Friday, February 17, 2012

Intentional Giving - #1

One of my goals for this year is to be more intentional with my giving.  I want to be able to share what I have with people and organizations I feel passionately about and believe in what they are doing.  I will be giving to organizations who use their money wisely and don't contribute the funds into other organizations in which I do not support.  In an effort to be accountable for this, I plan on blogging about 24 of these opportunities.  I want to share opportunities that may encourage you to give or make you think outside the box on options for helping out your neighbors near and far.  I realize that in the grand scheme of life in the United States and even more so in the grand scheme of life on planet Earth I am blessed.  I have the privilege of working in an industry that provides me with a paycheck that I feel should be shared.  My life goals are not to be a millionaire, but to be able to provide for myself and give above and beyond what the standard is.  So without further gibberish, here's the first of my 24 opportunities.

I love kids!  I don't have any of my own nor am I in a position in my life where I want or need a kid.  However, my friends are having them left and right and I LOVE IT!  But I also have friends who are adding to their families through adoption.  And let me tell you, knowing someone who is adopting will change your life.  The first intentional donation I am making for this year is to the Bring Will Home fund.  I met Peter and Tanya through my church and their passion for orphans and adoptions is almost contagious.  Spend any time around them and you will be changed: you may not want to adopt but you'll want to help someone adopt.  So I would challenge you to this: find someone you know who is adopting and help them out.  Whether it is through contributing items to a yard sale fundraiser they are having or just skipping that $5 latte and giving that money to them, you will be blessed, they will be blessed, and a family-less child will be blessed.  And if you don't know anyone who is adopting, but you want to help someone out in this way check out Peter and Tanya's journey here.  I'm sure once they are done fundraising they'll also know more families who are working their way toward adoption and every penny counts.