Can you give up going out ONE Friday OR Saturday a MONTH?

[mlomker]

I sponsor a young man (http://www.pattayastreetkids.org/) in Thailand. It's $100-150/yr to put them through school.

The point? Bargain shop if you're going to sponsor a child. lol.

Seriously, I'm not religious and I wouldn't give my money to group like Compassion. I'm sure they do fine work but they probably pay their foreign missionaries enough to live comfortably and there are locally-run charities that don't do that.

[Febo]

I agree with the "lets fix our own shit" idea. Why do I care about a starving broke kid in Kenya when there are starving broke kids in Minneapolis. Or how about instead of spending that $20 a month on a kid in thailand you spend that $20 bucks at a local business and help stimulate the economy. And by local business I of course mean Sneaky Pete's and Bootleggers.

Here's to stimulating the economy!:5shotss::theBar:

[Swifty1638]

lol, I love it. ^

[mlomker]

when there are starving broke kids in Minneapolis. Or how about instead of spending that $20 a month on a kid in thailand you spend that $20 bucks at a local business and help stimulate the economy. And by local business I of course mean Sneaky Pete's and Bootleggers

Life is all about balance, my friend. $150 to poor kids, $36k on an Evo, another $10k+ at Grimmspeed, DB Performance, MAPerformance, the alignment guy, & others out of state. Only had the car a few weeks...still strategizing.

I get the alcohol from the liquor store around the corner. A guy has to save money somewhere...

[Forced Fed]

I had a bad feeling this thread would generate a lot of bad post, and that isn't what it was intended for.

Kracka, I didn't put any specific organizations up because anyone who really is interested in giving would want to pick their own organization they felt comfortable with and had researched.

[Goat Blower]

I like the idea, but I've got my own kids to sponsor. Unlike a previous poster I would only give my sponsorship through a Christian organization, because I know several missionaries, and they don't live much better than the people they work with and frankly they don't want to, being a missionary is all about service, kinda like a lot of pastors. Their reward is in heaven, not in their bank account.

Anyways, good idea. Helping someone else ends up helping yourself more.

[Ihearrtdsm]

Febo how does spending $20 bucks at Sneaky Pete's and Bootleggers gonna help starving people here :-P I agree with fixing stuff here. Good luck!

[Forced Fed]

I also like fixing stuff here, that is why you can donate your time and or money. Most people can't donate enough money to really change a kids life in America. $20 a month can do SO much in other countries.

A couple bucks can give a kid clean drinking water for a month, a buck in America can get a kid a bottled water.

[mlomker]

they don't live much better than the people they work with

I've been in some of these countries and have seen 1st hand that your friends are not representative. Was best friends with a family that were Baptist missionaries in Ecuador. People are people, sorry to say. My point is that there are local charities (people native to the country in question) that would cost little to no money to hire. The assumption that Americans can go to another country and solve problems better than the locals can is a bit elitist, imo.

$20 a month can do SO much in other countries.

Exactly. That's why I send money where I do.

[tehehodi]

^^but Thailand isn't as bad as Laos....i would know, been to both places :)