Tallahassee Nonprofits and Charities

There has been a big change since 2019, Disability Rights Florida forgot who they worked for. Disability Rights Florida was once known for its strong advocacy and unwavering commitment to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. The organization plays a crucial role in fighting for accessibility, inclusion, and equal opportunities across the state. However, they no longer return calls. You can call them and fill out the application, but no one returns your call. You can send them emails to follow up and no one returns the emails. This lack of communication has left many individuals feeling unsupported and frustrated. It is crucial for organizations like Disability Rights Florida to prioritize responsiveness and accountability to effectively serve the needs of the community they are meant to assist.

NAMI FL has offered me a community where I can openly speak about my mental health and access services. I’m so grateful for all of the help I’ve received by being part of the community.

A wonderful gallery with a great open floor plan. The ever changing exhibits keeps this place exciting. I love everytime a new theme is introduced to us in different medias. You can find the most talented artists from Tallahassee! It's such a positive space to have in the community. This gallery really enriches people’s lives and opens doors in your imagination. It’s fantastic to come out and see all this creativity that people are willing to share.

I have heard of this organization and it helps people in my community. I think it’s a great place for those having issues and need help. It’s a blessing to have people who care enough to have a place of refuge and safety. For adults and children.

Having had the honor of being a Board Member for three years I know the staff is talented and knowledgeable. Friend’s of Florida History is in good hands…

Wonderful place to volunteer. Hands on experience from day 1. No experience necessary. Fulfilling!

Tallahassee police department tore me from my home, beat the living crap out of me, and took me here. Subsequent rights to a fair trial and basic rights were denied. Got sent here because I did not have insurance and was forcefully "re-educated". When I was taken to court on my right of habeas corpus, they had given me absolutely no literature to learn of the court proceedings, and disregarded absolutely all of my testimony. It was like being told by the judge, my family, and the police that I was not human. They sent me back to the facility for another three weeks to further deliberate. Was playing with the puzzle pieces like confetti, next thing I know I was being forcefully injected with so much prolyxin that I had an allergic reaction. Then they forcefully administered me with cojentin, an antidote-like substance to counteract their first mistake... I felt raped. While becoming further withdrawn, I was spontaneously attacked by another patient while I was there, and the staff did absolutely nothing to stop it for a full 5 minutes of hell. When I was clearly suffering from a concussion, the staff told me to "go to bed". While I was asking for them to call the police so I could press charges, the staff refused to restrain the person who had already attacked me. I was brutally beaten again. I cannot sue them because I have no money and have been framed as crazy. I left this facility with a diagnosed chest contusion and black eye, and the social workers had made no attempt at allowing me care for my pets, home, or dishes. I came home sexualized and racially charged death threats shmeared on my door, dead pets, and further horrors... This place needs to be shut down.<br><br>It’s literally the Tallahassee Police Department' (and Dr. Quiray's personal) torture facility.

I thought I'd share a birthday "gift" I had received a few years ago. <br>I also wanted to give a tremendous "thank you" to Steven at the St. Francis Wildlife Association!!<br><br>On the evening of my birthday we passed an owl that was on the side of the road. He was struggling to get up and I was concerned that he might get hit! We turned the car around and went back to check on it... The poor bird was completely confused and terrified. He was attempting to get away but just didn't seem to be able to fly.<br><br>I called the St Francis after hours # and explained the situation. I asked if there was anything that I could do to hopefully save the owl. The person I talked with said to keep an eye on and make sure that he didn't go back out into the road. That he'd be there to help within 15 mins.<br><br>Imagine my surprise that almost exactly 15 mins later Steven pulls up! Man was he was great!<br><br>He calmly walked over, picked the owl up from the side of the road, and began checking him out. I couldn't believe how calm he was picking this terrified bird up! After checking him out a few minutes, he said he didn't feel any broken bones. So that was good! He suspected that he may have just been stunned by an impact with a car. He still was going take him just so he could keep an eye on him. Hopefully he'd improve in a few hours and they'd be able to let him go! <br>The next day the staff at St Francis called to give me an update. The owl actually had broken its pelvis which is why it had been unable to fly. Though it was broken, they were confident that it would heal. A few weeks later, they called to let me know the owl had made a full recovery! They were planning to release him near where he had been found!. How wonderful is that? I could not have asked for a better birthday gift!!! <br><br>Thank you again St Francis and Steven for all that you do for the wildlife in our community! <br><br>

A Women's Pregnancy Center is a nonprofit that manages to serve clients selflessly and use resources effectively. Through free pregnancy tests and low-cost STD tests, AWPC has blessed the city of Tallahassee and the students at FSU and FAMU. Even when people have needs outside the scope of what AWPC has to offer, volunteers and employees are quick to go out of their way to find an aid/solution. This is definitely a nonprofit worth supporting!

