Cash for a Better Life

Did my subject draw you into this post? I'm hoping it did, but it might have given you the wrong idea - purposefully I admit. :)

Many of you have read previous posts of mine about how I help with The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party that benefits Operation Breakthrough. In this post, I simply want to tell you about that organization and how even a $10 donation can help them.

Put most simply and in their own words:

The mission of Operation Breakthrough is to help children who are living in poverty develop to their fullest potential by providing them a safe, loving and educational environment.

Operation Breakthrough cares each weekday for more than 600 children, ages 6 weeks to 18 years. More than 98% of the enrolled families live below the federal poverty guidelines, most far below them.

About 25% of the children are homeless or near homeless, living in battered women's or homeless shelters or transitional living programs. Often they sleep on the sofas of friends or relatives, sometimes even living in cars, rundown hotels or abandoned buildings. About 25% of our children are in foster care or other placements due to abuse, neglect or other family crises. The average income of our families is $9,400.

You can read more on their website. It truly is a wonderful KANSAS CITY organization that helps KANSAS CITY children who are dealing with a situation that is NOT their fault.

Our Gifts Make a Difference! $10 will buy a book for their library. $20 will buy new shoes for a child. $50 will buy groceries for a family of 4. $85 will cover a complete physical for an uninsured child. $100 will buy a pair of eyeglasses. $150 will cover care for an infant for a week. $500 will cover a field trip for 50 children to a museum or theater performance. $1,000 will cover 80 hours of individual therapy for a child suffering from abuse or neglect.

Personally, my "Skipping Starbucks" savings will be going to Operation Breakthrough again this year. My donation will probably be around $100. That simple donation could provide a child with the eyeglasses needed to do better in school. Or it could give 5 children new shoes for winter when they may otherwise not have correct apparel.

YOU, too, can skip eating out a few times this month or skip the expensive coffee or just skip a date night. Will spending money on any of those items make as big an impact in your life as these items will make in theirs?

If ten of us could each give $100 that combined donation could provide a child with the therapy needed to overcome a tragic event in their life. The thought that we could help a child so profoundly with such a simple gift truly moves me to tears and I hope it affects you too.

Please consider making a donation to them this season or at any time during the year. It does a heart good! :)

Skipping Starbucks Challenge 2010

I hereby offer up the Skipping Starbucks challenge again (read this: 2008 Skipping Starbucks post). I think Skipping Starbucks and donating the cash will do more good than drinking there this month.

You say, "I don't drink Starbucks or any coffee!"? You can still participate! Pick ANY where you go regularly (at least 1x per week) and skip it this month. Then, select a charity and donate what you would have spent there.

Two years ago, my coffee consumption made for a $50 donation to Operation Breakthrough. That's approximately 10 times I skipped the expensive coffee and gave to someone less fortunate than myself.

Can you do the same this year? Consider the gauntlet thrown at your feet...

Thank you Disney!

WARNING: Mommy Rant...(and maybe some movie spoilers if you've lived in a cave all your life)

I'm annoyed by an article a friend of mine shared (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1308584/Why-does-Disney-hate-parents-Ever-noticed-favourite-films-kill-Mum-Dad-.html) and I have to write it out.

In this article, the author essentially talks about how Disney hates parents and always kills them off. The author doesn't seem to consider that maybe, just maybe, one of the most traumatic things a child could endure is the loss of a parent and overcoming that loss is an wonderful achievement in a child's life and a testimony to the love of others in the face of grief. In the movies she references, none of the characters succumbs to despair and depression, but rather learns to live a positive life in the face of such tragedy. I think this is a rather good thing to teach children before they might have to experience it themselves.

