good will toward men

In the month of December, Christians all around the world celebrate Christmas. The most recognizable symbols of this holiday have to do with gift giving and people acquiring material possessions. The idea that Christmas is suppose to celebrate the gift that God gave to us is sometimes lost. The concept of pleasing God by helping your fellow man or making the world a better place is an idea that often gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. The idea of good will toward men is not just a Christian idea but an idea that all citizens of the planet earth can support.

While the idea of receiving gifts is a wonderful thing, the idea of gift giving is much more beneficial. The idea of giving to someone other then yourself is a worthwhile venture. Charities and organizations give people an opportunity pool their talents and their money to some cause they consider worth while. This world has many problems but I also believe there are more people in a position to help. I would encourage everyone to spend their energies (or their money) in a cause they consider worthwhile. With that being said I have made a list of charities that I find to be worthwhile. Some of these charities I give to already. Some of them I plan to give to. These are not the only ones I find important just the ones that stuck out


National Breast Cancer Foundation – There are many diseases that inflict many people. Breast cancer has affected me on a personal level. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and I lost an aunt to breast cancer. Research funding is a very important step in finding treatments and cures for diseases. http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

VH1 save the music – Music education is very important to me. I can’t imagine my life without music. In addition to providing me with countless hours of enjoyment, it has also afforded me several employment opportunities. I also teach music part time and I have seen the impact that it can have on a child. In high school music provided me with a strong network of friends and a sense of confidence in the fact that I could achieve something at a high level. Too many kids today are loosing opportunities in the creative and performing arts. To often music and other performing arts activities are the first things that are cut from school budgets. Save the music is a charity which provides music education opportunities to children who may not otherwise have them. http://www.vh1savethemusic.com/

Camp better days – Camp better days is a summer camp for people who lost someone in the attacks that took place on September 11, 2001. Many of the adult volunteers lost someone close to them in the September 11 attacks. The founder of the camp lost her fiancé in the attacks. I have gotten to know some of these people personally because they share a campground with the Rutgers marching band (a band that I teach). I cannot help but feel a sense of hope when I see kids and adults working together to bring something positive out of a terrible loss that they suffered in their lives. http://www.campbetterdays.com/

Dream Village – This is an idea started by a friend of mine. They make and distribute children’s books that have a message of hope and empowerment. They tell of children in troubling economic and social circumstances that rise above these challenges to make a difference. They hopefully will inspire children to read and provide awareness for some very important issues.
http://www.ideablob.com/ideas/3408-DREAM-VILLAGE-Kids-Books-with-

Operation Smile – This is a charity that helps children with physical deformities such as clef palettes get much needed surgery. Many children are born with problems that are easily correctable but do not have the resources is to get the treatment they need. These surgeries will provide a sense of esteem and perhaps will make the lives of these children somewhat easier. http://www.operationsmile.org/

Peace Corps – I actually strongly considered the Peace Corps when I graduated college. This is an organization that trains people to go around the world and perform a wide variety of services. It is my believe that the experience these volunteers get is immeasurable. I can think of few things that are as impactful as some of the work that these volunteers do. There are many areas in this world that are in desperate need of help. Maybe we can’t all take 2 years of our lives and go to a third world country but maybe more of us are in a position to support those who are willing to. http://www.peacecorps.gov/

Global Fund for Women – I believe that feminism in its purist form is not a women’s issue. I believe it is something that affects us all. Women are 50% of the population and 66% of the workforce yet they own ONE PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S ASSETS. That fact should trouble men and women alike. I think a free society must have women as full and equal partners. In addition, women all around the world are still victims of unspeakable violence and discrimination. In many instances they are denied rights and the very opportunity to live a life of fairness and dignity. The global fund for women runs several programs around the world that are intended to help women advance them selves. It is my believe that everyone in society benefits when all people are treated equally and fairly. http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/cms/

kiva.org – Microcredit is an idea that has been around for a while. It gained a lot of popularity in the 1970s in Bangladesh through the efforts of economist Muhammad Yunus and others. It is the idea of lending small amounts of money to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty that are not considered “bankable”. One hundred dollars seems like a small amount in a western economy but in a third world country 100 dollars could give someone a chance to by a piece of equipment to start a company which could raise them out of poverty. The data also shows that these loans have a very high rate of repayment. In fact the rate of repayment is higher then conventional loans. Ninety percent of the people who get these loans are later in an economic position to pay the loan back. Kiva.org is a website which matches potential entrepreneurs with potential donors. You go on the site pick someone with a promising venture and lend them money. I guess this is not considered charity because 90 percent of the time you get your money back. None the less it is a worthwhile venture. http://www.kiva.org/

Nothing but Nets – Malaria is one of the biggest killers of children worldwide. In addition to that it has been estimated that more work and productivity is lost due to malaria then to any other disease. The tragedy of this situation is that this disease is curable. The shame is that you don’t need millions of dollars in vaccines (although this is important) but the spread of malaria can be virtually stopped by simply using malaria net. This charity allows people to purchase a malaria nets and then sends them to areas of need. http://www.nothingbutnets.net/

Environmental Defense Fund – The environmental defense fund supports a variety of programs that go toward helping our environment. When a minor shift in climate occurs in an industrialized country it is usually viewed as a freak occurrence or a minor annoyance. When these subtle changes occur in a third world country the effects are devastating. In the short term the people who have had the least to do with global warming will be the ones most drastically affected. Finding a way to sustain a growing population while managing the environment is essential. We will need to find ways to make entire cities more environmentally friendly. The environmental defense fund has a wide range of environmental programs from forest preservation to nanotechnology that have the goal of helping the environment. http://www.edf.org/home.cfm

Millennium Project – The End of Poverty by Jeff Sachs was one of the best books I read in 2005. He details the economic steps necessary to eliminate extreme poverty. He and his committee presented these recommendations to the U.N. This project attempts to go village by village to end poverty. It provides better methods and training for growing food and providing infrastructure to better accommodate market places and economies. The organization works with governments to find scientific solutions and to give people in the village a sense of ownership. The project has a very large scope and scale with the goal of irradiating extreme poverty.
http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/
http://mpcollab.org/MPbeta1/give/donate

What ever venture you do decide to give to I hope that you realize that no matter how small your contribution you can make a difference. Vaclav Havel talked about having hope. He stated that hope allows you to work for something simply because it is good. It may seem that the problems are too big. My contribution is too small but I hope that you will stay encouraged by the fact that as long as you spend yourself in a worthy cause your labor is not in vain. I would love to hear your ideas for charities that you find worth while and your reasons for supporting them.