• Society
    5 Websites to Find Free Public Records

    You may require public records for many reasons. Perhaps you want to look back into your family history or need some information for governmental purposes. These days, there are plenty of digital resources that let you view public records for free. However, not everybody knows where to start with their search when they are looking for these records. Listed below are some of the best websites to find free public records.

    • ZabaSearch
      Plenty of records are accessible on ZabaSearch. Firstly, start with browsing for your requirements on this site without any registration. You will get instant results, and you can also find various parameters here. You can look up addresses as well as telephone records, along with thrice the residential listings as compared to the conventional White Pages directory. The best part is that you can find all of it for free, while some other portals may charge you a nominal fee for the same records.
    • USA.gov
      There is a host of government information divided into different categories available for your perusal at USA.gov. Consumer records about family and communities, money and tax information as well as jobs and educational information are available on this portal. If you are interested in history, culture, and arts, and need information about these subjects, then you can access this portal for free public records.
    • Census Finder
      Census Finder is another free public records engine. It is a search site which can help you trace a plethora of demographic information. It is particularly interesting for people who want to find records of their ancestors. Free census records are not readily available on most sites, and this is a great place to look for them.
    • Family Tree Now
      If your family tree is on your mind, then this is the right portal for you. It provides you with free public records about your family and helps you trace your ancestry. Apart from discovering your past, you can build the tree based on the historical records of your family members as well.
    • American FactFinder
      Just as the name suggests, there are different fact categories that you can access on this website. From the most popular records about population and income tax to data about your particular community, you can access quite a lot of information about almost anything here. Additionally, this site also conducts a lot of surveys, and the results of these surveys are listed on its webpage too.
  • Society
    A List of 5 Lesser Known Children’s Charities

    There are several charities in the country that support causes associated with children in one way or another. If you believe in the future of the world, then you donate to a children’s charity to bring about a significant difference. While we know about the most popular charities, there are many others that deserve attention. If you are thinking about donating to a children’s charity, then here are the best ones that you can consider.

    • Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
      Providing children with one-on-one mentors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is one of the best charities. This organization aims to help most people in the world reach their potential. It also holds a congressional charter and is one of the most reliable charitable organizations in the country.
    • Boys & Girls Clubs of America
      If you want to donate to a children’s charity, then you can consider this particular organization because of the programs it conducts. These programs focus on sports and recreation, arts, education, character and leadership, health and wellness, and career development. Their activities are categorized as per different age groups – 6-9 years, 10-12 years, and 12-15 years. Additionally, there is a program for kids who are above the age of 16 years as well.
    • Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Center
      AVID is one of the best options when it comes to making donations to children’s charities. With unique programs, it has trained around 70,000 individuals on an annual basis, who in turn prepare the little ones for college, life, and their careers.
    • Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
      Tobacco addiction is one of the worst challenges that the youngsters of our nation are facing. This charity organization actively works towards keeping the youth from falling prey to tobacco abuse. This cause makes it one of the best charities to donate to.
    • Canines for Disabled Kids
      Canines for Disabled Kids conducts education as well as public awareness programs. It connects assistance dogs to disabled kids and ensures that both develop a healthy relationship that helps them heal. Your donation to this charity would be used for a very emotional cause as these funds would be navigated towards the betterment of differently-abled children in society.

    This article mentions some of the best children’s charities where you can donate some funds or any other kind of aid. These children deserve all the love and support that they can get. If you want your donation to go towards a specific cause, then you can look up some organizations working in that particular sector and provide them with aid.

  • Society
    3 factors to note before moving into a mobile home

    The thought of moving into a mobile home can be alluring, albeit stressful too. A major decision, there are numerous tasks and issues that are associated with the move and the same must be duly addressed to avoid feeling overwhelmed. From adjusting into unfamiliar surroundings to ensuring that the mobile home serves every need, there is so much that has to be met with. However, these homes bring some exceptional advantages that traditional homes miss. Mobile homes enable a simple lifestyle, are beneficial to the environment, and are also cheaper than traditional homes.