Every year at Christmas as my brothers and I were growing up my parents would do something special for others and often times we would take on a project as a family. One particular Christmas that stands out for me was when two teenage boys from the area Sheriff Boys Ranch came to our house and spent Christmas day with us. We had presents for them and I remember being outside in our front yard riding bikes and enjoying the weather with them. When my parents had grandchildren and once the kids became old enough to grasp giving to help others, each Christmas my father would give each of the grand kids a roll of quarters with the caveat that this roll of quarters had to be given to an organization that helped others. An additional stipulation was that the organization could not be one they were directly affiliated with like Girl Scouts or their own church youth group. My sons always chose to give to a veterans organization like Wounded Warriors or Stand Up America. My daughter, being the animal lover that she is, always donated her quarters to the Humane Society. My children are now all young adults and their grandfather has passed on. But his spirit of giving back has only increased. For the past two summers my daughter has been a counsel for a Humane Society funded summer camp that teaches kids how to care for dogs using rescued dogs with the goal of getting them adopted by the campers. During this time my daughter fostered numerous puppies over the summers and recruited many friends to do the same. She is solely responsible for getting many of those shelter puppies adopted to good families through her great network of friends and the magic of social media! My oldest son has continued his service to others by volunteering with the Aussie Helpers drought farm relief organization while living in Australia for a year and now coaches a youth skeet shooting team while living in Hamilton, Montana working and attending college full time. My youngest son while in high school has volunteered numerous hours through MCJROTC in the annual Veterans Day parade and as a parade Marshall during the annual holiday parade here in Tallahassee. I have continued the tradition my father started and each Christmas give my kids a check for $10 to donate to the charity of their choice. They continue to donate to those organizations that have a special meaning to them; veterans and animals. I am so proud of them and their compassion for others and willingness to help others. And I know their Grandad would be so proud to know his tradition and spirit of giving back has left a great legacy. I have listed Legal Aid Foundation as the nonprofit of choice as I have worked for LAF for over 13 years. I have seen first hand what free legal service to the indigent citizens of Leon County can do to better the lives of so many; from helping a family stay in their home to getting a child reunited with a parent to helping a college student with a landlord tenant issue. LAF makes many small contributions and helps solve many small problems but also helps change peoples' lives forever through the magnificent, generous time and resources of area volunteer lawyers.

Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy is an accredited land trust. Accreditation means Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy meets national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy has demonstrated to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission its commitment to excellence. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. Learn More: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about.

My son was getting raped and having his medicine withheld in a Florida prison two years ago. I came to PCC for guidance and paid small installments for an investigation into the case. I was harassed by the police following trying to write a complaint on my own. This organization was the only thing standing by my side in this battle with the police. I am a more than satisfied customer. <br> <br>God Bless Them.

LeMoyne is the community art center. From art exhibits to art classes it serves the entire community, providing art scholarships for both children and adults. LeMoyne has been rockin it for 50 years and is proudly working on its next 50! They provide opportunities for other non-profits to share the limelight with them. At First Friday gallery hops the front porch becomes the source of information being shared by non-profits that may not have a chance to reach the audience that comes to LeMoyne. Totally walking the talk of being a part of a community and sharing the wealth and strength so that all benefit and can pass it on!

This organization used to host training conferences for victim service providers. For the last few years it's been run like a club with only the board members benefiting from the organization and it's funds. Hotel rooms, travel expenses paid for, no work on behalf of victim service professional for years. They could benefit from an independent audit, nothing related to their mission is being done.

I have been so impressed with the work that Project Annie performs in the Tallahassee community that I have become a volunteer there myself. I have seen Miss Annies serving meals weekly to scores of people. They give out gbags of grocery to help the needy. I have learned that they've served more than 50,000 meals over the past 16+ years. Miss Annie Johnson works tirelessly. She is there like the mail man, come rain or shine. That is why I am supervising and acquiring volunteers for her organization. I am truly impressed.

This gives my grandson a great opportunity to socialize, to learn, practice and perform. The home school band also has a great rental program for beginners. <br> <br>Just wonderful!

