Many things to be thankful for....

It is Christmas morning and everyone in my home is still sleeping. The lights on the Christmas tree are on and there are many gifts under it. I am feeling thankful and fortunate and I am reflecting on some events from this month.

This week at the family homeless shelter I volunteer at we opened Journey House 2 which is a 10 suite building for low income families. For many their first home will be at JH2 and they will receive support to help them become independent. Our first family moved in this week and the kids were so happy to have their own room! Today three children will open their gifts in their own home, two parents will be able to provide a Christmas to their family in their own home, and one baby’s first Christmas will not be in a shelter. This new building was thanks to the incredible support of donors.

In June one of soccer coaches in Haiti broke his ankle in a motorcycle accident. It took 36 hours for him to see a doctor. If he did not $250 he would not would have been able to have seen that doctor. His family is very poor so our charity has been helping him. 5 month later he is still struggling and having challenges and is still seeing doctors to hopefully help him keep his lower leg. We have a doctor in England giving his time to work with the doctors in Haiti. This month we received a significant donation and in February we will be able to open a full time clinic in rural Haiti to support their village of 10,000 where they get minimal healthcare today. We will be charging 40 cents to see a doctor and give free medications. Again thank you to all the donors for their amazing support.

Every Christmas our charity raises money for some of the kids in Haiti to have a Christmas celebration and they get a small gift, have a meal and have some fun. This year our Haitian leaders asked that the kids not get toys and rather get something more useful and were all give sandals and underwear instead. The poverty in Haiti is overwhelming and this year generous donors gave 200 children a chance to be kids, get a gift, and have a few hours of fun.

I write this post for a couple of reasons.

One is perspective. Many people have many challenges in Calgary, in Canada, and around the world and need a hand up or a hand out.

The other is to thank the people who donate time, talent, and treasure to support these charities. I can not thank you enough for helping charities in your city, country or around the world. As I say in this video about our work in Haiti "pick a charity, any charity, and get involved". You will make a difference in someone's life.

God bless and have a Merry Christmas.

Dave

She is waiting for the Christmas party to begin. :)