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Thursday, December 24, 1998

Why I Give

by Amy Christensen-Waddell ([email protected])

The Fool's SOS initiative has been in full swing for a while. It's one of the many causes that has wormed its way into my heart. I've been very blessed in this life, and it's something for which I never fail to feel thankful. Oh sure, there have been days when I've been be so busy at FoolHQ that I just don't think to eat. But once I start feeling that drowsy, cranky, empty pit of my stomach pain, I can just go get something to eat. I fully realize that not everyone is that lucky.

I've always been one to give money to the people on the street who request it. In Madison, Wisconsin, where I lived up until moving here almost 2 years ago, the problem was less intense than it is here. Keep a couple of bucks on you and you're set. Now, walking to the Metro station in DC shows me at least 10 people asleep on park benches and in the middle of the sidewalk near the heat grates. It's proven to me that my dollar here and there isn't going to be as helpful as would a larger amount to an organized group dedicated to helping.

But I'll still give the dollar or more here and there. I've been criticized for my effort. I recall walking the streets of Chicago one blustery winter evening and happening upon an old gentleman who asked if I had any money. I gave him a $5 bill, which was all I had on me at the time. My friend, Ted, questioned my action. I explained that the gentleman needed it and I didn't.

He said "So who says he's not going to just go buy a bottle of booze or something?"

I said "Nothing says that... and if that's what he needs to get through the day, then I'm just happy I could help."

He just looked at me with a strange unbelieving expression on his face. The reasoning didn't sit with him, and I've found it doesn't sit with a lot of people. But we are a nation of differing opinions, and I happen to like mine, so I intend to keep it. Ted and I spent part of our drive back to Madison discussing the whole aspect of giving. I expressed my opinions and reasons. He expressed his, only to have me argue with him that he made more money in a weekend than most people make in an entire year. He tips for one round of drinks with enough money to feed a family of four. Didn't he ever think that maybe helping someone who needed it might feel good?

About two weeks later, my friend had driven by a man who was standing at the roadside asking for money. Ted gave him a few dollars and drove off. He rushed home to call me, and told me what he had done, and said I was right -- it felt great! He said he'd be doing it far more often, and had even contemplated choosing a few charities to whom he could make significant end-of-the-year gifts. Surely part of that is for tax reasons, but it's also true that he found helping people to be a deed worth doing.

It's good for all of us to stay grounded. No matter how much money we make in the stock market using our Foolish tactics, no matter how busy we get, no matter how much we want to spend on ourselves and our families... it's always a good idea to set some aside for those who may never have the good lives with which we have been graced. This is something to keep in mind not only over the holidays, but every day.

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