I was homeless while I was pregnant with my daughter. I had lost my job and my family turned their backs on me and kicked me out. I slept on friends' couches and stayed where I could. I worked when I could, but finding work with a huge belly was hard. Right after she was born I was staying with my friend's parents and I was told about LSS. I went to them for help. I enrolled in their program and was given a home to live in and was able to put myself through school and get a real job making enough money to support myself and my child. I graduated their program and moved out on my own. Since then I continued my education. I now have a Bachelor's Degree and can support my daughter and myself. I find time to volunteer when I can. LSS was there for me when I thought no one else was. They gave me a permanent solution to help myself, not just a temporary fix. Just as the old saying goes, if you teach a man to fish, you will feed him for a lifetime. I couldn't have made it this far without their help and support.

This institute was created in 1997 to preserve the legacy of a former FSU professor named Laura Jepsen. As a part of this mission the volunteers care for her cottage and beloved oak tree located at 1401 High Road near the FSU campus. With just over 3 acres of green space surrounding an English Tudor cottage, Laura's vision of living close to nature recorded in her book Lichgate on High Road, comes to live everytime someone new finds this secret garden. <br> <br>

Master Moy Lin-­‐Shin, by all accounts, was a kind, caring and generous soul who improved the frail health of his childhood years through the study of Tai Chi at a Shaolin Monastery in China. After moving to the West, he selflessly set out to impart the age-­‐old wisdom and health benefits of Tai Chi to the general public. <br> <br>One wonders, therefore, what Master Moy’s thoughts are from beyond the grave, as he observes the actions of the organization that is claiming to carry on his legacy. <br> <br>I joined the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Ireland in October of 2011, delighted to have found a venue for continuing the study of Tai Chi that I began in the late 1990s in my native Massachusetts. <br> <br>Sadly, the practices of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Ireland, in my opinion, are seriously questionable both from a managerial standpoint and in terms of the unwritten rules governing members’ socialization. As I continued to attend the Society’s Tai Chi classes, over time a disturbing dynamic emerged in terms of the unwritten rules the organization seeks to impose upon its members, with zero tolerance for independent thought or dissent. <br> <br>The culmination of this dynamic came on February 1st of this year, when I received an unsigned letter from the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Ireland informing me that I had been banned from the group. <br> <br>Confronted with this conundrum, I now wonder: is this a non-­‐profit organization or is it a cult? <br> <br>If the former, then clearly the Society is adhering to the outdated top-­‐down model for non-­‐profit activity, as unfortunately exemplified by many large-­‐scale NGOs: “we are here to help you, we know your needs better than you do, we have made our plans without consulting you – and you had better be grateful to us!” <br> <br>I have written a 10-page article outlining all of my concerns in detail, on which both the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Ireland and its Canadian parent organization, the Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism and Tai Chi, have refused to comment. <br> <br>I will gladly make said article available to all interested parties, free of charge. <br> <br> <br>

I would hope that Tallahassee Little Theatre continues to improve its reputation as it positions itself in a way that is more inclusive and connected to the community it serves. Enthusiasm can't replace passion, but I'm hopeful that the little theatre reinvigorates both artists and patrons as it develops more consistency in the quality of its productions. Its recent production of "Next to Normal" was perhaps the best mainstage production they've presented in over three years. I look forward to their continuing growth as they become more confident and courageous. Even "Frankenstein" was interesting, although a terrible play with wildly uneven performances. It was a visual success, though, and kept me interested most of the first act. I want to see this theatre group succeed, and applaud them for at least trying to be relevent and provocative.

1000 Friends of Florida has always operated with the maximum degree of efficiency and transparency. Ensuring a sustainable, economically vital future for all of Florida's residents, not just the gated few, requires long hours and constant attention to process. !000 Friends' dedicated Board and staff has devoted countless hours on behalf of their fellow citizens and future citizens of the state.

BRGCSC has been in our area for a while now and been making a great impacct. Their organization has been helping with renovations for local businesses and also with providing computer services for the locals in our area.

My very first membership was to the Tallahassee Museum - I was 5 years old. I remember getting my membership card and being so proud that I was a member. Now that I am older I am still very proud of that membership and have maintained my membership over all these years to help support the museum - our richest cultural resource. The Tallahassee Museum is thriving with educational experiences, wonderful events, great people and acres and acres of beautiful preserved land and native animals. I feel at peace when there - enjoying the outdoors, the exhibits, the farm or the many other offerings. My kids spend time there going to camp or to events. What a great place to spend the day and remember our heritage. Everyone should take the time to visit the Tallahassee Museum often - there is always something exciting to see.