Doing Good

Our blog project group has once again changed by one member, but I'm still calling it Blog Project 3.0. The newest member is Darwin Shrugged, a friend of Froggie's. I recently got to know her better through "52 Stories" and I look forward to what she has to say on the upcoming topics.

This week Darwin Shrugged chose the topic: Asking for help.

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic:
Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

I don't usually like asking for help. I'm one of those people who was up and about right after I had my babies because I didn't want to delegate household responsibilities. Even at work, I have a hard time delegating. I will only ask for help if I'm pressed for time and need to get something out the door. Normally, I'm the one who other people come to for help. I don't really have a lot to say on this topic, as a result. I guess I'm just a control freak by nature. In any case, I thought I'd turn this post into asking for help for causes and for people (and animals) who need help more than I do. However, I may be asking local friends to borrow their washing machines if we don't get our washing basin situation fixed soon (the washing machine empties into there, but it's clogged and our laundry room got flooded as a result).

Many people I know have been affected by cancer, either themselves or their loved ones. Most recently, one of my author friends lost a close friend and mentor this way. She's doing a walk to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. You can help sponsor her here. This past spring, I gave to St. Baldrick's in memory of a child I didn't even know, but had heard a lot about. There's still an opportunity to raise money in his memory. Every summer, the camps my kids attend do chai-a-thons to support Chai Lifeline and Camp Simcha. I can't seem to get my act together to involve my kids in these chai-a-thons (usually bowling or swimming), but I wanted to make everyone aware of this organization in case you're interested in donating. And if you like The Big Bang Theory and want to help a breast cancer charity, you can buy a Soft Kitty T-Shirt and support this cause at the same time.

Next is a situation I came across from a friend's Facebook posting and wanted to share it here in case you're able to help this woman and her kids. A single mother of two is currently jobless and living in a motel. She's been threatened with removal of her kids from her care if she can't provide adequate housing within the next week.

Even though I don't have any pets, I grew up with them and it sickens me to hear about animals being abused. If you are anything like me, here's an opportunity to donate to the ASPCA.

Finally, I want to share an opportunity to help protect citizens in Israel. I have friends who made Aliyah (and I can't wait to see some of them when they're back in town for a visit soon). I also know a lot of people from my community who have been living there for a while or who just moved back there recently after living for a while in the US. My husband has relatives there, as well. Also, I've been to Israel and would like to know that I can one day take my kids there without being scared for our lives. I am not going to get into anything political here as I have no intentions of starting a fight. It's all for personal reasons that I share this donation link. This evening, I read a Facebook post from a work colleague who said her pre-teen daughter was going to donate all of her birthday money to help Israel. I was so moved to see that!

For my 30th birthday, I asked people to donate to a cause in lieu of gifts. I'm always open to doing that for any birthday, since I don't really need anything. When my younger son turned two, I asked people to bring toys for a children's hospital instead of gifts, as we had more than enough toys already and I thought it would be a nice thing to do. I gave the toys to the Children's National Medical Center in DC. I hope my children will want to do stuff like this on their own someday, like how my colleague's daughter did. There have also been times when I heard about situations where I knew I could make a difference on a small scale, like donating clothes, books, food, etc. When I was in college, my friends and I pooled our money to buy holiday gifts for a family in the area. I also did this at other various times throughout the years. More recently, buying a gift card for a family so that they could purchase food and other necessities during the holidays.

Even if you're not able to help today, please keep these ideas in mind for when you are able to in the future. Or just donate to something that you personally care about. There are just so many ways to help others that I know you can find a meaningful way to do so. That's all I'm really asking in the long run. I'd love to hear about altruistic things you've done, if you feel like commenting below.