“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” —Gandhi
Our Non-Profit Village is dedicated to the vision of helping to make the world a better place through political, environmental and social activism. Please be sure to stop by during the Vibes weekend! In the meantime, you can visit the links below to learn more about these important, worthwhile organizations. Please visit our “Green Vibes” page for more info on our green initiatives. Below are the Non-Profit Organizations that were represented at Vibes in 2011.
Rex Foundation
Furthering what the Grateful Dead started 26 years ago with its own benefit concerts and other fundraising initiatives, the Rex Foundation endeavors to fund grassroots programs that are often under the radar of larger funding entities, yet work in bold, innovative ways to carry out essential work toward a healthy environment, promotion of the arts, protection of indigenous cultures, assisting others less fortunate, building strong communities and educating children and adults everywhere. The Rex Foundation has distributed $8.6 million in grants to over 1,000 programs across the U.S. and internationally, while also carrying out initiatives that foster creativity and positive community connections. The Rex Foundation website provides a complete list of grantees as well as information about current initiatives.
American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut
The ACLU is our nation’s guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country. We staunchly support every person’s right to make personal decisions – without government interference – about religion, political ideals, reproductive choice, marriage, and other family and lifestyle matters. We are working to make sure that emerging technologies do not diminish our rights to privacy and that freedom of speech is protected in cyberspace. The ACLU’s mission remains realizing the promise of the Bill of Rights for all and expanding the reach of its guarantees to new areas.
Bridgeport Community Land Trust
www.bridgeportcommunitylandtrust.com
The mission of the organization is to preserve open space in Bridgeport for the purpose of land conservation, environmental protection and community gardening for the benefit of its residents with a focus on its children. Through the application of grant funding from various private and public resources, the mission of the BCLT is to acquire property in order to preserve or otherwise clean up and apply the appropriate plantings to enable the Bridgeport population to enjoy open space and access to the waterfront.
Bridgeport Regional Business Council
Our mission will be promoting the City of Bridgeport. Our booth will represent the Bridgeport Regional Business Council (local businesses), the Chamber of Commerce and the various attractions here in the City of Bridgeport such as the Barnum Museum, The Discovery Museum, Beardsley Zoo, Harbour Yard (our Bluefish Baseball team stadium) The Arena at Harbour Yard, The Klein Auditorium, Downtown Cabaret Theatre and many restaurants and venues. We will be providing information and maps as it relates to Bridgeport and the surrounding area and basic information such as the closest pharmacy, Home Depot, places to obtain supplies, etc. We will serve as an informational resource to concert goers and represent the City of Bridgeport.
Cell Motion BioBus
Explore the inner lives of barnacles, star fish, snails, and single-celled sea creatures aboard the BioBus, the earth-friendliest mobile science lab. Say hello to Dr. Ben and his team of scientists, use research microscopes to meet tiny monsters from the ocean waters, and learn how wind, solar, and biofuels can fuel scientific discovery. New this year, check out the BioBus green roof that demonstrates plants can grow anywhere, even on the roof of a bus. Kids, join us for our special events where you will get an even deeper look at ocean life.
Connecticut Community Boating
The mission of Connecticut Community Boating, Inc. is to offer area residents affordable and fun access to Long Island Sound and its headwaters. We provide a physically and psychologically beneficial experience while keeping our students safety and enjoyment, our first priority. We do this through a complete array of training programs that emphasize self-esteem building, seamanship, teamwork, community consciousness and environmental responsibility, while promoting good stewardship of our greatest natural resource, Long Island Sound.
CT Clean Energy Fund
The Connecticut Clean Energy Fund promotes, develops, and invests in clean energy sources for the benefit of Connecticut. Through these efforts, our state will lead the nation in attaining a sustainable balance of energy production, economic growth and environmental impact.
Family Centers
www.familycenter.org
Family Centers is a private, nonprofit organization offering education and human services to children, adults and families in Fairfield County. More than 1,400 professionals and trained volunteers work together to provide a wide range of responsive, innovative programs. Through our five Centers of Excellence, more than 15,000 children, adults, families and communities receive the care, encouragement and resources needed to realize their potential.
FM World Charities
www.fmworldcharities.org
FM World Charities is a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization devoted to promoting public health and improving the quality of life in underserved communities throughout the world. FM aims to increase awareness of issues pertaining to public health and wellness while also providing basic primary care to those without access to healthcare. Having roots in an established record label with charity at its core, FM World enlists celebrities and media personalities to accomplish its goals and projects.
