Originally I planned on giving to an
educational non profit organization but then I received this message from a
friend on Facebook,
“*NYC
Panhandler Voice*
Good afternoon everyone. If I could please have a moment of
your time, I am not trying to raise money for my basketball team and I am not
looking for money to buy drugs. I am simply trying to raise money for the St.
Baldrick’s Foundation. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a nonprofit
organization that collects money to fund promising research in hopes of finding
a cure for childhood cancer. Every dollar counts and is greatly appreciated.
Thank you again for your time and have a wonderful day. *Walks through train
staring at you uncomfortably until you drop change into my hat. *”
I found this
message extremely hilarious and proceeded to ask him more about the event he was
fundraising for. It was an event in Binghamton where people shaved their heads
in support of those children who lost their hair during cancer treatments. This
past weekend, I even saw some volunteers with shaved heads and it reminded of
the class’ money, I had the opportunity to donate.
The money
goes towards a variety of things, including child hood treatments to finding
cures to lifelong prevention. Even
during treatment, kids face all kinds of side effects, some very uncomfortable,
others life-threatening. That’s why St. Baldrick’s also funds research to
improve supportive care for
patients.
Lastly, “in the
1950s, almost all kids diagnosed with cancer died. Because of research, today
about 85% of kids with the most common
type of cancer will live. But for many other types, progress has
been limited, and for some kids there is still little hope for a cure.”
For more
information or if you would like to donate, I’ve listed the link to Charity
Navigator and also the link to St Baldricks
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI actually think Sam said she’d participate in St. Baldrick’s this weekend, so I am curious to hear about her experience and her motivation for doing so. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is one of the few organizations we’ve talked about this semester that allows philanthropists/volunteers to make a difference by altering their physical appearance. While shaving your head might be seen like a small task to men, for women it’s a bigger deal because of its connections to beauty in our culture. With so many other ways to help with childhood cancer research, I commend women that are brave and selfless enough to donate their hair. Throughout the course of the semester, I have found myself placing philanthropic efforts in one of two categories: time and money. For instance, the donations generated from our class’ tweet of the week would fall into the money category, while volunteering at Food Not Bombs would fall into the time category. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, however, is a very hard organization to classify because it is not terribly time consuming nor does it require money to participate. For this reason, I would like to create a third category, perhaps called “physical,” to include organizations like St. Baldrick’s. Philanthropic organizations like the American Red Cross, the National Marrow Donor Program, and the organ donation registry (which allows individuals to be philanthropic through blood, bone marrow, and organ donations), would fall into this category. Through organizations like these people are given the opportunity to literally give a part of themselves.
ReplyDeleteEmmanuella, you bring up an excellent point about "physical" charities. A couple weeks ago, Hillel hosted a special Shabbat (Sabbath) dinner service, featuring a guest speaker from Gift of Life, a bone marrow donation organization. The speaker talked about how Gift of Life began as Friends of Jay, a small group trying to find a marrow match for Jay Feinburg. They ended up creating the first mass public bone marrow registry. Now millions of people's bone marrow has been cataloged for potential donations.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of one of the first conversations we had in class: Time versus Money. Which was more effective? More meaningful? I think organizations like St. Baldrick's and Gift of Life prove the "third category" you mentioned may perhaps be the most meaningful and effective of all. Not because every match will result in a successful transplant, not because every head shaved will mean a cure for cancer, but because of the power of the stories and the experiences--from donors and recipients. In short, these physical philanthropic efforts, be they running in Relay for Life or donating an organ, are charged with emotion and inspiration, which may be why they're so popular.
Emmanuella you were correct in thinking that I did St. Baldrick's this Saturday. My original motivation was actually finding out that 3 students that I graduated with were all diagnosed with some form of cancer (2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma and one with cancerous brain tumors). I ended up raising approximately $700 on my own, which was probably the most that I have ever raised for an organization. It was so fulfilling to know that I contributed to an organization that does so much good for the advancement of research. I think it was also so impactful because research has been such a big part of my life so I have seen first hand how much research can change how we look at both the mechanisms of disease and how to treat it. Often people think that they should donate to to foundations like Make-a-Wish to make the greatest impact. While those organizations are great causes, funding the research of preventative measures can be just as, or maybe even more impactful and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI didn't participate in this specific event, but I did participate in the Breast Cancer walk this past Sunday. Registration was only $4 dollars, and most people spent the extra $1 on the many $1 dollar items for sale that was offered in the Union. The walk brought a couple hundred people out, and we walked along the outskirts of Binghamton University, many (including myself) wearing pink. I always felt these particular acts of philanthropy amount to just a drop in a pool of water, but I remind myself no one can fill that pool on their own, and if it was the goal to fill the pool, no one would donate knowing the goal couldn't be achieved.
ReplyDeleteAs for the St. Baldrick event, the shaving of the hair is a great way to bring awareness to the cause. I myself, hadn't heard of the event, and when I seen several friends without hair, I had to ask why. I'm sure I wasn't alone in this inquiry, and this event brought awareness to more than just myself!
As for Sam, I did hear you were participating, and I can't wait to see the results!
I'm absolutely biased, but I love St. Baldrick's. My 6 year old nephew was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma a couple of weeks ago, and started losing his hair from his first chemo treatment this past week. We were in the car, getting slushes from Sonic, this weekend when he saw a bunch of girls his age laughing and said to me that they were probably laughing at his bald head. They absolutely weren't. They probably couldn't even see him well enough to know that he didn't have hair. Also, he just looks like a kid with a buzz cut, no one that doesn't know his diagnosis would ever assume he has cancer. But even as a boy (with a very nice, round head) he's incredibly self-conscious about it. His dad shaved his head too, and my nephew immediately felt better about it. It's amazing how much difference it can make to a kid's mood to know that they're not alone. Pediatric cancer research is something that's always been immensely important to me. A lot of people don't realize this, but less than 3% of all the funds raised by Relay for Life goes to Pediatric Cancer research. I have nothing against the American Cancer Society, but St. Baldrick's is the organization that attracts my donations.
ReplyDeleteLike Melissa, I’m absolutely biased too. As I’ve mentioned before in class, I work as a counselor at a camp (sunrisedaycamp.org) that is entirely free for children diagnosed with cancer as well as their siblings. It is impossible to convey in words how much these kids mean to me. They haven’t been given a fair shot at life, yet they are kids just like any others: they fight, they play, they smile, they cry. And they realize that they’re different. Organizations like St. Baldricks don’t only fight cancer; they help the little three old boy diagnosed with leukemia know that we care, the thirteen year old girl bullied at school for not having any hair, even though it’s not her choice.
ReplyDeleteDavid, thank you so much for donating to St. Baldricks and for setting an example. Living across the hall from Sam, who shaved her head this weekend, I know how hard it was for her to do it. I’m really proud of her and others who shaved their heads. that takes a lot of courage. Apparently, St. Baldrick’s raised $22,000 this year towards cancer research. They said that was $9,000 more than the amount they raised last year! Steps towards progress! :)