to be had.

Over the last two and a half years, we’ve responded to 80,000 messages from people in 40 different countries. We’ve had the opportunity to bring this conversation, and a message of hope and help, to concerts, universities, festivals and churches. We’ve learned that these are not American issues, not white issues or “emo” issues. These are issues of humanity, problems of pain that affect millions of people around the world.

We’ve learned that two out of three people who struggle with depression never seek help, and that untreated depression is the leading cause of suicide. In America alone, it’s estimated that 19 million people live with depression, and suicide is the third-leading cause of death among those 18-24 years old.

The good news is that depression is very treatable, that a very real hope exists in the face of these issues. We’ve met people who are getting the help they need, sitting across from a counselor for the first time, stepping into treatment, or reaching out to a suicide hotline in a desperate moment.

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.

I (Kitty) met Tim a few years ago in Cancun. He and my best friend won a trip through their work and we had a lot of fun. Tim is really fascinating, an ex-model with the mind of a bored philosopher and the heart of a cynic. He really just wanted to do something with his life.

I met Jenna in high school, and met her again a few years later. She moved into my house without ever having seen it. One of the first conversations we had was about our interest in sex slavery. She studied Asia, I studied Eastern Europe. We dreamt about going to Moldova and filming a documentary. I think we both thought it would probably never happen. But dreaming about it and talking about it was fun, like talking about driving a monster truck or winning an Oscar.

Jenna met a guy who was working to start a school to help sex trafficked girls in Thailand. She got on board with his company and decided they needed to film a documentary. I leaned against the door of her room and said that I was in.

A few weeks later I run into Tim in a bar. It was Jenna's birthday and I yelled to him over The Killer's that we were going to Thailand and he needed to come with us.

I never thought I would go to Thailand. But things just start and grow and a desire becomes an idea and even though people tell us we are naive a community backs us up and we are in Thailand.

We come back with footage and pictures but not enough. Before we can wrap our minds around the idea of a second trip we find out that three guys in New York who are seperated from us by only one degree are going to Thailand for the same cause- they call it The Blind Project.

So we talk and more things grow and on October 24th Tim flies back to Thailand to finish our documentary with them.

I guess we could give you a business agenda. Use phrases like ..Being the Solution.. and ..Fighting Injustice.. or sorts of other super dramatic catch phrases that non profs love to tote.

Honestly, we're not sure what's going to happen. Something grew and started and we're pretty sure God helped us out and we filmed a documentary and the same thing happened at the same time in New York. But we don't want it to stop there. We want to help with rehabilitation. We want to help with rescue. We want to get correct information out to people.

The Blind Project boys get back in a few weeks and Jenna and I fly up to meet them. We should have a documentary within a few months.

We can't assure you that we will end sex trafficking, or be the best solution to that problem, or get on Oprah. But this is the ground floor of something Jenna and I dreamed about and doubted and it happened anyways.

We need your help. We need graphic designers, and lawyers, and photographers, and publicists and a movie deal and smart people and artists for a C.D and people that are good at getting the small things done and tee shirts, maybe bumper stickers and probably a lot of money.