It’s a potluck, so bring food. Shelter, tables, grill, plates, and utensils will be provided. Pets are okay, but please, on a leash. Bring chairs and games. No alcohol.

This event is sponsored by: Eastside Atheist/Agnostic Meetup Group, Eastside Brights, Ethical Culture Society of Puget Sound, Freethinkers United Network, Humanists of Greater Portland, Humanists of North Puget Sound, Humanists of Washington, Seattle Atheists, Secular Jewish Circle, Tacoma Atheists, University Unitarian Humanists, and the UW Secular Student Union.

“Philanthropist” is a word which, translated from Greek, literally means “lover of humanity.”  There is no caveat attached to this term that dictates that the lover of humanity must also believe in a god or gods, but it would seem that some religiously affiliated and atheist-wary folks ignore that lack of a religious requirement. Those people are certainly misguided. It is only the religious who feel that religion is needed in order for a person to be charitable.

Something which should be a point of pride for all atheists, especially when you’re being told by someone who knows little about you besides the fact that you’re not a believer — and often assumes the worst —  is that the two biggest charitable contributions in American history can both be attributed to non-believers: Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

But charity is not, and should not be, a tally of which side has done more, and the subsequent declaration of a winner. It shouldn’t be about who wins. The focus should be on helping people whether you’re religious or not. I have been told more than once by religious people who were disturbed by my atheism that, if there were no god fearing, good people on this earth there would be no hospitals, no orphanages, no clothing and food drives, no helping hand for anyone. In this bleak and truly apocalypic atheist future, everyone is looking out for themselves and the very idea of helping others is perverse and uncessesary. Help out your fellow man? Heh, who’s gonna make me?

The fact is that there are plenty of secular institutions already in existence that provide every kind of charitable resource you could imagine — and they provide these things without the common proselytization-in-exchange-for-help attitude which is often found at religiously affiliated institutions and events.

I remember specifically helping an older woman whose husband had died. A big group of us were there cleaning her house and fixing up her yard. I was helping the woman sort through clothes and she started talking about how wonderful the Catholic organization was that had set up the work we doing and by proxy, how wonderful we all were. I thanked her, and I didn’t correct her assumption that we were all Catholics doing good Catholic work because I felt that the work we were doing was important, not the details of who was doing it to be nice and who was doing it because of god. However, I realized that in many cases, people assume charity work is being done in the name of a “holy” organization.

The only way I can see to change the public perception of atheists and to help change the assumptions being made about charitable work is for atheists to get involved with their communities as atheists so that we can show by example that we are upstanding citizens interested in philanthropy in it’s purest form.

Below is a list of secular charities and aid-based organizations which would be worth looking into if you are looking to donate some time or money to your fellow human beings. This is by no means a complete list and does not include many local organizations which are always looking for volunteers. Remember, while donating money is always appreciated and needed, what a lot of charities need even more is your time and physical involvement. If we all tried to get involved or if those of us who can’t get involved were willing to support those who are even a little bit, we could do a lot to change the commonly-held and entirely unfair position that atheists are selfish, mean people who don’t have the capacity for compassion that religious folks have. It’s not at all fair, but it’s up to us to prove them wrong. Keep reading for a list of charities.

DonorsChoose.org is a simple way to provide students in need with resources that our public schools often lack.

Kiva.org lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world.

The Union of Concerned Scientists is a leading science-based non-profit working for a healthy environment and safer world.

The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, provides relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. The USA’s premier emergency response organization, over 91% of Red Cross spending is on charitable services.

The mission of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)  is to preserve all of constitutional protections and guarantees relating to First Amendment rights, including the freedom to practice religion and the freedom not to have religion rammed down our throats, equal protection, due process, and right to privacy.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) mobilizes political will and material resources to help countries, particularly developing countries, ensure a “first call for children” and to build their capacity to form appropriate policies and deliver services for children and their families. UNICEF provides emergency and disaster relief.

Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international independent medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural and man-made disasters, and exclusion from health care in nearly 70 countries.

Amnesty International’s vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this vision, AI’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.

Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together with over 3,000 partners in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice. The Oxfams operate in over 100 countries worldwide working with local partners to alleviate poverty and injustice.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on Earth. An environmental group that protects natural habitats and the wildlife within them. Focuses on “science-based” initiatives.

Population Connection is the national grassroots population organization that educates young people and advocates progressive action to stabilize world population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources. Works against faith-based policies that are supported by the Religious Right.

DefCon: Campaign to Defend the Constitution is an online grassroots movement combating the growing power of the religious right. It includes a blog on religious freedom issues, action alerts, and in-depth articles on scientific, religious, and legal issues of the day.

The SEED foundation is a national nonprofit that establishes urban public boarding schools to prepare students from underserved communities for success in college.

Project Peanut Butter is a therapeutic feeding program for malnourished children in Malawi and Sierra Leone, on the continent of Africa. It was founded by Professor Mark Manary, M.D., a pediatrician at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and a professor of pediatric medicine at Washington University School of Medicine.

When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. With the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations.

Mercy corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities.

Seva‘s programs serve people who have been economically, politically, or otherwise marginalized. They change their program’s approach to relate to culture and circumstances, reaching out in different ways to nomads in Tibet, women in Tanzania, and indigenous Mayans in Guatemala.

The International Peace Institute (IPI), formerly International Peace Academy, is an independent, international institution dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of armed conflict between and within states through policy research and development.

Chris in Texas writes:

Thank you all for doing this. You truly are compassionate

Chris, you are the compassionate one. Thanks for your generosity and making this happen!

