-          A History

o       TakingPart.org®  was founded in 2003 and was then known as walkingforchange.org. I started this site in order to give back to the communities that I had been a part of. My mission was to link up individuals in need with non governmental organizations and those within the local, state, and national governments that provided some sort of assistance. That assistance may be in the form of grants, free tuition, energy assistance, legal aid, alternative news outlets, and volunteer opportunities among many other things. In the beginning I, and some volunteers provided the link between individuals and those organizations in a pamphlet that was then distributed door to door, hence walkingforchange.org, however because of time constraints due to my work as a student at Ohio University the outreach has been done primarily through the web lately. At this time I am focusing on reaching people through cyberspace and by word of mouth. 

-          How We Take Part  

o       There are so many ways one can take part in the betterment of their community. By taking part in your community by helping out the local people, environment, wildlife, and economy you can change the world in a positive way one action at a time. Remember to “think globally and act locally.” A portion of the ways that we take part are to:

§         buy local produce

§         support local business before “big box” stores

§         use environmentally friendly cleaners (dish/laundry detergent)

§         attend city council meetings

§         engage in public discourse through the newspaper

§         use canvas grocery bags

§         set aside no-car days in order to cut down on our dependence on oil

§         pick up trash on the roadside near our home, during walks on the beach, and in our state and national parks

§         adopt our pets from the shelter instead of buying them

§         recycle everything possible

§         buy used items from local second hand stores

§         donate money to causes such as Doctors Without Borders ® www.doctorswithoutborders.org  and Save the Redwoods League ® www.savetheredwoods.org among others

§         compost food waste

§         maintain www.takingpart.org with our own funds

§         volunteer for many different causes including

·         spending a month in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina rescuing and caring for the pets that had to be left behind during the evacuation with Best Friends Animal Society ® www.bestfriends.org

·         donate blood

·         participating in Relay for Life ® www.relayforlife.org

·         working at a local “soup kitchen”

·         service work projects at local organization for physically challenged adults

·         various one day volunteer events