Proclivity (n.)- an inclination or predisposition toward something objectionable
It’s 4 a.m. You’re at the local mall waiting in the already filled parking lot for the doors to open in all their glory. Your thoughts float from that new pair of boots you want to buy for your sister to the latest iPhone you’ll be fighting over for yourself. The frost is on the windshield but it soon melts with the anticipation seeping through your pores. Though your eyes illustrate your drowsy state, your heart begins to race with each minute ticking by. What item will you dive for first? Who will become mere obstacles for you to overcome?
Though I’ve never participated in Black Friday, I would imagine these type of thoughts race through the minds of tunnel visioned shoppers. I’ve heard the “Tickle-Me-Elmo” horror stories. Or the 10 hour long “iPad” lines. What if there was so much more behind the gifts you put under the tree? Do you want to purchase a gift that makes a difference? Well, I am excited to share my list of FAVORITE charities that can be beautifully wrapped under your tree this year.
In true Julie Andrews fashion, I simply remember my favorite things:
–The Giving Keys: http://www.thegivingkeys.com/
-The Giving Keys exists to employ those transitioning out of homelessness to make jewelry out of repurposed keys that get sold and shared around the world. Each key is unique and carries a message like HOPE, STRENGTH, DREAM or COURAGE. When the wearer of the key encounters someone else who needs the message on the key, they give it away and then send us the story of their key being paid forward.
–The Heifer Foundation: http://www.heifer.org/
-Heifer links communities and helps brings sustainable agriculture and commerce to areas with a long history of poverty. Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at market.
–charity:water: http://www.charitywater.org/
-A non-profit organization that brings clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. There are over 800 million people in the world without clean water. They use hand dug wells, gravity fed systems, purification systems, drilled wells, etc.
–CICRIN Children’s Home: http://www.cicrinus.org/
-Where I spent my month in Nicaragua on Ometepe Island. You have the choice to donate toward the home in its entirety or to sponsor a specific child. Your donation will go toward their education, food supply, etc.
–Krochet Kids Intl.: http://www.krochetkids.org/
-Handmade crochet items such as hats and purses are made by poverty stricken women in Uganda and Peru. A large portion of the profits go directly back to the women to rise above poverty.
– Pencils of Promise: http://www.pencilsofpromise.org/
-“Focus on building strong structures and sustainable education programs. By forming long-lasting, collaborative relationships with communities, we increase access to quality education and positively impact students and parents in high-need communities throughout Laos, Ghana and Guatemala.
–Saving Innocence-http://www.savinginnocence.org/
-“To rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through partnerships with law enforcement, social service providers, and schools, while mobilizing communities to prevent abuse and increase neighborhood safety”.
–IC Jesus Ministries– http://icjesus.worthyofpraise.org/
-The organization we worked with in Panama this past month (November) that works with the Ngobe tribe. They travel through out the reservation preaching, tending to medical issues, etc. As an interpreter, Heather is always seeking out deaf children and wants to, one day, open a deaf school. They are in the beginning stages of fundraising and need help in funding their various projects.
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad =)
