forum challange: tsunami aid

Joe

Well done for getting this started but I for one have donated to the cause via a charity account in the UK and my wife has done the same at her place of work.

Regards

Mick

I gave Oxfam 15UKP on day one and have a standing order with them. It looks rather mean compared to Joe but its about 10% of my workshop income last month! Come on, all donate 10% of your December income. . .

Mick,

Great. I figured that many would have already given since it's been more than a week since the waves hit land. But if you like the idea of a forum challenge, and you've already given, why not just add your contribution to the forum tally.

Joe

I have donated £50 (£74 with 28% gift aid) through the British Red Cross.
John

The Disasters Emegency Committee (DEC)

is acting as the collecting and distribution agency for money for the UK contribution

DEC Website

Derek

<< >>

quote:

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Originally posted by Derek Wright:
The Disasters Emegency Committee (DEC)

is acting as the collecting and distribution agency for money for the UK contribution

http://www.dec.org.uk/

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I donated £30 to the above site last week.

Cheers,

JR

I donated $20 through the NZ Red Cross phone line a few days ago and have also put money in the buckets that the Sri Lankan community in Christchurch is holding out at malls and public places - apparently they are collecting $10,000 a day this way. I wish I could do more than just give money but at least its something.

Donated directly at work, donate to other charities monthly and pay my taxes.

Why have Bill Gates, the Sultan of Brunei etc. not been forthcoming with a few quid ? They have more money than they could ever need.....

We gave £20 (+ gift aid) to Oxfam at our local shop.
We will continue to give a similar amount on a regular basis.

Howard

LTD i've thought that as well, if I were them a cheque for a few mill would be in the post.
Martin

L-T-D,

You might argue about the amount billionaire Billy-Bob Gates donated, but it's more than just a few quid.

Joe

Joe

It may be more than a few quid to you or I but to donate 3 million dollars from a charitable trust in his name when you are worth over $60 BILLION is a very small percentage.

I am sure that his company have spent more defending recent legal cases...........

Surely a couple of billion dollars won't hurt him at all and will serve to help reconstruct a huge area devastated by one of nature's most violent disasters of modern time.

This is a tradegy not of human making - there was no war or corrupt government involved.

Unfortunately the rich seem to look generous hiding behind tax breaks and loopholes rather than actually doing what the decent man on the street does by putting their hand in their pocket and pulling out their hard-earned.

The rich seem only to deny the governments of taxation money, hurting you and I in the process by enforcing higher direct taxation on us.

In defense of Bill--
Don't forget the whole vaccine thing. He is stinking rich but he also gives away chunks of it in meaningful ways. I doubt that there's anything that he could do to satisfy his critics, nor do I think he really cares about that.
What if he gave it all away to some cat hospital?
Anyway...
I put a nice chunk of cash in the American Red Cross International Disaster Relief and my company is tripling any such donation (to several other organizations as well) with a matching gift. They also have given over $2 Million aside from these matching donations and will continue to send healthcare products by the boat load.
No, I'm not going to list the amount and Mick is well within his rights (and decency) not to brag either.
The problems of logistics and giver's amnesia will likely be big for this one. It makes one feel all squishy inside to throw a couple of coins at this disaster but they are going to need steady help and donations for months and years to come.
Come, now, Naimies -- what if we sold off some levels of M**a or some high priced interconnect we weren't using and donated the proceeds? Black boxes are exempted from this liquidation, of course.
David

l-t-d

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm

Irrespective of how much Billy-Bob Gates is worth, 3 million dollars will go a long way to helping those in the Tsunami hit region.

I don't like to brag about giving to charity but many pharmacists down here in Oz are currently donating money and urgent medical supplies to the worst affected area, Aceh, in Indonesia.
I have been on the phone half the day organising a generous shipment of non perishables including antibiotics, antimalarials, rehydration formulations, bandages etc

Please give in whatever capacity you can. These people have truely been devastated and are desperate.

Thank you to those have supported this worthy cause.

Dave

Chaps

I have been the Charity Steward of a club in Swindon for 6 years.

We raise cash by mainly two ways.

