Familly Values
When I was a little girl, my parents talked to my sister and me about the importance of giving to others. Not just family, but your community - whether it was local or global. They also taught me that there are different ways to give: giving your time or giving money. That both were important and if one wasn't possible, than the other was good too. It was a value the instilled in me from a young age.
For a long time now, I haven't been living my values - and I have to say, it has made me feel very guilty. Right or wrong - that's how I was feeling. I would occasionally give a dollar or two to a homeless person or if someone I knew sent me an email about doing a run or walk for charity, I would give a bit of money then. But I still felt like I wasn't doing enough, in part because I never initiated the giving. I mean - I've been so fortunate in my life, even if I felt strapped for money or time, I could still have given something.
So today, for the first time in a long long time, I donated my money to a charity I picked and that I really believe in. I should clarify - the money came out of my bank account today but it was something that I decided a few weeks ago.
For a long time now, I haven't been living my values - and I have to say, it has made me feel very guilty. Right or wrong - that's how I was feeling. I would occasionally give a dollar or two to a homeless person or if someone I knew sent me an email about doing a run or walk for charity, I would give a bit of money then. But I still felt like I wasn't doing enough, in part because I never initiated the giving. I mean - I've been so fortunate in my life, even if I felt strapped for money or time, I could still have given something.
So today, for the first time in a long long time, I donated my money to a charity I picked and that I really believe in. I should clarify - the money came out of my bank account today but it was something that I decided a few weeks ago.
My Choice
There are so many good causes out there - there really is no wrong choice. The organization I picked is called UNHCR, or the UN Refugee Agency. One of the things this agency does is reconnect children with their parents, who they have been separated from.
Here are a few disturbing facts:
Here are a few disturbing facts:
- The estimated number of people around the world that have been displaced by war is now around 50 million
- Over half of these are children
- The average amount of time a family lives in a refugee camp is 17 years
- Of the 10 million refugees that are living in a different country (called external refugees) about 5% (so that's 500,000 children) are living apart from their families (Note: the other refugees are considered internal refugees and live within their country's borders so this number would be much higher if we added in this group. I couldn't find stats on that.)
Unintended Consequences
I'm not trying to tell anyone to donate to this particular organization or to any other for that matter. But it was something that my parents talked to me about and showed me in their own actions - over and over and over again.
And let me tell you what happened after I decided to give money to UNHCR. I got an energy jolt like nothing I've ever experienced. Not just a 24-hour one - it started that afternoon and continues to this day.
I have gotten more done in all areas of my life in the last 3 weeks, than in the last 6 months (maybe even a year) - including this blog.
So if there's a family value that you've been ignoring, whatever it may be, give it a try. You might be surprised at the unintended consequences.
References:
1. CBC News: Three Reasons the Number of Refugees is as High as it is Today
2. Unaccompanied Children: Unicef
3. UNHCR
4. LIRS: No Small Matter
And let me tell you what happened after I decided to give money to UNHCR. I got an energy jolt like nothing I've ever experienced. Not just a 24-hour one - it started that afternoon and continues to this day.
I have gotten more done in all areas of my life in the last 3 weeks, than in the last 6 months (maybe even a year) - including this blog.
So if there's a family value that you've been ignoring, whatever it may be, give it a try. You might be surprised at the unintended consequences.
References:
1. CBC News: Three Reasons the Number of Refugees is as High as it is Today
2. Unaccompanied Children: Unicef
3. UNHCR
4. LIRS: No Small Matter