The holiday season is upon us. I realize you already know this, since I've seen each and every one of you at the mall.
All this frantic buying can leave us feeling empty. But, hark, there is an antidote.
The cure is to buy a little more.
More decent food and warm clothing. More opportunities for learning. More compassion. More hope.
In the past I've suggested small and medium-sized ways to reach out to others at holiday time. The response has been amazing.
Classrooms of children and teen-agers pooled loose change. Families set aside pizza-night money. Co-workers replaced gift exchanges with contributions to a worthy cause.
The money, hardly missed by the benefactors, worked true miracles for the recipients.
You have the power to do the same. Consider scaling down the office holiday party by $50. Have your children cross one small gift off their list so that another child has books or supplies. Skip a meal out, so that a woman and her children in a shelter are better fed. Happy holidays to you, in advance. And thanks.
School items for homeless
For $1: A classroom of 25 children each contributing a dollar can pay operating costs for two visits by the SPCA's mobile adoption unit. Each week, the unit pulls up at a Kroger site, and visitors climb aboard to consider animals that otherwise might go unadopted. Checks payable to Hamilton County SPCA, 3949 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45223.
For $5: Buy school supplies for homeless children, through the wonderful Project Connect, a non-profit program that offers tutoring and advocacy services. Checks payable to Project Connect, 425 Linn St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45214.
For $15: Purchase toiletries and supplies for needy teens attending a Cincinnati Youth Collaborative leadership and diversity program at Camp Kern. Checks payable to Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, c - o Dr. John Bryant, director, 411 Oak St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45219.
For $20: Fight bias, bigotry and racism. Provide a multi-cultural kit to area churches, schools and businesses to further understanding and respect among Cincinnatians. Checks payable to National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly National Conference for Christians and Jews), 106 E. 8th St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
For $27: This small sum provides three days of meals for a woman and her three children at the YWCA Battered Women's Shelter. Checks payable to the YWCA, 898 Walnut St., Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
For $35: Your donation to Hillside Trust helps with land preservation, environmental interests and education and research on Cincinnati's hillsides. Checks payable to Hillside Trust, P.O. Box 8625, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208.
For $40: Help conserve a painting at the Cincinnati Art Museum. Your contribution helps buy supplies for cleaning, re-securing paint and re-stretching paintings. Checks payable to Cincinnati Art Museum, 953 Eden Park Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202. (Note this is for conservation department.)
For $50: Here's the chance to provide eight weeks of parenting classes for needy families, taught by the people who do it best - Beech Acres. Checks payable to Beech Acres, 6881 Beechmont Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45230.
For $85: Buy a year's worth of musical enrichment programs for 10 needy schoolchildren, by School House Symphony. This is quality arts education, with six teachers combining classroom teaching with live performances. Checks payable to School House Symphony, 4808 Winton Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232.
For $100: Help build an endowment that provides grants to non-profit organizations serving women and girls. A wonderful way to honor a special woman. Checks payable to the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, (note it's for the Women's Fund), 300 W. 4th St., Suite 200, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.
Krista Ramsey's column appears on Saturdays. Write her at the Enquirer, 312 Elm St. Cincinnati 45202.
RAMSEY ARCHIVE
