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
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has established itself as the world’s biggest charity and even as hard times hit the world, it continues to do its work the best it can. In fact, Bill Gates, the co-chairman, has released a statement to the effect that they are going to increase spending during the recession. The rationale is that it can make a stronger impact on the world by doing so. However, he also gave a disclaimer – that they cannot keep up this kind of spending for more than a year, unless the economy improves.
MSNBC featured the foundation and quote Gates:
“I believe that the wealthy have a responsibility to invest in addressing inequity,” Gates said in his letter. “This is especially true when the constraints on others are so great. Otherwise, we will come out of the economic downturn in a world that is even more unequal, with greater inequities in health and education, and fewer opportunities for people to improve their lives.”
“We’re seeing just impact after impact as that rolls through the economy,” he said, blaming “pension liabilities, absurd assumptions and bad accounting.”
“I’m still optimistic that things will get back on track” within five to 10 years, Gates said, but he acknowledged that the financial crunch was likely to put a squeeze on the foundation’s spending in coming years.
We might not be as wealthy as Bill Gates. We may not have the world’s biggest philanthropic organization. But we can adopt the same idea as Bill Gates has – we can perhaps spare a bit more here and there to help in our own little way. What do you think?
Categories: Charities, Inspiration, Organizations
Who would have thought that the former Russian president and current Prime Minister has such a soft side to him? Many of us know him for being a tough politician but this piece of news goes to show that even the toughest of people have hearts and compassion for the less fortunate.
A charity auction is going to be held today in Saint Petersburg, Putin’s hometown. The charity auction is going to feature 28 works of art made by well known celebrities and politicians. The theme is based loosely on Nikolai Gogol’s The Night Before Christmas. As for Putin’s handiwork, it is a painting featuring a yellow window with embroidered curtains flapping in the wind. The scene outside the window is a winter landscape. Putin’s work is titled Uzor (Embroidery).
According to Nadezhda Anfalova, the curator of the exhibit and a painter as well, Putin painted the picture within 15 minutes, without anyone else’s assistance. The proceeds from the sale of the painting – and the other paintings to be auctioned off – will be given to two local children’s hospitals as well as a church that needs to be restored.
We may not be Putins or other celebrities but this is a prime example of the fact that we can all do little things to help those who are less fortunate around us. Perhaps painting and the arts is not your thing but I am sure that if you look hard enough, you will find some way by which you can help out.
Categories: Activities, Charities, Children, Fundraising, Inspiration, News
