Monday, June 10, 2013

Charity Begins at Home.



I looked up the word charity on Dictionary.com Here are two of the many definitions they gave me.

1.generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless: to devote one's life to charity.
2. something given to a person or persons in need; alms: She asked for work, not charity.

Romance books and charity. I think they fit well together. Authors have donated royalties to various organizations. Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Salvation Army, Red Cross and don’t forget Brenda Novak's wonderful auction to benefit Diabetes Research

During Hurricane Katrina my niece, who also happens to be my godchild, was working at the Marriott in New Orleans. Her first job out of the Culinary Institute of America. We were worried sick about her. Her parents, her sister and her entire family. She emailed her sister as long as she could then they lost power. Luckily management at the Marriott requested that anyone who did not have family to go to come hunker down at the Marriott.  Most of her family lived in and around Boston. I am out here in Arizona. For 3-4 days we heard nothing. Then she called, she said the Red Cross helped the get out afterward and they were in Texas. I cried when her sister called to tell me.
Not long after that I had a book published. I gave half of all the royalties to the Red Cross. This is a group I do not usually donate to but they helped my niece get home so I wanted to do something in return.
 My local RWA chapter collects donations for our local food bank at each months meeting. One of our members collects loose change every month and when her jar is full she cashes it in and donates it to the food bank.  At Christmas time we do this in lieu of a gift exchange. We also donate books to several local literacy groups and woman's shelters. In addition to romances we try to include children's books, recipe books and other books of every genre. After all every book gives us a potential reader AND we feel good doing it.
You don’t have to be in a group to do this. Give your money, no matter how small it is appreciated. You can also give of your  time.  If you are not sure where to start, look in your local phone book or check out the web sites I listed below. Remember charity begins at home.

4 comments:

Judith Ashley said...

The Red Cross is a wonderful organization - my vbf used to be a volunteer social worker going to disaster areas to provide crisis counseling to survivors. Everything the Red Cross does in the field at those times is volunteer driven - handing out water bottles, helping someone fill out a form, directing them to a cot, dishing up food -
She told of volunteers she'd met who'd been with the Red Cross for many years - such dedication to the well-being of others!
So glad your niece came through Katrina okay. Did she ever go back to the New Orleans Marriott?

Sarah Raplee said...

Your account of your niece's experience brought back memories. We lived in New Orleans years ago. when Katrina happened, we opened our home to a college student from there who was able to transfer to a college in our little town in Iowa. He had so many good things to say about the Red Cross!

Helping local charities is also great advice, Elaine. thank you.

ElaineCharton said...

Judith and Sarah
She still works for the Marriott but is at one of their Boston Hotels,closer to home. I grew up in Boston and most of my family live in and around that area.
She did go back to get some things out of her apartment. Luckily her apartment was on the top floor of the building. She took what she wanted and gave the rest to people she worked with there. People who had lost everything.

Judith Ashley said...

So glad things worked out for her to be closer to family. We need those relationships, especially when times are tough - Katrina was the epitome of a 'touch time'.