For me it is easy; but first a little background information. My sister was born 16 months behind me. When she was born she had Spina Bfida and Cerebral Palsy. I have never known a sister that was not in a wheelchair or in surgeries. But in spite of her handicap, she has also always been part of the pack of kids that we all grew up with. She may not understand how other people experience their lives out of a wheelchair, but that doesn’t stop her from experiencing life in her own way.
So, my first charity? The March of Dimes. My sister was somewhat of a poster child for the organization, and appeared on many of their Denver-area brochures. At the children’s hospital we frequented – I think I spent more time there than at home most of my childhood – everyone knew who she was and her condition. I walked down the halls, saying hello to this doctor and that, all the while not really grasping the difficulties other families were experiencing around me. There were many people just like us that struggled with the handicaps of their own children, sisters, and brothers. I never really grasped the difficulties in that wing until much later in life.
The first time I raised money for a cause was for a local March of Dimes fundraiser that was tied to their national campaign. My mother was answering phones and taking pledges from callers, but what I remember was how cool it was to be in a real television studio. Due to the fact that I was just a small child and my education in the ways of man had not yet developed, I remember finding an empty Folger’s can in the trash and thinking I would raise money for the March of Dimes my own way.
There were offices and other companies all over the building that contained the TV studios. I took my coffee can and began to go around each and every worker and employee and asked them to donate for my sister. I think about it now and I shudder to think what must have been going through the minds of those at each desk as I nonchalantly walked up and told them to give me money for my sister. I have no idea how much money I had raised that day. I do remember someone giving me my first actual paper dollar and thinking I had just cured the disease with that donation. I walked right up to the people that were organizing the show that day and handed them the coffee can and told them that the could use this money to help my sister.
The purpose of this story is not to make you think of me as a cute storyteller, but to remind you that you can also help in a small or simple way with your own coffee can. If a little boy can raise a few dollars to help, think about how you can reach out to your own network or community and make the difference for a child in need, a family going through hardship, or a community in dire straits. Make it personal and you can make a difference, even if you’re raising money for an established non-profit like the Red Cross or the Heart Association. They all began with the help of someone who held out a coffee can.
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Tags: Cerebral Palsy, charity, March of Dimes, Spina Bifida
The first one I remember was raising $ and giving to MDA during the Labor Day Telethon – must’ve been 7 or 8. Coffee can full of coins!!
I remember the little cardboard holders that we pushed our dimes into for the March of Dimes.
I wonder if they still have those Geraldine? I would bet there is still a small store in an obscure little town in Nebraska still waiting to fill that last slot before sending it on to the MOD.