Good Works

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In 1977 Daniel Alejandrez made a commitment to live up to his nickname, Nane,which means 'walk in peace.' That year he co-founded Barrios Unidos, a community organization based in Santa Cruz, California, and devoted to stopping gang violence. Today there are chapters throughout California, as well as the newly created Cesar Chavez Institute for Social Change in Santa Cruz, which Alejandrez also helped found. Barrios Unidos is calling for an end to the violence through outreach, leadership development, mentorship, and the Cesar Chavez Peace Plan--a practical blueprint for local and national community transformation.

For more information: 313 Front St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060; 408/457-8208.

2) Wilderness Watch

This six-year-old organization steps in and battles for pristine wilderness when federal agencies fall down on the job or commercial interests get too grabby. Wilderness Watch has filed suit against the Forest Service as a result of its refusal to enforce the dismantling of some permanent, destructive camps in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The group has also taken aim at the development of 'outfitter camps' (fully equipped modern lodges) that endanger the shorelines of the Wild Salmon River, in violation of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Dedicated solely to preserving American wilderness and wild rivers protected by the Wilderness Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, Wilderness Watch monitors over 650 designated wildernesses and 120 rivers. It educates the public and the government about the legal and ethical issues of wilderness use, advocating no-trace use, promoting public involvement in decision making, and monitoring the Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River management programs in Washington and in the field.

For more information: Box 9175, Missoula, MT 59807; 406/542-2048; e-mail WILDWATCH@igc.apc.org.

3) The Horizons Initiative

Through the smoke and hot air fanned by the ferocious welfare reform debate, there are groups that still see the children. Since 1988 the Boston-based Horizons Initiative has been providing child care in shelters for the homeless, giving homeless mothers the much-needed freedom to keep appointments, find jobs, and work toward self-sufficiency.

Grappling with the reality that approximately 40 percent of the homeless population is made up of families, the Horizons Initiative has created a broad spectrum of programs to help mothers and create a stimulating environment for their children. THI has built and equipped 12 play spaces in shelters throughout the Boston area, and it has opened a full-time child-care center that integrates day care with development of self-sufficiency. More than 800 volunteers staff the programs.

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