Charities

Central to Virginia Yoga Week’s mission is the Karma Project.  Teachers and studios offer donation-based classes benefiting charities dear to their hearts.  We are pleased to feature the beneficiaries below. 

Arlington Food Assistance Center
Now over 20 years after its founding, the Arlington Food Assistance Center remains dedicated to its simple but critical mission of obtaining and distributing groceries, directly and free of charge, to people living in Arlington who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs.
www.afacinfo.org/

Carpenter’s Shelter
Carpenter’s Shelter is a proactive partner with the City of Alexandria and the greater Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area working to eliminate homelessness through respect, responsibility and results. We are a nexus, a meeting place, a center of learning where people unite interactively to end homelessness. Through Carpenter’s many programs, we act as a catalyst for positive change in peoples’ lives. Using a holistic approach to homelessness, we advocate self-reliance through education and provide programs and services as needed.
www.carpentersshelter.org

Chaitanya Child Welfare Trust 
A school for underserved children in a rural area near Bangalore, India.  

Culmore Clinic
The Culmore Clinic provides basic health services, including physical therapy, to uninsured adults one day per week in Bailey’s Crossroads, a low-income community in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Clinic supports over 1,900 patient visits per year on a shoe string. For every dollar raised, $7 in services is provided to Culmore Clinic patients.
www.facebook.com/pages/Culmore-Clinic/154181804628205

Dog World Rescue
Dog World Rescue is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that provides pet adoption in Virginia, Maryland    and Washington DC.  We find homes for dogs rescued from high-kill shelters.
www.dogworldrescue.com

Dogs XL Rescue
Dogs XL is a new “breed” of dog rescue, committed to the philosophy that there is no such thing as a perfect dog or  a perfect home. Dogs XL specializes in finding homes for large dogs (typically 50lbs+). Large dogs are often first to be put to sleep in shelters because medical treatment and food for large dogs is more expensive than for small dog.
www.dogsxlrescue.org

Exalted Warrior
The Exalted Warrior Foundation facilitates a yoga instruction program that is designed for wounded warriors in   military and veteran hospital facilities. Faced with the demands of both a physical and emotional recovery, yoga  allows newly disabled veterans to reconnect both with themselves and their loved ones. Warriors with amputations, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries have benefited greatly since the program began.
www.exaltedwarrior.com

Give Back Yoga
Give Back Yoga makes 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.
www.givebackyoga.org

King Street Cats
King Street Cats is a unique cat welfare and rescue organization. We are privileged to have an orphanage to house our cats safely until they are re-homed. We are a true no-kill, free-roaming cat orphanage and we pride ourselves on having the “cat-friendliest cats in town.” We are run solely by volunteers and are funded by private donations.
kingstreetcats.org

Last Chance Animal Rescue
Last Chance Animal Rescue, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to minimize the euthanasia of homeless pets through both adoption and providing low-cost, high-quality spay/neuter for both dogs and cats.
lastchanceanimalrescue.org

Loudoun County Animal Shelter, CARE
Loudoun County Animal Care and Control is dedicated to serve and protect the public’s health and safety and to assure the welfare of animals by promoting and providing for their safe, humane and lawful treatment.
www.animalshelter.org/shelters/Loudoun_County_Animal_Care_and_Control_rId5485_rS_pC.html

Mid Atlantic Pug Rescue
Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue, Inc is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, dedicated to providing for the short and long term needs of abandoned or surrendered pugs. We give rescued pugs veterinary care, a nurturing foster environment, and permanent placement into a loving home. In addition, we offer education to the public on the special responsibilities of pug ownership and the need for domestic animal population control.
www.midatlanticpugrescue.org/index.html

People for Haiti
People For Haiti is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing long-term support for the people devastated by the Haitian earthquake of 2010.
www.peopleforhaiti.com

Reston Interfaith
Serving NoVA since 1970 by providing food, immediate shelter, affordable housing, quality child care, and other human services.
www.restoninterfaith.org

Tranquil Space Foundation
Tranquil Space Foundation focuses on expanding opportunities for girls and women to develop their inner voice through yoga, creativity, and leadership activities. Its signature program, TranquilTeens, provides workshops for girls in grades 9-12 through partnerships with schools and community organizations. Tranquil Space Foundation also contributes to programs and organizations aligned with its mission.
www.tranquilspacefoundation.org

Vatsalya Gram
Vatsalya Gram is an avant-garde alternative to women’s shelters and orphanages in the world where underprivileged children and women of every age live together as families and form enduring relationships as parents and siblings.
www.vatsalyagram.org

YoKid
YoKid helps children from all socioeconomic backgrounds foster self-awareness through low- and no-cost instruction in yoga and meditation.  With greater self-awareness, children can realize their full potential academically, socially, and emotionally.
www.yokid.org