Free Republic

Our household usually gets some toys and takes them to the local fire station during Christmas. They distribute them to needy children. Our church use to have a similar event but not this year. I'd like to see a list from the Freepers of good and bad charities that they know of. There are plenty of places to donate if one looks around, but some have high overhead and less get to those in need. I know of other organizations that have become politicized and not in a good way. Also I'm interested in seeing a sort of update on...

Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) has donated unused campaign funds to a nonprofit organization that will examine different election practices in Arizona. According to an FEC filing, Flake transferred $150,000 from the Jeff Flake for US Senate, Inc. account to the Public Integrity Foundation late last month. The contribution was made days after the group was established, according to a report from Axios published on Wednesday.

This week, children may learn about that greedy man, Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge is selfish until ghosts scare him into thinking about others’ well-being, not just his own. Good for the ghosts. But the way Scrooge addresses others’ needs matters. Today’s advocates of equality, compassion, increased spending on education, health care, etc., say “we care” but demand that government do the work. Controlling other people with the power of government doesn’t prove you care. If you want to help the poor, clean the environment, improve the arts. Great! Please do. But if you are compassionate, then you’ll spend your own money...

WASHINGTON, July 24, 2006 – A group of golf enthusiasts plans to donate golf clubs, balls, tees, mats and other golf equipment to servicemembers at Camp Taji, a military base in Iraq. U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Abdul Mercado inside his living quarters at Camp Taji, Iraq. Soon Mercado and others at his base will have golf equipment donated by Golfers 4 Freedom. Courtesy photo    U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Abdul Mercado, 36, of 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery, has been playing for 13 years. For the past eight months he has been deployed to Camp Taji and hasn't been...

An American kindergarten teacher on Thursday presented Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski with $10,000 in donations amassed over the last two months from children in her New York suburb for increased security measures at Jerusalem kindergartens. Westchester Day School kindergarten teacher Jane Grauer had first collected some $300 in Hanukkah presents from kids in her own class who donated one days worth of 'Hanukkah gelt' for the project, before receiving additional donations from others schools, and several neighborhood synagogues. Donors interested in contributing towards the project can e-mail jojasama@aol.com