This being April, we have made four donations to charities so far this year. Here they are:
January 2008: Brunswick Volunteer Fire Company: http://http://bvfd5.org/
Living within a few blocks of the fire house as I do, I hear the siren go off all the time, so I know how often these volunteers go out there to help both Brunswick and other nearby towns combat fires, respond to car crashes and other emergencies, and help people in need. Brunswick's firehouse staff is an all volunteer force--Frederick County does not provide them with an annual budget, so they have to get funding from the citizenry. I have been helped out by firemen and firewomen before in my lifetime, so I like to contribute to my local fire hall to say thanks.
February 2008: Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue
200 W Potomac St, Brunswick, MD 21716
(301) 834-8102
As with the fire hall, I live close enough to the ambulance and rescue company to know how often these folks go out there to help Brunswick and nearby towns address various emergencies. And again, Brunswick's rescue squad is an all-volunteer force so donations are always needed. Our ambulance company has a pretty swift and impressive cadre of well-rehearsed pancake bakers, so if you ever see a sign or an advertisement for one of their fundraiser pancake breakfasts, hustle yourself and your family down there for a yummy, inexpensive breakfast that helps fund our ambulance and rescue servcies.
Everyone knows I am a sucker for cats, and that includes the big ones. When I heard how some of the residents of Tiger Haven came to live there--I was sickened and revolted by the cruelty that befell these creatures, but relieved that an organization like Tiger Haven exists to save them--I knew I had to donate immediately. Believe it or not, a lot of large cats end up imported into America as pets and then are either ignored, mistreated, starved, beaten, or abandoned when their owners find them to be too large or too complicated to care for, and there are still a lot of small "roadside attraction"-type petting zoos operating in America that are unregulated and force these animals to live in squalor. These practices have to stop--many of these large felines are endangered, and we have to stop treating them like objects that can be discarded.
This donation was made in honor of family friend Ms. Kathy Hudson, who passed away recently. Ms. Hudson was one of those wonderful, relentlessly cheerful and positive people who soldiered on even though she faced a lot of traumatic events in her life in recent years. Luckily, being in an abusive relationship was not one of them, but the Betty Griffin House--which shelters women and children who are escaping abusive family situations--was one of Ms. Hudson's favorite charities, so that's why this donation was made to honor her memory.
