Newsletter for the World of Words by Elias Tobias
The Season of Giving
Thanksgiving is over, and the work routine has begun. However the time to give and remember what we have been given has not ended. The Christmas season is upon us, and giving and charity is the writing theme for December at The World of Words by Elias Tobias.
Christmas is a time when people expect gifts, but they may be reluctant to give themselves. By now, many Christmas trees have been set up, and homes decorated for the holidays. The empty spaces beneath the trees can be filled by the spirit of giving and charity.
News accounts have reported that in general, donations to charity have decreased due to harder economic times and family concerns are more important. It is also the same sources who are reporting that worthy opportunities are experienced growth in donations to a variety of causes, depending on who is promoting certain charities.
The best way to help out is to find local opportunities through the workplace, church or social organizations. Food and toy drives are going around this time of year. Blood drives are also scheduled at various places. My apartment complex management is offering opportunities for all three types of drives.
The Salvation Army
Nationally, one organization in the spotlight is the Salvation Army. The volunteers at the stores are familiar, as customers leave the supermarket. After an hour or so shopping for the best deals, and rushing to get to the car in the cold to a warm home, it‘s hard to dig for change or a few bucks leftover from a spent $20 bill. That is my situation, since most purchases are done by a plastic debit card. However, there is one great way to contribute in the comfort of a warm house or business with your own plastic card.
The Salvation Army has a way that people, who have many people on their e-mail lists, can contribute. The Salvation Army Red Kettles have been an American tradition since 1891, and now this campaign allows you to host your own Online Red Kettle. By helping the Salvation Army fill the Red Kettles, you can become a vital part of the Christmas efforts to help those in need this Christmas season.
It is not that hard to get started. By using their tools, you can build a personal Online Red Kettle page, upload an address book, and send email invitations and download widgets that encourage family, friends and colleagues to make online donations to help you meet your goal
The organization does not charge a registration fee to participate in The Salvation Army’s Online campaign. The system automatically generates an e-gift acknowledgment and sends it via email to the address provided when the online gift is made. This receipt is generated in a PDF format that can be printed for the donor’s tax purposes.
There are three kinds of online sites.
Individual Kettle - Host your own personal Online Red Kettle, then invite others via email and various fundraising tools to fill your kettle with online donations. A running count of kettle donations appears on the host’s Individual Kettle Page.
Team Kettle - Host a fundraising team made up of several individual Online Red Kettles. All kettle donations appearing under each member’s individual kettle are pooled together and automatically reflected on the Team Kettle Page. Donations may be made to the Team Kettle or to any of the Individual Kettle members that make up the team.
Company Kettle - Host a fundraising team made up of several team kettles in a co-branded environment with The Salvation Army. A link to your online Company Kettle Page is automatically emailed to you when you register, which you can place on your internet/intranet site or email to your employees, vendors, customers, etc. The amount of money collected in your Company Kettle and in each Team Kettle will be reflected in real time on the Company Kettle Page. The only option an employee, vendor or customer has from a Company Kettle Page is to make an online donation into one of the Company Team Kettles.
Here is where to go to get more information or to begin your own Salvation Army web site: http://secure.salvationarmyusa.org/site/Donation or click on the red bucket at the start of this article.
There are other worthy causes that will take donations directly through the Internet, many like the Red Cross, that deal with health-related charities, and certainly religious charities will accept donations. It really does not matter to whom you give, but the more that is given, the more will be returned to those that give, perhaps in greater measure than the original donation.
Spanish-language poems to continue into 2009
Palabra de Inspiración, the Spanish-language poem book at The World of Words by Elias Tobias, will continue intothe new year, with the hopes that more people will continue enjoying the poems. The poems are linked to the English version with a click.
New Discussion Board designed for reader input
Poetically Speaking is a new discussion board created for the World of Words by Elias Tobias. The Claiming your homestead on the wild frontier of the Internet article is the first entry for this discussion board. The purpose of the utility to to act act a general sounding board for this poetry blog and for any specific items to be discussed about poetry and the Internet. In the future, questions by Elias Tobias will be offered for comment, and readers are offered the opportunity to send in questions for discussion on Poetically Speaking by sending an e-mail to contact(at)eliastobias(dot)net.
Poem of the Month
The Only Gift
During Christmas, and even all year long,
Love is the only gift one can return
And still get it back again and again.
It’s not like a sweater that’s not the right size,
Or a tie that is designed to be a surprise.
You can but it online or on sale at a store,
And some times real love can be hard to find.
During Christmas, and even all year long,
Love is the only gift one can return
And still get it back again and again.
Love is a gift that always keeps on giving,
And it helps people feel they are alive.
Without those to continue giving
It would be hard for many to survive.
During Christmas, and even all year long,
Love is the only gift one can return
And still get it back again and again.
The reason for the season is Jesus,
Who eventually paid the ultimate price,
And he has showed us the way
How forgiveness leads to the Light.
During Christmas, and even all year long,
Love is the only gift one can return
And still get it back again and again.
Find other Christmas poetry on the World of Words by Elias Tobias by typing the word “Christmas” in the search box on the right side of the page.
