unthoughtknown, nice idea, but i would suggest contacting your local church, city hall, hunger center, women's crisis center, juvenile detention center, etc, etc and 'adopt' a child this christmas. you can also do this thru salvation army. you will get the child's gender and age and their 'wishlist'. or go to uso website and donate $15 to buy a phone card for a soldier who will be away from their loved ones this holiday season.
good luck with whatever you decide to do!
these are all great suggestions. my intention was to help a fellow PJ fan but I ended up contributing to ameliasvoice.org and I'm not done donating yet!
I checked out the web site and looks like you made a good start. Stuckinline has offered some good suggestions and so have some other folks. Good for you for caring and wanting to help.
Since you asked for input, I'd like to give some perspective as someone who has worked in nonprofit organizations most of my adult life (20+ years), including supervising an emergency assistance center that offered holiday programs to low income families. There are number of reasons why it would be a good idea for you to go through a local agency or church to find someone to help. While you may think that they are bureaucracies with lots of red tape that don't really help people, you'd probably find that most of them are staffed with caring people who are working very hard to make people's lives a little better. They can't solve every problem but they do what they can. They are better set up to identify and screen a family in need than you are just through a message board. It's necessary to screen people who apply for assistance, not because people are dishonest and trying to cheat the system but in order to best distribute what resources are available. Yes, there are a few people who are deceitful about needing help at holiday time but I always found those were few and far between.
I don't know if you got any PMs from people asking for assistance but I think I know why you might not have gotten much response. In my experience, people in need are very embarrassed about asking for help, especially if they've never had to before. If they've been self-supporting and responsible all their lives, it's a humiliating experience. How much more to publicly say something on a message board? Even though they don't know others here face to face, they're still exposing their situation for everyone to see. I wouldn't expect many people to do that.
But even more than that, although you wanted to help a PJ fan in need, my guess is that any 10C members who are in serious financial straits right now aren't going to be found here in the pit. They don't have a computer anymore or their electricity has been turned off. They may be living with family or in a motel. If they get online, they do it at the library or a friend's place. They're trying to figure out how to keep their car from being repossessed. They're trying to get the heat turned back on. They're working day labor. That's what it's like to have catastrophic financial stress around the holidays, when you can't figure out how you'll get clothes for your kids for Christmas, much less toys.
The only other thing I'd add is that several people have mentioned giving money to people on the street. It's generally not a good idea. I know it's fast and easy (and tempting), but you have no way of knowing if you're enabling an addiction. I'm not going to say not to do it but the best course is to say, "Sorry, I can't help you." Because of the work I've been in, I always refer them to an agency. If they tell me they haven't eaten, I tell them where they can get a meal. If they tell me they don't have transportation, I tell them in this city they can ride the bus free to the homeless shelter. I think homeless people get irritated with me a lot. :P
UnthoughtKnown, I'm sure you'll make some good choices. BTW Today is World AIDS Day. In the early 90s I spent 5 years working at an AIDS service organization and I'd encourage you to consider donating to the one the serves the area where you live. The fight against HIV is far from over. Good luck and happy holidays. :thumbup:
The only other thing I'd add is that several people have mentioned giving money to people on the street. It's generally not a good idea. I know it's fast and easy (and tempting), but you have no way of knowing if you're enabling an addiction. I'm not going to say not to do it but the best course is to say, "Sorry, I can't help you." Because of the work I've been in, I always refer them to an agency. If they tell me they haven't eaten, I tell them where they can get a meal. If they tell me they don't have transportation, I tell them in this city they can ride the bus free to the homeless shelter. I think homeless people get irritated with me a lot.
See, I never really cared if they used it for booze or drugs. If I lived on the street, I might want to get fucked up too. It's not like anyone ever game a homeless person a dollar and that dollar allowed them to climb out of poverty to become a ceo. It's a worthless, temporary, fleeting hope regardless, so what do I care if they use it to buy a big mac or a budweiser?
OP great idea, but like the wolf said, presentation needs some work. I don't think i know anyone that doesn't need help this year, and having someone out there willing to help is a great thing to see. thank you
I know that I was born and I know that Ill die.
The in between is mine. I am mine.
The only other thing I'd add is that several people have mentioned giving money to people on the street. It's generally not a good idea. I know it's fast and easy (and tempting), but you have no way of knowing if you're enabling an addiction. I'm not going to say not to do it but the best course is to say, "Sorry, I can't help you." Because of the work I've been in, I always refer them to an agency. If they tell me they haven't eaten, I tell them where they can get a meal. If they tell me they don't have transportation, I tell them in this city they can ride the bus free to the homeless shelter. I think homeless people get irritated with me a lot.
See, I never really cared if they used it for booze or drugs. If I lived on the street, I might want to get fucked up too. It's not like anyone ever game a homeless person a dollar and that dollar allowed them to climb out of poverty to become a ceo. It's a worthless, temporary, fleeting hope regardless, so what do I care if they use it to buy a big mac or a budweiser?
Well, as I said, I'm not going to come down on people if they want to give money to panhandlers. Just be aware that if someone tells you they need money for food or bus fare, they may be trying to get enough together to buy some crack or a bottle of cheap booze. If you can accept that, OK. But most people who live on the street have some awareness of places they can get a meal but may not be willing to put up with the restrictions there. If they tell you they're hungry and you offer to buy them something at the Jack in the Box across the street and they take you up on it, go for it. They were probably eating out of the dumpster in the back anyway and a hot meal will be a real treat.
