Oprah has a way of making me think...
And AFN (Armed Forces TV) has a way of showing her message over and over and over again, until I can't do anything BUT think....
A few months ago, I nearly drove myself crazy with worry, thinking about what would happen to our kids, if something were to happen to us... This was brought on by an episode of Oprah, about families who were crushed due to a variety of unfortunate accidents/events... There was one family in particular that I still see sometimes in my head.... They were the sister, brother-in-law, neices and parents of a bride on her wedding night. They were leaving the reception, headed for the hotel in a limo that the bride and groom had provided. Somewhere along the way, a drunk driver struck their car head-on (going about 70mph the wrong way on an interstate), killing the driver and one of the young girls. I could just see the mother of that child sitting along the road after the fact, holding the lifeless body of her child... and it brought me to tears... again, and again. (Even now, I'm a little teary thinking about it...) I couldn't sleep that night, Because you just never know what might happen... It really made me evaluate my relationships with others... Who could I possibly trust with the GINORMOUS task of raising my children, if something were to happen to Jon and I? Thank God, we have GREAT Friends and Family...
Well, Oprah did it again. Yesterday on her
show, she had
Bill Clinton, Andre Agassi, and a few other
'givers', all talking about ways that we can make our world a better place. Some of you may have received an email from me and
KIVA.ORG, yesterday... I hope that you took the time to check out the site. Even if you don't want to participate, I think it is great to see what others in our fast-paced, 'its all about me' world are doing to help those, who are just trying to make a better life for themselves, and their families.
Many people are skeptical about donating money... you don't know how it is
REALLY being used... and some of us, just don't have the money to give. This got me thinking about all the ways you can make a difference in this world, and not spend a cent.
If you click on the link in this post for Bill Clinton (like him or not, he is doing great things...) you will be directed to his foundation, his new book 'GIVING' and can be linked to plenty of organizations that help thousands... probably millions.
Just by clicking on the Pink Ribbon at the right of this blog, you can help to donate a mammogram to a woman in need, somewhere in America. It only takes a second to click... and there are sponsors who donate money for each one... Add it to your favorites, click it each time you log onto your computer... Help a woman to receive an early diagnosis... Save a life.
I'm not trying to brag here, only put some ideas out there, for those of you who might not know where to start... or what you can do to make a difference....
These are some of the things I am passionate about... in no real order...
~ I put spare change in the
Firefighter's boot, when he stops by my car at a red light... and help to fight Muscular Dystrophy.
~ I click the pink ribbon each and every time I log on to this computer...
Someday, there WILL be a cure....
~ I sponsor 2 children to go to school in Ethiopia, through our agencies
Orphan Student Project. For pictures of the kids, that we sponsor, and journal entries from our trips to see them, check the archives from February and April.... The kids that we sponsor want to be a Doctor and a Teacher. Imagine what they can do...
~ I donate a portion of the money I make selling my Swarovski Crystal and Sterling Silver Jewelry to Adoption Advocates International, our agency, to help with the placement of older and special needs children.
~ I have made loans on
KIVA.ORG to entreprenuers in deveolping countries.
~ I always pick an Angel off the 'Angel Tree', and purchase a gift for a child who might not otherwise receive one for Christmas.
~ I put spare change in cans on gas station counters, for the man who needs a kidney transplant, or the child with leukemia...
~ I sponsor friends who
WalkAmerica with the March of Dimes, and help to save premature babies.
~ I've purchased bags of apples on the streets of Addis Ababa, and handed them out to the hungry. It cost me about 10 cents.
~ I write letters to soldiers who are deployed to places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Albania, that might not receive any mail, otherwise.
~ I organized a vitamin drive for an HIV+/AIDS orphanage in Ethiopia, and carried them to Addis Ababa.
~ I recycle...
Every now and then, Jon likes to call me '
Greenpeace', though I'm not a die-hard activist, I believe that they are giving our planet a voice, and helping to make things better... Conservation is still in my heart.
~ I search the web with
GOODSEARCH, and raise money for Adoption Advocates... You can raise money for your charity, too... just by using the GoodSearch engine.
~ For 5 years, I was the President of a tiny Private Organization on our military base, that raised money to provide holiday meals for military families with financial difficulties during the holiday season. We also organized the local Angel Tree.
~ I make purchases on
Amazon.com who gives a portion of my purchases to KIVA.ORG, or through
IGIVE, I can shop a number of places, including EBAY... and donate money to the charity of my choice.
~ I pick up the glove that someone dropped in the snow, while digging the keys out of her purse. I also smile when I can, to the people I pass on the sidewalk... The world doesn't revolve around me, or you... Take time to notice who else lives here. It really is the little things that make a difference.
I hope that I haven't bored you to tears... and that maybe this post, and these links will help you to come up with your own way to
Give.
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