Musings of a Wench

More than one holiday was spent there

I didn't get on the holidailies charity bandwagon for a few reasons, one of them being that I like my charities local, and another being that I have already done my donations for the year. I donate through work as they have a 100% matching program that makes my dollar go twice as far, so that's nice. My charities of choice are small ones that I fully believe in. I don't donate to the United Way, for example, because 10% of the money they raise goes to their overhead, and then they pass money on to other, smaller groups, each who have overhead too. Also, they spend a lot on advertising; I have never seen any advertising from at least one of the groups I support.

At any rate, one of the people I have sent money to every single year since I graduated university and started having money is the Agape Hospice, the place where two of my grandparents spent their final days. It was far lovelier a place than you would expect, even if it was the scene of what hopefully goes down as the single worst Christmas meal of my life. My grandmother was maybe three days from death, and no longer was the woman I knew, she was just a... shell, I guess. The whole thing was horrifying, and I can't think back on without crying. But the staff made such an effort. We had a large private dining room and I'm pretty such a whole turkey dinner meal that we must have eaten. Her room was lovely and bright, and the staff was so kind. And so every year I send them a bit of money.

If I ever have any doubt about where I should be sending my money, all I should ever have to do is read this article that was recently in the Calgary Herald's Swerve magazine. Read it here and tell me if you can read it without crying. I certainly couldn't.

Labels: family, holidailies, twisty

posted by peasantwench @ 5:44 PM