Albany Nonprofits and Charities

This is Baxter formerly Lucky. I started fostering Lucky back in January of this year, 2017. When I first met Lucky he was very subdued and was a little bit timid. I took him for a walk over to the dog park but he wouldn't leave my side. One thing I noticed is that he didn't growl or bark. When I brought him back I signed up to foster him. After a couple of weeks after he had been fostered by another family, he was brought back and per the other family he didn't get along with cats. Milo called me and told me he was back and if I wanted to foster him to come and get him. I went up there and signed him out. As soon as I got him home I knew he would need a little time to adjust to being away from the shelter. Each day he got more comfortable with me and our surroundings. I had no other dogs. I had just lost my last dog to Cancer. I started giving him some of my previous dog’s toys but he wasn't too interested. I went through each toy one at a time until I gave him a tennis ball. He started getting interested and took it outside to play with it. Today that is all he thinks about is the “Ball.” It was time for him to start meeting family and friends. He seemed to immediately become comfortable with anyone that came to the house. He especially loved Women. He was a little rambunctious for some but he would calm down if you told him to. We had family from out of town over for dinner and one of them started suggesting new names for him. Since I knew I was going to adopt him I decided “Lucky” was not a good name. We went through what seemed like hundreds of names until we got to “Baxter”. I immediately liked the name so it was settled. His new name would be “Baxter.” It didn’t take him long to respond to his new name which was good because he never responded to the name, “Lucky”. I soon finalized the adoption with the Milo Foundation and today he doing very well. We have since had another little dog move in with a new roommate. A tiny little Maltese. They love each other and play all the time. Baxter loves to play with that ball. I finally found some balls durable enough for him to chew without destroying them. He finally barked after about a Month with us. It was kind of a shock. He doesn’t bark very often but you know when he does. He loves going for walks but is a little shy when it comes to other dogs at the dog park. He also rides well in the car but he won’t jump in. I must pick him up and place him into the van. He finally has settled on his sleeping location which is the couch. Every morning I find him in some twisted position. Many times, I take pictures because it’s funny to me. I am so glad I took him home. He was the only dog I was interested in and he ended up being the dog I adopted. Thanks to Milo for making the experience so easy.

An excellent program that offers young children that face a spectrum of economic or health challenges to experience sailing. This offers not only the often totally new world of sailing, but the concept of working together to accomplish goals and the discipline required to reach goals in life. The concept is to present youth with the insight and potential stimulus to reach for high goals in life.

I give to support cultural and economic sustainability in Nepal<br><br>It was a bit of a rough start. When I entered international arrivals in Kathmandu, Nepal, I found the toilets but no toilet paper, lots of eager taxi drivers for hire but not the one I had arranged, and eventually my lodging but no available room. For my first time in Asia, traveling by myself, it briefly crossed my mind that I had made a big mistake.<br><br>Spoiler Alert: I hadn&rsquo;t.<br><br>I cleared my allotment of travel trials in those first couple hours, and the rest of my two weeks in Nepal were filled with meaningful experiences, conversations, and true cultural exchange. And it was the nonprofit Restoration Works International (www.restorationworksinternational.org) that made it all possible.<br><br>As a cultural heritage professional, I love old places and I enjoy traveling. But I&rsquo;ve struggled to find a way to reconcile those two passions with a third: supporting those who are in need. So when I heard about Restoration Works International&rsquo;s work to support cultural and economic sustainability through the restoration of cultural places in the developing world, I looked into their track record. <br><br>I found Restoration Works International had been working in the Chhairo community in Nepal since 2005 to help restore a 300-year-old Buddhist monastery with tangible results. What was a once a crumbling ruin has become the home of young Buddhist monks who arrived in mid-2012. And after many seasons of collaboration between the organization&rsquo;s volunteers (like me!) and local crews, the monastery has reached the stage where it can be used for ceremonies and celebrations. Many local craftspeople and community members are employed as a result. It&rsquo;s working! <br><br>It was the most unique &ldquo;giving back&rdquo; opportunity I had ever had, and I will never forget it. I didn&rsquo;t just write a check to support the project, I LIVED it for a couple weeks and left feeling that I had made the right choice in giving my time to Restoration Works International. <br><br>My contributions during the trip were minor in the larger scheme of the project (I was assigned to the gyalpo, a small chapel, to paint an alter and murals with the world-renowned Thangka painter and head lama, Shashi Dhoj Tulachan.) Yet because of the organization&rsquo;s excellent work, I could support a cause that provides vital employment for Nepalis who otherwise may have made the difficult choice to work dangerous jobs as porters or in construction abroad. Thank you, Restoration Works International for you vision and commitment to GIVING! Now that the organization has almost reached its goal of finishing the restoration, I can&rsquo;t wait to see where we all will go next.

I have been a perpetual volunteer within my son's school district for 7 years. Each opportunity to make a difference in these kids lives has been joyful. However nothing has ever given me quite the level of intrinsic value as being a Writer Coach for WCC. As a former marketing professional in Silicon Valley, I saw firsthand how critical writing skills are in the work place. As I struggled and succeeded to hone that perfect promotional piece---often times working until two in the morning!. I wish I had someone to sit one-on-one with me when I was readying for career, to help streamline the process! Writing is hands-down among the most important skills to carry our next generation forward. WCC is a timely must have program! It's also helping me in my own professional goals, as I ready my first Novel for publication!

Our chapter is a part of QWAFAFEW Worldwide and has established its own rules, traditions, and financing arrangements. We hold regular meetings with presenters. Please visit our website pages where we share next meeting announcement, past events and plans for for the future. <br> <br>About San Francisco QWAFAFEW <br> <br>QWAFAFEW is an informal organization of quantitatively oriented professionals in various aspects of financial services (primarily investment management). The group was formed a number of years ago to provide a venue for quantitative researchers to discuss their evolving work with peers. As the field has become more "main stream" our membership has also broadened. Our membership includes a wide variety of interests and levels of responsibility. The members span the gamut from owners and senior executives of investment related organizations to recent entrants to the industry. Most attendees have some technical training beyond the M.B.A. level, and many have Ph.D.s All share a common interest in quantitative solutions to understanding investment markets. <br> <br>QWAFAFEW meetings are somewhat informal with a mix of social and intellectual content. Presentations are expected to be interactive (after a reserved period of at least 5 to 10 minutes for the speaker to present foundation material). Sometimes the interaction requires a kick-start. Typically, in keeping with the informal nature of the group, speakers use hand-outs in addition to projection devices. <br> <br>Typically, the monthly meetings are attended by 20 to 30 professionals, although some topics have drawn more attendees. Meetings start with members arriving at around 5:30 in order to chat with friends and enjoy the snacks and drinks that are provided free of charge.

Great program and organization. Loving, caring, and supportive group og people who want the best possible for each student that they work with. Training is provided prior to working with the students. Additional training is offered.