Can We Talk 2

End of The Year Donations

         Solicitations are up in December. I hate answering the phone. My favorite TV channels with the long commercials, not my favorite part, are big on sad children ads. The animal ads run all year, as do the St. Jude's, but they increase the number just before Thanksgiving, through New Years. They usually feature the girl who looks like a boy talking about the "adorable blanket" for your sizable donation. Shriner's starts showing up, along with the hare lip organization that use to feature in the back of every magazine. Wounded Warrior advertises all year long.

         There's a couple of local theaters that I like to support in a small way, but they don't make a big to do this month. The Municipal Band is pushing because they have a matching donor who has issued a challenge. They need to get as much as possible very soon to get the largest match possible. I know a lot of people do wait until late in the year to make their contributions for tax reasons, or when they balance their budgets.

         My dad and I give to the local food bank several times a year. We give memorials to Wounded Warriors or the closest Habitat for Humanity when someone passes away. I give to my church regularly which supports the local women's shelters and will occasionally do meals at the men's shelter. They also participate in the food bank and other local projects like water in the summer for the homeless or gloves and hats in the winter for kids and adults. We also do projects in nearby housing projects and nursing homes, as well as some foreign and emergency projects. These are ongoing, which makes sense. Dad likes to give to the Heart Association since Mom died of a heart attack.

         I've made it my policy not to buy or donate over the phone. I've had my credit card number stolen once. I've also found you never get rid of the solicitors once you give. Every ten to 30 days, they're on the phone again. I recognize their voices. I've asked to be taken off the lists more than once, so I think that's why they call back so soon. The cancer society and its divisions are the worst for frequent calling, always pretending to be your best friend. I have limited resources and can't supply all the requests, no matter how much they plead, as though their requests to "Please, don't hang up" will make me give more.

         I'm really tired of the commercials. I don't watch certain channels now just to avoid the extended ads--they're longer than name brand products. Someone has to pay for extra time and the repetitions. The cost of the ad itself is taken out of your charitable donation. Today the Shriner's ran an ad showing deformed children, and kids with artificial limbs. I burst out crying. I then turned the TV off once I could breathe again. These commercials need to have warnings. I was only halfway looking at the screen, so it caught me by surprise. I'm not an irresponsible person. Most of us aren't. But the guilt they want to lay on the average viewer is too much. The need may be real, but in most cases only a small percentage of your donation goes to the actual need.

         Hopefully, the begging will be reduced soon.