450 Billion Spent on one day - GDG

[5 Salt]

450-billion...yes billion….is spent each year by Americans on one day

Christmas....

- US Gov spent 28 billion on Foreign Aid last year – we spent 450bil on Christmas stuff.
- If your h-hold income is $45k or better, you are in top 2% in the world
- 5,479 Children die of diarrhea every day
- In the time is took your to read this post 8 parents died of AIDS
- 15million children are with out one or both parents because of AIDS

- As the richest nation in history, do we not have enough stuff??
- It’s time to put the reason for the season back to the forefront.

This Christmas my daughter and I are asking friends and relatives to donate our gifts to charity in the form financial support to World Vision charities.


$30 buys 5-Ducks and hundreds of egg for a family
$75 buys a goat and protein rich milk for a family in Haiti or Malawi ($150 funds a breeding pair)
$50 buys a share of oxen and plow ($575 for the two and the plow)
$79 sends an AIDS orphan to school for a year in Angola, El Salvador or Zimbabwe

$100 buys a share of a Deep Water well (18k for the entire well)
$320 Send 10 children to school for a year
$392 buys a foot pump for field irrigation.
$500 buys a dairy cow for a family

If you want to help honor Christmas and Christ on his birthday please spend a portion of your Holiday funds on his children – your neighbors.

Visit www.worldvision.org to help


Or choose one from the below…..

Hunger:

www.bread.org
www.actionagainsthunger.org
www.thp.org (The Hunger Project)
www.ob.org
www.worldhungeryear.org
www.wr.org


Healthcare:

www.imcworldwide.com
www.thechildrenhealthsite.com
www.lifewind.org
www.blessing.org
www.mercyships.org

Poverty Relief:

www.brighthope.org
www.crcna.org
www.fh.org
www.gainusa.org
www.hope-international.org
www.indiapartners.org
www.internationalaid.org
www.shelter.org
www.one.org

AIDS Relief:

www.data.org
www.bloodwatermission.org
www.keepachildalive.org
www.saveafricachildren.org
www.churchestogether.org

Education:

www.care.org
www.crossroads.org
www.ncm.org
www.unicefusa.org

[greenbuttskunk]

Calvin, great post brother
So very true. Most of us americans spend so much on needless things.
Things we take for granted.
There are some great organizations here to choose from.
We decided to help sponsor a child in India this year. It's not much out of our pockets, heck beer money really. But to her, it helps feed her, cloth her, and
hopefully buy a toy she can play with. Children like that cherish even ONE toy.
Kind of takes me back when I look at all the toys my son has.
Thanks for reminding us Calvin that Christmas is a time for giving.
Peace my man!
GBS

[matttheduck]

Thank you for reminding people that it is the voluntary contributions to help those less "fortunate" that have real meaning and are most likely to actually do those folks some good. Have a great Holiday Season!!!

[wannacatchem]

I'm not trying to rain on anybody's parade, but what percent of the total donations goes to administrative costs?

I know there is a way to find out, but I can't remember the google I used to find it a while back. Any help?

I know some well known charities used to have very high costs so that not much of your donation actually got to where it was intended to go. Before you donate, please check into it.

Now, I'm glad somebody is looking to the reason for the season.

[CATCH AND EAT]

Calvin, thanks for the refresher here. We should not forget many of the local charities out there two that really help folks in need here at home. Whether you celebrate Christmas or just celebrate the Holiday Season it is a time of giving. Most of us have way more than we need in this life and still want more. This is a prime example being set here by Calvin about the true meaning of helping your fellow man. And, we should not do it just this time of year but all year long.

I can think of several people here from this board that walk this walk and talk this talk all year long both Christian and non-Christian alike. A brotherhood of givers with hearts of gold. From just helping out a fellow fisherman unselfishly to planing the OTC to Emanual's hospital Toy Drive at the ifish Christmas party.......you know there are way to many examples to name in just this one post. Just good people doing good things.

Let's remember just how much we have been given in this life and the freedoms we have and enjoy in this country of plenty.

Just Give...........

[Threemuch]

Mary and I try to match our spending on each other with charity. The Oregonians wish list is a pretty good place to find the local needy. You don't have to go overseas to find people who need help.

I am with your theme, but 450 Billion sounds a bit high, that's like $1500 per person (every man, woman and child) nation-wide. I don't think I have ever spent or received that much as a Christmas gift.

[Clyde]

I am asking all of my relatives to give to one of the organizations instead of buying the typical bad shirt...thanks for posting all of these options.

[5 Salt]

Originally Posted by wannacatchem

I'm not trying to rain on anybody's parade, but what percent of the total donations goes to administrative costs?

I know there is a way to find out, but I can't remember the google I used to find it a while back. Any help?

I know some well known charities used to have very high costs so that not much of your donation actually got to where it was intended to go. Before you donate, please check into it.

Now, I'm glad somebody is looking to the reason for the season.

My preferred charity, www.worldvision.org donated 89.5% of all income according to their audited financials for 2006. See below link for exact breakdown.

http://www.worldvision.org/resources...nualReview.pdf

[Willis]

Giving to a charity is a great thing but I prefer to donate to local groups, I have a real problem with some of the money that is going to aids in Africa when they will not go after one of the main causes of the spead of aids being child **** and **** in general. Not to say the children should not be helped but the ones causing the spread of this problem need to be delt with before the problem can be fixed. It is also hard to swallow that most of the goverments of these countrys live high in the hog while the people starve and live in poverty, makes me mad as hell that if given help from there own goverment they wold have most of the tools they need to support themselves. Thank you for the post and im sure alot of the groups you listed have the heart in the right place and I like the idea of giving a man a fishing pole to fish with instead of just the fish to eat...plows, water, and other tools are the way to go not just giving food and money to the goverments to "help" the people with. I only pray that some day it will get better

[SlimeyLimey]

There are many ways to check out charities to determine the way they handle their money (or should I say "our money"). Do a google search for "charity admin costs" or something similar. Here's one example of a site that evaluates them and provides a look at many:

http://www.charitablechoices.org/default.asp

Local choices are always a great way to help our own communities, whether it be with money, goods or time.

S (newbie!)

[Straydog]

Originally Posted by SlimeyLimey

There are many ways to check out charities to determine the way they handle their money (or should I say "our money"). Do a google search for "charity admin costs" or something similar. Here's one example of a site that evaluates them and provides a look at many:

http://www.charitablechoices.org/default.asp

Local choices are always a great way to help our own communities, whether it be with money, goods or time.

S (newbie!)

Welcome out of the closet, slimey!!!!!!

Good first post, even it didn't include a fish story!

This is a good link to share.

It doesn't take a lot to make a difference in someone's life and, well, it feels pretty good.


Thanks for starting this thread, 5 salt!!!:smile:

[MsOutdrs]

We sure are a society of consumerism...crazy

[backlash442]

How much is spent on Halloween?

Easter?

Thanksgiving?

Valentines?

Mothers Day?

Regardless, this country gives more than any other country in the world bar none. While I think giving is a noble cause (and I do) I don't have any guilt at Christmas either.

[skein]

We're giving our money to the Angels of Mercy, the group of ladies that visit our wounded soldiers at Walter Reed every day!

In fact, we have changed some of our long-time charities and the money will go instead to those ladies and the soldiers they visit.

Skein