As various memes have been reminding us, we are in the midst of a whole load of different holidays. Regardless of which of these, if any, you celebrate, and regardless of your views on the “happy holidays controversy” (personally, if someone says anything to me that demonstrates they mean “I wish you well at this time,” I’m not going to be upset, and I’d hope they’d do the same for me, no matter how I choose to express it), the majority of the holidays have a focus (sometimes obscured) on thinking of others and giving back to your community.
Now some of you might think that this is me putting in a plug for my Patreon, but it’s not (Did I mention I have a Patreon, now?). In this vast, expansive season of giving, it’s easy to get bogged down in shopping for gifts, planning for meals, and arranging get-togethers, and I wanted to take a moment here to provide a couple of suggestions for locations for charitable donations. (Note: I receive no gain from any of these, they’re just causes that are close to my heart.)
1. The Alzheimer’s Association is one of many charities that work against the disease. This one has been around since 1980, and seeks to both advance research in the hopes of eradicating it, and also to provide care for those who live with it. My family has been personally affected by Alzheimer’s, and it recently claimed the author Terry Pratchett. I have my Amazon Smile account linked to this charity.
2. Lost-n-Found Youth is an Atlanta based charity that works with homeless youths (13-25) and works to get them permanent housing and employment. They specialize in LGBTQ youths, which is especially good as a) a disproportionate number of homeless youths are LGBTQ, and b) other organizations have a history of ignoring or actively shunning them.
3. This is a gofundme page for a friend of mine who is currently transitioning. She lives in Georgia, so the environment isn’t great to begin with, and recent political changes aren’t going to make her life any easier. The page is asking for donations to aid with general costs that come with transitioning that aren’t covered by insurance and to enable them to be able to start a family one day.
Thank you for your time, and if you’re able to donate to any of these causes then it is much appreciated. Next week, I’ll return to my regularly scheduled programming of self-involved rambling and shameless self-promotion.
Happy Holidays! (Whichever one you celebrate, I wish you well at this time!)