Today before noon I received my 4rd call from a charity asking for donations. I was asked to donate clothing, appliances and/or money. I spoke with Jane from ARC as well as Bill with the Colorado Police Protective Association. The Lupus foundation had a truck in my area and one other charity needed money for the Special Olympics.
On top of these daily calls from charity organizations my grandchildren, my neighbor’s children and my friend’s children all have fund raisers going on at their schools and of course I’m on the list of donors. Even when shopping at my local grocery stores, I get cute little boys and girls begging for donations to their local Boy and Girl Scout troops.
I believe in contributing to charities but I’m not Bill Gates. I have to prioritize which charities I want my money going to. My priority is Children’s charities. These include the Make a Wish Foundation, Children’s Hospital, Children’s Diabetes Foundation and the Children’s Hemophilia Society to name a few.
Giving money to help children with dreadful illnesses seems to me the logical choice for my limited wallet. My heart breaks every time I hear of a child who is impacted by a life threatening or life changing disease. Other than prayer, the only thing I have to offer is a small amount of money in the hopes that someday someone finds a cure for all childhood diseases. I’m not taking anything away from the other charities but nothing is as urgent or compelling then a young child fighting for his or her life. All children need a chance to grow up and live life to the fullest. It is sad when a young adult passes away do to an illness but it is more tragic when a small child never gets a chance to become an adult.
I hate to sound heartless but the Police Protective Association shouldn’t even be in the same category as charities fighting against pain and suffering. The ARC is a fine charity but again, they can’t save a young child from dying. The same hold true for the Special Olympics as well as hundreds of other charities who try to improve people’s lives but do little to save the lives of our young generation. Having said this, there are two charities I do contribute to that fall under the above category. This is the Make a Wish Foundation and my local church. The Make A Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with terminal diseases. It doesn’t prolong life nor cure the disease but if offers a terminally ill child a chance to experience an adventure that they would never get to do before their life ends. The people who do this are the mortal versions of Angels and I contribute as much as I can to this organization because it makes me feel good inside. The other charity I give to is my local church and I get back more than I give from them.
To summarize, I ask that if you are like me and have limited funds, think children first. If you contribute to other great charities like the American Heart Foundation, the American Cancer Society, etc., that is great but set aside a little for the children’s charity of your choice. It will not only make you feel good but it’s the right thing to do.
By the way, I do give to my Grandchildren’s school fund raisers. This is one time that I can’t say no.