1. Monthly covenants deducted from members bank accounts

2. Casual money dropped into a pot at each meeting.

Experience has shown that the highest amounts raised occur when donations are made anonymously and without fuss.

I know who pays what from their bank account but I am sworn to secrecy never to reveal who donates what. Some members donate a pound a month whilst others donate vast amounts, it is purely between them and their conscience.

Bragging about donating largish amounts is going to belittle the contributions made by others and the aim is to get everyone to help out in whatever way they can, to the best of their ability, without detriment to themselves or connections.

It is good to see that the public have responded in such a positive way and hopefully some good will come out of this tragedy by people across the world just pulling together and helping those out who desperately need it.

Regards

Mick

Good post Mick.

Is it only me that feels slightly uncomfortable about the 'league table' of donations made by various nations in the newspapers as if it were a competition?

I am a trustee and founder of a local charity. The generosity of our supporters and voluntary workers never ceases to amaze me. Most of the donors prefer to make little fuss about their donations though.

I hope that the spirit of international co-operation will be helped by the response to this disaster. I fleetingly wondered if the bombings in Iraq qould slow down. Wrong.

Bruce

quote:

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Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
Is it only me that feels slightly uncomfortable about the 'league table' of donations made by various nations in the newspapers as if it were a competition?
Bruce

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No. It's a personal thing. People or organisations who brag about it make me sick.

Cheers

Harry

(On some planets I would be considered normal)

I wonder if the New Years Honours list was quickly altered ?

I believe that many forum members offer donations to different charity organisations, and the generosity of individuals, companies and institutions is apparently record-breaking all over the world. Japan is donating € 370 million, an enormous amount.

On the other hand, I fear that some people seem to gain political advantage out of the tragedy. It's all right that Colin Powell has a look at the scene, but what the hell is Jeb Bush doing down there ? I just hope he's not there to prepare the next US election campaign

Cheese

quote:

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Is it only me that feels slightly uncomfortable about the 'league table' of donations made by various nations in the newspapers as if it were a competition?

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No Bruce, I feel the same way.

I fear the USA will use this as a massive propaganda campain to try and reverse some of ill feeling they got by invading Iraq.

I have made a donation to the fund but will not be stating anywhere how much it was. I have far more respect for those that help quietly rather than shouting out at the top of their voices about how great they are.

Regards


NB

NB,

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I have made a donation to the fund but will not be stating anywhere how much it was. I have far more respect for those that help quietly rather than shouting out at the top of their voices about how great they are.

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I hope it didn't come across that I started this thread so I could brag about how much I gave because that certainly wasn't my intention. My hope was simply that the thread would prompt the forum community to give if members hadn't given something already. And I framed the request as a challenge because that's proven to be a successful way to raise money for a cause... at least in the U.S. of eh. (If you've ever sat through a PBS fund drive, you'll know what I mean.)

quote:

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I fear the USA will use this as a massive propaganda campain to try and reverse some of ill feeling they got by invading Iraq.

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I doubt money alone will do it, but even if cash were a remedy the U.S. would have to be far more generous to offset the ill will caused by invading Iraq. According to George Monbiot, the $350 million the U.S. has pledged so far is equivalent to one and a half day's spending in Iraq ($148 billion on the Iraq war, which has been running for 656 days). The amount pledged, although substantial, really is a piss in the ocean compared with the resources that have gone into purposely creating a catastrophe.

Joe

quote:

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Originally posted by Cheese:
[..]but what the hell is Jeb Bush doing down there ? I just hope he's not there to prepare the next US election campaign

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Yeah it's odd isn't it?

According to the news reports I've seen here in the UK, the pretext for Jeb's visit was that as Governor of the state of Florida he is, apparently, used to dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters, hurricanes in Florida's case, and the havoc they habitually wreak across the state on seemingly an annual basis.

Any excuse for GW to keep it in the family though

JR

Nick,

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So does this mean you'll suspend this thread until we've pledged some more $$$$?

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Even worse. I'll threaten to pop my ugly mug into every bloody room in this forum (including that new loud TV room I haven't even bothered checking out), asking you to please give... won't you please give generously.

Joe