Last fall I had the privilege of taking a class at my alma mater that focused on social change, and human trafficking (specifically, the eradication of human trafficking). Not so coincidentally, that semester the school launched a crowdfunding campaign to jump start a scholarship program so that survivors of human trafficking could attend our university. Our class got involved and used the results of our efforts to write end-of-semester papers.
I had such a great experience helping launch the crowdfunding campaign, and have watched other crowdfunding campaigns wildly, insanely succeed (or not succeed, which breaks my heart) in the days since my direct involvement.
Today I want to share one that my favorite designer Emily Henderson has announced on her blog– the goal is to rebuild a homeless family shelter. The original shelter burned down but the loss turned into an opportunity as the organization was able to buy a vacant school building and enlarge capacity. The new home will help families get back onto their feet and save them from living in cars or on the street. The kids will perform better in school and the parents will be assisted in job hunting or occupational training.
The goal you’ll see on the indiegogo page is 35k, but Henderson writes in her blog post (where she announced the campaign) that they realistically need more like 200k. Considering 200k is below the average home price in Southern California, and the mega-house they are building is 8x the size of a normal family home, the dollar amount seems to make sense.
Anyway, please go over to Emily’s post where you can tell she is writing from the heart. I am in love with this plan of hers. I plan to donate… perhaps you will consider donating too!
My Friend Staci 
Great initiative. This cannot be found but in big hearts. We hear less about such initiatives aiming at helping our fellows in need.