It’s almost the end of the year and for some of you that means finding a bit of money for charity. After all, it is a tax deduction, right? There are a lot of deserving charities out there. I think we all have our favorites. I thought I’d write today about one such charity that Lazy Man and Money just donated money to.
The charity is THRACE-Gulu. The name didn’t make much sense to me until it was broken down as “Trauma Healing and Reflection Center in Gulu, Uganda.” The money goes to helping children affected by the civil war in Uganda. Anyone who knows me, probably realizes this is the most random charity of charities for me to donate money to. After all, my dad died of cancer when I was 14. (Rest assured, I do donate a healthy sum to Cancer research, I just don’t write about it much). So why am I looking to help these children half a world away?
Eliza Dushku
It’s difficult for me to explain why without sounding all Swimfan-y, but I’ll give it a shot anyway. As many regular readers know, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite show of all time. In fact, I use the character names from time to time on this website. Eliza Dushku came in the third season and single-handedly took over the show. It put her on the map as actress. She made all the magazines as everyone was asking, “Who’s that girl?” I wasn’t alone in wanted to learn more about her.
It is often the case with sports and movie celebrities, that what you find out is very underwhelming. Eliza was different. The first thing I noticed was that she was from Watertown, Massachusetts a city that borders where I grew up. The other thing that I read is that she grew up volunteering her time to read to the blind. That fact is so hidden by all her other accomplishments that it took me quite a while just to find that subtle reference to it. So I’ll sum up my connection here. A famous person from my favorite television, who grew up nearly a few blocks away, has a heart of gold…
… and she’s asking for your help.
On December 30th, she’s turning 30 years old. She’s doesn’t want any presents from you. Instead she’s looking to raise $30,000 for the THRACE-Gulu non-profit that her mother, a renowned Suffolk University professor, started. She’s named the effort as her “30/30/30” birthday wish. She’s taken to Twitter in a huge way (you can follow the effort with the hashtag #303030bday). However, her efforts stretch beyond just asking for donations… she is auctioning a 10 minute video chat on Ebay and as of this time it is already valued at $610.
So how much did Lazy Man and Money donate? It felt right to give $30 to cause. If you’d like to join me and give some money to a worthy cause you can donate here. I encourage you to check out the pictures and video from Eliza’s trip to Gulu to meet with the children. It may just touch you like it did me.