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By Jim Trageser
In keeping with this issue's theme of nonprofits in cyberspace, a quick tour of some of the local charitable organizations on the 'Net:
Going to the Y is a whole lot easier now that there's a Web site. All the local YMCA locations in the county are listed here, along with their fitness programs and phone numbers. You can also find a listing of various departments – child care, camping, family counseling and the other social services the Y provides.
The San Diego Community Foundation is an advisory group that serves as a resource for other nonprofits throughout the county – awarding grants on behalf of other donors, maintaining a library of funding leads, and otherwise helping smaller charities cope with survival. The Web site is basic, but has contact names and numbers as a starting point.
If you're looking to adopt a pet, this is the place to go. You can also report animal abuse to the Humane Society, or give up a pet you can no longer care for. The Humane Society's Web site has info on all of that, as well as on how to volunteer, make a cash donation or find out about upcoming events.
It's easy to make fun of surfers here in Southern California, but the Surfrider Foundation is a homegrown group (now national) of surfers that works to prevent water pollution and overdevelopment along the coast. This site has a link to the San Diego chapter's site as well (http://www.sdsc.edu/~sdccsf/), where you can get info on volunteering as well as the latest wave reports.
The San Diego Computer Society started out as a hobbyist club back in the mid-'70s. Today, it's more involved in community service – such as its program to add wiring to schools so they can access the Internet in their classrooms. The Society's Web page has info on the dozens of special interest groups that affiliate with it (Mac, PC, Amiga and Atari, plus application groups like Internet, etc.), with contact names and numbers, and meeting times and locations.