Lia's volunteer page

These are some great non-profit organizations that I support with time, money, or blood (as appropriate).  You can follow the links to learn more about them.
 

	Stanford University School of Medicine Blood Center Give early, give often.  This place is great.  For giving whole blood you get cookies, and for donating platelets or white cells, you get an excuse to sit in an easy chair and watch a video for two hours.
	National Marrow Donor Program The NMDP is a non-profit organization that matches patients who have life-threatening blood diseases with healthy donors who can donate stem cells.  Each one of us who joins the NMDP's database by volunteering to donate bone marrow (or other kinds of crucial blood cells) improves the chances of a match for some patient in dire need.
	Pets in Need I do Kitty Cuddling at Pets in Need to help socialize homeless cats and improve their chances for adoption.  It's a tough job. . . .
	Santa Clara County Fire Department The Fire Department has some excellent education programs.  I can personally recommend their earthquake preparedness class.
	Mountain Parks Foundation This organization keeps Big Basin & Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parks in good shape.
	Institute for Women and Technology The IWT is a fine organization dedicated to getting women more involved in the invention, design, and deployment of technology.   They need volunteers for all kind of activities.
	Youth Hostelling International I enjoyed hosteling through YHA when I was a youth, and I am happy to support them now.