I live in a very large town so it’s sometimes hard to get a sense of community but this past weekend, it felt like Bedford Falls, the fictional town that rallies for a neighbor in need in the film It’s A Wonderful Life. Based on a short story called “The Greatest Gift”, It’s A Wonderful Life was an unusual film for its era, dealing as it does with the dark side of humanity including themes of financial ruin and suicide. Those topics were made all too real in my town when the father of three young boys committed suicide and several months later, their mother did too.
When several charitable groups organized a plant sale to benefit the boys who had also lost their home to a flood, the response was overwhelming, raising $50,000 in less than three hours. Most who gave knew neither the parents nor the boys but all felt the need to give.
It’s in this spirit of giving, that I list just a few worthy charities below. They do a brilliant job of marketing because they are “gifts that give back”. Studies show that charitable giving benefits the giver as well as the recipient, so “give and ye shall receive”.
Oxfam America provides “lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice”.
World Vision is “bringing urgent help and lasting hope for a child in need”.
The Greater Good “allows 100% tax-deductible contributions to pass directly through to nonprofit causes”.
Happy Holidays
