Tag Archives: give

Miscellany

A new way to give

19 January 2010 – 1:00 am

Seems like everywhere you turn, there are options for giving to Haiti.  Before you choose a charity, I recommend checking out their rating on Charity Navigator.   In addition to rating charities, Charity Navigator provides tips for giving. 

There are countless ways to give – and it doesn’t have to be a lot: 

  • Text.  Text ”90999″ and $10 will be added to your cell phone bill; money that will then be donated to the Red Cross.   
  • Donate.  Some reward credit cards are allowing you to donate a portion of your accumulated rewards.  Check with your credit card company for details. 
  • Shop.  That’s right, you can shop and give at the same time.  If you haven’t a clue where to begin, The Bright Side Project can help.  This week they will be featuring one business, per day, that will donate a portion of sales to the relief efforts in Haiti. 

Many charities decided to give a portion of their sales to charity – even before the catastrophe in Haiti.  Bee Wise Bags is one example.  Ten percent of all sales are donated to Heaven’s Gate, a home in India for children with AIDS.  What a wonderful way to do business - with a business that gives back.  Wouldn’t you agree?

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Life of greatness

In the shelter of each other

18 January 2010 – 1:00 am

One week ago today, people around the world were going about their individual lives.  We were going to work and going to school; we were rejoicing in our own celebrations and lamenting our own sorrows.  We were not, for the most part, thinking of a poverty-stricken country in the carribbean called Haiti.  

And then the earthquake. 

As so often happens, tragedy brings us together - rich and poor, young and old, black and white – for one moment in time, we are the same.  We are human.  We’re husbands and wives, mothers and fathers.  We laugh.  We cry.  And the heartbreak of one, hurts us all.

Yet we cannot truly understand.     

Unless we are there in the midst of the pain and destruction … walking the rubble, smelling the stench – trying our best to help, while fighting roadblocks, despair, fear, and rage – we can view all the photos there are to see, and still not understand. 

So it will be that days will turn to weeks, and weeks months ; the photos will lessen, as will the reports, and we will return to our individual lives.   

And we will forget.  

Yet we musn’t.  We must continue to pray for those on the ground – for compassion in the face of resentment; for strength in the face of bone-deep weariness; for wisdom in the face of logistics; for integrity in the face of rebuilding; for hope in the face of utter despair.  And we must continue to give – both our finances and our time – not only to Haiti, but all those in need. 

Perhaps the Irish say it best, “It is in the shelter of each other that people live.”  We each have a part to play.  For some, money, others sweat, still others, tears.  And we must continually work together – not only when we are hit with a monumental crisis – but always.  We must be the voice for those who have none.  We must share our wealth, our wisdom, our love – our hope.  When we are strong, and our neighbor weak, we must stand up and be his shelter.  It is the only way some will dare survive; it is the only way we all can truly live.

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Miscellany

The gift of goat

19 June 2009 – 5:58 am

For my U.S. readers, Father’s Day is Sunday … just in case it slipped your mind.  And if you don’t know what on earth you’re going to get him, how about a goat?  A goat is one of many alternative gift ideas offered by World Vision.   Is your dad a sports fanatic?  Donate a couple soccer balls.  A fisherman?  Donate a fishing kits.  A health nut?  Donate some fruit trees.  What could be more simple – or meaningful?  In one fell swoop you can give a gift to a member of your family, and a family on the other side of the world.  It’s perfect for the dad who has everything … for the dad who taught you it’s better to give than receive … for the dad who is no longer here on earth, but whose memory lives on …

Interested in this charity?

World Vision received an overall rating of 3-Stars from Chartiy Navigator.   You can read the full report here; or, you can click the link, above, to visit World Vision’s site directly.

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Miscellany

NARSAD

6 May 2009 – 8:27 am

I remember traveling to the “big city” as a kid and laughing at the “crazy” people on the streets.   They wore strange clothing.  They mumbled to themselves.  They even broke forth in loud, unintelligable tirades, suddenly, without warning.  They were funny. 

And then mental illness touched my own life.

Suddenly I knew the people others would call crazy.  They were my friends; they were family.  I knew them before their brain short-circuited.  I knew their mental illness was not who they were.  They were fun, witty, intelligent, giving – immensely gifted.  They didn’t ask to be prisoners of their own minds.  At times, they even cried out for help, but we could never truly understand; we couldn’t make it better.  We could do little more than watch, helpless - hoping for a day when there would be more than a temporary fix. 

Suddenly, “crazy” was no longer something that made me laugh, it broke my heart.      

NARSAD believes in a world without mental illness - and they strive each and every day to make it a reality.  NARSAD invests in the best and brightest scientific minds throughout the world to unravel the complexities of schizophrenia, depression, anxiety and many other psychiatric diseases. Then, [they] continue to support the researchers as they use their findings to develop next-generation diagnostics and treatments for these conditions. With enough effort, NARSAD expects scientists someday to discover preventions and cures for these devastating illnesses.

But they can only continue this quest with our help.  Won’t you consider giving today?  Give in support of loved ones who must live with mental illness; give in thankfulness for those you love, whose minds are whole.   

Interested in this charity?

NARSAD received four-stars on Charity Navigator.  Click here to review the full report.  Or visit NARSAD‘s website directly - learn more about mental disorders and how you can be a part of building a brighter future for us all …

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Miscellany

Barefoot

16 April 2009 – 6:32 am

onedaywithoutshoes_720x2401

That’s right, my feet are naked today.   I’m not really a barefoot kind of gal – but today I must.  Today I am joining TOMS in “One Day Without Shoes” – an event aimed at raising awareness to the impact one pair of shoes can have on a young life.  You see, we tend to take shoes for granted – some more than others.  We think we will simply die if we cannot have that Christian Louboutin “Decollete” patent leather shoe with a red gloss sole – just one more pair for our vast collection.  Yet for many children throughout the world, shoes are a luxury – going barefoot, a threat.   

Let’s work on their behalf.  Visit TOMS website to learn more.  If at all possible, go barefoot today.  But more importantly, take the issue to heart.   Today, and each day hereafter, let us remember those who have no shoes.   The next time we’re tempted to buy the latest footwear, let us buy from TOMS instead.  One for one.  I can’t imagine anything more beautiful.

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