Anyone interested in doing something really good for the Holiday Season?

[thor]

So, my family and I try to do something charitable every year around the holiday times, for those less fortunate. I was wondering if anyone here would be interested in getting together and trying to do something charitable, whether it is donating clothing, food, money, gear, time or gift certificates or whatever. I figured that we are very fortunate to be able to experience something as wonderful as scuba diving, we should share the wealth in some way. There are a lot of us here on this forum. Just imagine what we can accomplish if we pool our resources.

Is anyone interested?

Does anyone have any ideas as to what we can do?

[Zyxistal]

Interested but no ideas are coming to mind.

[thor]

So when I Google diving and charity, this is the first organization that comes up. Anyone know anything about them?

Scuba Trust - Charity Information

[BuzzGA]

You could check out Diveheart. They work with disabled vets, teaching them to dive and helping out with physical therapy.

[jwdizney]

I wonder if it would be possible for us to create a pool for an ST gift cert. and each of us can make a small (or large!) payment to ST having all the payments pooled into a single certificate, then perhaps have a submission thread of "what diving would mean to me" (or similar subject) with photos or some other validation for those less fortunate, or who are unable to pursue their scuba dreams (financially, physically, etc..) and we, as a community, can select the recipient(s)...??? I saw something kind of like this in ScubaDiving magazine (except for the contribution part), and it was a pretty cool deal for those who won the gear, and it certainly helped some folks who otherwise may never have enjoyed the sport....

may not be practical...

or better yet, what if Larry could set up an item on the website that we can make a contribution to, then make a collective donation from the ST Forum to a charity of our choosing?

just thinking out loud....

[Clanggedin]

I spent last week serving food at the local soup kitchen. We also donated clothes and other items to the shelter.

Soup kitchens always need help feeding the homeless.

[Flatliner]

One possibility came to my mind. We could donate to a fund for some underprivildged children in the Dallas area to recieve an open water certification with the shop. I think about how much it means to me and my son to be able to dive together, it would be cool for some young boy who doesn't have a dad to get that experience with a mentor diver from the board in the Dallas area.

[Illini_Fan]

There are many great causes out there. Couple of ideas for those looking for things:

Instead of giving small presents to the people on your list that don't need anything -- donate to their favorite charity for them. I did that this year with the Humane Society and last year with OxFam. Plus my company matches donations, so the charity gets double.

Our office staff last year adopted a family and provided gifts -- I'll admit that was arranged by someone else and all I had to do was get the gift.

Spend a weekend helping with Habitat for Humanity.

[thor]

Originally Posted by jwdizney

I wonder if it would be possible for us to create a pool for an ST gift cert. and each of us can make a small (or large!) payment to ST having all the payments pooled into a single certificate, then perhaps have a submission thread of "what diving would mean to me" (or similar subject) with photos or some other validation for those less fortunate, or who are unable to pursue their scuba dreams (financially, physically, etc..) and we, as a community, can select the recipient(s)...??? I saw something kind of like this in ScubaDiving magazine (except for the contribution part), and it was a pretty cool deal for those who won the gear, and it certainly helped some folks who otherwise may never have enjoyed the sport....

may not be practical...

or better yet, what if Larry could set up an item on the website that we can make a contribution to, then make a collective donation from the ST Forum to a charity of our choosing?

just thinking out loud....

Originally Posted by Flatliner

One possibility came to my mind. We could donate to a fund for some underprivildged children in the Dallas area to recieve an open water certification with the shop. I think about how much it means to me and my son to be able to dive together, it would be cool for some young boy who doesn't have a dad to get that experience with a mentor diver from the board in the Dallas area.

I like both of these ideas. I was also thinking of maybe looking into donating to something like the Make a Wish Foundation. I like Dizney's idea of donating to a ST collective donation and then choosing a charity, or maybe we could use that money to help somebody get their Wish. I wonder if there is anyone whose wish it is to dive. I wonder if ST will help set something up.

[BouzoukiJoe A.K.A. wrecker130 AKA Chuck Norris AKA joeforbroke (banned)]

Probably gonna catch hades for this:

Too often people donate to assuage their own feelings of guilt rather than to truly help the less fortunate escape the cycle of poverty.

I'm not against charity but over the long run one of the best things you can do is make a donation to the capitalist system: find something you like to do and do it well. A person who plows the profits from his business back into the business creates wealth and jobs and does more good than the person who gives those same profits to charity.

If I donate to a charity I want to make sure that it is not just a transfer of wealth from me to someone less fortunate, but something that actually increases the total wealth. You know the adage, I'd rather teach a man to fish than give a man a fish.