One of my New Years resolutions is to commit to giving back to a cause I believe in and plant my altruistic values towards a substantial and long-term cause. The Haiti disaster has kicked this up a notch and brought it to the forefront. Everyone has joined in and as of yesterday, an estimated $150 Million has been donated towards Haiti relief efforts.
I realized that my volunteer and commitment efforts in the past have been more reactive, crisis driven and sporatic because of my crazy travel schedule. It has been very rewarding cooking food for the homeless, delivering food to AIDS patients, packaging food at food banks, planting trees and delivering holiday gift baskets to the home for the aged. Not to mention the arts, healthcare, educational and private foundations I have contributed funds towards. But I’m looking for a long-term commited giving relationship now that goes beyond the one-night stand.
According to Nicholas D. Kristof’s recent article, Our Basic Human Pleasures, Food, Sex and Giving, he confirms this is a fundamental need as basic as food, sex and can be more gratifying. He writes,
“So at a time of vast needs, from Haiti to our own cities, here’s a nice opportunity for symbiosis: so many afflicted people, and so much benefit to us if we try to help them. Let’s remember that while charity has a mixed record helping others, it has an almost perfect record of helping ourselves. Helping others may be as primal a human pleasure as food or sex.”
Finding the right cause is very personal. I have started my search through Charity Navigator and tried to find ones that resonate. I am also spending time identifying the causes that speak to me. Do I want to get involved with some that has to do with hunger, the environment, literacy, poverty, global issues, youth, hospice, what will it be?
What is your contribution, please tell me more.
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