I heard this phrase on a Mastery of Money CD from Klemmer and Associates, where Brian Klemmer was interviewing Alan Nagao, a successful millionaire. It’s so easy to get caught up in our daily lives and forget to contribute to those less fortunate, but I do whenever I can. I hope you do, too. I thought I’d share some of the causes that are near and dear to me right now, maybe you can help?

An ongoing one is my son’s little playgroup buddy, Riktor. A little over a year ago, he got a brain cancer. It was devastating to his family and all who love Riktor. It is an ongoing struggle for his family financially, since his Mom needs to stay home with him and his little brother, and that isn’t easy in this area. I’ve donated time and money and give a % of sales to Riktor when someone mentions him or finds my business through his website. You can read Riktor’s story here. It is a miraculous one with a happy ending so far, fortunately.

The local mother’s club has decided to start their own “Big Give” like Oprah did on her Big Give show. A few of us got together by email and in person and came up with a worthy local cause we could drum up support for. We have been sponsoring a local foster parents association and helping the children they receive suddenly from police custody. These children are under 6, usually have nothing but the clothes on their backs, and their entire world is turned upside down in an instant due to their parents’ poor choices. We started by having a Pajama Drive. We collected 152 pair of pajamas, 120 pair of socks and underwear. This will be enough clothes to last this association 3 months. Now we are moving into Phase 2 of our Big Give which is collecting monetary donations for the association’s scholarship fund. This fund is used to give these children access to classes and resources that most normal children take for granted – dance, music, sports, or scouting, things like that which they would not normally be able to participate in. To raise money for this, we are having a good old fashioned Bake Sale this Saturday and are looking for businesses to donate matching funds, or funds in any amount, and we will show our appreciation by publicizing your business to the club members. If you can help, or want to know more about the bake sale, contact me!

Lastly, I have a good friend, Peggy Miller, who is also a business woman I admire greatly. When I met Peggy, I was struck with her professionalism and her drive. Being in a party plan business like I am, Peggy and I have become great friends and share many values and goals. Peggy is participating in the Nike Women’s Marathon through Team in Training and is raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma research, walking in particular for people with blood diseases who cannot walk themselves. I am donating funds and also helping Peggy spread the word through my internet marketing efforts. If you can help, click on the logo, I know she would appreciate it!

Are you contributing to a cause that is near and dear to your heart? Post about it in the Comments here and let us all know about it so we can help, too!