He may be third in line for the British throne, but Prince William is not afraid to get down and dirty – as long as it’s for a good cause. Tuesday night, Prince William slept on the streets of London despite the weather conditions. The temperatures that night went down to as low as negative four degrees Celsius and yet the Prince took it all in good stride – he used cardboard boxes as bedding.
So why did he do this? The Prince slept on the street as part of promoting awareness of homeless people. He supports charitable group Centrepoint, which focuses on those who do not have homes. Seyi Obakin, the chief executive of the organization tells of Prince William’s experience:
“There was no shielding from the bitter cold or the hard concrete floor or the fear of being accosted by drug dealers, pimps or those out to give homeless people a good kicking. One of the hairiest moments occurred when we were almost run over by a road sweeper which simply didn’t see our small group huddled together, which just goes to show how vulnerable rough sleepers are.”
Obakin spent the night with Prince William and also shared just how determined he was to get an understanding of what homeless people go through. After that night, the Prince probably has a whole new perspective.
What does this mean for the charity? They just might get financial support from the Royal Family. At the very least, more people will pay attention to their cause.
Categories: Charities, Inspiration, News | Tags: charity organizations, homeless, Prince William
This is what I was talking about in my last post: people who give away what they have in order to help others who need it more. You have perhaps heard of this anonymous donor who has been giving away humongous sums of money to colleges all over the United States. I just saw it on FOX News last night, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.
According to the New York Times, this is how the giving goes:
The call typically comes from a banker, bringing word of a fairy godmother. This is followed quickly by a check arriving in the mail — or two checks, the larger earmarked for scholarships for women and minority students, the smaller to be spent at the recipient’s discretion.
Take note of the gender – it is a woman who is giving away this money. While that should not really matter, it provides an interesting topic for conversation. Who could this woman be?
In any case, it does not seem that we are going to find out anytime soon. Even the recipients of the moneys are not allowed to find out who the donor is; not the school board, not the president, no one!
So which schools have been blessed with these donations? Binghamton University in New York, Montclair State University in New Jersey, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Michigan State University to name a few. And just in case you have no idea about the sums involved, reports say that the donor has given away a total of $70 million to date.
Categories: Inspiration, News, Religious, Women
This is what I was talking about in my last post: people who give away what they have in order to help others who need it more. You have perhaps heard of this anonymous donor who has been giving away humongous sums of money to colleges all over the United States. I just saw it on FOX News last night, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised.
According to the New York Times, this is how the giving goes:
The call typically comes from a banker, bringing word of a fairy godmother. This is followed quickly by a check arriving in the mail — or two checks, the larger earmarked for scholarships for women and minority students, the smaller to be spent at the recipient’s discretion.
Take note of the gender – it is a woman who is giving away this money. While that should not really matter, it provides an interesting topic for conversation. Who could this woman be?
In any case, it does not seem that we are going to find out anytime soon. Even the recipients of the moneys are not allowed to find out who the donor is; not the school board, not the president, no one!
So which schools have been blessed with these donations? Binghamton University in New York, Montclair State University in New Jersey, the University of Southern Mississippi, and Michigan State University to name a few. And just in case you have no idea about the sums involved, reports say that the donor has given away a total of $70 million to date.
Categories: Inspiration, News, Religious, Women
When you give to charitable causes, what do you normally give? Do you prefer giving cash? Or maybe you would rather give in kind?
I remember that, as a kid, my mother would much rather give in kind. Not only did we not have that much spare money, she would also say that it is much better that the people who need things can get the things they actually need. This would also lessen the temptation to use the money on other things that may not be urgent needs. I have come to adopt this way of thinking most of the time.
That is why, when I read an article on Penn Live about donated items becoming less, I felt a tinge of sadness and worry. It got even worse when I read the reason behind this. Apparently, instead of people giving old or used items to charity, people now tend to make use of eBay and other similar venues to get rid of their stuff.
But you know, you can’t really blame them. The economic times are crazy, and even those who were relatively well off are finding themselves in trouble. Who would blame people when they try to make some extra money in most any way they can? At least they are not doing illegal stuff, right?
Still, this is an eye-opener for me, and I hope that it will be the same for you. Perhaps it is time to re-examine our spending and giving habits. Perhaps there are some things that we can afford to give to those in need.
Photo courtesy of thaths
Categories: Analysis, Inspiration, News
Charity need not be all serious. Ask the people behind Red Nose Day and they will agree with you wholeheartedly. This event is part of BBC’s programming and happens biennially, on a Friday. From their web site, we have a lighthearted (and yet meaningful) description:
Red Nose Day is, quite simply, a day like no other! We take some fantastic fundraising in schools, offices and homes across the land, mix it with the nation’s favourite celebrities getting up to all kinds of mischief, sprinkle a new Red Nose (or three!) across the entire UK and add a cracking night of comedy on BBC One to make Red Nose Day the phenomenon it is.
All this funny business unites the nation in trying to make a difference to the lives of thousands of people – and the best thing is – it works!
The idea is to “do something funny for money.” This year, Red Nose Day was held on the 13 March and they were able to raise a whopping $79.6 million! Among the notable names that participated in the event are Tom Jones, and England’s football squad. The good news is that despite the economic crisis that the country (and the rest of the world) is facing, the turnout for the charity was still very impressive. This only goes to show that people who are willing to give will give no matter what the economic situation is. That is encouraging news, isn’t it?
Categories: Activities, Campaigns, Charities, Fundraising, Inspiration, Organizations
