Nonprofit organizations may not always be the headliners in the newspaper or the first thing we hear about when we flip on the news channel, but they are the heartbeat of humanity reaching out to each other for the sake of each other’s welfare.

I know my feature stories are not as interesting as, say, the latest scandal with Governor Guilianni, but these organizations I talk about are worth our time. In a world that focuses on the famous (or infamous, depending on how you view it) entertainment industry, people in politics, crime, war, and the resulting chaos that revolves around such issues, we as humans need to hear about the positive side of the world too.

There ARE good things going on in the world! The world has not “gone to hell in a hand-basket”! I am sick and tired of listening to the news and reading in the headlines of the newspapers and magazines all the drama and awful occurrences of the day. Of course, increasing our knowledge of the reality of crime can help us protect ourselves, and learning more about the pasts of presidential candidates can help us make a calculated decision on who to vote for. Those things can be beneficial to an extent, but what about the benefits we reap from hearing good news?

Proverbs 15:30 tells us that “Light in a messengers eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.” Then Proverbs 16:24 says that, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Isaiah 52:7 says, “How beautiful…are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings…”

Think about the last time someone told you something good that happened to them, or some good news in general. How did you feel while they were telling you? What about when you hear good news about earning a raise, or a better job? Doesn’t good news, whether it pertains directly to you or not, make you feel, well, GOOD?

It is important that we share good news with others.

Whether we realize it or not, our good news, or bad news, affects the lives of people around us. Why not be a creator, or at least a reporter, of the unacknowledged, unglorified, good news of nonprofit organizations? After all, it is good news that gives us hope for the world and for our own lives. A positive report lets humanity know that there is goodness in the world and sometimes that alone gets us through the hard times.

Nonprofits are forces for good.

Nonprofit organizations fill the voids and help heal the hurts of mankind. That seems like a lofty statement, but consider for a moment the impact World Vision or Compassion International has on the world. These two organizations alone have changed the lives of millions of children and families internationally. They help the weak, the poor, the hungry, the orphaned and widowed by not just giving them a “fish for the day, but teaching them how to fish”.

So, why do I write about nonprofits? I write because they are the ones out there doing the gruntwork, usually behind the scenes, out of the minds of the public, for the lowest pay (if they are payed at all!), working with the forgotten, abused, challenged, weak, sick people of society who others do not wish to acknowledge. I write to them, and for them, in gratitude for the great work they are doing. Even if they are never recognized this side of heaven for their good deeds, they continue, they press forward, in hope of bringing some morsel of joy to the world.