Category: Charities

Christmas is the season to be jolly as well as generous. However, the spirit of giving should really last all year round. Here’s a look at a few things our favourite artists do to assist a number of causes.One of the issues that cartoonists focus on is animal rights and animal care. Jenny Campbell, co-creator with John Gibel of Flo and Friends, uses her skills to help the Geauga Humane Society in Cleveland, Ohio. She first started off by volunteering as a dog walker. Now, she donates her artistic talents to the cause. Her drawings are used everywhere, from the sign in front of the building to the t-shirts and hats sold.

The creator of Bloom County and his inimitable characters Opus and Bill, Berkeley Breathed and his wife, photographer Jody Boyton are both strong advocates of PETA and the drive to protect animals from abuse. They are also members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a cause to save whales and other sea creatures. While she was pregnant, Jody protested against the cruel use of stalls to hold pregnant mares for months on end – to gather urine which is used to produce the menopausal drug Premarin.
Dale Taylor, cartoonist of Not in My Backyard, uses his main character, Wyman the Weiner Dog to support the Virginia Dachshund Picnic. His designs are featured on fundraiser t-shirts.

Funky Winkerbean creator Tom Batiuk came up with Lisa’s Story after four years of research on breast cancer. The storyline comprises a character who finds a lump in her breast, diagnosis, goes through treatment and recovers.
Others include:

– Charles Schulz, artist of Peanuts – donated millions of dollars to charity. Built an ice arena dubbed ‘Snoopy’s Home Ice’ which, hosts annual figure skating championships, hockey tournaments and even concerts.

– Lynn Johnston, creator, For Better or For Worse – helps the Scleroderma Foundation and the House Rabbit Society for protection of rabbits.

Supporting charities is yet another to show your interest towards the environment, disabled people, the less fortunate and even animals. Numerous animal charities can be found across the world, ranging from care for mistreated domestic animals, endangered animals amongst many others. Your donations are used for food, shelter and medical care for these animals and other various tasks that are necessary to ensure they are cared for by the right people.

Donations can be made to these charities in a number of ways. Most people donate money to animal charities via fundraisers, charity balls, TV advertisements and stickers.It is important that you find out what kind of charity you are donating to, as some are scams that cite cases of suffering animals to rake in the money. You can find out more about charities by speaking to its hosts or even look on the internet. Make sure you do the research so that you can decide for yourself if that is the cause you want to support. Once you’ve made that decision, then decide how much money you would like to donate. It does not have to be a huge sum of money, donate whatever you can afford. Every dollar helps.

Apart from animal charities, there are others that are founded based on the needs of animals – like for example one charity is for animals displaced due to storms. They provide displaced animals with shelter and food.Therefore, when donating to an animal charity, make sure you research it until you feel comfortable about it, then talk to the hosts and get all the necessary information from them. In case you do not have any money to donate, but still want to help, perhaps you could consider donating your time towards the charity.

Charitable Gift Annuities have many advantages. While it helps you contribute towards worthy causes, it also reduces incomes taxes and takes care of loved ones as well. Charitable Gift Annuities are fast becoming popular especially now that interest rates of CDs and other fixed income investments have dropped.

There are around eight thousand websites that provide information on Charitable Gift Annuities, and church organizations that accept them include the Episcopal Church Foundation, the Presbyterian Foundation, the Salvation Army and the Church World Service.
Not only does it help reduce income taxes, it also gives you an opportunity to exchange unwanted stocks and property for a Charitable Gift Annuity. This drops the tax on your profits and also gives you a tax write-off for charitable giving. When you are on Social Security, taxes on the sale of appreciated property are extremely high. Social Security income is also subject to taxes once a specified income bracket is passed.

Some churches are not set up to handle gift annuities. Then, they can work with organizations that have relevant experience. The Church World Service is one such example, and handles tax-beneficial transactions via the United Methodist Foundation of Northern Illinois.

Charitable Gift Annuities helps you prepare for rough times encountered in life. The income from annuities increases as the number of beneficiaries goes up. The same applies for the age of the beneficiaries as well. Disadvantages of this scheme are that you cannot change your mind, inflation and the fluctuation of the market.

Quite a number of people volunteer at charity organizations. This gives you a chance to assist a charity of your choice, and also getting something back in return. This is especially useful if you do not have much money to give in the way of donations; thus making volunteering a great choice.

What you will do exactly when you volunteer depends on the charity you choose. If you’ve decided to become a volunteer, there are a few factors you should take into consideration. Think of what you can offer the charity. Take stock of the skills you possess and how it could benefit the charity. If you are a good with numbers, then you could help out with their finances and accounting work. Everyone volunteers as a counsellor. However, this is no good unless you have the right qualifications or experience.
Also, think of what you like to do. If you volunteer at a charity, it should not be only about what you are good at, but also where you passion lies. If you like drama, but have not had the chance to implement it as much as you like, this is a good opportunity to combine it with your volunteer charity work.

Your time is also of extreme importance. Decide how much of your time you can put towards volunteering for this charity. Sometimes, you might only be able to only volunteer on evenings or weekends, and would thus need to have clear cut timings sorted out with the organization so both parties are on a good understanding. Remember, that volunteering should be a win-win situation. It is a great way to meet new people, work on new projects and acquiring new skills.