Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Christmas and Community

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With Christmas time comes the more visibly felt spirit of giving. More people are feeling generous and more charities come forward to ask for your assistance, making the most of this time of year. Question is, how do you know that the money that you give actually gets to the people who need them?

One of the best ways to make sure that it goes to those you truly feel are in need is to give to a local charity that you like. You really don’t have to go very far. Your church or local clubs may already have something. Choose one that sponsors a cause that you agree with and find out if can visit some of the recipients or inspect some of the sites (in cases where construction of any sort is involved). If they accept donations for distribution, they may also need volunteers to help pack these gifts up in boxes. You’ll be able to see for yourself the work that the organization actually does this way. You might even be able to go along as they deliver some of the boxes.

If your community has a Christmas gathering, get involved. There are many organizations that set up community christmas celebrations where the low income families can gather for a christmas meal and the kids can receive toys. It can be a lot of fun as well as be very fulfilling.

Originally posted on December 18, 2006 @ 5:24 pm

Choosing Right Beneficiaries in Need

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Charitable organizations would always identify what particular area of interest they would consider to help out. With so much people in need today, it has gone as far as helping out places, worthy causes, schools and hospitals. But in a nutshell, all of them pertain to one worthy beneficiary that is of the human being.

Photos Courtesy of Parc Cruz

It is not the sole fault of some parties for being on the hard end of living. It is by fate and not by choice that most people find themselves needing to seek help from the lucky beings in this world and in some cases, a helping hand coming from people who get fulfillment out of it.

Photos Courtesy of Parc Cruz

The problem with the world today may perhaps be the proper identification of the groups in need. Some would focus on certain groups in need of food and shelter, but if explored a lot further, such efforts should be dissected a bit more since one area alone is not enough to cover.

[tags]charity, fund raising, event, donations[/tags]

Originally posted on January 16, 2007 @ 6:16 pm

Christmas Baskets

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Christmas is just around the corner and yes, there will be quite a few people without anything to celebrate this special night with. For a number of people, they just can’t afford to spend that much on their meals. They barely have enough for other necessities so Christmas may seem like just another day.

Take a page out of Anthony Robbins’ Basket Brigade. All you need to do is find out who in your own community may be in need of some help this Christmas. Put together what they would need for a good christmas meal and place them in a basket or box. If you want to add some other stuff, feel free to go ahead and be generous. You’ll be amazed at how much a difference it can make.

The next step is to deliver the baskets and boxes. It is best to keep it anonymous as some people’s pride won’t allow them to accept what they perceive as charity. You can often work through your local church. They’ll take care of making sure that your gift goes to those who need it.

Get your community involved too. In Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, the fire brigade is collecting non-perishable items from anyone in their community who is willing to contribute. They’ve stationed themselves outside supermarkets and groceries so that people can actually donate immediately after shopping. The two teams have made it a competition amongst themselves in fact to raise more than the other; but the true winners aren’t the firefighters, it is the people to whom everything will go.

What are your plans for Christmas? Can you spare a canned good or two?

Originally posted on December 16, 2006 @ 9:48 pm

Out With The Old, In With the New Year

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The year is ending and a new one is about to begin. Many changes have taken place in your life. It’s time to clean up; out with the old and in with the new.

While you’re at it, don’t throw away your old stuff. They may seem like nothing but junk to you but some of them could still be useful to other people. Now that you’ve redecorated and have a brand new plasma TV, your old couch and TV may be of use to someone else. You can bring these to the nearest Goodwill branch so that someone else can use your old stuff.

Sort out the stuff you no longer have use for and bring them over to your local charity. You get to clean out your closet of all your extra clutter and do a good deed at the same time. That’s a great way to welcome in a new year.

Originally posted on December 30, 2006 @ 4:20 pm

Volunteer At Barnardo’s Charity Shops!

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Taking the cue from my last post, here’s an idea for volunteering if you’ve always wanted to play “shopkeeper” – at Barnardo’s Charity Shops. This is an especially good idea for students, and a wonderful way for your teenage children to start on charity work in a way they understand.

In case you didnt know, Barnardo’s has been helping abused and disadvantaged children and the youth since 1867, when young Dubliner Thomas Barnardo set up a school for poor children. When he later found children living in London’s streets, he opened his first home for boys in 1870, and a girls’ home soon followed.
Since then, Barnardo’s has been at the forefront of Children’s issues today, following Mr.Barnardo’s vision: that the lives of all children and young people should be free from poverty, abuse and discrimination.

If this is an issue close to your heart, or something you would like to learn more about, read on:

Volunteering in a Barnardo�s shop

Whether you�re good at counting pennies, you�ve got a creative streak or you�re good at sales, there�s a whole range of exciting tasks awaiting you in our shops!

Pick out the best from the shop floor to create innovative window displays; work on the till and meet people from all walks of life; or even rummage through the donated items in search of all sorts of treasures. There may even be the opportunity to run events within the store. Managers are always looking out for good new ideas, so will be open to any suggestions you may have.

Volunteering in Barnardo�s shops is popular amongst students regardless of the focus of their academic studies, as a way of gaining some invaluable skills to boost their CV. You�ll develop your team working, problem solving and people skills amongst many others, and if you are eventually looking for a career in retail you can have experience in a wide range of areas that large high street retailers would not be able to offer.

Originally posted on November 11, 2006 @ 4:21 pm

Helping Needy Families Through HALO

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With the holiday season fast approaching, theres no better time to start giving. Christmas charities are now beginning to launch their annual campaigns, which we’ll be looking into in the next few posts.

One charity to start early is HALO or Holiday Angels Loving Others. This charity which started five years ago, was formed to help brighten the lives of families in need for the holiday season. This comes in the form of food and gifts, of which there are three ways to help: through donations, volunteering, or adopting a family.
A project of the Catholic Charities, the charity allows both individuals and corporations to help, monetary donations of which are tax deductable. Pam Richcreek, Assistance Coordinator at Catholic Charities explains:

“HALO truly promotes community involvement…The clients like it because they feel a sense of belonging to the community and it provides the personal touch for the adopters, because they actually meet the families they are donating to”

[tags]charities,christmas,halo,catholic charities,families,holidays[/tags]

Originally posted on October 12, 2006 @ 6:27 am