The Harrington Family Foundation

The Harrington family would like to thank all those who have supported the mission of the foundation in 2007 through personal financial contributions, as well as the purchase of autographed memorabilia. The revenue from these sources, combined with foundation funds, has helped us provide assistance to the following non-profit organizations:

All Saints Youth Ministry
Autistic Children's Activity Program
Boys and Girls Club
Catholic Charities, Elizabeth House Maternity Home
Catholic Youth Organization, Football Program and Camp Howard
Central Catholic High School, Academic Scholarships and Tuition Assistance
Central Catholic High School, Turf Field Campaign
Child Centered Solutions Advocacy Group
Children's Defense Fund
Children's Heart Foundation
Children's Hospital of Michigan
Children's Miracle Network
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
David Douglas High School, Celtic Heart
Earth Conservation Corp, River of Hope Academy
Fanconi Anemia Research Fund
Friends of the Children
Joey's Huddle for Kids
Kids Konnected
Los Embajadores Youth Volunteer Corp
Medical Teams International, Abandoned and Orphaned Children's Appeal
Newman Center, University of Oregon
Old Studio Library, Youth Music Program
Pioneer Special Schools Program
Providence Child Center for the Medically Fragile
Red Cross, Babysitting Training Program for Low-income Youth
SCAR/Jasper Mountain Child Abuse Awareness Program
Shriners Hospital for Children
Special Olympics Oregon
St. Andrews Nativity School, track program
St. Peter Claver School, Atlanta Georgia, Music Program
Stand For Children
STARS Foundation
The Child Center
Transitional Youth Center for Homeless Kids
University of Oregon Foundation
University of Portland, Turf Field Campaign
World Children's Project, La Paz School, Costa Rica

Recently the Harrington Family Foundation made a donation to Medical Teams International (formerly NW Medical Teams) in support of the volunteer work of Dr. Albert Chan, who is bringing lifesaving care to hundreds of infant patients at CURE hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. Health conditions in Afghanistan are among the worst in the world. For every 1000 children, 257 die before they reach 5 years, compared to eight in the U.S. Dr. Chan, a clinical instructor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, has taught local doctors and nurses skills needed to save lives of mothers and children across Afghanistan despite outdated equipment and medical training.

Medical Teams International was the recipient of nearly $8,000 earlier this spring when wedding guests of Joey and his wife, Emily, were asked to make a donation to one of two charitable organizations selected by the couple in lieu of receiving wedding gifts.

To learn more about the humanitarian work of Medical Teams International, please log onto www.medicalteams.org.

Over the past several months, close friends of the Harrington family have been working tirelessly to open a new model school in Costa Rica. The past 10 years have seen enormous development in the Guanacaste region, many times at the expense of the local culture and ecology. Community members have expressed concern about the disconnection between Costa Ricans and foreign residents, and its impact on the social, political, and ecological structure of the region. It is with these concerns that La Paz Community School was created.

The objectives of LPCS is to form an educational cooperative that integrates the members of a community in creating a collective, bilingual learning environment…to implement meaningful service learning that empowers students to become stewards of their communities…to develop skills and nurture values that cultivate the well-being of self, family, community, and world…as well as, to uphold high academic standards with an emphasis on experiential learning and discovery.

This summer the Harrington Family Foundation made a contribution to the La Paz Capital Fund to help provide the school with much needed startup funds to aid in the purchase of materials and complete the construction of classroom spaces. Because expansion and renovation was immediately needed, HFF was eager to assist in this effort. For more information on La Paz Community School in Costa Rica, log onto www.lapazschool.org.

A televised segment of Bill Moyer’s Journal on PBS impressed the HFF with the work of The Earth Conservation Corps. First broadcast in January 2004, "Endangered Species" tells a story of urban blight and community faith. One of America's gleaming symbols of freedom and prosperity, Washington, DC is also home to one of the most impoverished and polluted neighborhoods in America. On the banks of the Anacostia River, the Southeast section of the nation's capital has been an environmental disaster area and a home for violence. But now a non-profit group called the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC), composed of young adults from under-resourced communities, is bringing hope to this neighborhood under siege.

Since 1989, the Earth Conservation Corps has graduated hundreds of Corps members who have led tens of thousands of citizens in environmental service projects. The ECC success rate is inspiring. Eighty-five percent of Corps members have gone on to higher education, are gainfully employed, or remain involved in their community. Through ECC, members learn to protect the environment and gain skills they need to improve their lives. Corps members are supported in numerous ways, including helping them earn their high school equivalency diplomas (GEDs), teaching environmental science, and job training skills.

Inspired by the dedication of Corp members who are taking responsibility for cleaning up our environment and the outreach they extend within the community, The HFF made a contribution to the future River of Hope Academy for the more than 2,000 Anacostia youth who the city of Washington, D.C. deems the ‘hardest to reach and most severely disadvantaged’. We encourage others to find out more about The Earth Conservation Corps at www.ecc1.org.

The Harrington Family has long been a supporter of The Children’s Defense Fund which grew out of the Civil Rights Movement under the leadership of Marian Wright Edelman. It has become the nation’s strongest voice for children and families since its founding in 1973. CDF’s Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves and pays particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF encourages preventive investment before children get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.

CDF is a private, nonprofit organization supported solely by foundation and corporate grants and individual donations. To learn more about The Children’s Defense Fund, please log onto www.childrensdefense.org.