This is Not The
Bureau of Charitable Giving
Saturday, April 27, 2012
The alarm went off at 6:00 AM, 4 hours after I dragged
myself to bed. The last thing I wanted to do today was get out of bed. I knew it would be cold, it’s always cold on
this special Saturday in April, so I put on a sweatshirt, my winter jacket, a
hat and took gloves, just in case. After
20 years of this, you learn.
Out I went, to stand in front of the local Dunkin Donuts,
and there I was given my bright yellow vest and the old coffee can with the
slit on top. I knew I wasn’t the only one doing this. There would be someone in front of the bagel
shop, the A&P, the railroad station and who knows how many other locations.
Relief would come every two hours. This
was that special Saturday in April when the Knights of Columbus collect
donations for the Intellectually Challenged. We do a similar collection for crisis pregnancy centers in October, and rise to the occasion whenever we hear of a need for help.
As people came by, I was amazed at how generous most were,
even in these hard economic times. My unscientific poll showed that +/- 80% of
people who passed my way stopped and put something in the can. Some loose
change, a dollar or two or three, an occasional five or ten. The best was watching people with children
hand the money to the child and tell him or her “Go put this in the can – it’s
for people who need our help” and the child dutifully, if shyly, complied,
learning a lesson about charity.
In our little corner of the world we historically raise
about $4,000.00. Statewide the knights probably raise a few hundred thousand,
and you can just imagine what we do nationwide.
Now, here’s the strange part, and this is not just about the
knights – there are many, many charitable groups, churches and just good
hearted citizens around the country doing the same thing. I never asked for a donation – no, I just
stood there and said “Good Morning.” All
I was, was a reminder that there are less fortunate citizens of our country out
there, and I simply provided a venue for people to be charitable, if the spirit
moved them. I didn’t coax, I didn’t
demand, I didn’t hold any preconceived notion that these people owed us
donations. It is their money, earned by
the sweat of their brow, to with as they and they alone see fit. That’s how it
is in a free society.
Whatever we take in, is passed on. No operating expenses, no
bureaucracy to support, no overhead, we’re all volunteering our time. If we take in $4,035.15, that’s what goes to
our charity, plus a donation from our council.
When the donations are passed on, there are no strings attached,
no regulations governing how it is to be used, no compliance reports to fill
out and no guidelines that must be followed by the recipients. We trust the
organizations caring for those in need to do their part as well. Charity – plan
and simple – and it is a much a part of the American Spirit as is that yearning
for freedom. Oh, and the best part – as people make their donations, they
invariably thank me for doing what I do. Talk about Win-Win.
So when the intellectual elites say that only government can
help the poor and the needy, here’s my suggestion – get out there on a cold
Saturday morning when you’d rather be in bed, and meet the American people –
not the bureaucrats pushing papers around and taking a piece of every dollar
earmarked for the poor – no, meet the real American people – the most
charitable people you’ll ever meet – and take a lesson about how this country works.
Or, you can continue to regulate every aspect of American life, threatening churches, non-profits and other charitable organizations for daring to discuss the policies being dictated by an overreaching government. If you succeed and shut them down, then the poor and the needy will forever be at your mercy - God help them.
Nico
