Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
disabled people
By Chris L
From Cottage #4
I help disabled people all the time I enjoy doing things like that. It’s not hard to help disabled people out with whatever they need help with. I hope all the other people like to help disabled people. I just like doing things like that because It’s a life lesson to learn trust me. That’s the first thing anyway.
The disabled people do have financing and they are able to carry a gun as well, they get discounts because of their disability. Some of them can even drive. If they have it made custom anyway. They change certen part of the car like the petals and stuff like that.
There was a New Orleans disabled person to seek revenge at something. Despite all of the calls she sent to the police, but help never came to get her. If you ask me I think that’s pretty sad. What I think people should help the disabled people when they need help.
All the people that are in wheel chairs, that are blind, that are mute, and even people that are paralyzed from the waist up. All they want is to be treated the same as the rest of us. Where treated like crap and nobody cares about any of us at all.
From Cottage #4
I help disabled people all the time I enjoy doing things like that. It’s not hard to help disabled people out with whatever they need help with. I hope all the other people like to help disabled people. I just like doing things like that because It’s a life lesson to learn trust me. That’s the first thing anyway.
The disabled people do have financing and they are able to carry a gun as well, they get discounts because of their disability. Some of them can even drive. If they have it made custom anyway. They change certen part of the car like the petals and stuff like that.
There was a New Orleans disabled person to seek revenge at something. Despite all of the calls she sent to the police, but help never came to get her. If you ask me I think that’s pretty sad. What I think people should help the disabled people when they need help.
All the people that are in wheel chairs, that are blind, that are mute, and even people that are paralyzed from the waist up. All they want is to be treated the same as the rest of us. Where treated like crap and nobody cares about any of us at all.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
What I Do To Help Disabled People
I help disabled people all the time I enjoy doing things like that. Its not hard to help disabled people out with what ever they need help with. i hope all the other people like to help disabled people. I just like doing things like that because Its a life lesson to learn trust me.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Haiti Earthquake Relief: How You Can Help
UPDATE: Now that a week has gone by since the devastating earthquake in Haiti and aid is finally reaching those who need it, more groups and nonprofits have mobilized to continue to raise money for recovery as relief efforts continue.
Our list below is still the most comprehensive resource of organizations helping in Haiti. This update contains several new groups and fundraisers that make it easy to give:
•Music For Relief is offering a compilation of unreleased music, available for free download on MusicForRelief.org. The site encourages donations, which will be divided equally among the United Nations Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band's BAMA Works Haitian relief program.
•National Nurses United already has 10,000 nurses volunteering to go to Haiti, but they need to raise money to send them there. Every dollar donated to NNU will be spent directly on sending a professional nurse to Haiti.
•Artists For Peace and Justice is a relatively new organization with an advisory board of prominent celebrity activists, including Maria Bello, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Oliver Stone and Josh Brolin. Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, the group originally sought to help build functional schools in impoverished regions in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they've directed all of their funds to recovery efforts, with a focus on helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and orphanages.
--------------
Huffington Post Impact has put together a comprehensive list of links to donate and get involved in relief efforts for victims of last week's devastating earthquake. You can also go to The Goods: Help Send Relief To Haiti, an online store by Causecast and HuffPost Impact, where you can purchase products for organizations that will be directly used on the ground in Haiti.
The U.S. State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 •The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.
•Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is being run by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and was created at the behest of President Obama. They oversee the CBHF through their respective nonprofit organizations, the William J. Clinton Foundation and Communities Foundation of Texas. One hundred percent of the donations made to the Clinton Foundation go directly to relief efforts. Ninety-nine percent of the donations made to the Communities Foundation of Texas go directly to relief efforts.
•Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean is raising funds for emergency earthquake relief through his nonprofit organization Yele Haiti. Text YELE to 501501 to give $5 to the fund. Yele Haiti came under scrutiny this week for potential improper allocation of funds. Wyclef Jean responded to these accusations on Saturday on YouTube and again on Monday in a press conference.