    Mobile homes are available in a plethora of sizes, designs, and materials, which can further cloud your choice and make the task daunting. It is imperative to understand a number of factors before finally moving into the new space.

    Here are 7 essentials to closely note prior to making the big move.

    Aim at a set of goals
    Moving into the new mobile home can be quite an adventure, but it can also be overwhelming. You may be confused about where to begin. However, setting goals with one room at a time can make the tasks easier. Begin by setting one room completely well before moving on to the next. This process will help you ease out as you watch everything come together step-by-step. Moreover, in case you have help with setting up, the systematic process will ensure that things do not get misplaced or lost.

    Understand the utilities
    Utilities like water pipes, heaters, circuit breakers, and more are important for a smooth living. The utilities may be hidden from plain sight and must be checked to look for any possible damages. Also, familiarize yourself with the same to solve any possible problems that may occur in the future.

    Get to know the surrounding
    It is great if you can take time to understand the surrounding that you will be living in. Learn the community that you will be a part of and also find the locations of gas stations, hospitals, restaurants, and more. Additionally, take some time out to meet with the neighbors. Break the ice and get to know them over dinner or tea.

    Moving into mobile homes can be a little different from its traditional counterpart. The transition can be draining, but the ultimate results are bound to be rewarding.

  • Society
    Here’s what you should know about independent senior living

    Today, seniors are living more fulfilling lives than they did ever before, thanks to the many senior care options available to them. The various senior care options available to them include assisted living, skilled nursing facility, residential care homes, continuous care retirement community, and independent living.

    Independent senior living is a feasible option for seniors who like to handle their day-to-day activities without extra assistance. These day-to-day activities include preparing meals, personal hygiene, managing medications, completing easy household chores, driving, and maintaining personal finances.

    Independent senior living communities help seniors with apartments, condominiums, cottages, and single-family homes. It can be ideal in the scenarios mentioned below:

    • When you want to live at a place that doesn’t require major home maintenance or yard work.
    • When you want to socialize with your friends and widen your social network.
    • When you want the company of others in certain daily activities like evening tea or morning walk.
    • When you need only minor assistance in some activities.

    Two of the key components of independent living are hospitality and wellness. Therefore, services like health care and daily assistance in cooking, bathing, eating, dressing, and more are not a part of independent senior living.

    Some features of certain independent senior living care are as follow:

    • Group meals
    • Group activities
    • Housekeeping and laundry services
    • Staff and security
    • Recreational centers or clubhouses
    • Swimming pool, tennis court, golf courses, and other facilities

    While choosing an independent senior living home, there is a checklist one should follow to make sure they or their loved one gets an ideal home in old age. The most important thing to consider is the age of the person and their needs. There is no point of living in an independent senior living care when the individual needs assistance in most of the daily activities. Therefore, assessing the needs is important. Apart from that, one should also consider the distance of the facility from their family’s residence as most seniors like to stay close to their children’s home. One must also consider and compare the costs with multiple senior care options before choosing one. Finally, it is important to visit the care facility before finalizing it as one must feel welcomed and comfortable in a facility where they are going to spend the rest of their lives at.

  • Society
    Here are some start ups dedicated to our seniors

    Today, the startups are tapping every possible market to make profits and one such market is the senior living. The current market for senior living and adult care is huge and there are several new companies that have seen the growth potential in the same. The growth potential is because of the decline in nursing home care and an increase in baby boomers reaching old age.

    Here are some startups that are taking this opportunity and providing the elders help in their own way.

    HomeHero
    HomeHero is an in-home, non-medical care provider based in California. The HomeHero caregivers are experienced in providing elderly care and they help in promoting safety and independence. Services that are provided to seniors include companionship, personal care, meal preparation, light housekeeping, transitional care, care management, medication management, and transportation.

