Giving

Pay It Forward is one of my favorite movies. Yes, it's a bit sad at times, but the overall message is one that I and society need to live on daily basis. Am I successsful in this? Not as frequently as I would like to be. I get caught up in my own life and forget or neglect to think & act about/towards others. This stumps me. As one wee individual in this big, big world, how can I affect others in a positive way? How can I give on an on-going basis?
Philanthropist. I would love to live my life as a philanthropist and I don't believe you need a lot of money to do so. It would be nice, but it's not required. So why am I not doing it? Oh, I need a kick in the butt. I once had a boss who was a philanthropist of sorts. He gave to his employees and others with no fan fare and a lot of secrecy. He was generous to the core and truly enjoyed seeing people thrive and enjoy. Never before have I worked for such an inspiring individual.
Giving. Have you read Bill Clinton's latest book? I would like to, despite the fact that it's written by a former dishonest politician. The message sounds interesting.
Heifer International. This is an organization that I heard of years ago and think is brilliant. Even a few bees can be life changing.
Kiva. New to me, and brilliant. It's all about a hand-up not a hand-out, right?
Today I decided to donate our baby clothes and items to the Louise Dean Centre. Teenage moms can certainly use all the help there is to offer.
What else? Where else? Who else? How else? I feel the need to give on a more regular basis. Do you give? In what way? Time? Donations? Any ideas would be much appreciated. I've even been tossing around the idea of starting a Mom's Sense (cents) drive to collect and donate pennies to an organization or group in need. Something easy that we all have lots of and probably wouldn't miss. Let's face it, pennies just pile up & rarely get used...at my house anyway. (This type of initiative was orchestrated at my previous place of employment to benefit the Alzheimer Society and it was well received.)What do you think of this idea?
So go ahead, give me your thoughts please.