•UNICEF has issued a statement that "Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.
•Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at 1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.
•Save The Children has launched an emergency relief effort for Haiti. Donate to their fund to provide medical attention and clean water to children and families.
•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. The IMC previously helped recovery efforts after September 2009's earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the massive 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Donate to the International Medical Corps through their 24-hour hotline at 800-481-4462
•Ben Stiller's Stillerstrong campaign will be temporarily diverting all donations to support the Haiti relief effort.
•Partners In Health reports its Port-au-Prince clinical director , Louise Ivers, has appealed for assistance: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us." Donate to their Haiti earthquake fund.
•As a UN Special Envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton appeared on CNN on Wednesday to ask for further assistance in bringing relief to populations on the ground. You can donate through the Clinton Foundation or text HAITI to 20222 to donate $10.
•Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year. Donate online, call 1-888-256-1900 or send checks to Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208.
•Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is now asking donors to give to their general unrestricted fund, to ensure that any surplus donations they receive can be put to good use anywhere in the world. Below is a statement from the organization:
We are incredibly grateful for the generous support from our donors for the emergency in Haiti.
MSF has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency response to this disaster. Our immediate response in the first hours following the disaster in Haiti was only possible because of private unrestricted donations from around the world received before the earthquake struck. We are currently reinforcing our teams on the ground in order to respond to the immediate medical needs and to assess the humanitarian needs that MSF will be addressing in the months ahead.
We are now asking our donors to give to our Emergency Relief Fund. These types of funds ensure that our medical teams can react to the Haiti emergency and humanitarian crises all over the world, particularly neglected crises that remain outside the media spotlight. Your gift via this website will be earmarked for our Emergency Relief Fund.
•Direct Relief is committing up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations. Their partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children's Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital, which are particularly active in emergency response. Donate to Direct Relief online.
•Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate to Oxfam America online.
•The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is gathering all available resources to deliver food to the newly homeless and impoverished in Haiti. Donate now to help bring food to those affected as quickly and efficiently as possible. One simple way to help is to text FRIENDS to 90999 to give $5 to WFP's relief efforts.
Drew Barrymore recently recorded an appeal to Americans to •The Baptist Haiti Mission is operating an 82-bed hospital that is "overflowing with injured." Donate online to BHM and 100% of your donation will go to the relief effort.
•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. Donate online.
•Following the earthquake, Catholic Relief Services made an immediate commitment of $5 million for emergency supplies. They are distributing food and relief supplies, and importing plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and water purification tablets from the Domincan Republic. Donate to Catholic Relief Services to assist in these efforts.
•Give to the American Jewish World Service's Earthquake Relief Fund.
•CARE is deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince to assist in recovery efforts. They're focusing their efforts on the health of children, distributing water sanitation tablets, food, hygiene kits and emergency healthcare. Donate to CARE.
•Make your donation count double through Razoo.com. The online fundraising site has offered to match all donations made to organizations, up to a pre-set, un-posted amount.
•Orphans International America reports that they have been able to make contact with their program director in the town of Jacmel, a city about 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince that houses OI's hospitals and schools. Orphans International America is attempting to gather food, clean water and emergency medical supplies to Jacmel. You can contribute to them through PayPal.
•The International Rescue Committee is deploying an emergency response team to Haiti to deliver urgent assistance to earthquake survivors and to help overwhelmed local aid groups struggling to meet the immense emergency needs. They will focus on critical medical, water and sanitation assistance. Donate to the IRC Haiti Crisis Fund.
•NetHope is coordinating its response with its NGO member agencies and with the UN's Emergency Telecom Cluster to establish connectivity in Haiti. Seventeen of NetHope's members are already providing aid and deploying resources on the ground. Donate online.
•The Haitian Health Foundation is still assessing the situation of their full-time facilities and staff in Haiti. They regularly provide health care, development and relief to rural mountain villages in Haiti. Donate to the Haitian Health Foundation.
