Self-imposed Disablilties

"Charity and personal force are the only investments worth anything."   - Walt Whitman

Some charities benefit people with problems they can't do anything about (cerebral palsy, autism, abuse) and other charities are for those people that made bad decisions and need society to help them recover, or even take care of them for the rest of their lives (alcohol, drugs, pornography).

As volunteers and/or financial contributors, what are your thoughts on the matter?

Are some non-profit organizations more deserving of our time and attention? 

  "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is every wasted."   - Aesop

Are the life-threatening disabilities more important than the uncomfortable disabilities? 

Are the genetic (born-with) illnesses more deserving than selected (self-inflicted) illnesses? 

Does a person in alcoholic rehab merit a fund-raiser equal to the person recovering from a DUI-caused auto accident? 

Is a child competing in the Special Olympics due to birth defects as compelling a cause as a teen with lung cancer due to their decision to smoke cigarettes?  

Is it our place to judge who is deserving of charity?  

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."   - Emily Kimbrough

Do we sign up to help with a program because we believe in the program, or because we have a personal connection with someone in need using the program? 

I feel that volunteer work has more to do with the people involved than the charity itself. I expect that others, like myself, sign up to donate their time and talents to charities that will either benefit a loved one they have in the program, or will benefit a personal connection who is running the service (such as the fund-raising chair, sub-for-Santa coordinator, etc). 

"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving individuals. We all must work for our own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity." - Marie Curie

There are thousands of opportunities for us to write a check or sell a ticket to a good cause. How do we narrow it down to the ones we can afford to assist? 

"Make it a rule…never to lie down at night without being able to say, "I have made one human being at least a little wiser, a little happier or a little better this day."   - Charles Kingsley

~ E T