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Old 07-02-2012, 07:40 AM
 
21,026 posts, read 22,077,918 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Big George View Post
Sounds like somebody is feeling a bit defensive.
Why?

Because I don't feel the necessity of broadcasting any charity work I might do?

Or is it because I don't grill my friends on what they do?

"defensive" ? That's a very silly conclusion...
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Old 07-02-2012, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Great State of Texas
86,052 posts, read 84,155,108 times
Reputation: 27718
Most of the folks I know just write checks to charities. I don't because I just feel that $.98 of my dollar probably goes to advertising/administration rather than to who really needs it.

In these times of acceptable greed and corruption, money is the last thing I want to give to charities.
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Old 07-02-2012, 08:22 AM
 
Location: Middle of nowhere
24,261 posts, read 14,117,651 times
Reputation: 9895
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texan2008 View Post
How many friends or family do you have that DO charity work in their free time? I'm not counting giving money via a mail donation, putting money in the Salvation Army red bucket during holidays,etc but actually engaging in a charitable activity. Examples below...

1. Donating blood at a donor center
2. Serving food at a homeless shelter
3. Working with Habitat for Humanity on home construction
4. Picking up litter with a group in your area
5. Visiting elderly with no family in a nursing home
6. Helping the Red Cross during natural disasters
7. Cleaning out kennels at an animal shelter
8. Providing a temporary home to a rescue animal until it is fostered by a family or individual
9. Any other ACTIVITY you can think of that is charitable

I am sad to report that I have no family members and only 1 friend who do any of these or other things that would be considered charity work. Would you say that only a small percentage of Americans do any of these things? Would you say that few may have done an act of charity once but never again or do you know people who make a habit of doing charitable work?
1) nope, I really, really don't like needles. But I have donated in the past.
2) Yep. I cook at one too. About every other month.
3) I have worked with habitat, and volunteered in their retail shop.
4) Yep. We round up the cub scouts and do pick up regularly.
5) Yep. I have also taken my dogs in the past. My current dog doesn't have the right temperament for visits.
6) Nothing but donations, but my partners mother is a full time volunteer, and gets sent out regularly.
7) Yep. I also take the dogs on walks, and do weekend home visits and training with problem animals.
8) yep.
9) If something comes up. I have helped organize shoe drives for Native Americans who live in poverty on reservations. Helped re-build schools on reservations.

I don't give money very often because I would rather see where my donation is going. There are far too many scams out there.
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Old 07-02-2012, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Camberville
15,797 posts, read 21,305,567 times
Reputation: 28021
I know about the charity my friends and coworkers do because it's such an integral part of our lives that it would be strange not to know. Most of my social circle comes from the volunteer community and it's something I value in my friendships.

Most of my volunteer work involves PR, grantwriting, event planning and marketing for small nonprofits involved in healthcare (especially young adult cancer). I also do a lot of advocacy work for young adults with serious illness and bone marrow donation. I have spoken at conferences and am often called in by my cancer center to serve as a mentor to other young adults or teenagers going through cancer.

I also work professionally in fundraising at a university and do a lot of extracurricular work helping students, especially the student workers in our office, deal with what life throws at them (helping with moves, storing things in my basement over the summer, resume reviews, rides, sitting in doctor's appointments, etc).

I also have a tentative acceptance to be a Big Sister but they wanted me to wait until I was a full calendar year out of chemo.

And for those that "don't have time" - bull. I have full time work, 2 hour daily commute, grad school, recovering from cancer, and I still find a way to be useful to society and the causes that matter to me the most. Growing up, much of my family time was spent doing national park clean ups, marking trails, or participating in sports/activities that my parents volunteered at (my dad was a baseball and softball coach, my mom was a scorekeeper, cub scout den leader, and a band mom).
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Old 07-02-2012, 12:17 PM
 
18,151 posts, read 25,693,665 times
Reputation: 53318
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texan2008 View Post
How many friends or family do you have that DO charity work in their free time? I'm not counting giving money via a mail donation, putting money in the Salvation Army red bucket during holidays,etc but actually engaging in a charitable activity. Examples below...

1. Donating blood at a donor center Used to, but have been on meds for hypertension-so not anymore
2. Serving food at a homeless shelter haven't but should!
3. Working with Habitat for Humanity on home construction Been on disability (now on SS-too many physical issues-would if I could though)
4. Picking up litter with a group in your area yes
5. Visiting elderly with no family in a nursing home not in a long time but there are elderly people in our neighborhood a group of us look after. We clip coupons, kick in some coin, and take turns buying groceries for a few of the seniors who either can't get out or have no money left at the end of the month.
6. Helping the Red Cross during natural disastersHave donated to the Red Cross, earmarked check for "Colorado fire victims"
7. Cleaning out kennels at an animal shelterNo, but I have a lot of respect for those who volunteer at animal shelters though.
8. Providing a temporary home to a rescue animal until it is fostered by a family or individual Haven't had to, would if I could.
9. Any other ACTIVITY you can think of that is charitable Have taken some seniors and a couple long term unemployed people with physical ailments to the food bank in Grand Junction, which is 13 miles from my house. And take them to run errands in their behalf as they have no vehicles.

