There are some people in life who fall prey to bad circumstances. We’re a product of our environment until someone shows us another way. If you grew up making a certain amount of money and were always around people who made a similar wage, that’s the lifestyle you know. Something more seems unreal and something less is scary. Until you acquaint yourself with the people who have more, you’ll never know how to live with more, and vice versa.

That’s why it’s so important to have role models in your life to show you the way. I had no idea you could make a living running an online service-based business until I met a bunch of people who succeeded doing just that. I had no idea you could be a yoga teacher until I started hanging around the yoga studio. I was lucky to come upon these opportunities by my own doing. Others aren’t as fortunate.

That’s why the following five non-profits are doing incredible work in this world, helping those who have lost their way, or didn’t know there was a different way in the first place.

I owe my success to my mentors and strongly believe in giving back so that others can have the same opportunities. I also strongly believe in helping kids and young adults – it’s the formative years that have such a strong impact on the rest of your life; if you can start off on the right path young, the sky is the limit!

Please take the time to read about the organizations below and donate (time, money, or sharing with someone else) if you feel moved.

MindDrive

MindDrive is a visionary non-profit based in Kansas City, MO using hands-on experiential learning to drive urban students toward success in the classroom. Most of the students “have slipped through the cracks and are learning at a grade level below their age group.” In the MindDrive program, a Saturday extracurricular in a way, students are taught critical thinking skills, creativity, entrepreneurship, and how to improve their future outlook with mindset practices and opportunities to envision a bright future for themselves.

What makes the MindDrive program unique is the course curriculum. Students learn how to build an energy efficient car from the ground up – high school students! – with the help of experienced automotive mentors that work one-on-one with the kids. Along with the shop skills, the students also learn contemporary communications, such as marketing, photography, video and social media. At the end of the program last year, the students drove the energy efficient car they built across the country! Along the way, the students helped capture footage for a documentary about their experiences. But MindDrive needs help to finish the documentary and spread the message about how experiential learning can change the lives of kids across the country. Check out their IndieGogo campaign and help out if you feel so moved. They only have 60 hours left to meet their funding goal!

Art of Yoga Project

According to Art of Yoga Project’s website, “an overwhelming number of incarcerated teen girls are victims themselves, caught in cycles of violence and abuse. Nationally, 70 to 90 percent of girls in the juvenile justice system have been sexually abused. A young girl often runs away to escape an abusive environment. On the streets, she engages in survival crimes in order to get by. By the time she is arrested and enters the system, she has experienced high levels of trauma that have resulted in significant mental health issues.”

Art of Yoga Project offers relief to incarcerated teen girls by providing yoga classes, mentoring and instruction in the yogic way of life, an alternative foreign to most of the girls who have seen more violence than peace.

Currently, Art of Yoga Project works in San Francisco, CA. You can make a donation online or request to become an ambassador.

DoSomething.org

The cool thing about DoSomething.org is that it’s open for any and all teens, despite socioeconomic status, limitations or interests. Now I know this goes against my 2013 Wellness Challenge to Do Nothing, but this something is even more meaningful than doing nothing. This organization believes in the creativity and energy teens bring to the table and understand that young people’s frustration with the future can be harnessed for positive change. But only if we do something!

Every week, DoSomething.org encourages teens to do something bigger than themselves – to become involved in the community, to become an activist and to make a difference – without money, adult supervision or the need for a car. A novel idea and unique way to get teens involved in safe, meaningful work.

Pass this along to a teen in your life and encourage them to become a member.

The Wellness Initiative

Based in Boulder, CO, The Wellness Initiative offers in-school yoga-based wellness programs to low-income youth with a mission to improve physical health, social and emotional development and academic performance.

For the past three years, The Wellness Initiative has held a Yogathon as a benefit to help fund current and future programs and serve more students. A Yogathon is a series of 108 Sun Salutations, or set of poses repeated 108 times. It’s a physical challenge for practitioners and a heart-warming opportunity to see elementary school children who participate in the yoga programs give a demonstration before the official event begins.

If you’re in the Denver/Boulder area, I highly suggest you make it to the Yogathon this year. The 2013 event will be held on April 27th. You can find out more or donate on The Wellness Initiative website.

GiveBack Yoga Foundation

The GiveBack Yoga Foundation doesn’t necessarily work with kids, but they certainly work with adults who have lost their way. “Give Back Yoga Foundation believes in making yoga available to those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the transformational benefits of this powerful practice. We do this by supporting and funding certified yoga teachers in all traditions to offer the teachings of yoga to under-served and under-resourced socio-economic segments of the community and inspire grassroots social change and community cooperation.” These under-served populations include the military, prisons, and first responders.

The organization has created a Yoga for Veterans Toolkit and a Resource Guide with the help of expert teachers with years of experience working with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and Kripalu. Their goal for 2013 is to provide 10,000 veterans with the Toolkit. If you know a soldier or veteran in your life who suffers from PTSD or other complications, consider donating to this organization today.

Do you have a favorite non-profit organization or mission that you enjoy supporting? Share with me in the comments below!