•World Vision has more 370 staff in the country. Staff members from less-affected regions of Haiti are mobilizing, and World Vision's global experts are expected to arrive in the disaster zone as soon as possible. Donate to World Vision.
•The Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee and have created a dedicated Haiti Relief page for online donations.
•United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is the UN's humanitarian fund responding to emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti. Donate online.
•Friends of the Orphans will use donations to meet the needs of first responders such as first aid supplies, shipping of necessary materials to assist in efforts, and treating the injured. Those interested in helping the relief effort can visit www.friendsoftheorphans.org, or call 888-201-8880 to make a donation.
•World Concern's staff is almost entirely composed of Haitian nationals and will be tapping into private as well as U.S. government supplies to help in the relief effort it hopes will soon be supplemented by cargo ships. Donate to World Concern.
•Merlin USA is sending an emergency response team out to the region and have subsequently launched an emergency appeal to bring urgent medical aid and assistance to those affected. Donate to Merlin USA.
•The Salvation Army has staff on the ground and already the organization has set aside $50,000 in direct aid to the country but the organization is in need of additional donations. Donations can be made online or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
•The American Refugee Committee is sending a response team to provide water, sanitation, and shelter for earthquake survivors. Donate online or read about their volunteer opportunities.
•AmeriCares has pledged $5 million in aid in the wake of the catastrophe and is sending an emergency shipment with $3 million worth of medicines and supplies for earthquake survivors. Donate online or call 1-800-486-HELP.
•Handicap International will provide care to those injured by the earthquake and its aftershocks, including support to hospitals for essential post-surgery and rehabilitation care, as well as emergency shelter, emergency basic needs and food distribution for at least 5,000 people initially. Donate online.
•Episcopal Relief & Development has committed to providing Haiti both long and short-term support in the wake of the disaster. Donate to the Haiti Fund or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129.
HuffPost Impact is following relief organizations in Haiti and will be updating with their latest messages from the ground.
Our list below is still the most comprehensive resource of organizations helping in Haiti. This update contains several new groups and fundraisers that make it easy to give:
•Music For Relief is offering a compilation of unreleased music, available for free download on MusicForRelief.org. The site encourages donations, which will be divided equally among the United Nations Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band's BAMA Works Haitian relief program.
•National Nurses United already has 10,000 nurses volunteering to go to Haiti, but they need to raise money to send them there. Every dollar donated to NNU will be spent directly on sending a professional nurse to Haiti.
•Artists For Peace and Justice is a relatively new organization with an advisory board of prominent celebrity activists, including Maria Bello, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Oliver Stone and Josh Brolin. Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, the group originally sought to help build functional schools in impoverished regions in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they've directed all of their funds to recovery efforts, with a focus on helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and orphanages.
--------------
Huffington Post Impact has put together a comprehensive list of links to donate and get involved in relief efforts for victims of last week's devastating earthquake. You can also go to The Goods: Help Send Relief To Haiti, an online store by Causecast and HuffPost Impact, where you can purchase products for organizations that will be directly used on the ground in Haiti.
The U.S. State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 •The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.
•Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is being run by former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and was created at the behest of President Obama. They oversee the CBHF through their respective nonprofit organizations, the William J. Clinton Foundation and Communities Foundation of Texas. One hundred percent of the donations made to the Clinton Foundation go directly to relief efforts. Ninety-nine percent of the donations made to the Communities Foundation of Texas go directly to relief efforts.
•Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean is raising funds for emergency earthquake relief through his nonprofit organization Yele Haiti. Text YELE to 501501 to give $5 to the fund. Yele Haiti came under scrutiny this week for potential improper allocation of funds. Wyclef Jean responded to these accusations on Saturday on YouTube and again on Monday in a press conference.
•UNICEF has issued a statement that "Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.
•Operation USA is appealing for donations of funds from the public and corporate donations in bulk of health care materials, water purification supplies and food supplements which it will ship to the region from its base in the Port of Los Angeles. Donate online at www.opusa.org, by phone at 1-800-678-7255 or, by check made out to Operation USA, 3617 Hayden Ave, Suite A, Culver City, CA 90232.
