If you’re a regular reader, you might know that I’m involved in several philanthropic projects ranging from Kiva support to volunteering at a local temple and at SOLD. What you might or might not have noticed is that I don’t often engage in pushes for donations or involvement from my readers. I try to keep my donation-seeking to one time a year (which is actually coming up soon – so fair warning!) And any proselytizing I do for my causes, I try to restrict to only those people who show any interest in learning more. (Clearly I would not survive long as a lobbyist.) I do this for two reasons. 1) My blog, as public as it is, is actually a very personal space for me. I don’t want my blog to get hijacked by issues or become a soapbox bleating the same old tune, no matter how important those issues are. And 2) I hope that if I don’t ask for money often, the times I do will be more meaningful. Or at least, my readers might know I chose those times with care because I honor the fact that money is tight for everyone and I don’t wish to abuse my readers.

Having said that, I now find myself in a position where I am compelled to ask for a little bit of help. And not for one, but TWO causes. Here they are:

Help Us Get a Computer Lab!

One of my first dreams when I got involved with SOLD was that I might be able to teach the kids computer skills. Word Processing and Excel for jobs, of course. But I also wanted to teach the kids the logic of Google searches and how to evaluate info source credibility so that no matter where they end up in life, they can always learn. They can find information safely and effectively, avoiding both predators and misinformation (which can sometimes be equally as dangerous). It costs $1 to use an internet lab for an hour, so even if they can never have a computer in their home (a luxury most of us take for granted), they can always have access to knowledge.

We are getting REALLY close to raising the funds we need to create a computer lab at the resource center. We’ve joined a site called Global Giving that puts organizations through a stringent vetting process, part of which requires raising a certain amount of money by a specified number of donors to secure a permanent spot on their site. We have the required number of donors, but we still need $317 by midnight April 30th to get there. Can you help us get there? Find out more here.

In Need of a Leg

Quite literally. One of my dearest friends has a brother who was an officer of the law. Some days, when he was off-duty, he helped out at a local construction site in Texas, directing traffic. On one of those days, the horrific happened. I’ll spare you the grisly details, but he was standing in traffic when he got hit my a semi. He was in a coma for a month, and sustained major head, arm and leg injuries. As bad as those were, they were almost nothing compared to what he has been through to try to recover, going through nightmare after nightmare of physical and emotional pain, even instances where his ability to act for himself has been called into question – literally threatening the very essence of his freedom as a human being. But he remained a loving family man and father through it all.

And still, the accident took something more from him. For weeks ago, he had to have his leg amputated due to lasting complications from his injuries. His family and friends are now turning outward to ask for a little help so that he can get a prosthetic in its place. They need to raise a total of $5,000 to make this possible, and so far they are at $1,350.

I know these people are complete strangers to you. But I can’t tell you how devastated I felt when my friend told me the news…after years of hearing all the trials this man and his family have gone through. If there is anything you would like to offer to help ease their burdens, please take a look at their donation page. I can’t tell you how much it would be appreciated.

One last thing, if you do donate, please leave me a comment below so that I might be able to show my appreciation properly.

Thanks so much.

Love,
Jade