Week 32: Charities for Change

Our world seems to be in chaos.  Thousands of people have perished due to the earthquake that hit Nepal.  Baltimore is in turmoil.  And news of violence in my home state of Wisconsin have received daily the past few weeks. 

It's easy to get swept up in the negativity, to throw your hands in the air and bury your head in the sand. 

But don't.

Please do not run and hide.  Please do not give up.

Please battle negativity in your home by seeing the gift it is to take care of others.  Please give of your time and give back to your community, for it is in the giving that we receive.  Please pray for those that are hurting.  Please donate time and funds to charities if you are able, to better the lives that are less fortunate. 

As the saying goes, be the change you wish to see in the world. 

The Kindness Countdown activity for week 32 was a donation to Lutheran World Relief to aid those suffering in Nepal while donating to a group in Baltimore. 

How did I settle upon donating to this charity when there are so many collecting?  I began by reading this NPR article which highlighted charities that have passed a gamut of litmus tests and then I looked for charities I've read about or donated to in the past. 

LWR is one that I've had experience with over the years in my church...and I liked that it's headquarters are in Baltimore...a place that needs some extra love right now.

The other piece to this week's Kindness Countdown activity is that I've made (and will continue to make) an extra effort to smile and positively interact with everyone I've come into contact with. 

I know that an unexpected compliment from a stranger or someone taking an extra five seconds out of their busy day to hold a door open for me has lifted my spirits in the past...I hope I can do the same for others during this less-than-peaceful time.  

"Life's most persistent and urgent questions is, 'What are you doing for others?'" - Martin Luther King, Jr.