Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa!
Congress reached an agreement on a $900 Billion Covid-19 Relief Package, and it looks like we may be getting a $600 stimulus check. Not enough I know but it IS something. And what I want to tell you is...please don't use it to pay down debts. Instead, use it for what you need. If you don't need it, and you don't have any emergency savings, use it to start one. If you do have an emergency savings, and there's only $600 or less on your credit card bills, then sure maybe it's OK to pay off that debt. However, like I've said since last year. During times of crisis, it's important to create expansion (meaning more savings, more access to cash) than to create a shrinking (paying down debts, cutting back on necessities...luxuries yes. Necessities no). So, the money should be used for necessities or saved for future necessities. Got it? Another way to use the $600 may be to donate it to an organization that really could use that $600 to serve a lot of people. And where do you find such a list?
Well, did you hear Mackenzie Scott gave away over $4 BILLION last week?
(If you don't know who Mackenzie is, she's the ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and she received about $38 BILLION in her settlement.)
However, that's NOT the astonishing part.
It's the WAY she gave the money away. She put together a team, a task force, if you will, to thoughtfully understand the organizations, before giving.
"They took a data-driven approach to identifying organizations with strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital."
Mackenzie's reason for giving the way she gave?
"This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling. Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.
It would be easy for all the people who drew the long demographic straws in this crisis to hole up at home feeling a mix of gratitude and guilt, and wait for it to be over — but that’s not what’s happening. The proliferation of community fridges, COVID relief funds, impromptu person-to-person Venmo gifts, viral debt relief campaigns, and mutual aid initiatives has been swift and uplifting."
In July, she gave a more personal reason for giving a lot of her personal wealth away.
"Last year I pledged to give the majority of my wealth back to the society that helped generate it, to do it thoughtfully, to get started soon, and to keep at it until the safe is empty. There’s no question in my mind that anyone’s personal wealth is the product of a collective effort, and of social structures which present opportunities to some people, and obstacles to countless others.
Like many, I watched the first half of 2020 with a mixture of heartbreak and horror. Life will never stop finding fresh ways to expose inequities in our systems; or waking us up to the fact that a civilization this imbalanced is not only unjust, but also unstable. What fills me with hope is the thought of what will come if each of us reflects on what we can offer."
My friend Kristen Carter created a holiday giving mission this year, that's just so inspiring:
The holidays are here and I have begun a Holiday Giving Mission.
My goal is to support a couple of families who have been impacted financially by Covid-19 and need support with rent or medical bills.
If you want to support this mission and donate, the suggested donation is $15 and you will be kept up to date and notified on how you helped uplift someone’s holiday season.
If you’d like to donate, please give what is on your heart to give. CashApp & Venmo: KristenVCarter | Zelle: 9734204222
Please note that this is a community mission that is not currently connected to a specific organization.
This is heart to heart, community member to community member. Feel free to reach out directly with any inquiries as we work together to warm this season with love. Many prayers and blessings to all xo!
Sincerely,
Kristen
And another friend challenged me to give to Shower of Hope, to help 6 college women who are experiencing homelessness. Click HERE for her video.
And since she challenged me...here's my video (Find ways to donate on my FB post or by going to @theshowerofhope on Instagram or searching #SixforSixLA.)
In this season of spending and giving, let's all be inspired to do it consciously and to do it from your heart, knowing that "only by giving are you able to receive more than you have." (Jim Rohn). I believe we are always taken care of, but in order to receive MORE than just enough, this is up to US. And remember, giving isn't about spending money either. Like my friend Ally Rose writes in her beautiful Holiday Heart-Centered Journal:
"Think about how you can give the gift of your time, your attention, and your love and support to those in need.
Instead of buying something, could you give someone the gift of listening without judgement and taking an interest in what’s important to them."
Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it! Sending you all so much love and joy this holiday season!
With Gratitude,
