"Being Charitable is Easy" (shorten article) by Tracy Au

Being Charitable is Easy

By Tracy Au

We live in a society of too much stuff. Our values are about buying and keeping up with the Joneses. Let’s get back to the basic values of sharing wealth and helping others who are not as fortunate as we are. The majority of us donate only during the holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. What about the rest of the year?“

Why donate?” you ask. It feels good to give. If that doesn’t motivate you, you can get a tax receipt if you donate to a registered charity. I want all of you to donate $5 a month to a charity like UNICEF that helps children in developing countries. Women for Women International helps women in developing countries. Amnesty International helps people in developing countries. If you want to help homeless people, donate to Hope Mission, a charity in Edmonton. If you think homeless people will use the money for drugs and alcohol, you will know that the money donated to Hope Mission will be used to feed them. Kidz Kottage provides a home, food, clothes, and toys for abused children. I have donated to the above charities I listed.

You may say, “Even if I do donate $5 a month to a charity, I’m not going to get much of a tax break” or “I’m in college. I can’t afford to donate something as little as $5 a month.” Have you thought of making a little sacrifice like giving up one latte a week and giving the money you saved to charity once a month? Well here are some other ways to donate, without money being involved. You can donate your time. Spend one day a month volunteering at a soup kitchen. You can spend time with your friends that way. Be a mentor like a big brother or sister. You can have fun and help others. It will also look good on your resume if you have volunteer experience. You can go to Amnesty International and write letters to the government and campaign for change and help for people whose human rights have been violated.

You can also write letters to the government advocating more affordable housing and other issues you are concerned about.You say, “I don’t have time. I have work and school.” I’m sure you have lots of clothes and junk in your house though. Clean it out and donate it to the Salvation Army. Donate stuff you don’t even use. Reusing is also good for the environment. Instead of throwing stuff away, give it to someone who can’t afford it. Women’s shelters need shampoo so donate some to them.You can shop for a cause: Support Project Red. If you’re going to buy a shirt at the GAP, you might as well buy a shirt that helps people with AIDS in Africa.

Now you may say, “I don’t have time or money.” I donate for free by going to www.thehungersite.com and other sites listed there: the Breast Cancer site, the Child Health site, the Literacy site, the Rainforest site, and the Animal Rescue site. You can click on the button that says “Click Here to Give- it’s FREE” and they will donate food. The sponsors support the site and fulfill the donations. You can shop online for the stuff that the sponsors sell. More money will go to charity. You can sign petitions at amnestyinternational.com. Remember to give what you can afford and that one person can make a difference. Donating to charity is an informal social network: When you fall on hard times, someone will donate.