A Call for Action, Help

These past few days, CNN and other news stations have had much to talk about. Last Friday, March 11, Japan was hit by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake near the city of Honshu, releasing tsunami waves and leaving many dead and many more missing (read more about the tragedy here on BBC's special page dedicated to information and updates regarding the happenings in Japan). This is a horrific tragedy, and one that will leave lasting consequences of the people and the government of Japan. Now, more than ever, there is a class of people needing help. This class of people is the survivors of this tragedy, the people now seeking food, water and other aid. Some of these survivors have lost everything. Their families. Their homes. Their most treasured possessions. This class is distinct in that they all share two common bonds. They have all survived this disaster, and they all need help. Below are three different charities that are helping provide immediate relief to this class of people, the survivors.



1. Lady Gaga designed a "We Pray for Japan" bracelet, with all proceeds going directly to tsunami relief efforts. This famous icon in American society, known for her outrageous outfits, is also known for her humanitarian work and her work for LGBT rights (read a great blog post about Lady Gaga and LGBT rights on Kyle's LGBT blog), so it should not come to people as a surprise that now Lady Gaga is stepping up and promoting aid efforts to the people of Japan. Whether you like or dislike Lady Gaga's music, approve or disapprove of her outfits, and support or don't support her work towards LGBT rights, we can all certainly appreciate the help she is trying to provide this class of people. Buy your bracelet here!


2. Zynga, the creator of popular games and applications such as FarmVille and CityVille on Facebook and Words with Friends (an Apple application) has begun a fundraising drive to raise money for the children affected by the earthquake/tsunami tragedy, going directly to
the Save the Children charity, which has created a special branch, Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children Emergency Fund. These games will now have a "Donate" button where users can give directly to the charity while playing the games. Facebook will donate credits for the games to donators. Zynga also did this when Haiti was struck by a horrific earthquake and raised $1.5 million. Get gaming and donating! (Source: http://www.develop-online.net/news/37276/Zynga-begins-Japan-quake-charity-drive
online.net)


3. Google has created a crisis response site to help people search for missing people, read alarms and warnings from the government, post shelter and transportation information and much more. Google is also sponsoring the Japanese Red Cross Society and is collecting donations through their website. You can donate as little as 100 yen (all donations mus
t be in yen- $20 is about 1600 yen) and all donations go straight to the Japanese Red Cross. The Red Cross is using the money to purchase and distribute aid to the survivors and help atte
mpt to bring normalcy to their lives again. Although you won't get a cool bracelet, unlike if you donate to Lady Gaga's charity, you will be donating to a charity in which the money is truly helping the people.


As you can see by just the few pictures I have posted, this class of people, these survivors truly do need our help. Hopefully one of the charities I have posted has inspired you to do more and reach out to these people. If not, hopefully I have at least inspired you to find a charity you do find meaningful and offer some type of support to the survivors of this tragedy. Let's all unite as one class of people and help our neighbors in Japan!

You Could Be Next In Line at the Soup Kitchen

Opportunities to help people are abundant. If you've got a passion for something, there is an organization you can give to to support your cause. Or, if an organization to support your cause really doesn't exist, you can start your own foundation! Worried about hunger? Donate to the Chicago Food Depository, which can feed millions in the Chicagoland area for cheap. Passionate about cancer? Walk in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and help raise millions of dollars. My point is, people get involved and contribute to their community in a thousand different ways. However, is this really all out of good will? Do we give freely without wanting anything in return? Whether it be a tax deductible donation or to simply feeling good about ourselves, doing a service project isn't always just about helping people.



In The Poisonwood Bible (read a summary here), the Price family is on a one year mission to the Congo in effort to spread Christianity. However, the help and assistance isn't well received by the Congolese people who do not wish to convert or adopt western ways. Nathan Price, the father and minister, however, insists that the family stays, despite being isolated and rejected from society. Why is it that Nathan wanted to stay? In my opinion, I think that Nathan cares more about not looking like a failure and being able to claim personal success (such as baptizing many Congolese people) than actually changing and helping the lives of the Congolese. Nathan's pride gets in the way of actually accomplishing a worthwhile mission. He believes he is superior to the Congolese due to his skin color and wealth, and hence he and his mission are valuable to the Congolese, even if they don't realize it.



Pride is a major issue not only in The Poisonwood Bible with Nathan and some of the other characters, but often in society and community service as well. My question is, can service further solidify class and class stereotypes? Does a person feel they are superior because they can help others and don't need the help themselves? Often when people do a community service project they say "I got so much out of it." Why is this? Because you feel like you are helping people? When people give to Amvets Clothing do you secretly think to yourself that you are happy to be on the giving side, not on the receiving side? This week, my mom had eye surgery. Ever since, we have been having meals delivered right to our door at 6 p.m. every night. Normally, we are on the side of always cooking meals for those in need. To be honest, it's quite weird receiving all this help with meals and people driving us around because my mom can't drive. This is no way shifts our place in society, such as we don't go down in class because we are receiving help, but I can see that if this continued for an extended period of time, a family might feel they are inferior because they are always receiving help, always the "charity" of another family. The truth is, that could be anyone's family. No one is better just because they are serving the food, not waiting in line for it.



Community service, when done right, can obviously be very beneficial to a society and help improve the general social welfare. However, I believe it is important to be sensitive to the different societal attitudes that service, such as mission trips or feeding the hungary, can promote. Just because you are on the receiving end of aid doesn't make you inferior, just like the Congolese weren't inferior to Nathan just because they were poorer or weren't Baptist, and just because your situation, financial or non-financial, allows you to give instead of receive this year, doesn't make you better. It just makes you human, and often just plain lucky. You could be next. Next year, it could be you on the receiving line of the soup kitchen. Giving and taking is all part of the cycle. Let's just not let it define us and our place in society.

-Emily