•Save The Children has launched an emergency relief effort for Haiti. Donate to their fund to provide medical attention and clean water to children and families.
•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. The IMC previously helped recovery efforts after September 2009's earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the massive 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Donate to the International Medical Corps through their 24-hour hotline at 800-481-4462
•Ben Stiller's Stillerstrong campaign will be temporarily diverting all donations to support the Haiti relief effort.
•Partners In Health reports its Port-au-Prince clinical director , Louise Ivers, has appealed for assistance: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us." Donate to their Haiti earthquake fund.
•As a UN Special Envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton appeared on CNN on Wednesday to ask for further assistance in bringing relief to populations on the ground. You can donate through the Clinton Foundation or text HAITI to 20222 to donate $10.
•Mercy Corps is sending a team of emergency responders to assess damage, and seek to fulfill immediate needs of quake survivors. The agency aided families after earthquakes in Peru in 2007, China and Pakistan in 2008, and Indonesia last year. Donate online, call 1-888-256-1900 or send checks to Mercy Corps Haiti Earthquake Fund; Dept NR; PO Box 2669; Portland, OR 97208.
•Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres is now asking donors to give to their general unrestricted fund, to ensure that any surplus donations they receive can be put to good use anywhere in the world. Below is a statement from the organization:
We are incredibly grateful for the generous support from our donors for the emergency in Haiti.
MSF has been working in Haiti for 19 years, most recently operating three emergency hospitals in Port-au-Prince, and is mobilizing a large emergency response to this disaster. Our immediate response in the first hours following the disaster in Haiti was only possible because of private unrestricted donations from around the world received before the earthquake struck. We are currently reinforcing our teams on the ground in order to respond to the immediate medical needs and to assess the humanitarian needs that MSF will be addressing in the months ahead.
We are now asking our donors to give to our Emergency Relief Fund. These types of funds ensure that our medical teams can react to the Haiti emergency and humanitarian crises all over the world, particularly neglected crises that remain outside the media spotlight. Your gift via this website will be earmarked for our Emergency Relief Fund.
•Direct Relief is committing up to $1 million in aid for the response and is coordinating with its other in-country partners and colleague organizations. Their partners in Haiti include Partners in Health, St. Damien Children's Hospital, and the Visitation Hospital, which are particularly active in emergency response. Donate to Direct Relief online.
•Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate to Oxfam America online.
•The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is gathering all available resources to deliver food to the newly homeless and impoverished in Haiti. Donate now to help bring food to those affected as quickly and efficiently as possible. One simple way to help is to text FRIENDS to 90999 to give $5 to WFP's relief efforts.
Drew Barrymore recently recorded an appeal to Americans to •The Baptist Haiti Mission is operating an 82-bed hospital that is "overflowing with injured." Donate online to BHM and 100% of your donation will go to the relief effort.
•International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. Donate online.
•Following the earthquake, Catholic Relief Services made an immediate commitment of $5 million for emergency supplies. They are distributing food and relief supplies, and importing plastic sheeting, mosquito nets and water purification tablets from the Domincan Republic. Donate to Catholic Relief Services to assist in these efforts.
•Give to the American Jewish World Service's Earthquake Relief Fund.
•CARE is deploying emergency team members to Port-au-Prince to assist in recovery efforts. They're focusing their efforts on the health of children, distributing water sanitation tablets, food, hygiene kits and emergency healthcare. Donate to CARE.
•Make your donation count double through Razoo.com. The online fundraising site has offered to match all donations made to organizations, up to a pre-set, un-posted amount.
•Orphans International America reports that they have been able to make contact with their program director in the town of Jacmel, a city about 20 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince that houses OI's hospitals and schools. Orphans International America is attempting to gather food, clean water and emergency medical supplies to Jacmel. You can contribute to them through PayPal.
