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This is something simple you can do to help someone else. Collect used stamps. It's simple, easy, and costs you nothing - just the time it takes to tear a used stamp off a letter. But it can help someone else so it's a great thing to do. Chandler Koste is currently volunteering at a San Francisco Youth Crisis Center, and you can send the stamps to Chandler Koste at 46 Olympus Rt. #6, Hercules, CA 94547, USA. (I'll add other places as I get their address and information).
Another way you can help is by being open-minded. Not much to ask for, huh? But really, there's a lot of teens who are in foster care, in homeless shelters, and at crisis centers, and because of their situation it can get lonely and boring. You can help by writing a letter or sending a card (appropriate what with the holidays). Pen pals are especially wanted, since a lot of these teens want someone to talk with. You can send a SASE to TCCP, 4285 Olympus Rt. #6, Hercules, CA 94547, USA to ask about becoming a pen pal, or send a card or letter to the same address (it'll be given to a random person). You can also write to Micka Kozanevich, 1601 Hopkins Str., Berkeley, CA 94707, he is a peer counselor at a crisis center - both pen pals and cards/letters will be appreciated by the teens there.
There's a newsletter just for that started by a guy at my former high school :) You can get the bi-monthly newsletter by sending a SASE to Adrian Kovick, 45 Olympus Rt. #6, Hercules, CA 94547, USA with your request. The newsletter has 15 new international pen pals, 25 new US pen pals, and many free pen pal offers.
Sara, who also offers free scanning, has a free pen pal site that includes many snail mail pen pals. All ages are welcome there.
Send a SASE to Teen Parents, 805 Olympus Rt. #6, Hercules, CA 94547, USA, ask for information on pen pals. Their group is about to go online, but right now it's by snail mail. It's great though, with about 20 members in the group and hundreds of associate members worldwide. The basic deal is that you tell them about yourself, and tell them who you would like to get in touch with (for example, "single teen fathers with 2 kids"), and they match you up. I was able to get in touch with 6 people with things in common with me. It's great because otherwise it's very hard to find other teen parents to correspond with.
A new thing. There are 2 military schools in my area, and 4 others (including one in Europe) have joined (I think the other 3 are in Texas, Southern Cali, and Massachusetts, but I'm not sure). You can get pen pals ages 13-23 by sending your name, age, sex, information about yourself (a short note to people who might want to write to you), and a SASE to Pen Pals, 2050 Olympus Rt. #6, Hercules, CA 94547, USA. You should say approximately how many pen pals you want, the age range you will accept, and the sex you prefer to hear from. And... that's it, you start getting letters. You can also request information and you will receive something resembling an order form and some explanatory notes.