What are you giving this year....

[perry]

Tis the season to go shopping mad while picking out presents to friends and family while dropping hints on what we want (if we are not just told to pick something out).

But, is that the real spirit of the season? Does our gift giving just end with our immediate friends and family?

Sure, many of us drop money in the Salvation Army buckets - and perhaps a few other local charities who will help the down and out this winter.... and most never give it much thought afterwards.

Here is a thought I''d like to share.

It is true that money cannot buy happiness (neither can poverty); but, money properly used can buy more than just material possessions and trinkets that really have little to do with how well we live our lives.

How many of you have ever sponsored the bringing up and education of a child in a 3rd world country. Now this is not the cheapest thing to do.... (it has cost me $360 a year). But, it also brings letters, cards, annual reports, and someone you can write to and encourage on.

So every year, for years now, - I write out a check to do that; and what was a cute young kid years ago is now dreaming of being a Doctor. Something unimaginable for them if someone had not sponsored them so they got reasonable food and an education (and perhaps my letters helped too).

At the same time - there are many individual gifts that can be given. Simple things like chickens, goats, sheep, etc can mean a lot of difference in the lives of a family. Bicycles, manual sewing machines, etc often allows people to start a business and provide for their family. There are many ways to give to support such things (and you do not have to sponsor a child to give such gifts).

The organization I think is the best at this is World Vision: http://worldvision.org/

You can sponsor a child (or more than one), can gives a range of tageted gifts from chicken to wells (and others) - or a combination of both.

This is a Christian based group which works all over the world regardless of the local religions. Their belief is that you help people and communities to show people what a Christian is. No one is required to convert and they work with whatever the local religions are. The result is that they work in about 100 countries and have not been kicked out of some countries - like some other "Christian" organizations have been.

World vision also focuses on entire community development. Drilling wells (and you can "gift" a well - for $18,000), helping to set up business centers (you can donate $ for a revolving loan fund), helping the orphans, windows, and abused and abandoned girls (all areas you can target donations too).

In my specific sponsorship case, and according to the person I sponsored - this year World Vision drilled wells, improved the school building, and built houses for the school teachers for the community. I note that my sponsorship of a child in that community started 5 years ago. It has taken that long for World Vision to build up the sponsorhip monies and slowly build up the community to get to this point.

There are of course other charities out there for many valid needs. All I ask that you consider the options. What are you giving this year?

There are many very good local charities, and other national based ones for many interest and concerns. It is just that I have found more satisfaction from watching a young girl grow up and dream of being something great - because I was willing to write a check once a year for that (World Vision also has monthly payments - but I like the yearly option).

Of course, whenever dealing with charities it is always a valid question is your $$ being used effectively, and will they keep your contact information private.

Here is where to find out for any sizable charity: http://www.charitynavigator.org/

It does not surprise me to find out that World Vision has the highest rating for any of the larger charities doing foreign child sponsorship kind of work. What did surprise me was that World Vision was only one of two charities on the 10 largest US charity list that automatically protected your information (i.e. - would not sell it to 3rd parties). Most of the other organizations only have opt out policies and one of them did not even have that.

So, What are you giving this year? (and hopefully the next, and the next, and the next, etc).

What are the true meanings of Hanukah, Christmas, etc; or of just being who and what you are?

Perry

 

[princesss]

I''m a big fan of Heifer Intl, and will be giving bees this year! I don''t have a lot of extra money in my bank account this year, but I think for $30 I can quite happily write a check and think of somebody getting a bit of freedom and success.

BF''s mom is taking "donations" (aka hitting up everybody who enters her house for small change) and is looking at giving a sheep and a few rabbits. She''s the one that got me into Heifer and the work it does, and this is the third year I''ve been shaken down to make sure a family somewhere can have a goat, sheep, or llama. I love it!

 

[Tuckins1]

I always give money to various charities who are collecting (salvation army, St. Judes, etc...) I have also adopted a student from my school who is in a low-income situation. I have this student''s clothes sizes, reading preferences, favorite hobbies, etc... I can''t wait to go get gifts! It''s our schools "angel tree" program.

 

[Elmorton]

Perry, thanks for your thread!

DH and I are giving donations in lieu of gifts to our parents (they''ve made it clear that they really don''t need anything).

So far, we''ve donated and volunteered at Toys for Tots (this was the MOST FUN I''ve ever had volunteering - we literally got carts and got to pick out donated gifts for children/families - and the warehouse filled with bags ready to go REALLY made it feel like Christmas - I know Toys for Tots here goes on for another week, so if anyone is looking for something amazing to do for a couple hours, contact your local Toys for Tots!!).

DH is raising $ and running in a Jingle Bell Run to benefit arthritis.

And tonight we''re going to our local no-kill animal shelter to get trained/start volunteering there.

We''ve been trying to find a good organization for literacy/reading for children, and music/arts education since those are causes that my parents are very supportive of. Off to go check out your links! Thanks so much

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hmmm...we don''t make extensive donations at holiday time, but we do spend lots of extra hours volunteering at our shelter where we volunteer year-round to help with holiday adoptions. We''ve been helping out this year at a special ongoing event where a large local store puts adoptable puppies and kittens in their first-floor display windows (we monitor the windows carefully for the animals'' health and well-being), and it really gets tons of donations and adoptions done around the holidays. I think at last count we had adopted out almost 200 animals so far this year

 

[Sabine]

My friends and I were all talking about how we were having a "leaner" christmas this year, so we decided instead of doing a grab bag of gifts for each other, we would pull all our money and sponser a kid from the angel tree at the med center we are all somehow affiliated with. We''re only each putting about $20 in, but it''s nice to see that instead of each donating something small to something, we are able to do a really great spread for one kid.

 

[scarleta]

This year I am giving my time, my kindness and whatever else I can give to make another happy.