‘Tis the Season to Help Someone Else

Who's holiday season will you make better this year?

Ok, today is one of those days where I’m going to veer from my original intent for this blog, but try and bring it back together.  I am inspired to write today because of the following:

1. A blog post that I read this morning from a JVC volunteer in Baltimore (what a coincidence…) about the spirit of giving and what it’s all about.
2. The non-profit where I work got the largest donation we’ve received in YEARS from a single non-corporate donor.  Not only was it a large donation, but it was sent back to us in a Christmas card, not the reply envelopes we send out.
3. My “friends” on Twitter tweeting about charities, Adopt a Family programs, etc. etc. etc.

By the way, all of this occured between the hours of 9 and 4 today, all before I left for the day.

That may not seem like a big deal to you.  Let me just say, and you wouldn’t think this at first, working for a NPO allows me to see the very best and very worst in people.  So these three points which I mention above show me how kind, generous and charitable man kind can be.  Especially now, in such a time of economic turmoil and lack of resources.  We, as many other NPO’s, are expecting more requests for gifts/food/etc. and less donations because of the economy.

It makes me smile to know that there are some people out there who are still helping others, regardless of the economy or other factors.  I was always one of those people.  I guess my 16 years of private, Catholic/Jesuit education and my loving family that instilled in me a need to help others who are less fortunate than I am.  Especially at Loyola University Maryland, where over half of the student body is involved in some kind of community service with the surrounding Baltimore community.  I always participated in Presence for Christmas- which is much like an Adopt a Family program, but we bought gifts for individual children instead of families- Relay for Life, which was Loyola’s biggest fundraiser of the academic year- and service learning, which allowed us to use real-life experiences and apply classroom taught lessons while helping others in the community.  I believe it was this education and experiences that led me to the position I am in now, helping me gravitate towards to non-profit industry.

Now, there is still time to make a family have a happy holiday season.  Here’s some inside scoop- deadlines for programs like Adopt a Family don’t mean anything.  Services are always accepting donations, no matter what time it is.  If you can, do your part to better society and your community this year.  Our website even offers online donations via PayPal, which means no check writing or anything.  Also available there is information about donating your time, old clothing, and unwanted goods.  But only do so to help improve another’s state of living- if you’re expecting to get ANYTHING out of donating (acknowledgment, compensation, etc.) then you’re in it for the wrong reasons.

Which brings me back to technology and social media.  Many of the NPO’s in your area have websites, Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, which makes it easier than ever to donate money or find out volunteer opportunities.  Hell, you can even look them up on your phones- simply amazing.

I hope you don’t miss the chance to light up someone’s face throughout the year, especially this holiday season.

The world, commodified.

Uh, since when has EVERYTHING become a commodity?

Since starting my new job a month ago, all I’ve wanted to do on my time off is sit in my house, sleep, and do nothing that requires heavy energy.  Therefore, my exposure to pre-holiday sales, decorations, etc. has been minimal to none at best.  And I’m not an idiot- I know that the holidays come earlier and earlier every year.  Not because people want to get excited about spending time with their families or each other, like I used to think when I was a child.  Not so Santa can get his list together earlier, like we used to tell my brother, who is 11 years younger than me.  Because every thing has become about the dollar value attached to it.  And that makes me sick.

When it comes to holidays, you could say that I’m a traditionalist.  I don’t listen to Christmas music until the week of Thanksgiving, can’t watch “Elf” after New Year’s Day, and don’t drink Peppermint Mochas until it gets REALLY cold out.  But considering my work experience in retail- I worked for 2.5 years in American Eagle Outfitters, who (like the rest of retail) sets their store for Christmas in October and sets up for spring before Christmas is over- and related experience in advertising, we will be prepping and shopping for the holidays all year round.  The National Retail Federation just posted a press release about how to make the most out of, wait for it, your GIFT CARDS this holiday season.  Another press release gave guidelines to retailers on how to control crowds on Black Friday, and considering the economic state of the world, will carry through until Christmas Eve.  More importantly, another press release shows that retailers will show an increase in social media use this year to promote their EARLY holiday specials and such, because it’s free.

Holidays aren’t the only things suffering from commodification, though.  Our nation’s struggle to ensure healthcare for all citizens has boiled down to who can afford the care the most, one’s quality of education depends on how much they are willing to spend on it.  Call me a socialist, but I would rather see our world in a state where money didn’t matter, whether it be regarding healthcare or the shopping season for a holiday.

What do you think- do you agree that money is too much of an influence?  Or do you think that this is the direction in which the world is rightfully going?