The movies she mentions may have only one or even no "biological" parents, but does that mean the child was left alone to learn their way in the world with no love and guidance? NO! In every Disney movie, she mentions there is a true caregiver of some sort. For instance:

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Toy Story - Andy definitely has a mom, a sister and of course the wonderful toys. There's an assumption that she's a single parent, but no proof of that (you just might never see dad). And poor Andy is so hurt by having only one parent that instead of simply throwing his very old very childish toys in the trash he lovingly saves them over the years and eventually makes sure they find a home where THEY will be loved and cherished. Oh...wait...
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Bambi - yes he tragically lost his mommy by the mean old hunter and I don't think we ever know what happened to dad (been awhile since I saw this one). But he had Thumper and Flower to befriend and show him the world.
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The Lion King - yes, we all know that dad dies tragically but he is still THERE for the little cub up in the stars. And of course mom is there; it's the kid that runs away. But honestly, who wouldn't want to be raised by Timon & Pumba? Hakuna Matata might not the best way to deal with all things in life, but we could all use a little more of that. Eventually Simba learns to be a man, face his mistakes (which weren't even his!) and returns to lead his pride with...pride.
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Peter Pan - Peter RAN AWAY as a baby because he didn't want to grow up. Wendy's parents were both there technically. But, through each other they learned that growing up may not be a horrible thing and that grown ups could be trusted.
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Finding Nemo - Marlin might have been a little neurotic, but whose parents aren't some times? Plus, when placed in the tank, the other fish looked out for him (mostly). And of course Marlin never gives up looking for little Nemo, he just keeps swimming, just keeps swimming, swimming swimming swimming....
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Dumbo - this poor elephant probably had it the worst of any Disney character. He definitely had the most confusing life but he never gives up, has a great mouse friend (talk about learning acceptance!) and eventually reuintes with his wonderful mommy. Oh, and he gets to see pink elephants on parade(this part might not be the most kid friendly but it does open the doors for conversations on drinking...)
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Tarzan - orphaned when his parents are killed by a wild animal, he's raised by a shrewdness of apes. Animals that should have killed him choose to raise him and raise him right - into a strong caring leader. Then of course he also has Jane, who teaches him to read and write and even walk upright. She helps him become a man.
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The author takes an extremely cynical view on why Disney creates so many movies without parents:

"Might the company - and its output - be a true reflection of our disparate society and the obvious disintegration of the traditional nuclear family? Or might it be the other way around? Might Disney have played its own part in the demise of family values given that we - and our children - have fallen for this wholesome entertainment for decades? If nothing else, Disney stands accused of failing to honour that most sacred of bonds - that of the mother and the father to their children."

Personally, I don't think family always means two biological parents and 2.5 kids. Lives can end tragically, without or without choices. "Family" can be grandparents, aunts and  uncles, friends and neighbors, church members and sometimes even church mice, sweet dogs and fluffy kitties. Values don't come from having two parents in the house - they could just as easily be alcoholic druggie sadists! Family values come from love and wanting to do the right thing and from people teaching respect, sense of self, honor, trust, and other positive character traits to the next generation.

This isn't something we've been taught to do by movies or have adopted as "ok" by being brain-washed by movies. Personally, my grandparents were huge in my upbringing and are two of the most loving and wonderful people I've ever known. Specifcally, I lived with them for two years as my mom thought it was safer to be with them than to go to a high school where my step-dad was stationed. She was probably right and I'm glad she made that choice for me.

I was also influenced by individuals in my churches and the parents of my friends as well as my teachers and coaches. I know people who were raised by single parents, siblings, grandparents, and even adoptive and foster parents and they have all turned out to be wonderful, bright, healthy individuals.

While I wouldn't mind seeing a few more movies where it's a little more like Pleasantville, I think we can learn a lot from Disney movies - how to respect our selves, our elders, the planet and its animals; love is loyalty, caring, respect and trust; tragedy happens and we can overcome with love and strong sense of self; and cynicism gets you nothing but sadness and loneliness. The "most sacred of bonds" doesn't come from blood, it comes from love.

To that end, I suggest that author review her own cynical view before she gives that "value" to her own children. Then, maybe she can enjoy Disney movies for what they should be - family entertainment with many good values.