Beth writes:

My friend and I wanted to join your team, but we’re not members of the Tacoma Atheists. Is that ok?

Beth, not only is it OK, but it’s great! We’d love to have you in our team! I’m ordering t-shirts, so be sure to get one so we can all show our atheist pride!

Last night the PCAF kicked of it’s September AIDS Walk at Shakabrah on 6th Ave., and five of us were there.

We heard from the organizers of the AIDS Walk, PCAF staff and the director, and we learned that AIDS has become the leading killer of young black women. That’s terrifying. The AIDS Walk is a wonderful way to help educate people about HIV/AIDS (which is 100% preventable!), provide services that are so critical to the + community, and show people where our hearts are: “Guided by reason, informed by science, motivated by compassion.”

I encourage all members to join our team and walk with us, and if you can’t, donate any amount — even as little as $20 will help us on our way to our goal of $1,000 and recognition at the AIDS walk of our group.

If every member donates only $10, we will exceed that goal! Join our team and make a donation here.

An interesting side note: One of the organizers remembered us from last year, and asked if he could come to a Meetup! That was so exciting!

Here are some background figures on HIV/AIDS in Pierce County:

1,741 people with HIV/AIDS have come to the Pierce County AIDS Foundation for services, and 638 persons are known to have died from complications related to AIDS as of July 31, 2007.  Pierce County has the second highest incidence of AIDS in the State, with 9% of the total number of cases in Washington.

AIDS in Pierce County is distinguished from the state as a whole by a clientele which is poorer, has a lower average educational level and contains a higher percentage of women, people of color, injection drug users, teenagers, and children.  Statistics provided by the Tacoma/Pierce County Health Department and the Washington State Department of Health find:

• 35% of the cases of HIV/AIDS in Pierce County are among people of color.  That figure is only 28% for the state as a whole.
• 18% of the people with AIDS in Pierce County report injecting drug use as the mode of transmission of HIV as opposed to only 9% statewide. 18% percent of the people with AIDS in Pierce County report heterosexual sex as the mode of transmission of HIV as opposed to only 10% statewide.
• 20% of all Pierce County AIDS cases are women, a number twice the statewide percentage of AIDS cases among women.
• Teens are more at risk for HIV in Pierce County. 24% of the cases of AIDS are among young people 20-29 years of age. Taking into account a potential ten-year period where HIV has not yet progressed to full blown AIDS, it is logical to assume that most of these were infected as teens. That figure is only 21% for the state and for the nation.

Recent statistics show these trends in the AIDS epidemic in Pierce County even more strongly than the cumulative cases. Among the 88 new clients served at PCAF in 2005, 39% are from communities of color, 22% are women, and 14% report drug use as the probable cause of transmission. Of the 478 clients served in 2005, 30% had mental health issues, 60% have both mental health and substance abuse problems, and 70% had incomes of less than $10,000 per year.

During 2005, 15% of our new clients were homeless at intake, and almost 25% of the 478 clients served were homeless, or at risk of homelessness during the course of the year.

The Delivered From Dogma Comedy Tour intends to provide top notch entertainment for freethinkers of all shapes and sizes. The tour is at it’s heart an attempt to bring freethinkers together under the same roof and laugh at the sort of things only a liberated soul dares to call absurdity.

Headliner Jeremy Whitman is the son of a preacher, the nephew of two more preachers, and had a great uncle who was a Catholic Priest. Oddly enough, he has never been molested. Whitman was raised a young earth creationist, and attending multiple Private Christian Schools; including one that his father served as the principal of. This upbringing has given Jeremy a unique inside-out look at the logical fallacies of Hardcore Fundamentalist Christianity, an institution which he left after much soul searching in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. Now an accomplished standup comic and outspoken atheist, Jeremy has, after years two solid years of road work in the deep south and the bible belt, taken it upon himself to put together the Delivered From Dogma Comedy Tour in an effort to bring the ideals of Freethinking to anyone who will listen to him gleefully lampoon the more regrettable aspects of religion, and just about any other topic he finds interesting, distressing, or fun to talk about.

Featured Act Aaron “Riggs” Flett is the former cohost of “Mornings With Bill” which is a radio show you’ve never heard of. When he’s not too busy getting married to a woman he met a few hours ago, or getting divorced from the same woman a few weeks later, he can usually be found painting cars for the kinds of people who love there automobiles just a little bit more than they want to be taken bodily from it into heaven as a precursor to Armageddon. As a rare blue collar free thinker who is not afraid to speak his mind, and has been kicked of more than one greyhound bus for doing so at length, Riggs is almost a living contradiction. Riggs lost all faith in organized religion when his prayer to not go bald as a pre teen went unanswered, as it has to this day.

Expect a relentless assault on sacred cows of all shapes and sizes as these two performers proceed to pick apart a variety of topics in a no-holds-barred fashion.

The Charlotte White Mottet Library
3523 East G Street
Tacoma, WA 98404
(253) 591-5666

The meeting is open to the public. No food or drink is permitted in the conference room.

…We know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers.”

Also much to be admired in the inaugural speech:

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost.  We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of the new age.”

As both an atheist and a member of the healthcare community, I couldn’t be happier that there now resides in the White House a man who understands that the dictates of dogma do not shape our policy, and that science in its pure form is the way forward for humanity as a whole, rather than relegating it to the dank basement of religious suspicion. We can take heart that intelligence and emphasis on examination, evaluation and education will once again be the hallmarks of the Presidency.

I look forward to the coming years, and to doing my part.