regular readers know that i love to talk about non-profit groups that i feel really make a difference. i strongly believe that the "teach a person to fish" approach delivers lasting change. one of my favorite organizations is heifer international. i have found that many people i meet are unaware of this amazing group..so..here goes one of my stories....
as many of you know, i have twin nephews...truly loves of my life...they just turned 12 last week..the fastest twelve years of my life. they also celebrated their confirmation this month..so i spent some time thinking about what would be an appropriate gift. i asked the boys what they would like for their birthday..and chris said.."you know auntie..i really only have a couple of things i asked for..you know..i really have everything i need"..how cool is that? but, you know..he is correct. our family is so lucky..we really do not need more things. so for the boy's confirmation i decided to give a gift to charity in their name. i thought heifer international was perfect for them because i could..kinda..give them an animal...so..to explain...this is the organization's mission...
"heifer international is a nonprofit organization working to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. heifer provides animals and training to help impoverished families become more self reliant. since 1944, heifer has helped 8.5 million families in more than 125 countries. each recipient agrees to "pass on the gift" of one or more of their animals to another family in need, creating an ever-widening circle of hope"
so it works like this..you "buy" an animal..say a cow. the money you send funds the cow and care training to a needy family somewhere in the world. the family sells the milk to provide an income. the family breeds the cow and gives the offspring to another family to pass on the gift. there are all kinds of animals to pick..i selected a goat for the boys because..for some reason..my grandmother loved goats and it became a family "thing". she used to say she liked goat milk because it tasted "goaty". it made me laugh when i gave the goat..i know that somewhere in heaven gran is smiling... it made me feel good to gift a gift in the boys' names..chris and shaun..and know that as a family we were working to "give back".
please take the time to check out heifer international at http://www.heifer.org/ . their web site provides loads of stories and additional information. for now..i will leave you with a couple of quotes regarding this amazing non-profit..
"Heifer International deserves its stellar reputation. Its approach offers immediate help to our planet's most vulnerable citizens; and it builds community strength for longer-term solutions. Linking people across continents, Heifer is the positive face of globalization--connecting communities around the world through hands-on projects that get to the root causes of hunger." — Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé, Small Planet Institute
With a gift of a Heifer International animal, it is not just giving money away to some vast organization that you hope is going to trickle down to the people who need it. You are giving a living, breathing, breeding gift, so that you know exactly what it is that participants in Heifer programs around the world are going to get, and you know it's going to change their lives dramatically." — Brad Whitford/Jane Kaczmarek, Actorsbest,
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4 comments:
I have seen their commercials during the holidays. Thank you for giving us the information.
Great program, we have given our kids Goats, Cows, pigs and chickens over the years. I guess we both have it for non profits.
We also give gifts from this charity each year at Christmas. I think it has become our favorite tradition.
We also give gifts from this charity each year at Christmas. I think it has become our favorite tradition.
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