Tamara Hillstrom, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has devoted a significant part of her life to public service. She founded El Amor de Patricia, a Guatemalan orphanage, where she is now the U.S. Director. El Amor de Patricia is a home to children in need, providing education, healthy living quarters, as well as a supportive environment to grow.
Tamara Hillstrom is not the only resident of her city that has devoted much of her time to public service. In Minneapolis alone, there are almost 8000 registered, non-profit organizations. The United States is a home for many diverse charities such as:
United Way
United Way is an organization that promotes the act of giving back to the community in which you live to try to improve it. Their goals include motivating people worldwide to actively try to improve their communities, create an infrastructure to connect all facets of society in a supportive structure, and financially support initiatives that has a sustained impact on local communities.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is present in 126 countries. This charitable organization was founded in 1865 and is also a Christian denominational church. With 1.5 million members worldwide, the organization attempts to bring salvation to the poor by meeting both their physical and spiritual needs. They provide humanitarian relief in developing countries as well as operating homeless shelters and charity shops.
The American Red Cross
The American Red Cross provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education in the United States. The organization is run by volunteers and is supported through donations. They are also able to support many of their projects through health and safety training projects as well as blood products. Established in 1881, this foundation is based in Washington DC.
Make-a-Wish Foundation
The Make-a-Wish foundation caters to terminally ill children. They specialize in creating an experience for the child. In order to qualify, children must be between 2 and 18 years old and have the recommendation of their physician. Make-a-Wish operates in 48 countries, and most wishes start with “I wish to go,” “I wish to meet,” “I wish to have,” “I wish to be,” or “I wish to give.”
Fundraisers and Galas are the lifeblood for many of the organizations that rely on donations for funding. Tamara Hillstrom, in June of 2013 organized one such gala that gave her much of the required funding to support El Amor de Patricia. With a guest list of only 100 people she was able to raise $70,000 to support her efforts in Guatemala. Tamara’s devotion to public service has helped to make El Amor de Patricia a successful organization since 2010.