January 18, 2005 7:18 AM

Time to recognize that we CAN make a difference

For some time now, Susan and I have been feeling the need to do something outside of ourselves. We’re by no means wealthy, and if you saw our house and our furniture, you’d likely agree with that sentiment. House Beautiful we’re not, but we get by. Neither of us have ever been about keeping up with the Joneses. It’s been more about keeping up with and doing right by Adam and Eric. With Adam in college and Eric headed that way in a few short months, we’ve begun to think about what we can do to make a difference outside of our narrow little world. We recognize that two middle-aged adults from Seabrook, TX, are not necessarily going to change the world, but we want to be about more than the dream houses, the new cars, the lines of coke snorted out of the belly-buttons of supermodels, and the fabulous trips.

For me, finding an organization worthy of our support was an easy call. Ten years ago, I worked for Mercy Corps, both in their Portland, OR, headquarters and in the field in Croatia and Kosovo. I’ve seen and participated in the work that Mercy Corps does, and I am still a strong supporter, though I am no longer employed by them.

Currently, 91% of Mercy Corp’s budget makes it into the field as program support. They can be found worldwide, doing many good things and responded to crises, oftentimes before anyone else is able to mobilize. Mercy Corps has come a long ways in the past 10 years, and I’m proud to have been associated with them. I can vouch for the organization’s commitment, it’s professionalism, and their effectiveness. They do good work, and they do it well.

Mercy Corps has also done a phenomenal job of harnessing the fund-raising potential of the Internet. Susan and I have set up an automatic withdrawal from our checking account, which allows us to donate without even thinking about it. We’re starting small, but as we work this commitment into our budget, we plan on significanly increasing our commitment.

We’ve been blessed in many ways, and this gives us an opportunity to begin to give back. The recent tsunami only serves to make this commitment more important. I’m not one to preach or draw attention to myself, and the only reason I’m even mentioning this is in the hope that at least a few of my readers will see their way clear to make a similar commitment.

There are so many people suffering so very much. As I sit here at my kitchen table on this winter morning, eating my cinnamon roll and drinking my coffee, I recognize how blessed I am to not be among those suffering. Our commitment will not force us into eating Ramen four times a week, and ultimately I’m not certain we’ll even notice the missing money. If someone else can benefit from our minor largesse, it will be a good thing. If enough of y’all can do the same thing, just think of the difference we could potentially make.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 18, 2005 7:18 AM.

Enforcing ideological purity is never pretty was the previous entry in this blog.

The Carnival of the Vanities, #122 is the next entry in this blog.

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