They Don’t Hold Telethons

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, certainly a worthy cause that seems to touch us all at some point. With me, it was last year when my mother contracted breast cancer. Thankfully, she’s a survivor, no doubt because of the strides made with this killer disease. It’s easy for so many like our family to be “on board” in the fight against breast cancer.

There are other great charities doing terrific work, some are “under the radar” and some are not. I've only picked three to touch on while there are many. The first is the Salvation Army (www.salvationarmyusa.org). They don’t do anything as “noble” as look for cures for cancer, but their value is in the day-to-day lives that they affect. We’re all familiar with the yearly Christmas bell-ringers and their red buckets collecting change as you enter or exit a store. The bell pierces the chilled atmosphere yearly, signaling the official start of the Christmas season. I always donate to many of them, as I know what the benefit of my $10 or $5 will do.

The main reason I like the Salvation Army, was developed years ago as a rookie firefighter. Back in my early days, we actually had a lot of real, “working” fires. And at most working fires the Salvation Army’s signature red truck would roll up to the scene and offer coffee and donuts or juice and a sandwich to anyone there. They didn’t ask who you were, which was pretty obvious for the firefighters and cops, but civilians and victims were welcome too. Somebody simply passing by could stop and ask for a coffee and they'd get it! They just served. And when they ran out, they got more. Most importantly, they never asked for anything from anyone. That left an indelible impression on me and became my defacto charity for years. Then I found out that most of the money donated to them is used for the needy, not administration. I felt even more positive about my choice. Ironically an employee I knew from the United Way told me most of my donations to them went toward administrative resources. That ended that relationship.

My next important charity is the Just Imagine Making Miracles Yours (J.I.M.M.Y.) Foundation (www.justimaginemakingmiraclesyours.org). A number of years ago I was told through the fire network in Westchester that there was a boy from Somers who needed blood transfusions to help him battle a brain tumor. The Katonah Fire Department was sponsoring the blood drive for the firefighter’s son. I called the firefighter and asked if I could help by advertising this event with a story. At the time, I wrote for an online publication and could write about whatever I chose. I followed this story closely for several years until their young son succumbed to the tumor at the age of six.

Most people wanted to help. Most of us volunteer as firefighters and EMS to help people. Some people were able to donate time toward helping the family directly. Some didn’t know what to do. Others, also not knowing what to do, but knowing how expensive treatments were, donated money. After their son, Jimmy, died, the family took the unspent donations and started the Just Imagine Making Miracles Yours Foundation to help sick, terminally ill children and their families. With little fanfare, this small organization raises money all year long, only to turn around and donate it to families who struggle with bills and expenses while they are trying to help cure their kids. Some times, there is no cure and their child dies. The burden a family struggles with is why they do what they do – the group that runs the J.I.M.M.Y. Foundation has been there and tries to offer a bit of stress relief whenever possible. All money donated to them is used for helping sick kids and their families.

My other favorite is Toys For Tots (www.toysfortots.org). Enormously successful, they started out small and have grown beyond just the holiday season. In fact, they accept new, unwrapped toys for kids all year now. When they started it was simply to supply toys to needy kids for Christmas. Now they do the same thing but their network of volunteers and agencies that help them has grown exponentially. But don’t think that just because they got bigger they are not deserving of your help. They are.

My point of all this is not to ignore or shun one charity for another. They are all worthwhile. But look around a bit and you’ll see some pretty amazing people doing some amazing things to help others right in your own backyard. They don’t hold telethons, the stars don’t come out or pledge their help, and yet they just keep moving the equation forward. Sadly, amidst all the tragedy, there are scammers hoping to hijack your money, not concerned with the fact that a parent couldn’t pay the rent or the electric bill so they could pay for another treatment for their child. Maybe the J.I.M.M.Y. Foundation will cover it. Maybe someone else or some other group will. That’s why these smaller, lesser-known organizations need our help. They get it done while the big guys are busy getting publicity.

The red buckets and the bell ringers will soon be doing their thing, once again signaling the start of another holiday season. Many people are suffering because of the economy, their own doing or something beyond their control. Whether through an agency such as the J.I.M.M.Y. Foundation, or just a simple act of kindness, they deserve our help. Look around and see what you can do.