Seasons of Hope

September 11, 2003 through September 11, 2004

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, many have tried to find an appropriate way to honor the lives lost.

Beginning on September 11, 2003, youth from all 50 states and 150 nations around the world are engaging in a campaign in their memory to benefit one of five important causes: literacy, hunger, the environment, polio eradication, and emergency relief.

Champions of Hope invites you to perform a service project in honor of those who were lost in the attacks on America.

Click here for registration information.

Freedom Readers: An important part of freedom is the open exchange of ideas made possible by literacy. One way to encourage literacy is to provide books to people in need. You can promote freedom by helping to collect and distribute 1,000,000 books throughout the year-long Seasons of Hope. We are going to make sure that our nation's schools, libraries, health care facilities and social service agencies each have all the books they need. Our Freedom Readers partners, Verizon Reads and the National Center for Family Literacy, move us toward our goal by providing resources and tools. Young people who don't have the tools to learn today won't be able to defend the freedom we love tomorrow.
Download Freedom Readers tip sheet.
Freedom Harvest: Right now, all across America, food banks, homeless shelters and social service agencies need food. You can help by planning a Freedom Harvest project as part of the year-long Seasons of Hope campaign to get 1,000,000 pounds of food where it's needed. Collect food. Put it all together and, nationally, that 1,000,000 pounds of food adds up to about 40 truckloads, each carrying 25,000 pounds.
Download Freedom Harvest tip sheet.
Freedom Lives: America's Clean Water Foundation and the International Water Association are inviting citizens and organizations from around the globe to share in the experience of water quality monitoring on World Water Monitoring Day 2003. World Water Monitoring Day serves as a global educational platform for watershed leaders, educators and trained volunteers to help those who are less experienced better understand how the actions of individuals in a watershed can impact many others. From September 18 to October 18, citizens throughout the world community will have an opportunity to monitor the quality of their local watersheds and enter the results of their efforts into an international database. Then, on October 18, we will celebrate World Water Monitoring Day together.
Click here to learn more.
Freedom Heals: Raising enough money can end polio this year. By wiping out this crippling disease, Freedom Heals can aid our neighbors worldwide, spreading a message of friendship and support that can improve relations and impact nations. We'll help other young people everywhere by raising money to buy the medicines and vaccines like the ones we take for granted in the U.S. Freedom Heals benefits from a partnership with The United Nations Foundation, which will use the money we raise to vaccinate children and end this disease. You may not hear about polio much anymore. That's because we wiped it out in the U.S. 30 years ago. But this terrible disease still hurts kids around the world, preventing them from walking, running and having a normal life. Together, we can do something big for the world.
Download Freedom Heals tip sheet.
Freedom Saves: You can help your local fire, police, and rescue organizations by helping to raise a national total of $1,000,000. By hosting a Freedom Car Wash, you raise important funds to help your local heroes. Your community heroes are committed to protecting you, your family and friends. Show them your appreciation and inspire community members to donate money by washing their cars, ambulances, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles. Our Freedom Saves partner, the National Volunteer Fire Council, moves us toward our goal by providing outreach and support. The money you raise stays in your community, helping your local agencies purchase vital equipment or services.
Download Freedom Saves tip sheet.