A hole in the soul!
Times are tough – unless you’re one of the lucky ones unaffected by the economic challenges, which is not yet showing signs of improvement, you’ll find it harder and harder to make it through the month. We’re not talking about those who have to cut down to just one holiday a year, as opposed to the traditional two family breaks; we’re talking about the growing majority who battle to put a plate of food on the table by month end, those who have to dodge the debt collectors asking for the last payment that bounced and trying to explain to the kids why they need to wear those broken school shoes with the hole in the sole, for just a little while longer ….
But here’s the reality – before this recession, when you were still just getting to that last meal before payday brought some relief, and still able to squeeze in that half price movie on a Tuesday night, there were already vast amounts of people that were suffering – no food, no home, no vision for a better future. It’s those people that rely on the good hearts and charity of a supportive community. All that has happened now, is that this pool of suffering, has increased to extraordinary proportions …. More people have been retrenched, less jobs are available and the need for support is larger now than ever before.
To give or not to give, that is the question! How do we address this growing problem? Regardless of your economic position, this growing move towards poverty has a profound effect on us all – you may have a thriving business today, but will it still be there tomorrow? You may be earning boat loads today, but what if you’re retrenched tomorrow? Sadly, humanity only wakes up when disaster affects us personally. We don’t care too much about doing anything when a fire burns thousands of kilometres away, but when it’s threatening our own home, then we have expectations of support and reparation. Who do we blame? Who will replace our lost belongings? Who will give us a roof over our heads tonight, or a plate of food when we have nothing?
This is all normal – we have busy lives and commitments that absorb our every moment – we can’t possible solve all the world’s problems and therefore need to filter out the things least important to us personally … to an extent anyway. So that’s ok … but, we can and should still support those who dedicate their time to ensure systems of support are in place when disaster strikes, when poverty overwhelms, when kids get sick and the elderly are lonely … this should be the rent we pay for the space we occupy on Earth! (A philosophy shared worldwide by Lions Clubs International – the world’s largest service organisation)
Imagine for a moment if 400 000 residents of George all contributed just R20 a month to dedicated causes that can alleviate poverty, support disaster relief and generally uplift our city! For that matter, if only 25% of those residents contributed – a more realistic view of capabilities – that would mean R2 000 000 a month towards changing lives – yes, 2 million rand a month! – why is this so impossible to achieve, but yet sadly, it is. We have 67 000 people on our community Facebook Page, Georgiete Staan Saam, – some are not local residents, so let’s work with 50 000 …. R20 each per month – that’s a million rand a month! Wow – my mind boggles on how we can set a standard for the BEST and MOST CARING city in the country, maybe the world!
How I dream of a day this could happen – do you think it’s possible? Would YOU support it and encourage your friends, family, work colleagues and those living in your street, to support a “20 for 2020 campaign”? I would love to hear your thoughts .. but please be positive, after all, we LOVE GEORGE!
Love Garden Route NPC
Account number: 10 11 022 552 8
Standard Bank
Branch: George
Branch code: 051001
Swift address: SBZA ZA JJ
