Please Give Generously to Haitian Relief Funds

This global forum is an ideal venue to remind people to please give generously to the Haitian relief funds. This evening a concerted effort has started to get underway in giving help to Haiti in a series of appeals by singers and personalities on major US and world networks.

I understand teh Canadian government will match dollar for dollar any citizen donation if given to the correct funding agency. Check Much Music, I think for all that info. I'm kinda tired so I cant be sure about the full info on that.

Please be generous in your support for a worthy cause. Let's all join together and help with the Haitian relief program.

Jig Chippewa.

I already have. I've doubled my usual annual contribution to the Red Cross, United Way and Habitat for Humanity UNICEF, as well a happily watching my tax dollars at work seeing our Military enaged in rescue and relief efforts.

You did hear US Citizens will get a tax deduction for their real life Haiti relief donations right?

Think on that all the way through and through.

And your point is?

No arguments for this one thread. Let's join together. Every dollar donated will go a long way to help these people. We should all be liek Brenda for hergenerosity. Haiti deserves everthing we can give in order to help them succeed as a nation.

Since you got arrogant:

The people collecting your donation in Second Life, cashing out, paying the relief funds, and claiming a tax deduction are felons.

Perhaps not all will commit this felony. But people need to know all the facts because the fraud around this tragedy is overwhelming.

Donate. In real life. Claim your tax deduction yourself.

I'm in favor of all allowed charity drives in SL being administered by Linden lab via special certified 501c accounts that LL does not take a cut from. And LL reports the donations to the IRS/government tax entities so we can claim them properly as deductions.

Anyone have any legitimate reason to object to charity drives being managed to ensure nothing wrong happens?

Please please please dont let this thread disintegrate on personal issues. Please dont.

I am not referring to SL funds for Haiti. I am making a plea for REAL life funds and charities and hoping everyone helps out in real.

I dont care who you are or what you feel about any of each other. Concentrate on the living real children who ar eorphaned in Haiti and the sick and dying. Please dont flame this thread; It is so important that peopel are reminded even in sl to help Haiti. For once let's not have politics or taxes raise issues. Or personalities.

Please support the Haitian Relief efforts. In the real world.
Thank you.

In emergency situations like this I will only give to the Red Cross........directly. Though I'm sure there are other charitable organizations who's overhead is low enough that I can be sure I'm donating money that will actually help the people I'm donating for.......not to run the program or pay large salaries to administer the program.

The American Red Cross is the only organization that I trust for that.

Jig, I don't think Ann is derailing this thread nor your noble intent........but what she said is true. There are absolutely shameful scams cropping up everywhere. To do the most good for the Haitians everyone should be aware of that. And make whatever it is that someone can give be to the benefit of who needs the help.

No argument here. I didn't understand Ann's point as she first stated it.

Yup - many of the "charity" events in SL are NOT officially sponsored or affiliated with the groups they claim to be. Be careful and please support the ones you can verify.
And your 260L donation is only 1US dollar, so keep that in mind when offering donations to the real thing

Let's keep thss at teh top of teh thread list to remind peopel to do thier best in teh next few days and weeks to support teh real world effort in thsi essential relief effort.

Well i'm surprised organisations don't have representatives in SL, it wouldn't be so hard to script legit donation boxes that would go to red cross or other trusted organizations.

I have to remember to take the time to do this.

When Katrina stuck the gulf coast I waited a while because I saw everyone going crazy with donations and food that couldn't get where it was needed, etc.. I thought it was going to be a long term recovery process and that people were still going to need help several months down the road. Though I did make a donation for Katrina relief, I see that several months could all too easily turn into never.

The Red Cross was my choice also in spite of the flack about the funds going to a reserve account rather than directly to the situation. But I figure if I make a donation, it's up to the organization to know where best to use those funds. I would not presume to know.

I did a lot of shopping in Squiggles. (Haiti Relief shop. Thank you Marianne for mentioning the place in FC chat.)

The rest is RL and that's mine. (But Jig is it actually possible to NOT be aware of the problem in Haiti right now??)

I tried. I started the process in one reputable website (Oxfam, I think), but it wanted my address and wouldn't continue without it, so I didn't donate there.

Then I heard a phone number on BBC radio and I called it, but it was dead, so I must have heard wrong, or it was wrongly announced.

I'll get there though.

Local branches of charities in your own town will often have something organised as well. Local parishes for example.

You can't get from counter to curb without finding an opportunity to help legitimate fundraising organizations in RL, so I think we're all sorted out there.

I have to say though, that I utterly despise the "please give generously" phrase. So what are you saying here? You don't want someone giving grudgingly?
Worse yet, if someone can only afford to give five bucks they're not generous and you don't want their money? Only large amounts are wanted?

Just sayin'

My problem is that I never go from counter to curb My outdoors life only involves walking to a local cafe and back a couple of times a week and driving to and from the bowling alley three times a week, plus shopping in one particular supermarket. I haven't seen any place to donate in or around any of those. I'll find somewhere on the web though.

If you wish to donate through SL, you may go to the link below and chose what best serves you.

https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/blog/2010/01/13/our-thoughts-are-with-haiti

All sorts of places. If you want to, IM me and I can find some for you according to your preferences.

I'm sorry, I would never donate through SL. There is absolutely no way to know who or what you are dealing with. Millions of dollars are "stolen" from charities or relief organizations every year by duche bag scammers.............and SL is the perfect set up for them to operate.

Go to the organizations' websites of your choice..........or call them, or walk into their offices, or mail them. Don't depend on anyone else to do it for you. The fact that many take the easy way is what enables those scum bags to successfully steal from the people who can afford it the least.

I wouldn't either. I only posted that link to the SL Blogs for people that wanted to.

Here is where it came from:
Our thoughts are with Haiti
Posted by Jeska Linden on Jan 13, 2010 4:09:42 PM

I don't listen to the radio or watch TV so I am blissfully ignorant about that this "Haitian" thing is about. Although, I have already DJ'ed for a fund raiser.

Please remember there are ppl needing help all over all the time also so do remember them at times also when you have a few $$s to spare. Often you will find those in need also right on your own doorstep