    The caregivers or the “heroes” have to go through an entrance exam, personal and virtual interview, background checks, and certified nursing assistant (CNA) certification before they are recruited for providing care. Additionally, the company checks with their previous clients to be certain of their proficiency.

    Silvernest®
    Home Sweet Shared Home™—Silvernest® is a roommate matching service, which allows older homeowners to find a roommate for long-term home sharing. This San Francisco-based startup helps seniors to find companionship and someone to share their daily lives as well as bills with.

    Homeowners listed on Silvernest® are 60 years old on an average. The renters could be younger, say somewhere around 50 years.

    Honor
    Another startup that works like HomeHero, Honor specializes in a home-based care for the seniors and provides them help in maintaining their health and independence within the comfort of their own home. Honor also has an application for the seniors that allows caregivers to connect with their elderly when they are away to monitor the care and schedule appointments. Honor helps seniors with their groceries and meal preparation, light housekeeping, personal care and hygiene, and transportation.

    There are many such startups that are helping the seniors live a better life. Some other such startups include Joany, Hometeam, Eligible, CareMessage, 23andMe, Cake, Renew, Rendever, and more.

  • Society
    3 popular and affordable DNA test kits

    Genealogy is the science of studying family history. Genealogists study your family origins by compiling a list of potential ancestors arranged in a particular order. The first stage of genealogy dates back to a time when there were no written records and data was preserved and passed on to the next generation by way of verbal communication.

    In the second stage of the evolution of this science, written records were introduced and led to a more reliable system of creating and storing records manually. Genealogies were written in the form of narratives and were still not considered an exact science. The final stage of evolution led to modern-day genealogy with rules, principles, and procedures in place to determine the roots of your family and to a certain extent to accurately chart a family tree and determine your ancestry.

    Technological advancements in modern day applications for genealogy and some of the best ancestry DNA tests allow you to easily determine your family history. Owing to the use of established scientific methods, the process is now reliable.

    Types of DNA ancestry tests
    The three common types of best ancestry DNA tests include Autosomal, mtDNA, and Y-DNA tests. There are many factors combined that will determine the viability of a certain test and results of the process. You must ask vital questions including which type of test is best suited for your purpose, how can the test be taken, what are the costs, and more importantly which company provides the best ancestry DNA test.

    Three best ancestry DNA tests

    AncestryDNA
    The service primarily offers autosomal testing for DNA sequencing. It is one of the popular tests for matching across various geographic regions and ethnicity. You can compare results from across 350 different regions to the maximum number of connections of living relatives. AncestryDNA test provides comprehensive results that will enable you to use your family history further to find out more about your family background dating back generations. The kit is simple to use with a simple saliva swab test. The kit also includes a saliva tube and detailed set of instructions to process your DNA evidence. The saliva sample can then be mailed to the nearest laboratory for AncestryDNA to run sequencing and origin tests. The DNA testing kit can be availed for around $99 from their official website.

    FamilyTreeDNA
    The service is well known as FamilyTreeDNA is the international testing partner for National Geographic’s Genographic Project making it one of the best ancestry DNA test kits available in the market. The service offers DNA testing and genome sequencing for genealogy, family history, and ancestry across your father and mothers family tree line. Popular options include the family finder, Y-DNA testing, mtDNA testing, and autosomal transfers. FamilyTreeDNA also has a comprehensive database where results can be compared and matched effectively to trace your family history and paternal origins. Popular packages start at around $79 going upwards of $199 depending on the type of test. FamilyTreeDNa is a more detailed service that is more of use to people who are involved in the subject of genealogy.

