October 8, 2009
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Helping Others
I was tossing around the idea of doing some painting or renovating (bathroom!) and maybe upgrading some of my furniture. It's not high on my priority list but if I had some cash, I'd probably pull the trigger. Somewhere in my old PC, I have a wish list of things that I want to improve in my condo. But it doesn't take much to remind me that I'm fortunate to be even day dreaming about this.
Some of you might know Jon aka "Renatorjr3". Pls keep his family in your prayers. He just updated his "Pulse".
After watching the news (click here) about the horrific floods from the typhoon in the Philippines, I made a modest donation to the Red Cross. I remember growing up in Manila and experiencing the fury of those typhoons. Inevitably there would be floods in many places. The recent typhoon simply overwhelmed the country. In a lot of places the rancid and filthy flood waters have not receded. The amount of trash and garbage mixed with the flood waters will make life miserable and deadly.
If you have some spare cash, think about making a donation to a charity. There are many charities out there (Red Cross, World Vision, Red Crescent...) that do good work. For many Canadians, we'll be celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend. A lot of folks in other parts of the world are struggling to survive. It's not just the Philippines - the earthquakes in Indonesia; flooding and typhoon damage in Vietnam and Cambodia, the tsunami in Samoa... the list is endless.
Thanks for reading. Peace.
Comments (21)
I just donated some clothes and furniture to GoodWill, guess that'll count as well!
Wow, I didn't know things were that bad in the Philippines. That being said it seems every other month there's another country getting hit (and hard) by a major disaster of some sort. I actually donate every month to two of Red Cross' funds - the US disaster relief and International disaster relief. I have it set on autopay so I know I'm doing a little something each month, which I found to be better (for me) than just donating when disaster catches my attention. Yeah, I wish I could do more too. A big part of the work I'm doing is so that one day I can be free to pursue causes without the encumbrances of career and money!
My buddy in Manila has been updating me on the status of the Philippines... it's so scary. I want to do something to help out
the world is so scary these days...
Yes, I know Jon. My prayers will surely go out to him and for all those others who've had to contend with the typhoons of the PI. Giving to charity is a most honorable act to partake in. I'm glad you pursued it and I encourage others myself to do the same for all those who've suffered through many disasters worldwide. Thank you for posting this.
It's a joy to know you lived once in the Philippines. Your generosity is truly heartwarming. Actually, the typhoons have not left the Philippines. When Ketsana headed for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, Typhoon Parma came and remained (it was sucked back by another typhoon named Melor) causing heavy flooding in northern and central Luzon. This may prove too much for many of us. We could only pray. Thanks for calling upon benevolent hearts to help. It means a lot.
That was very nice of you to donate a modest portion of money. The Asia-Pacific area is being battered with natural disasters at the moment and the climbing death toll is saddening.
You are a good man. Why didn't I start interacting with you sooner?
Times like these, I want to do more than support from afar. I wish I could go there to ground zero and provide help with my hands.
Thanks for posting this!!
Thanks for the update, Matt. We've been getting lots of news about the flooding as the Thais feel a lot of affinity with the Filipinos.
Thanks for the update in the news. I have been involved with the homeless in my area. It is a good call to reality when I work with them. A reminder of what is really important! Have a good Thanksgiving.
put it towards the 7D!
Yes ... it's been really bad there and as usual, it's the poorest who get hit the hardest. I made a donation as well to Save the Children as they have operations on the ground as well. My ex-bf R was out there on vacation so soon I'll get first hand news of the mess
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So I guess I get to find out you're Pinoy by now.
This is one of my hesitations about home ownership. Once I buy the house, then I got to put in more money to get it renovated, but if I bought the house, how would I have the spare money to do all those stuff?
Do you do the work yourself or do you intend to hire people?
I just read this article of a man who's never built anything in his life that suddenly decided he needed his own manspace away from wife and kids to do his own work and built this incredible place in the backyard.
i'm a bit short on cash at the moment, but i will when i get the chance!
I didn't know you grew in the Philippines! And I try to make sure I donate to companies that pay directly for the cause. I remember doing a fundraiser in college for the 2004 Tsunami, and dealt with some shady companies trying to syphon our money.
@CurryPuffy - that's great Gary. I have a couple of bags of old clothes that I also need to donate. I know they will put them to good use.
@dynamiqvision - Sion - I think it's wonderful that you do this each month even though your income is variable. I have the luxury of a stable salary so I know how much I can deduct from my payroll each year.
@secade - it can be scary but there's also a lot of goodness out there too.
@zionlover - Thanks for the recommendation. I hope it'll spark others to pause and think about giving in some way.
@Norcani - you're very welcome and thank you for your kind comments and recommendation. I didn't realize the 2nd typhoon came back. I thought it was just moving slowly. I just heard about the landslides yesterday - so sad.
@stepaside_loser - Andrew - yeah, Asia has been taking a pounding recently. Africa has always had its share of pain and trouble too.
@chow@ireallylikefood - I think you do good work too from reading your blog. I can see you're a hands on kind of guy.
@CareyGLY - you're welcome Carey, I know he's a regular reader of your blog and vice versa.
@christao408 - you probably get better news over there than I can over here. Maybe I'm just not finding the right stories.
@Fatcat723 - Rob - I think it's fantastic you're helping out with the homelessness. It's a very good reminder of how fortunate we are.
@yang1815 - I still have so much more to learn from my 40D.
@TheLatinObserver - yeah, it always the poor that get affected the most.
It's interesting what little tidbits I reveal here and there isn't it?
@Wangium - I think I want to pay off more of my mortgage first before doing any significant renovations. I doubt if I will ever buy a fixer upper. I have zero skills and zero patience for home renovations (not to mention the money). I think most people just do a bit every year to their homes.
@onmovement - thank you
Yeah, everyone is a bit tight on cash at the moment.
@Rm2046 - hee hee - well, now you know a bit more about me. As for those folks that try to rip off people while posing as charities... I hope the law comes down hard on them.
@ElusiveWords -
Donating money is good, but a lot of the money goes to pay for administrative stuff and not actually helping those in need. How about donating blood or organs?
yes, the list is endless... i don't understand what's going on. is the global warming really the cause of all these natural disasters?...
@mmmagination - most reputable charities will post how much is being used for administrative / overhead costs. That's inevitable as they have to pay for a core group of people to run and manage the programs. As long as it's reasonable, I don't mind.
@rudyhou - maybe not the earthquakes. But maybe it's affecting the frequency or duration of storms / typhoons?
i won't be surprised if it does.