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Holidays 2008: The Charity Piece
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Published: Jan 01, 2008
Category:
Beyond Classification
Holidays 2008: The Charity Piece
Forty years ago this month, as the earth spun toward the Solstice, I trudged over frozen snow to a concert in Boston. Rock was exploding that year, but the musician I was going to hear was Marion Williams, a gospel singer. An unlikely choice for me, but it was 1968, and there was not only a war in Asia but one at home as well, and like any draft-eligible college senior with a conscience, I was hurting.
Marion Williams did not perform. She presented a conversion opportunity. That is to say, the glory of Jesus Christ flowed through her, and she passed it on in the form of music — her grace was exceeded only by her generosity.
I’m not a Christian, but I “got” Jesus that night. Got the all-embracing love, the ocean-deep empathy, the promise of forgiveness and salvation. I stumbled out of that concert, marked for life and completely clear about the message of Matthew 25:40: “Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.”
I don’t operate on this ideal enough — who does? — but for four decades, this time of year reminds me of it and makes me do generous, often foolish things. How could it not? I am a sentimental fool. I believe in the O. Henry story, The Gift of the Magi, about the wife who cuts her hair to buy her husband a platinum watch fob and her husband, who sells his watch to buy decorative combs for his wife’s long hair. In case you have forgotten, this is how the story ends:
The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men — who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.
I also think, at this time of year, of the very rich. That is, billionaires. I’ve known a bunch, was once married to one, still run into some. And, yes, they are different from thee and me, but in one way, they are just like us — they do not feel rich.
We had dinner a while back with some people who have a major residence in London, a sizable property in the English countryside and a summer house on Long Island. Their biggest annoyance in life: The Concorde stopped flying. Their response: They bought a 20-passenger jet.
At dinner, their conversation was all about them; if they had compassion for others, it was for rich Brits they knew who were being hit by tumbling markets. And, maybe, for the English arts institutions they support. But care for the poor? No way. And, really, why should they? When was the last time they saw a poor person? My Lord, these people now have their own troubles — they’ve had to sell the jet and fly commercial. First class, but commercial. Bummer!
In our own country, there is an entire class of pundit committed to the notion that poverty is a phenomenon created by liberal media. “When you free yourself from media and go outside for a walk, everything looks… the same,” Peggy Noonan wrote at Thanksgiving. “Everyone is dressed the same. Everyone looks as comfortable as they did three years ago, at the height of prosperity. The mall is still there, and people are still walking into the stores and daydreaming with half-full carts in aisle 3.”
Daydream on, sister. This is the winter of America’s discontent, and it would be nice if, for once, the super-rich stopped thinking about the hit they’ve taken and remembered how the tax codes favored them lo these last eight years, and then it would be just lovely if they decided they really ought to do something meaningful for the least of these. I’m serious. According to Forbes, there are 30 or so Americans worth $5 billion or more. If each gave a billion to charity, would they miss it?
Daydream on, Jesse. The super-rich won’t. Which leaves the charity part, yet again, to you and me. Some suggestions, from local to global:
Dress for success: to help disadvantaged women look their best.
Toys for Tots: Drop off or give online.
New Yorkers Need Coats: The Almanac predicts an unusually cold winter.
Baby Buggy: clothes and toys for New York kids.
Art Start: art projects for homeless kids in New York.
Kiva.org: micro-loans that start small businesses.
The Heifer Project: farm animals that make a difference.
Share Our Strength: feeding hungry kids in America.
The World Wildlife Fund: saving the endangered.
The Laptop Project: Free laptops to bridge the digital divide.
Trickle Up: For would-be entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for microloans.
The Innocence Project: to assist prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing.
TheDonationSite.com: donate to charity — without spending a dime of your own.
City At Peace: Using creativity to defuse conflict in high school kids.
These are tricky times. Thanks for giving, if you can. And, equally, thanks for caring enough to read this.
