Ok, here is the situation: Recently in my town a police officer was shot and killed while responding to a robbery. This is terrible, I know, a truly awful thing. He had a wife and two children and it made BIG news here. After his death, his church (a big mega church) had a fundraiser for his family. Then a few local restaraunts had fundraisers for his children. Then some hole in the wall bars had fundraisers for his wife. Then a new coffee shop had a fundraiser for his kids education. Everytime a fundraiser was had it made the 6 o'clock news. About the same time my husband was carjacked and someone told us to drive through a local trailer park and look for his car as it may be there as those people were always in legal trouble. So we did. God forbid, this place was like something out of a Stephen King novel; I swear I'm telling the honest to God's truth when I say that when we pulled up there were about 10 kids playing, not just on top of but INSIDE the dumpster, which I'm sure was full of meth lab paraphanelia, single mothers with 900 children walked around hopelessly, pit bulls guarded condemned trailers that people were still living in, and I saw on a few trailers that instead of doors hung Confederate flags. As we were leaving an old grandma who was watching the kids in the dumpster brought them all popsicles. So my beef is this: I KNOW this policeman that was killed had life insurance, it's standard part of the police job package, and probably a big one, his wife has a good job and they live in a very nice home (I saw it on the news) So I'm pissed off that there are all these fundraisers for kids that are well taken care of (I"m sorry they lost their father though) when there are poor little children in this terrible trailer park that no one gives two shits about! Where is the fundraiser for the kids in Hunter hills?! (that s the name of this God awful place) Where is their college fund? !!!

PenelopePaige said:

Ok, here is the situation: Recently in my town a police officer was shot and killed while responding to a robbery. This is terrible, I know, a truly awful thing. He had a wife and two children and it made BIG news here. After his death, his church (a big mega church) had a fundraiser for his family. Then a few local restaraunts had fundraisers for his children. Then some hole in the wall bars had fundraisers for his wife. Then a new coffee shop had a fundraiser for his kids education. Everytime a fundraiser was had it made the 6 o'clock news. About the same time my husband was carjacked and someone told us to drive through a local trailer park and look for his car as it may be there as those people were always in legal trouble. So we did. God forbid, this place was like something out of a Stephen King novel; I swear I'm telling the honest to God's truth when I say that when we pulled up there were about 10 kids playing, not just on top of but INSIDE the dumpster, which I'm sure was full of meth lab paraphanelia, single mothers with 900 children walked around hopelessly, pit bulls guarded condemned trailers that people were still living in, and I saw on a few trailers that instead of doors hung Confederate flags. As we were leaving an old grandma who was watching the kids in the dumpster brought them all popsicles. So my beef is this: I KNOW this policeman that was killed had life insurance, it's standard part of the police job package, and probably a big one, his wife has a good job and they live in a very nice home (I saw it on the news) So I'm pissed off that there are all these fundraisers for kids that are well taken care of (I"m sorry they lost their father though) when there are poor little children in this terrible trailer park that no one gives two shits about! Where is the fundraiser for the kids in Hunter hills?! (that s the name of this God awful place) Where is their college fund? !!!

P.S. I would just like to add that the reason I'm upset about the fundraisers is because I don't feel that they're being done for anything other than the free publicity. If these businesses really wanted to help some desitute children and single mothers, they would do something for the kids of this trailer park or any of the other terribly, truly poor kids in our city.

So....did you find your car?

JustErin said:

So....did you find your car?

haha- No never found my husband's car but as we drove around that terrible place, I told my husband, "If someone here has it, let's let em' keep it!"

Penelope,

I think it is a personal decision on how one chooses to be charitable.

It doesn't make you a scrooge if you don't want to support those

businesses who are fundraising. If another organization has a philosophy

that is closer to your heart, then that is what you should support!

I think it is always a good idea to research how your donations will

be used. Not all organizations are upfront about the % of money that

actually will go to charity.

CallMeCarrie said:

Penelope,

I think it is a personal decision on how one chooses to be charitable.

It doesn't make you a scrooge if you don't want to support those

businesses who are fundraising. If another organization has a philosophy

that is closer to your heart, then that is what you should support!

I think it is always a good idea to research how your donations will

be used. Not all organizations are upfront about the % of money that

actually will go to charity.

Thank you Carrie Very good advice but that's not really my issue. My issue is that I feel that the businesses having these fundraisers are not doing it for the right reasons. I feel they are just riding on the "Hot" story and riding the free publicity train. My point with the trailer park is that if all these places are so good-intentioned to help children with their future- why help the middle class kids with a life insurance policy on their father? I realize he died and it's terrible but I'm sure MANY of those kids in Hunter Hills fathers have died as well, but it goes unnoticed. Growing up I knew quiet a few kids who lost their fathers in shoot outs and drug deals etc. and no one seemed to pay any attention, but when it's a story that generates business for your coffee shop- everyone's all about helping

I get what you're saying, Penelope.

It's just that you can't really know the motivation behind someone's decision to help, unless you ask, which is why I mentioned that you should research the charity that you are going to support.

Yeah - it might be likely that the businesses are jumping on the spotlight bandwagon, hoping to gain something from it. But should we fault someone for making the effort to help?

Ghandi says "Be the change that you want to see in the world."

If you saw something that touched you at the trailer park, then you have the opportunity to do something about it, instead of just talking about your disappointment in others who are choosing to support different causes (whatever their motivations are).

I think that all of us, as citizens of our respective societies, have the responsibility to find ways to give. I see good reasons for business to want to support local police departments. The police probably play a very big role in the success of their business. But even if they are doing it to gain customers and they give the money to the cause, then I can at least applaud them for giving.

I think it is great that you noticed that there is a community in need, children in need and hopefully it will inspire you to do something to help. Every little bit counts!

CallMeCarrie said:

I get what you're saying, Penelope.

It's just that you can't really know the motivation behind someone's decision to help, unless you ask, which is why I mentioned that you should research the charity that you are going to support.

Yeah - it might be likely that the businesses are jumping on the spotlight bandwagon, hoping to gain something from it. But should we fault someone for making the effort to help?

Ghandi says "Be the change that you want to see in the world."

If you saw something that touched you at the trailer park, then you have the opportunity to do something about it, instead of just talking about your disappointment in others who are choosing to support different causes (whatever their motivations are).

I think that all of us, as citizens of our respective societies, have the responsibility to find ways to give. I see good reasons for business to want to support local police departments. The police probably play a very big role in the success of their business. But even if they are doing it to gain customers and they give the money to the cause, then I can at least applaud them for giving.

I think it is great that you noticed that there is a community in need, children in need and hopefully it will inspire you to do something to help. Every little bit counts!

Yes I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm actually trying to figure out how to go about it: do I just drive up and hand the children some books and money? do I go find their parents and ask them what they need? And how to do it without offending them? I'm not sure exactly. I do have a friend who owns a restaraunt and I've thought if we did a fundraiser for the familes there? Yeah, I'll figure it out. Thanks for your input - hugs back

that's a long paragraph...

its always good to donate everyone needs

some TLC

if you look at any cause, there is almost always another one that is just as worthy, if not moreso

But some people (not all) see police as giving a service to the community. He gave his life to protect someone else. So the community feels they owe his family.

Of course the trailer park trash (sorry) are in need of help, but they also receive it just like government employees do. That is part of what our taxes go towards.

But there are charities that will help the poor, and you should donate to them, because you are right, they need it too.