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MARS SOCIETY INC

The time has come for humanity to journey to the planet Mars. We’re ready. Though Mars is distant, we are far better prepared today to send humans to the Red Planet than we were to travel to the Moon at the commencement of the space age. Given the will, we could have our first crews on Mars within a decade. The reasons for going to Mars are powerful. We must go for the knowledge of Mars. Our robotic probes have revealed that Mars was once a warm and wet planet, suitable for hosting life’s origin. But did it? A search for fossils on the Martian surface or microbes in groundwater below could provide the answer. If found, they would show that the origin of life is not unique to the Earth, and, by implication, reveal a universe that is filled with life and probably intelligence as well. From the point of view learning our true place in the universe, this would be the most important scientific enlightenment since Copernicus. We must go for the knowledge of Earth. As we begin the twenty-first century, we have evidence that we are changing the Earth’s atmosphere and environment in significant ways. It has become a critical matter for us better to understand all aspects of our environment. In this project, comparative planetology is a very powerful tool, a fact already shown by the role Venusian atmospheric studies played in our discovery of the potential threat of global warming by greenhouse gases. Mars, the planet most like Earth, will have even more to teach us about our home world. The knowledge we gain could be key to our survival. We must go for the challenge. Civilizations, like people, thrive on challenge and decay without it. The time is past for human societies to use war as a driving stress for technological progress. As the world moves towards unity, we must join together, not in mutual passivity, but in common enterprise, facing outward to embrace a greater and nobler challenge than that which we previously posed to each other. Pioneering Mars will provide such a challenge. Furthermore, a cooperative international exploration of Mars would serve as an example of how the same joint-action could work on Earth in other ventures. We must go for the youth. The spirit of youth demands adventure. A humans-to-Mars program would challenge young people everywhere to develop their minds to participate in the pioneering of a new world. If a Mars program were to inspire just a single extra percent of today’s youth to scientific educations, the net result would be tens of millions more scientists, engineers, inventors, medical researchers and doctors. These people will make innovations that create new industries, find new medical cures, increase income, and benefit the world in innumerable ways to provide a return that will utterly dwarf the expenditures of the Mars program. We must go for the opportunity. The settling of the Martian New World is an opportunity for a noble experiment in which humanity has another chance to shed old baggage and begin the world anew; carrying forward as much of the best of our heritage as possible and leaving the worst behind. Such chances do not come often, and are not to be disdained lightly. We must go for our humanity. Human beings are more than merely another kind of animal, -we are life’s messenger. Alone of the creatures of the Earth, we have the ability to continue the work of creation by bringing life to Mars, and Mars to life. In doing so, we shall make a profound statement as to the precious worth of the human race and every member of it. We must go for the future. Mars is not just a scientific curiosity; it is a world with a surface area equal to all the continents of Earth combined, possessing all the elements that are needed to support not only life, but technological society. It is a New World, filled with history waiting to be made by a new and youthful branch of human civilization that is waiting to be born. We must go to Mars to make that potential a reality. We must go, not for us, but for a people who are yet to be. We must do it for the Martians. Believing therefore that the exploration and settlement of Mars is one of the greatest human endeavors possible in our time, we have gathered to found this Mars Society, understanding that even the best ideas for human action are never inevitable, but must be planned, advocated, and achieved by hard work. We call upon all other individuals and organizations of like-minded people to join with us in furthering this great enterprise. No nobler cause has ever been. We shall not rest until it succeeds.

Lakewood, Colorado

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RAPTOR VIEW RESEARCH INSTITUTE

The mission of RVRI is to provide knowledge of raptors (birds of prey) and the ecosystems that support them to the public and scientific community, through research conservation and education. As widespread predators inhabiting all terrestrial ecosystems, raptors serve as valuable indicators of ecosystem health. As “environmental barometers”, or the “coal miner's canary”, raptors are often the first obvious component of an ecosystem to show the negative effects of a failing system. RVRI believes that by protecting raptors and effectively managing for them, we are in turn, protecting the wild integrity of those ecosystems as a whole.

MISSOULA, Montana

Eagles Nest of Saint Clair County/The Joseph Center

The Joseph Center is a 26 bed transitional housing program for homeless veterans dealing with substance abuse addiction. Our mission is to assist these veterans in becoming self-sufficient and moving into permanent housing.

East St Louis, Illinois

COACHING MISSION INTERNATIONAL

To multiply coaching for missions. We serve global missions by providing high-quality coaching, coach training and coach support to help mission workers overcome challenges, personally thrive and effectively fulfill their calling.

Phoenix, Arizona

NATURAL LAND INSTITUTE

Natural Land Institute has protected more than 16,000 acres of natural land (undeveloped) in Illinois since 1958 as a private, 501 (c)3 not-for-profit land trust and serves as a regional land conservation organization serving 12 counties in northern Illinois.

Rockford, Illinois

Common Threads

We believe cooking is a life skill. Through our hands-on cooking programs and nutrition education, Common Threads provides a preventative health program solution in urban schools to children, families and teachers in underserved communities

Chicago, Illinois

Healey International Relief Foundation

Founded in 2001, The Healey International Relief Foundation, Inc. (HIRF) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working exclusively in Sierra Leone. HIRF partners with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, healthcare facilities, local organizations, community leaders, and international donors to strengthen healthcare systems and improve access to essential medicines, medical supplies, equipment, and quality healthcare. HIRF's work includes maternal and child health, nutrition, noncommunicable diseases, epilepsy awareness and inclusion, healthcare worker training, and essential health supplies. The Foundation also supports children's education and well-being, women's economic development, community-led initiatives, and humanitarian responses. Through long-standing local partnerships and sustainable programs, HIRF works to improve health outcomes and strengthen the capacity of communities throughout Sierra Leone.

Lumberton, New Jersey

Operation Kringle

Inspired by the spirit of Kris Kringle, Operation Kringle is a nonprofit organization that embodies, celebrates, and encourages simple acts of kindness all year long. We harness the power of generosity to spark joy among people facing hardship and to offer gratitude to those serving others.

GLENKIRK

Glenkirk provides quality, lifetime supports and services that empower individuals with intellectual disabilities to participate fully in all areas of community life. Glenkirk offers a variety of residential, day and employment programs, as well as respite, medical, behavioral and home-based services.

Northbrook, Illinois

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Newman Center The

Making a difference in communities through dedicated service and impact.

Sault S Marie, Michigan

mothers2mothers International

Our mission is to impact the health of mothers by putting them at the heart of improving reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health. Our Mentor Mother Model empowers mothers living with HIV, through education and employment, as role models to help other women access essential services and medical care.

Los Angeles, California

THE SID FOUNDATION INC

Raising funds and awareness for lung transplant research and providing funding and resources for lung transplant patients.

Kennesaw, Georgia