One of the hardest things to do is thank the people who help make our lives better every day. What’s even harder to do is thank those people who we never even see.
The factory workers, air traffic control operators, medical researchers, farmers, inventors and countless other professionals working behind the scenes are often out of sight and out of mind.
One of the jobs that clearly deserves the most thanks is that of the men and women serving in the armed forces. These people have chosen to serve their country, and defend its citizens and values. They put their lives on the line, and it is important to do what we can to thank them.
It can sometimes be awkward, but one of the nicest things you can do is simply thank anyone you see wearing a military or police uniform. You don’t have to know who they are, but saying “Thank you for your service” can really go a long way.
For those of us who might be a little too shy to do that, Xerox has made it a little easier. They have launched a very straightforward campaign called “Let’s Say Thanks.”
All you do is log on to the web site, and pick out a postcard you would like to send to soldiers deployed overseas. You can then write a personal message, or pick a pre-written message to put on the back of the card. Xerox will print the cards for free, and is partnering with Give2TheTroops who will send the cards to soldiers along with care packages.
If you’ve ever been to camp or away from home for a while, you know how nice it is to hear back from home . Now imagine being in Iraq or Afghanistan patrolling dangerous neighborhoods, and how nice it would be to get a piece of mail from someone you don’t know just to say “thanks”.
Last week I was watching the Today show when I saw the most amazing story. A 15 year old girl named Hannah Salwen convinced her family to sell their 6,500 square foot Atlanta home for another half the size. Half of the price difference between the two homes (over $800,000) would then be devoted to combating hunger in Africa. (Her brother Joseph made a video of their story which can be seen above, and they have been covered in the media as well.)
Hannah’s Lunchbox, as they call it, is an amazing new take on what normal American families are willing to do to help needy people around the world. One day while driving home, Hannah saw a man begging for money on the street while a Mercedes was idling at a red light right next to him. The epiphany she had was that if normal Americans cut back on some things which were truly luxuries, they would be able to use that money to help countless others.
This selfless act forces us to think what we can possibly cut back on in order to help others. While the Salwens donation of 3/4 million dollars is amazing, small donations really can make a difference. Drinking tap water over bottled water can save a lot of money; buying clothing from target instead of Banana Republic can save a lot of money; sharing DVDs, CDs and video games with friends instead of buying multiple copies can save a lot of money.
A number of websites can now allow you to support small projects in countries around the world, with very little money. Kiva is a Web site where you can choose from hundreds of entrepreneurs who would benefit greatly from loans as small as $200 to buy supplies for their businesses (and that’s money you get back in the end!). FINCA is an organization that doesn’t let you choose who to help, but does similar loans to small business-people. Donorschoose.org is a great site that allows people to finance small projects and supplies in low-income schools across the United States.
So think about it – what can you live without? Tell us your story.
Posted by eimatai 
