Community Corner
How Do You Show Charity at the Holidays?
Mr. Fezziwig said Christmas is a time of generosity. How do you show generosity?
After the Newtown, CT shooting Frday, reports have come in from all over the country of little acts of kindness towards the residents of that small Connecticut town.
Tom Cavanaugh bought 100 cups of coffee at the Newtown General Store without leaving his California abode. Someone else bought candy to be handed out to the children returning to school in Newtown. NBC's Ann Curry tweeted, "“Imagine if all of us committed to 20 acts of kindness to honor each child lost in Newtown. I'm in. If you are RT. #20Acts" and spawned a frenzy of people pledging kind acts in memory of the children who died.
Even before this focus on Newtown, every organization I ever donated to was contacting me asking for a year-end gift. From my alma mater to lobbying groups, this is the time of year nonprofits count on donations.
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Some people give to causes they believe in. Some give without conviction. Some give because it's a good thing to do, some because the tax break comes in handy in April.
And there's more. There's a local basketball tournament. There's the soup kitchen. There are toy collections everywhere you look. Before Newtown captured our attention, the Jersey Shore held it with their devastation from Hurricane Sandy.
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This is the time of year to appreciate what you have, material things as well as those things that cannot be quanitified because they are beyond value. It's also the time to give to those less fortunate. As Mr. Fezziwig reminded Ebeneezer Scrooge, it's a time of generosity.
After all you've been through this year, whom will you be generous with this year? What organization will you be sure to volunteer to, and what group will receive a check from you before Jan. 1?
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