Seven Ways
To Give Back This Holiday Season (or any season)
When it comes to charitable giving, people living in the South Bay are pretty generous. Residents of most beach and surrounding cities donate a greater percent of their discretionary income to charity than do Californians as a whole. Contrary to popular belief, we are all not driven by greed, egoism and self-aggrandizement (just half of us).
Giving to charity is a critical component in improving your happiness and wellbeing. Giving is one of the kindest things you can do for yourself and for those less fortunate. we are extremely privileged to be free from the daily struggle to survive. We live in societies where our basic needs are met; we have access to services such as sanitation, education, and healthcare; and we are, for the most part, subject to good governance. When we consider this it seems obvious that if we have more than we need we should give to those who don’t.
Here are Seven Ways to give back this holiday season:
Best Friends Animal Society - This group, founded in 1984, fights to reduce the animals killed in shelters, and has a goal to make all shelters no-kill by 2025. Best Friends has put together a coalition in Los Angeles dedicated to ending the killing of healthy and adoptable pets in L.A. city shelters, as well as programs to spay/neuter animals, find homes for shelter pets, and raise public awareness. Donate here.
Walk with Sally - Walk With Sally was founded by Nick Arquette in 2005, naming it for his mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer and after many years of treatment, died when Nick was sixteen. It fosters a mentoring program to help boys and girls between the ages of 7-17 “walk” through a most difficult process. Get involved.
Community’s Child - A group committed to offering women and their infants with healthy alternatives by providing safe living environments, training and education to end poverty, neglect, abuse, addictions and hopelessness. Community's Child Residential Living and Personal Development Program is open to homeless single mothers over the age of eighteen years, with an infant under the age of twelve months. Donate and help.
Richstone Family Center - Richstone Family Center is one of the most progressive centers for trauma-focused treatment and the prevention of child abuse in Los Angeles County. Richstone’s programs protect children by building stable and healthy families and decreasing violence in families, schools and communities. 2018 Angel Campaign
Habitat for Humanity - Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that helps families build and improve places to call home. They believe in building simple, decent, and affordable housing, and to eliminate substandard housing in low-income areas. Help build.
Fisher House Foundation - Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military & veterans families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital. These homes are located at military and VA medical centers around the world. Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members. Fight with them.
UNICEF - Yes, this is a behemoth, but it serves a great purpose. Unicef stands for the United Nations Children's Fund. It looks after the needs of children and mothers in developing countries around the world. It works with local communities and governments in more than 160 countries to help every child reach their full potential. Unicef was created in December 1946 by the United Nations. Become a world helper.
Bonus: Giving can be as simple as bringing in your neighbor’s trash cans, holding the door open for somebody, using your indicator while driving, or just being polite.
‘Tis the season