•The International Rescue Committee is deploying an emergency response team to Haiti to deliver urgent assistance to earthquake survivors and to help overwhelmed local aid groups struggling to meet the immense emergency needs. They will focus on critical medical, water and sanitation assistance. Donate to the IRC Haiti Crisis Fund.
•NetHope is coordinating its response with its NGO member agencies and with the UN's Emergency Telecom Cluster to establish connectivity in Haiti. Seventeen of NetHope's members are already providing aid and deploying resources on the ground. Donate online.
•The Haitian Health Foundation is still assessing the situation of their full-time facilities and staff in Haiti. They regularly provide health care, development and relief to rural mountain villages in Haiti. Donate to the Haitian Health Foundation.
•World Vision has more 370 staff in the country. Staff members from less-affected regions of Haiti are mobilizing, and World Vision's global experts are expected to arrive in the disaster zone as soon as possible. Donate to World Vision.
•The Jewish Federations of North America is partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee and have created a dedicated Haiti Relief page for online donations.
•United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) is the UN's humanitarian fund responding to emergencies like the earthquake in Haiti. Donate online.
•Friends of the Orphans will use donations to meet the needs of first responders such as first aid supplies, shipping of necessary materials to assist in efforts, and treating the injured. Those interested in helping the relief effort can visit www.friendsoftheorphans.org, or call 888-201-8880 to make a donation.
•World Concern's staff is almost entirely composed of Haitian nationals and will be tapping into private as well as U.S. government supplies to help in the relief effort it hopes will soon be supplemented by cargo ships. Donate to World Concern.
•Merlin USA is sending an emergency response team out to the region and have subsequently launched an emergency appeal to bring urgent medical aid and assistance to those affected. Donate to Merlin USA.
•The Salvation Army has staff on the ground and already the organization has set aside $50,000 in direct aid to the country but the organization is in need of additional donations. Donations can be made online or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.
•The American Refugee Committee is sending a response team to provide water, sanitation, and shelter for earthquake survivors. Donate online or read about their volunteer opportunities.
•AmeriCares has pledged $5 million in aid in the wake of the catastrophe and is sending an emergency shipment with $3 million worth of medicines and supplies for earthquake survivors. Donate online or call 1-800-486-HELP.
•Handicap International will provide care to those injured by the earthquake and its aftershocks, including support to hospitals for essential post-surgery and rehabilitation care, as well as emergency shelter, emergency basic needs and food distribution for at least 5,000 people initially. Donate online.
•Episcopal Relief & Development has committed to providing Haiti both long and short-term support in the wake of the disaster. Donate to the Haiti Fund or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129.
HuffPost Impact is following relief organizations in Haiti and will be updating with their latest messages from the ground.
Donate To Haiti Earthquake Victims
I’m sure by now everyone has heard of the huge earthquake in Haiti which has devastated the country and killed many thousands of people. I wanted to write a post to try to urge people reading this to consider donating to help the people of Haiti. We have donated $250 to the Canadian Red Cross and $250 to Doctors Without Borders which I think are worthwhile charities for this situation. Money is the best donation – items like food, clothing etc are too difficult and slow to process and transport.
If you want to donate then check out the Canadian Red Cross site. If you are American then I suggest you check out an American donation information page. For more info on Canadian charities then check out Canadian Capitalist who has assembled a list of Canadian charities.
I’m not much of a giver when it comes to charities. I usually give a bit of money each year – mainly to people I know who participate in fund raising activities such as a run/walk. I like to see some effort behind the fund raising.
Warning – I’ve heard of scams where people will phone pretending to represent a charity raising money for Haiti. Apparently the real charities are not doing phone canvassing so I would suggest not donating over the phone. Do in person or online. For this reason I’ve disabled contextual ads on this post since I know they will contain scam links
In 2008, for some reason I didn’t donate a single dollar. I was somewhat embarrassed about this since I know I am a lot better off than most people who will benefit from any donations. In 2009 we decided to pick a donation amount for the year ($400) and split it up among different charities. I pretty much had to force myself to make the donations and I still didn’t quite reach the $400 mark.
