So what do you do in your spare time? It’s a question that’s asked in interviews, put on CVs and is integral to a Take Me Out participation form. What people chose to do in their spare time is very personal, and makes up a lot of who we are as people. To give an obvious example, I blog. Some say it’s pointless, self-absorbed and narcissistic, others say it’s pointless, but mildly amusing and quite often a good excuse to put off revision (what do you think I’m supposed to be doing now?). Either way, it’s universally agreed that it’s pointless.
Today I met someone, a family friend once-removed or something, who had a very different hobby. She and a few friends had set up a charity, and she will spend her free time fundraising for it. They are aiming to raise 6 million pennies, one for each of the Jewish victims of the holocaust. Here it would probably be wise to mention:
a) That she is Jewish. But then she is a family friend, and all my family’s friends are Jewish, we have a strict quota system
b) 6 million pennies in £60,000. The vast majority of people reading this will have either not bothered to work that out, or worked it out wrong like I originally did
Apart from highlighting how pointless my hobby of writing occasional slightly humorous 500 word rambles is, this project blew me away. Entirely metaphorically.
It’s not my place to preach how appalling the holocaust was, or how the many of the effects still haven’t been rectified half a century later and much more needs to be done, but you may notice that I’m doing it anyway. The money raised is split between 6 holocaust related charities, each helping a different area of society, some Jewish, some entirely unrelated to Judaism. This is a cause that I really firmly believe in. Being directly related to holocaust victims, I honestly would love to do what I can to do good and make the world a better place. Unfortunately what I can do is sit at my laptop and type out rubbish, which is not going to really make much of a difference in the wider world. Which is where you come in.
I am fully aware that the vast majority of readers are my age and either don’t have disposable money, don’t have debit card or don’t have a heart. Either way, I doubt many people reading this will directly donate, although it would be awesome if you did. But don’t let that be a reason for you not to get others to donate. Show your parents, get them to give a fiver and tell their friends. Or get them to give 60 grand and get the whole thing done quickly. But a fiver would be wonderful.
More information is on their website, which I’ll like at the bottom. And unlike the KONY 2012 campaign, the people who run this charity will make sure that every penny will go to the cause.
While charity seems like effort, please make the effort. It’s not everyday that you make an actual difference to make people’s lives better. If nothing else, it will make you feel better. Promise!
http://www.pennieswithpurpose.co.uk/
http://www.justgiving.com/Pennies-With-Purpose
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