CARE – Center for Altruism Research and Education

Center for Altruism Research & Education

Healing lives through the power of giving.

We create opportunities for people facing grief, recovery, reentry, and isolation to find healing, purpose, and connection — by helping others.

Make a Difference Today Read Our Stories
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The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

— Mahatma Gandhi

120+
Countries where giving increases happiness
501(c)3
IRS Recognized Nonprofit
100%
Of donations directed to programs
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Ripple effect of every act of kindness

Who We Are

Transforming lives through altruism

CARE exists to help people feel better through acts of kindness and service. We believe that one of the most powerful forces for personal healing is the act of giving — and we’ve seen this truth transform lives across our community.

We especially serve those navigating grief, addiction recovery, reentry after incarceration, and social isolation — people who often feel forgotten, yet who carry immense capacity to contribute and connect when given the opportunity.

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Compassion First
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Healing Through Purpose
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Community Connection
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Dignity & Empowerment
Our Mission

The Center for Altruism Research and Education (CARE) exists to help people feel better through acts of kindness and service. We create opportunities for individuals, especially those facing grief, recovery, reentry, or isolation, to find healing, purpose, and connection by contributing to the wellbeing of others.

We support people in discovering the empowering impact of altruism in their own lives and in their communities.

Real Impact

Stories of CARE in action

These are not statistics. These are neighbors, fathers, widows — real people whose lives have changed because someone chose to give.

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[ Senior Citizen Photo – Placeholder ]

Healthcare Crisis

CARE Responds to a Medical Emergency

Breathing Easy Again

When tariffs caused one senior citizen’s essential breathing medication to triple in cost overnight, she faced an impossible choice between affording groceries and the medication that kept her lungs clear. She had done everything right — but sudden economic forces pushed her to the edge.

CARE stepped in immediately, covering the full cost of her medication while she worked with advocates to secure insurance that would provide long-term coverage. She never missed a dose. She never had to choose.

“I didn’t know where to turn. CARE made sure I could breathe — literally.”
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[ Photo of Father with Daughter / Car – Placeholder ]

Reentry & Recovery

A Vehicle for a New Beginning

Driving in a New Direction

After his release, this father threw himself into recovery programs, staying clean and sober — motivated by his young daughter and a dream of one day owning his own business. He had lost too many people he loved to addiction and refused to be one more statistic.

CARE connected him with a donated vehicle from a widow whose husband died from an overdose. She gave the car so someone truly embracing sobriety could use it to build a new life — and in doing so, found her own healing. Giving became part of her grieving.

“He knew her husband never got the chance to find recovery. She made sure he got his.”
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[ Photo of Community Service – Placeholder ]

The Ripple Effect

Kindness Multiplies

One Gift, Many Lives Changed

The father who received the donated car didn’t stop there. He reached out to an elderly woman in his neighborhood — a woman living alone who had lost two sons to addiction — and spent his weekends helping her with household repairs she could no longer manage alone.

A widow’s grief became a car became a father’s second chance became an elderly woman’s restored home. This is what CARE calls the Kindness Multiplier: every act of giving ripples outward in ways we can never fully measure, but always witness.

“Altruism doesn’t end at the recipient. It spreads through every life it touches.”

The Kindness Meter™

Measure the joy of giving

Research shows that when you give, you feel better. Our Kindness Meter helps you explore how acts of generosity affect your own wellbeing — backed by real science.

Studies from Harvard, the World Happiness Report, and neuroscience research all confirm the same truth: giving activates the brain’s reward centers the same way food and connection do. The warm glow of generosity is real, measurable, and lasting.

Slide each scale to reflect your recent giving activity. See your personalized Kindness Impact Score and what the science says about how it’s affecting your happiness.

Acts of kindness this week 3
Charitable giving this month 2
Hours volunteered recently 1
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Your Kindness Impact Score

You’re giving regularly — research shows your brain is experiencing measurable happiness boosts from each of these acts.

Why Giving Feels Good

The science of altruism & happiness

It’s not a coincidence that giving feels good. Decades of research across neuroscience, psychology, and economics have mapped exactly why generosity transforms the giver.

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Out of 136 countries studied, 120 showed that spending money on others increased happiness — suggesting the “warm glow” of giving is a universal human experience, not a cultural artifact.

— World Happiness Report / Dunn et al., Harvard

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In a landmark experiment, participants given money to spend on themselves or others were significantly happier when they gave it away — and they predicted the opposite before the study. We systematically underestimate the joy of giving.

— Dunn, Aknin & Norton (2008), Harvard Business School

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Neuroimaging studies show charitable giving activates the same reward centers in the brain as food and social connection — the ventral striatum and orbitofrontal cortex light up when we give, registering genuine pleasure.

— Nature Communications / PMC Neuroscience Research

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For older adults, giving support to others correlates with better health outcomes and increased life expectancy. Some research even suggests generous giving can lower blood pressure as effectively as medication or exercise.

— Time Magazine / Johns Hopkins & Public Health Research

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Altruism is innate, not learned. Toddlers as young as 18 months show greater happiness when giving away their own treats than when receiving them — the impulse toward generosity is part of our deepest human wiring.

— University of British Columbia Developmental Lab

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People facing recovery and reentry experience the greatest wellbeing benefits from prosocial behavior. Volunteering and giving reduce depression among at-risk youth volunteers and create meaningful identity shifts in formerly incarcerated individuals.

— World Happiness Report 2025 / U.S. National Longitudinal Study

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference — especially in your own life.”

This is why CARE doesn’t just help recipients — we create opportunities for givers to experience transformation too. When you donate to CARE, you become part of the healing.

Start Giving Today
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Volunteer With Us

Whether you have an hour or a weekend, your time creates real change. Help with events, outreach, skill-sharing, or simply being present for someone who needs connection. Research shows volunteers experience lower depression and greater life satisfaction.

Get in Touch →
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Donate Resources

Have a vehicle, professional services, goods, or a skill to offer? Donated resources have changed lives at CARE — like the car that gave a recovering father a path forward and helped a widow process her grief. Your possessions can carry profound meaning.

Donate Resources →
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Partner & Fund Us

CARE is a 501(c)3 organization actively seeking grant partnerships and corporate sponsors. We bring documented outcomes, compelling human stories, and a research-backed model that addresses grief, recovery, reentry, and isolation — issues at the heart of community health.

Explore Partnership →