I have no difficulties donating money for tragedies like the Haiti earthquake. There is no doubt in my mind that the victims are real and very much in need. Any donation WILL make a big difference which isn’t always so obvious with most charities.
One of my concerns with charities is of course – how much of the money is actually being used to help vs pay for salaries/more fundraising? This concern is still valid for the Haiti relief effort and I’m sure there will be mistakes made given the lack of preparation. There isn’t much I can do about this concern other than hope for the best and donate to a charity that I’m familiar with.
One of the things about this sort of scenario is that the victims are easy to help. Their short term needs are fairly basic: clean water, food, shelter, medical care. I’m not saying those things are easy to provide but at least if you can provide any or all of those basics then you will be making a big difference.
This isn’t always so obvious with most charities. If you provide free food long term to people are you helping them or in fact hurting them? Things like cancer research are worthwhile endeavors in my mind but who does it help? Donating money for medical research should indirectly help someone (perhaps even yourself) in the future but it likely won’t help anyone who is suffering from an illness or injury right now.
You can’t make all your donating decisions (or any other kind of decision) based on short term results but it does make it easier to pull the trigger on a contribution. Seeing a picture like the one at the top of this post is heartbreaking. That dead little girl is probably only a few months younger than my own daughter and unfortunately she didn’t make it. By donating, I’m hoping to prevent more deaths like hers.
More posts on this topic
For those interested, Million dollar Journey is offering to match donations to Doctors Without Borders.
If you want to donate then check out the Canadian Red Cross site. If you are American then I suggest you check out an American donation information page. For more info on Canadian charities then check out Canadian Capitalist who has assembled a list of Canadian charities.
I’m not much of a giver when it comes to charities. I usually give a bit of money each year – mainly to people I know who participate in fund raising activities such as a run/walk. I like to see some effort behind the fund raising.
Warning – I’ve heard of scams where people will phone pretending to represent a charity raising money for Haiti. Apparently the real charities are not doing phone canvassing so I would suggest not donating over the phone. Do in person or online. For this reason I’ve disabled contextual ads on this post since I know they will contain scam links
In 2008, for some reason I didn’t donate a single dollar. I was somewhat embarrassed about this since I know I am a lot better off than most people who will benefit from any donations. In 2009 we decided to pick a donation amount for the year ($400) and split it up among different charities. I pretty much had to force myself to make the donations and I still didn’t quite reach the $400 mark.
I have no difficulties donating money for tragedies like the Haiti earthquake. There is no doubt in my mind that the victims are real and very much in need. Any donation WILL make a big difference which isn’t always so obvious with most charities.
One of my concerns with charities is of course – how much of the money is actually being used to help vs pay for salaries/more fundraising? This concern is still valid for the Haiti relief effort and I’m sure there will be mistakes made given the lack of preparation. There isn’t much I can do about this concern other than hope for the best and donate to a charity that I’m familiar with.
One of the things about this sort of scenario is that the victims are easy to help. Their short term needs are fairly basic: clean water, food, shelter, medical care. I’m not saying those things are easy to provide but at least if you can provide any or all of those basics then you will be making a big difference.
This isn’t always so obvious with most charities. If you provide free food long term to people are you helping them or in fact hurting them? Things like cancer research are worthwhile endeavors in my mind but who does it help? Donating money for medical research should indirectly help someone (perhaps even yourself) in the future but it likely won’t help anyone who is suffering from an illness or injury right now.
You can’t make all your donating decisions (or any other kind of decision) based on short term results but it does make it easier to pull the trigger on a contribution. Seeing a picture like the one at the top of this post is heartbreaking. That dead little girl is probably only a few months younger than my own daughter and unfortunately she didn’t make it. By donating, I’m hoping to prevent more deaths like hers.
More posts on this topic
For those interested, Million dollar Journey is offering to match donations to Doctors Without Borders.
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