Green Peace
www.greenpeace.org
Greenpeace is a 40-year old action-based, independent, global environmental organization. We take action to protect our oceans and forests, eliminate the use of harmful chemicals and transition to a world powered by clean and unlimited energy sources like the wind and sun. Greenpeace is powered by people. We are independent and do not take any money from corporations, industry or government.
HeadCount
HeadCount is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, not-for-profit organization devoted to voter registration and turnout. We are aligned with all of the top performers in improvisational music, including The Dead, Phish and Dave Matthews Band, and register voters at their concerts. HeadCount has registered 50,000 voters nationwide, more than any all-volunteer group in the country.
New England Organ Bank
The New England Organ Bank (NEOB) is the oldest independent organ procurement organization (OPO) in the country. It is the federally-designated OPO for all or part of the six New England states. In addition to this regional coverage, NEOB provides services to Bermuda.Through its nine regional offices, NEOB serves twelve transplant centers with the combined capacity to perform all types of organ transplantation. NEOB allocates organs for transplant regionally and nationally through the United Network for Organ Sharing’s (UNOS) national network.
Oxfam America
www.oxfamamerica.org
Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice. Together with individuals and local groups in more than 90 countries, Oxfam saves lives, helps people overcome poverty, and fights for social justice.
Save the Sound
Save the Sound, a program of Connecticut Fund for the Environment, is dedicated to the restoration, protection, and appreciation of the Long Island Sound region through advocacy, education and research. Save the Sound cleans up beaches, builds fish ladders and successfully defends the Sound from multi-national oil companies.
Seva Foundation
www.seva.org
Seva is an international health organization working to build sustainable programs in underserved communities around the globe. The name Seva (say-va) is the Sanskrit word for “selfless service.” Seva was founded in 1978 by a group of medical professionals, counterculture activists, musicians, and compassionate individuals, all dedicated to the alleviation of suffering in the world. Most notably among them are public health expert Dr. Larry Brilliant, spiritual leader Ram Dass, and humanitarian activist Wavy Gravy.
Solar Bus
Stop by the Solar Bus and step into the world of renewable energy! Recharge your cell phone with the sun at our solar charging station! We’ll have all kinds of educational displays set up for you to interact with, including a solar water fountain, solar toy car and airplane, solar fans, solar psychedelic toys, and much more. At night we’ll be showing solar powered movies. At 10am on Saturday and Sunday we have ‘Solar 101′ classes where you can learn about solar energy and how to run a car on vegetable oil. We also give tours of the bus all day long and have a library and reading lounge, so stop by anytime to learn about solar energy! The Solar Bus is also one of several places you can sign up to join the Green Vibes Carbon Cutters – a group of Vibes folks collectively working to reduce our carbon footprint. See you at the Solar Bus!
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy
Students for a Sensible Drug Policy is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the War on Drugs is failing our generation and our society. SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive Drug War policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.
The Terrapin Foundation
The Terrapin Foundation believes that through the Arts we can nurture the communities in which we live and thus change the world one community at a time.
The Wharf Rats
The Wharf Rats are a group of concert goers who have chosen to live drug and alcohol free. Our primary purpose at shows is to make ourselves available to anyone who feels we may have something they want. We don’t tell others how to attend their show. We offer clean and sober support, strength, fellowship and hope. We are not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or any other twelve-step group. We are a group of friends sharing a common bond. Look for the yellow flags, signs and the Wharf Rats information table.
World Peace Prayer Society
The World Peace Prayer Society cordially invites you to join in the Universal Prayer May Peace Prevail on Earth. People all over the world are joining together to bring peace to our hearts and our planet through the prayer May Peace Prevail on Earth. This prayer for world peace carries a message of great hope and healing. It transcends barriers of nationality, race and religion, to unite humanity in a call for the common good of all life on Earth.
WPKN
WPKN-FM is a listener-supported, non-commercial radio station broadcasting at 10,000 watts on 89.5 Mhz FM in Bridgeport, CT. The station also broadcasts to the bulk of Fairfield and New Haven Counties in Connecticut, Suffolk County in New York (Long Island) as well as parts of Rhode Island. The station dates back to the early 1960’s when it was affiliated with the University of Bridgeport. For the past 15 or so years, WPKN has not been affiliated with UB, but broadcasts from facilities located on the campus. WPKN’s programming is a cornucopia of genres and styles.
