Philanthropy

I decided to research a philanthropic operation occurring in the Deaf community.

Commission On Compassion is a ministry that started in 1976 in Los Angeles as an apartment complex for the independent living of deaf-blind. They are connected to a church (Grace Bible Deaf Church). I came across this organization when I was looking for a Deaf church to visit in Los Angeles (where I'm from).

For their resident apartments they only accept applications from individuals that are legally deaf-blind. Their website accepts donations and applications for volunteers. There are many ways to serve and get involved. The website encourages all potential volunteers, interpreters, or groups to contact them for more information and the best ways to utilize each person's skill set.

They market their information on their website www.deafblind-la.org. It makes sense that their organization would take a philanthropic approach since it is associated with a church, and religion and philanthropy are often interconnected. A religious element can sometimes make people uncomfortable with a charitable organization, but since so many charitable organizations are connected to a church or mission, the more important thing to consider is whether you support the organization's goals. Do the goals of the organization align with the goals of the population being served? Are their goals well defined? How effective is the organization at accomplishing the service they set out to do? If the organization is local, you may be able to visit and see what they do first-hand. All of these questions should be considered before giving financial support to an organization.

Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf (SLCAD)

SLCAD is a non-profit 501c3 agency that is designed to meet the specific cultural and linguistic needs of Deaf, Deaf/Blind and Hard of Hearing victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. They provide direct services to victims (like help finding safe shelter, and legal help, and counseling) as well as educational outreach and advocacy and collaborating with other providers. Because they are a non-profit organization, they rely philanthropic efforts for their funding.

Last year, I had the opportunity to volunteer as part of a fundraising event for SCLAD. They held a 1920's Gala that included dinner, a silent auction, "Dessert Dash" bidding, as well as a traditional auction. I was on the registration team. We checked people in and took payments at the end of the night. I also helped with set up and decorations in the nights before.

Mission: The mission of Sego Lily is to "promote a safe and empowered community for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, DeafBlind, and DeafDisabled people by providing culturally accessible services, advocacy and education” (https://segolily.org/about). SLCAD chose its name for the state flower of Utah. Sego Lilies are not only beautiful, but also tough. They have the ability to withstand all kinds of weather, including extreme heat, cold, and dry conditions. SLCAD chose this flower as its symbol to let survivors know that they are like these flowers, beautiful and tough, and still standing tall.

Issues: SCLAD serves Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Deaf-Blind victims of domestic and sexual violence of all ages, genders, ethnic background, communication needs and religion. It does not matter when the abuse happened-in the past or present (Services | Sego Lily Center for the Abused Deaf).

Civic Engagement: There are several opportunities to volunteer with SLCAD. There are opportunities to become an event volunteer (like I did), to volunteer in the office, to become a victim advocate, or even to become a board member. For large events like the Gala, local businesses also have the opportunity to get involved. For example, I remember Sorensen, 5 Star Interpreting, and Amazon all provided volunteers and/or sponsored a table at the event.

I can definitely see myself volunteering with SLCAD again. This year the Gala's theme is "Under the Sea" and I hope they can use me again.