I Can't Think of a Better Mission. Can You?

The mission of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to assist the U. S. Marine Corps in providing a tangible sign of hope to economically disadvantaged children at Christmas. ...

The primary goal of the Foundation is ... to deliver, through a new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to less fortunate youngsters that will assist them into becoming responsible, productive, patriotic citizens. ...

Please help a child in need this Christmas. We all need hope. . . .

Hope is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I've heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.

- Emily Dickinson

I Ran Across Two Poems That Compliment Each Other Perfectly . . .

You may or may not already be aware of the letter written by a father to his gay son, cutting him completely out of his life because of his orientation. It went viral a bit ago.

As a parent, I find the ability to do this mystifying, and sad. Are those children being rejected and reviled not the same children once held close as precious gifts?

These two poems, found at PFLAG Poetry for Newsletters #1, reflect my feelings on the subject.

San Diego Pride Parade - July 18, 1992
author unknown

There were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them
and only a handful of us.
The screamed and they shrieked and they cheered as we passed
yelling, "Thank you. It's great that you care!"
Loudest of all and clearest of all
were the screams that emerged from the eyes
of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them
who watched as we marched down the street.
I carried a sign that stated most clear
my love for my son who is gay.
She stared at my sign
piercing my heart
with her pain.
I left the parade and moved to her side.
I held her in both of my arms.
Her sobs were intense and I tightened my grip
as she whispered her secret to me.
"My mom has disowned me since she found out.
She says I'm not right in the head.
She says that I'm weird
that I'm one to be feared
that I've caused her to suffer such pain.
Do you think that you could
Do you think that you might
Just be my mom for today?"
There were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them
looking for parents they'd lost.
There were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them.
But only a handful of us.

On Children

from The Prophet, the writings of Kahlil Gibran

And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said,
Speak to us of Children.

And he said:

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you.
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you...
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

The Archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with his might that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.

HOW TO DONATE WISELY

There have been many articles written on this subject,

so I'll just reiterate the most salient points.

1. Send money, not stuff - It makes it much easier to get what is needed where it's needed as quickly as possible.

2. Give to organizations that are already mobilized, and find a nonprofit you trust - This helps ensure your gift will touch those who need it as quickly and effectively as possible.

3. Give a non-earmarked or restricted gift - Nonprofits are most effective if they can choose how they spend their money, and money does not go unused in one place while there is still need in another.

4. Waiting for a while is not wrong - It takes some time for charities to figure out how best to respond, and rebuilding will be a long process, so your donations will likely be needed for a long time to come.

SOME CHOICES:

(in addition to those I've already posted)

You can donate directly to 

THE RED CROSS or SAVE THE CHILDREN In Japan, Via THIS LINK.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, has a long list of organizations that are actively working on the relief effort at this time, including:

- - Doctors Without Borders.

- - Helping Hand (USA) For Relief and Development.

- - Shelter Box.

- - Project HOPE.

- - National Disaster Search Dog Foundation.

- - K.I.D.S.

- - Medical Teams International.

- - Mercy Corps.

I am only one, but I am one.  

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do. 

~ Edward Everett Hale.

Below is a list of charities and relief organizations you can donate to in order to help bring aid to those affected by the worst earthquake in Japanese history.

 - courtesy of The Daily What.

Image: Details from Kent Ng's Tribute "Stay Strong Japan!"

• The American Red Cross has set up a special designation for disaster relief efforts in Japan. To donate, click here, or text REDCROSS to 90999 to instantly donate $10.

• International Medical Corps says it is putting together relief teams and supplies to aid Japan “and other affected countries.” Donate here.

• GlobalGiving’s Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.

• World Vision’s Disaster Response Fund.

• Click here to donate to AmeriCares’ emergency relief response.

• Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund.

As always, the main Red Cross donations link is in the side bar of this blog.

[EDITED TO ADD from HufPo] 

Salvation Army personnel are organizing efforts in Tokyo and will soon send a team to help the severely damaged city of Sendai, Japan. To contribute to earthquake relief, text 'JAPAN' or 'QUAKE' to 80888 to make a $10 donation or visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. 

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is sending two three-person teams to the Iwate and Miyagi prefectures in Japan. To learn more about the organization's efforts or make a donation, visit Doctorswithoutborders.org.

Other relief organizations are also sending representatives to disaster sites, including AmeriCare and Shelterbox. 

MercyCorps is gathering donations for its overseas partner, Peace Winds Japan, which currently has personnel on the ground distributing emergency relief in Japan.

Along with an appeal for monetary donations, Operation USA has also announced efforts to collect bulk corporate donations of health care supplies. If you are interested in donating bulk medical items, visit OpUSA.org.

For any who have loved ones abroad, Google has stepped up to help. Along with a tsunami alert posted on its front page, Google has launched the Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake to help connect people that may have been displaced due to the disaster. Google has also launched a crisis response page filled with local resources and emergency information.

AND I JUST MADE COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS

Muslims turned up in droves

for the Coptic Christmas mass Thursday night,

offering their bodies, and lives,

as “shields” to Egypt’s threatened Christian community.

Read the story here.

"On this Coptic Christmas eve,

the solidarity 

was not just one of religion,

but 

of a desperate and collective plea

for a better life 

and a government with accountability."

A GIFT OF HOPE

A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness--And a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression
_ Ted Gup

In telling their stories, the book becomes a portrait of endurance and recovery, as well as of a community in the throes of the Great Depression.

Before the stock market crash of 1929, Canton was a busy industrial city, home to Hoover and Republic Steel. But it was kneecapped by the Depression, with unemployment running as high as 50 percent. Local banks failed, taking all the deposits with them. Assistance programs there frequently ran out of food. Malnourished children in homes their parents couldn’t afford to heat got sick; some died.

The devastation hit all levels: The people who received $5 from B. Virdot included a grocer who’d gone broke extending credit to his customers, and a man who lost his family’s mansion after putting it up as collateral for the farm machinery business he had inherited.

The letters, Gup writes, “reminded me of the difference between discomfort and misery, between the complaints of consumers forced to rein in their spending and the keening of parents whose children went hungry night after night.” They also show that a gesture of generosity can deliver, along with small relief, good fortune that rings with hope.