Donating to Friends and Causes

     I'm sure I'm not alone in sometimes wishing I didn't get so many solicitations from every non-profit under the sun asking me to make a contribution.  Trying to figure out what to give and to whom is always a challenge.  And it gets complicated by so many different factors from who's doing the asking, what the cause is, the degree of "obligation" I may feel based on either my relationship with the asker or whether they've given to one of my causes before, and to be honest, even my mood.  I still haven't found any good way to make these decisions, and I may never.  That being said, today I at least acted upon one of those requests.

     A friend of mine is challenged by a particular disease and is taking part in a walk to raise money for research.  While I don't have any other connection to this cause, and wonder how much of an impact my donation is going to have on actual research, I do have great respect for this friend.  I think of my donation  more as a statement of personal support for him than I do a contribution to the research effort.  It's my way of saying, "I respect, support, and care about you."  


Follow-up from yesterday:  This morning I happened to come across the woman to whom I had given flowers yesterday.  She once again thanked me and told me that they really cheered her up after a long day of work. Mission definitely accomplished.