Blogging late last night I stumbled upon Teddy's humorous blog on telemarketers. We have all been barraged with unwanted phone calls and solicitators. There are numerous worthwhile charities and organizations that request our hard earned dollars. You can give and give till it hurts and still they are back for more. It's hard to know where to draw the line on giving and if you should even give at all. It's easier to give when we can see the results of our giving.
Oprah Winfrey has been in the news for the past month for her huge contribution and building of a school for girls in South Africa. When I heard the story in the news I was in awe. Such a huge contribution and one that will change the lives of those girls in South Africa. I started to read a bit more about Oprah's new school. It is a 28 building campus that will have computer and science laboratories, a library, a theatre, and a wellness center. At the moment there are 152 girls, chosen to attend, and eventually it will house 450 girls.... What an extrodinary gift.
But for Oprah's giving, there also comes some criticism by others. Criticism that she should concentrate or use the money here for students in the U.S. I don't have a problem with her spending money overseas. Children here have the opportunity to go to school, in fact it's a requirement. If Oprah wants to spend her money to see that girls in an impoverished country get an education they might not otherwise have,... more power to her. It's her money. I read more about Oprah's new school on-line, how she personally chose the girls from all the applications. Chose girls who she felt had a spark or special something.... and then I started to have a little twinge....something not feeling quite right.
I began to wonder about 450 girls having an opportunity of everything at their fingertips and so many things available to them, when you could have a wider scope and reach more girls. Granted they wouldn't have all of the things that an elite academy would, but wouldn't it give more kids an opportunity? I then started to feel guilty about my thoughts.... It wasn't my money, it wasn't my gift. I was not changing and making a difference in 450 girl's lives. Who was I to judge how the money was used? Thinking more and more on it, I can see how Oprah would be able to monitor more closely the education of those select girls than if it were in a broader dispersing of educational materials and supplies. I guess my thoughts were drifting to those girls (and boys) left behind. I don't know that when I was 11 or 12 years of age, if anyone would have seen a spark in that shy girl in the back of the room who kept doodling on her desk. There is a good reason why they say not to look a gift horse in the mouth. Be thankful for the gift.
It's hard to be polite when you are asked to give or donate. Many give or tithe to their local home church. Most consider tithing at 10 percent of your earnings. I heard a woman once say that tithing just doesn't mean money. It also means giving 10 percent of yourself. I thought she was a wise woman, she knew that giving meant more than just money. Lately it seems that my giving has been less than it use to be. My excuse being that money doesn't stretch as far as it use to. I do give what I can when asked,to what I think are worthwhile causes.
There was a new library built a few years ago not far from me. I think it is the wisest investment that could have ever been made by the community. It serves not just the people in that town but in the whole county. There is no age limit, no gender preference, no cost for a card. It teaches, it reaches, it is for everyone. The community/school system also had a new stadium and track built at the high school. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were pumped into it's creation. It's empty at the moment, and will be for awhile. There are no kids on the field, no people in the stands...... There are also no music classes or art classes being offered at the school. There are cut backs in home ec, shop, foreign language classes and teacher positions too. I start to have those "Oprah thoughts" again....For everything gained, what is sacrificed or lost? We all want to get the most bang for our buck.
The other day I got a phone call.... a small voice on the other end said, "hello Aunt Vickie". It was one of my nieces, selling stuff. It was a requirement that she and all of the other kids had to do....sell stuff to the public. It's not an easy thing to do, going door to door and raise money.
I am a firm believer in that charity begins at home.
That is my reasoning behind why I have FOUR boxes of Girl Scout cookies headed my way soon....
Thin mint anyone?
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