And while I understand that you aren't bothered about whether they spend the handout on booze or food, please consider my line of work. I have professional ethics, just as you attorneys do. Although I'm not a licensed social worker, there are still some standards I'm expected to abide by. Don't get me wrong, I'm a surprisingly tolerant person and I don't fault the homeless guy for his choice. But I'm not going to assist somebody in that situation in getting high.
Also, the homeless are very vulnerable people. They are victims of crime way out of proportion to other people--robbed, beaten, murdered. Giving them money or helping them to get lit just makes them more vulnerable.
You have mentioned some good points about ethics but I think something important should be noted about addicts: They get their fix ANYWAY they can. That can include commiting crimes like stealing to get the means to their fix.
Don't get me wrong, I'd much give some hapless person the leftovers of a meal I had but if I had spare change, I think I wouldn't mind where the money was going- especially if it prevented a mugging.
I need to remove a few tattoos from my face in order to obtain and maintain suitable employment as I no longer get paid to knock people the fuck out. Extensive tattoo removal procedures are rather costly, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for the consideration..
'I want to hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god I'm very, very frightening
and I'll overdo it'
I need to remove a few tattoos from my face in order to obtain and maintain suitable employment as I no longer get paid to knock people the fuck out. Extensive tattoo removal procedures are rather costly, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for the consideration..
Comments
Since you asked for input, I'd like to give some perspective as someone who has worked in nonprofit organizations most of my adult life (20+ years), including supervising an emergency assistance center that offered holiday programs to low income families. There are number of reasons why it would be a good idea for you to go through a local agency or church to find someone to help. While you may think that they are bureaucracies with lots of red tape that don't really help people, you'd probably find that most of them are staffed with caring people who are working very hard to make people's lives a little better. They can't solve every problem but they do what they can. They are better set up to identify and screen a family in need than you are just through a message board. It's necessary to screen people who apply for assistance, not because people are dishonest and trying to cheat the system but in order to best distribute what resources are available. Yes, there are a few people who are deceitful about needing help at holiday time but I always found those were few and far between.
I don't know if you got any PMs from people asking for assistance but I think I know why you might not have gotten much response. In my experience, people in need are very embarrassed about asking for help, especially if they've never had to before. If they've been self-supporting and responsible all their lives, it's a humiliating experience. How much more to publicly say something on a message board? Even though they don't know others here face to face, they're still exposing their situation for everyone to see. I wouldn't expect many people to do that.
But even more than that, although you wanted to help a PJ fan in need, my guess is that any 10C members who are in serious financial straits right now aren't going to be found here in the pit. They don't have a computer anymore or their electricity has been turned off. They may be living with family or in a motel. If they get online, they do it at the library or a friend's place. They're trying to figure out how to keep their car from being repossessed. They're trying to get the heat turned back on. They're working day labor. That's what it's like to have catastrophic financial stress around the holidays, when you can't figure out how you'll get clothes for your kids for Christmas, much less toys.
The only other thing I'd add is that several people have mentioned giving money to people on the street. It's generally not a good idea. I know it's fast and easy (and tempting), but you have no way of knowing if you're enabling an addiction. I'm not going to say not to do it but the best course is to say, "Sorry, I can't help you." Because of the work I've been in, I always refer them to an agency. If they tell me they haven't eaten, I tell them where they can get a meal. If they tell me they don't have transportation, I tell them in this city they can ride the bus free to the homeless shelter. I think homeless people get irritated with me a lot. :P
UnthoughtKnown, I'm sure you'll make some good choices. BTW Today is World AIDS Day. In the early 90s I spent 5 years working at an AIDS service organization and I'd encourage you to consider donating to the one the serves the area where you live. The fight against HIV is far from over. Good luck and happy holidays.
See, I never really cared if they used it for booze or drugs. If I lived on the street, I might want to get fucked up too. It's not like anyone ever game a homeless person a dollar and that dollar allowed them to climb out of poverty to become a ceo. It's a worthless, temporary, fleeting hope regardless, so what do I care if they use it to buy a big mac or a budweiser?
Kinda hard on the guy yeah ?
anyway, to the OP:
Nice enough idea, mabye not the best presentation of said idea.
good for you for wanting to do something for someone.
"To question your government is not unpatriotic --
to not question your government is unpatriotic."
-- Sen. Chuck Hagel
The in between is mine. I am mine.
And while I understand that you aren't bothered about whether they spend the handout on booze or food, please consider my line of work. I have professional ethics, just as you attorneys do. Although I'm not a licensed social worker, there are still some standards I'm expected to abide by. Don't get me wrong, I'm a surprisingly tolerant person and I don't fault the homeless guy for his choice. But I'm not going to assist somebody in that situation in getting high.
Also, the homeless are very vulnerable people. They are victims of crime way out of proportion to other people--robbed, beaten, murdered. Giving them money or helping them to get lit just makes them more vulnerable.
You have mentioned some good points about ethics but I think something important should be noted about addicts: They get their fix ANYWAY they can. That can include commiting crimes like stealing to get the means to their fix.
Don't get me wrong, I'd much give some hapless person the leftovers of a meal I had but if I had spare change, I think I wouldn't mind where the money was going- especially if it prevented a mugging.
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god I'm very, very frightening
and I'll overdo it'
Sorry to hear that Champ. Send me the bill.
DO I WIN ?!?!?!
Mine was the only legitimate response.