$108,000

Remember how I mentioned in my inaugural post that a blog completely dedicated to the causes I support isn’t my aim? Well, for today, I’m doing just that.

Last weekend I learned that the generous people of our church, Hope Community, raised $108,000 dollars for ministry efforts in Uganda including Watoto Childcare Ministries, an organization dedicated to helping orphans and women who have been affected by war and disease.

I love my church. We are a group, albeit a very large group, of regular people. No celebrities unless you count the local radio shock jock. Our motley crew of regular Joe’s managed to raise a significant amount money in 2 weeks for people we have never met and very few of us will ever get to meet.

Last Sunday night I watched the season finale of Celebrity Apprentice. I can’t say that it is a favorite show of mine but I have watched most of the season because Sunday night TV is a bit lackluster and we are among the very few households in America that doesn’t have a DVR.

The season finale featured Arsenio Hall and Clay Aiken competing for title of “Celebrity Apprentice” and $250,000 for their charity. Both celebrities were tasked with organizing a fundraising event, including a variety show of sorts. The funds raised by each event would go to each celeb’s charity—Arsenio’s charity was the Magic Johnson Foundation, which is dedicated to providing health education to urban youth; Clay’s charity was the National Inclusion Project, which provides recreational programs to children with disabilities.

Arsenio and Clay, along with their celebrity team members, solicited fellow celebs for donations. The list of donors included heavy hitters like Chris Rock, Jimmy Kimmel, Eddie Murphy, Marco Andretti, George Lopez, and Jay Leno who donated to Arsenio's team, and Kelly Clarkson and Orel Hershiser who donated to Clay's team. Arsenio raised $167,100. Clay raised nearly twice as much with $301,500. Both impressive totals generated in only 48 hours. I’m certain the charities will greatly benefit from the money.

After the show was over it hit me—Arsenio’s total was only $59,000 more than what our church raised for Uganda. How can that be? Arsenio, though kind of a B-lister, is a celeb with some serious connections to some serious dough. The 2011 average earnings of 5 of the 6 celebs who donated to Arsenio's cause (I wasn't able to find data on Marco) is $19.3 million¹. Arsenio's total is only 0.86% of that. Not even 1%! This shocked me. These celebs have so much yet gave so little. Why? I know the answer, though. It is not their responsibility to give just because they have it—though imagine what an impact that would make on our world.

In comparison, the average household income of Raleigh, Cary, Holy Springs, and Apex, NC (the communities most of our church attendees live in) is $91,254². The total our church raised for Uganda, $108,000, is 118% of the area's average household income! This too, shocked me. Why did this group of John and Jane Q. Publics step forward in such a big way?

I can't answer for the general population of our church but I can answer for my husband and me. We do it because we are called to do it. We do it because we ache for those less fortunate. We also do it because it brings joy to our hearts to help others. We know that if we wait for the rich and famous to fill the gap it just won't happen. We need to step up and do what we can to make life better for at least one other person.

Don't get me wrong, what Arsenio and Clay managed to raise for their charities is awesome. The Magic Johnson Foundation and the National Inclusion Project are very worthwhile organizations. My point to all this is to get you to move, especially if you aren't moving already. We simply can't assume that the wealthiest 10% are going to make it happen.

“But I don’t have the funds right now, Mandy.” That’s ok. Neither do we. We give what we can but we also volunteer our time in other areas. Sometimes actions speak louder than bank accounts. Volunteering is also a great way to show our kids compassion towards those in need. We have packed and delivered meals to the homeless through Brown Bag Ministry and this fall we are participating in the Be the Match Foundation’s 5K and Tot Trot races to raise funds and awareness for bone marrow donation.

You don’t have to support the organizations I support but you should have at least one cause you believe in. My faith plays a huge role in the causes I support. But even if you aren’t a Christian, if you have a heartbeat you should ache when you see someone in pain, hungry, lonely, or sad. They don’t have to be in a different country or even a different area code. Look around you. I promise you will find someone who desperately needs help.

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1 www.therichest.org/celebnetworth

2 www.money.cnn.com