Friday, September 22, 2006
The Empty Hand
By Ann Kornuta
Everywhere you look it seems as if a new charitable organisation is starting up, community driven programs are rolling out and everything is having their own “insert special event to raise funds here” day. What it all comes down to is the ever-open hand of charity is on the increase in this small community and there is not enough money to go around.
For example, I myself volunteer my marketing experience for several different organisations in the community. Part of my job is to go around and seek out charitable donations and advertising support from local businesses and citizens. It used to be a very easy job until the doors started closing in on me this month when I was out doing my regular canvassing.
“I am sorry,” the store merchants would tell me. “We already have exceeded our donation revenue for this year.”
This never comes as a shock for the first few places I go when seeking out community support. They tell you for every 10 doors you knock on you will only get one person of support. It was not until the 20th visit to my list of past supporting businesses that I started to feel I was stuck on a looping broken record.
“I am sorry,” the store merchants would tell me. “We already had two people in today asking for donations and we can’t give any more.”
I discovered that on average a small business owner in Milton could get one to two different organizations asking for charitable donations a day in the month of September. If I were to keep asking every month for one year, what would the weekly average be for people asking for support? At any rate, this meant that I was getting no donations for any of the reputable organisations I was volunteering for and I needed to switch my donation plan in order to meet my regular quota.
I wonder how this makes the small business owner feel when every day someone is holding their hand out for money, support and recognition. From what I discover from the local merchants when I talk with them is the sudden increase of hand-outs for community driven charities in this past year. I assume it’s the sudden impact of growth on the community itself- more and more people are moving here who are getting involved, pro active and are dedicated to making a difference only to clash out with the number of small business that make up the larger side of donations and support for these local groups.
In other words, the camels have sucked the lake dry.
Still, it baffles me to how many local groups survive year after year on community support and donations- hand outs, if you want to call it. We should all take in account to be good neighbours and offer our assistance when we can but when everyone is asking how do you choose?
I haven’t given up yet on my community programs, though the road a head of me looks rough. It will just mean I will have to devise craftier ideas to get the community to support their local programs.
@ Friday, September 22, 2006
ALL ABOUT ANNK!
I am a painter, I eat, sleep, talk. I slack, I do housework. I write stories, I watch TV, use the computer.
I hail from Milton, my friends are from Milton. We live, we drink coffee, we sleep in little beds.
We are just like you only maybe not as close.
Y
MY LOVELIST
I love...
apple juice, cookies, warm summer mornings, books, cotton fibers, pastel coffee mugs, holidays, flowers,
French, rainy days, fresh laundry smell.
I also love playing Earthbound!
N
MY HATELIST
People who smell like pea soup.
HOW TO GET AN ANNK
- I like flowers. Girls like flowers.
- I like comic books- ones
with crazy stories in them. That is a sure win.
- I need spray paint... to umm... decorate. Girls are totally
into that decorating crap.
- I have my eyes on Leonard Cohen's new book of poems.
- I like video games so make sure you buy lots of tokens for the
arcade at the theater.
Recently bought CD:
The Breeders Last Splash- Third time buying this album and this time
is for keeps!
Please leave me a message and I will bet back to you ASAP!
PLEASE VISIT MY FRIENDS PLACES!
{♥} Greg
{♥} Sarah
{♥} Gail
{♥} Colin
designer : kathleen
image : jde
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