Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charity. Show all posts

Charity

One of my goals for 2012 was to give to charity at least once a month. Whether it be in the form of money, time, old clothes, or a walk, I need to be doing something for others. At my job I am often catering to the wealthy, or Corporate America. Both of which I have come to despise. It also causes me to put wealth in perspective.

I've talked about Charity walks before, I love doing them. But it is not the season to walk outside right now. Until it gets warm again I need to give back a different way. There are many in this world far worse off than us Post Grads. Those who did not have the opportunity to go to college, or even finish a basic education. We complain about doing laundry while others can't afford clothes. We eat less to fit into a dress while others scrounge for food.

One of my go-to charities is St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. I try to give to them at least twice a year. This type of donation is pretty cut-and dry, though. You choose how much to give, and they send you a receipt. Nothing very personalized about it.

One of the newer places I found was thanks to Erin at Analyfe. It is called Kiva. It is a microlending non-profit that assists people around the world in their efforts to get out of poverty. You can read about the potential borrowers and the endeavors they are working on in their countries. You can also read about their repayment history. When was the last time you lent someone $25, knew you'd get it back, and also knew they would be using it for good? This is what Kiva does.

Other charitable things I am looking into is Habitat for Humanity. I have wanted to volunteer for them for a long time. The issue is that there are very little builds going on in my area. Instead they have a store, called ReStore, that has building materials and home improvement supplies for 50-90% retail value. They ask for volunteers to run the store, take stock of the donations, etc. I may need to do this if a build opportunity does not come up soon.

How do you all give back to the community around you? Are there any really great things I am missing?

Charity Walks

I really enjoy participating in Charity Walks. I love knowing that there are thousands of people there walking with me that also want to help. I love walking in DC because there are so many historical monuments and picturesque scenes along the way. I love knowing that my small contribution and an hour of my time will help people who need it more than I do. And I still love the shirt you get for participating.

In DC there is a Charity Walk "season" if you will. Between September and December there is a walk almost every weekend for a different cause. Next weekend is the Light the Night walk for Leukemia and Lymphoma, the Help the Homeless walk is right before Thanksgiving, you get the idea.

In a couple weeks my friends and I will be participating in the Whitman- Walker Aids walk for the 5th year in a row. DC has the highest rate of Aids infection in the country so this walk is a very personal one for many people who participate. We have a team called the Awkward Turtles if anyone in the DC area would like to join us in our quest. If you are not in the DC area and can spare a few dollars we would also appreciate donations to the cause.

Do any of you participate in charity walks in your city?