I am sad to report that I have no family members and only 1 friend who do any of these or other things that would be considered charity work. Would you say that only a small percentage of Americans do any of these things? Would you say that few may have done an act of charity once but never again or do you know people who make a habit of doing charitable work?
Answers in blue.

I don't carp on people who don't do charity work as everyones situation might be different. My neighbors situations are all the same- they are working multiple jobs to keep a roof over their head. Also the ones who have been on layoff for 3 years finally moved to North Dakota as it will be some time before those oilfield jobs come back to my area. Unemployment rate in my area remains at 9.4%.
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Old 07-02-2012, 12:25 PM
 
58,523 posts, read 26,824,792 times
Reputation: 14108
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texan2008 View Post
How many friends or family do you have that DO charity work in their free time? I'm not counting giving money via a mail donation, putting money in the Salvation Army red bucket during holidays,etc but actually engaging in a charitable activity. Examples below...

1. Donating blood at a donor center
2. Serving food at a homeless shelter
3. Working with Habitat for Humanity on home construction
4. Picking up litter with a group in your area
5. Visiting elderly with no family in a nursing home
6. Helping the Red Cross during natural disasters
7. Cleaning out kennels at an animal shelter
8. Providing a temporary home to a rescue animal until it is fostered by a family or individual
9. Any other ACTIVITY you can think of that is charitable

I am sad to report that I have no family members and only 1 friend who do any of these or other things that would be considered charity work. Would you say that only a small percentage of Americans do any of these things? Would you say that few may have done an act of charity once but never again or do you know people who make a habit of doing charitable work?
I think you are sadly mistaken.
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Old 07-02-2012, 01:13 PM
 
Location: San Antonio
2,817 posts, read 3,443,480 times
Reputation: 1252
one thing i noticed about many who do volunteer. Most are christian, and white. There are very few black, and hispanics, like me, who do volunteer work. Not sure why the minority are MIA. At the homeless shelter there are mainly blacks and hispanics but no volunteers of that nationality. We are in need of others who have been in tough situations and have made it out. Many of these voluteers are from churches and just go to do good deeds. We need people who can build relationships with others.
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Old 07-02-2012, 01:27 PM
 
Location: Florida
33,466 posts, read 17,986,405 times
Reputation: 15476
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan View Post
Most of the folks I know just write checks to charities. I don't because I just feel that $.98 of my dollar probably goes to advertising/administration rather than to who really needs it.

In these times of acceptable greed and corruption, money is the last thing I want to give to charities.
Ya know what. I used to put money in the jars in the stores , but I don't anymore.. they only have to donate 2%. I know the charities I give to and they are good charities.

Happy Texan. I remember you posting how the food bank people became picky and obnoxious. The people there were demanding and not nice at all. I would have left too. That would have turned me off as well.
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Old 07-02-2012, 01:41 PM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,806,627 times
Reputation: 17863
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texan2008 View Post
How many friends or family do you have that DO charity work in their free time? I'm not counting giving money via a mail donation, putting money in the Salvation Army red bucket during holidays,etc but actually engaging in a charitable activity. Examples below...

1. Donating blood at a donor center
2. Serving food at a homeless shelter
3. Working with Habitat for Humanity on home construction
4. Picking up litter with a group in your area
5. Visiting elderly with no family in a nursing home
6. Helping the Red Cross during natural disasters
7. Cleaning out kennels at an animal shelter
8. Providing a temporary home to a rescue animal until it is fostered by a family or individual
9. Any other ACTIVITY you can think of that is charitable
Why would you have to engage in a physical activity to be charitable, for example someone of wealth pulling a few strings is going to get a lot more done than them spending their rime picking up litter. People that want to be charitable should be able to do it how they wish, it's not obligatory. For example I had fuel delivery business and often gave discounts, 0% credit and in a few cases free product to low income people. I can guarantee that has done more to help people that anything you have done. I'm not suggesting I'm better than you for doing this, you do what you can within your means to the best of your abilities.
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Old 07-02-2012, 01:51 PM
 
41,815 posts, read 50,806,627 times
Reputation: 17863
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taratova View Post
Ya know what. I used to put money in the jars in the stores , but I don't anymore.. they only have to donate 2%. I know the charities I give to and they are good charities.
I don't donate anything to anyone unless I know it's directly benefiting who it's supposed to benefit. I can tell you about two great acts of charity, my parents house burned and the uber rich neighbor down the street handed my Mother $2K cash on the spot while they were still putting the fire out. The joke amongst our family was he was a little light that day. Fast forward to last fall and there was massive flooding in the area, my Brother who owns a bobcat used it for about 3 days 12 hours a day at his own expense helping put many families. One of the houses he went to was the uber rich neighbor, the uber rich neighbors son came over and said his father had tears streaming down his face as he was watching my Brother.
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