What is the impetus to give of oneself to another? I have often wondered this throughout my life. When I was younger, whenever a friend got married or had a baby, I would make elaborate presents for the occasion. I think I felt that a part of me would live on in the items I gave them. I have found this phenomenon to be true of knitters as well. Knitters are generous human beings, who love every process of the knitting experience, from the crafting itself, to the giving of presents for a happy event or a cause. Through the years, I have felt a special affinity for local organizations which touch my heart, and I have found that I am more apt to give of myself to them than obscure causes in remote areas. Everyone is different, and my affinities for charities may be completely foreign to my neighbor. Our uniqueness keeps us interesting, but our sameness brings us together.
Last year, knitters around America, and even Canada, burst forth with their generosity for the Red Scarf Project, providing scarves for young adults who may not have had the pleasure of such a gift in the past. As a result, the Orphan Foundation of America was inundated with more scarves than they could use. This event brought a greater awareness for the plight of orphaned and foster teens in the USA. It was a great success, and the mission for 2007 was accomplished.
However, there was also an underplayed need. The fact is, organizations like the Orphan Foundation of America need money to survive. Scarves are nice gestures, but money is what keeps the scholarships going. Many of us who were involved with the project last year have added PayPal buttons to our blogs (see sidebar at right), where interested people could directly donate to the Red Scarf Project. I am perfectly fine with donating money as opposed to scarves this year, as it is so sorely needed. The Orphan Foundation of America is dear to my heart. I am personally the mother of two used-to-be orphaned boys. My older son was of the age where he would have been overlooked in the orphanage, and left to his own devices on the street at age 15, had we not found each other.
The one thing I want for my children more than anything else is not just to be happy, as many mothers espouse for their own. I want much more than that for my children. I want them to care about others. When they have a genuine compassion for people, everything else will fall into place, and happiness will follow, in some form. To me, that is the natural state: one of love and not of hate, one of giving, and not of taking. I encourage everyone to give in any way, however much is comfortable, to whatever charity or organization moves you to your soul. Give it, bless it, and let it go.
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