    MyHeritage
    The service is one of the most affordable options when it comes to the best ancestry DNA tests. MyHeritage also offers the highest technological standards in the market to find information on your ancestry across various geographic locations and ethnic groups. You can find living relatives via shared DNA testing to widen your genetic pool and find out more about these people who form part of your extended family. MyHeritage offers a simple test kit that takes just two minutes to retrieve a cheek swab and mail it to their laboratory for testing. All information is kept private and confidential with multiple layers of encryption over a secure server. You can log in online on the company website to check your results after a period of four weeks. MyHeritage DNA kit can be bought for approximately $69.

    Living DNA and 23andMe are among some of the alternatives you can consider as the best ancestry DNA tests . These tests offer services at affordable pricing.

  • Society
    Make a difference in the world by donating to these Christain humanitarian charities

    The world is a magnificent place to live in, but not every individual is blessed with the same luxuries and facilities that are conferred upon us. Innumerable people suffer from manmade and natural catastrophes, the onus of the former falls upon us, whereas, the latter is something we instigated; if there’s drought in some part of the world, the other part is affected by floods; if the people are dying of famine in a certain part of the world, some have lost their homes to war. This is a vicious, never-ending circle of unfortunate events that has become prevalent in recent times.

    What can one do in such dire circumstances? Well, what Mahatma Gandhi once said “Be the change you want to see in the world” is what you can adhere to, and since charity begins from home, each one of us can recognize ourselves as citizens of the world, and start making efforts to help people in need. If you cannot directly help people in distress, you can get in touch with the best Christian charities and donate clothes, money, food, or anything that the people need.

    If you wish to donate to a charitable trust, here are some of the best Christian charities to donate to.

    Compassion International
    Established in the year 1952 by Rev. Everett Swanson to protect orphans in war-ravaged countries, Compassion International has risen to become one of the best Christain charities to donate to. The children who lived on the streets or were abandoned by the society were sheltered by Compassion International. This Christain charity is dedicated to helping children escape the economic, physical, and spiritual poverty they were previously subjected to. It is imperative for you to understand that poverty goes beyond the deprivation of financial resources or lack of food and clothing, it is being deprived of the hope that there’s an escape for the pathetic living conditions.

    A21 Campaign
    Not every child born into this world has the good fortune of being nurtured by a loving family, some of them are victims of horrific acts of human trafficking, sexual slavery, and other forms of slave labor. Christine Caine, an influential speaker, realized that the women who were forced to lead such a demeaning and horrible life needed help to lead a dignified life. Recognizing this problem as an epidemic instead of a mere societal issue, she established the A21 Campaign in 2008 to help women who were sexually abused and forced into slavery. It is quite an appalling fact that slavery still exists in the 21st century, and we as educated citizens should be the ones putting an end to it. You can donate to this Christain charity to help them provide medical treatment, therapy, legal assistance, and monetary help to the victims.

    Food for the Hungry (FH)
    FH, a Christian humanitarian organization, was founded by Larry Ward in 1971, who was left aghast by the fact that 12,000 children were dying of hunger in Haiti and Bangladesh. Food is one of the basic human necessities, and being denied of the basic needs is extremely unjust. FH operates as per biblical values and has arrived at the conclusion that poverty is the result of a fractured relationship between humans and humans, humans and creation, and humans and God. FH is one of the best Christain charities to donate to as it serves the poor in two important ways: by providing food, shelter, and clothing to survivors of natural disasters, and works for long-term economic development within impoverished communities.

    World Vision
    This Evangelical Christain humanitarian organization was founded by Bob Pierce in 1950 and is currently active in 97 countries. This Christain charitable organization has dedicated itself to helping the poor: children, families, and communities that are severely impoverished and denied to lead a life with dignity. In fact, World Vision has been actively helping people fight poverty and injustice. Though it is founded in the light of the teachings of Christ, it doesn’t turn a blind eye to the sufferings of people from other religion. You can donate to this Christain charity and help them combat poverty, provide emergency medical facilities, promote economic development, and help spread awareness in other countries.

    It seems Dr. Seuss hit the bull’s eye when he said “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” Show the world you care.