Americans have given millions of dollars to charity over the last month and a half. They’ve dug deep into their pockets, even with a recession building and layoffs looming.
United Way reports that as of Oct. 15, they have gathered $271 million for their September 11th Fund.
The American Red Cross has received pledges for more than a half billion dollars specifically donated for disaster relief.
No one could question the compassion and generosity Americans have displayed since Sept. 11.
But America’s generosity and compassion has largely been channeled to New York, leaving a void in funding for charities not associated with the terrorist attacks.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, along with many other organizations, recently started its campaign drive. Charities usually receive the lion’s share of the year’s donations between October and Christmas — a time when people feel most generous.
MADD reports that drunk driving deaths in the United States increased to 16,000 last year — a 20-year high. But donations to MADD have fallen dramatically, as they have with many other charities.
A funding director for United Way of Utah County said she couldn’t estimate yet how much less they had received this year for Utah County programs, but did say, “A lot of money is going to New York.”
For some local charities, when funding drops, so do programs.
On Sunday, the Associated Press reported St. George’s bus system, the Dixie Area Rapid Transit System, might have to shut down temporarily because of decreases in donations, which fund 20 percent of its operating costs. Transit officials said they believe support from corporations and individuals has diminished in part because funds are being diverted to victims of Sept. 11.
Certainly, no one should feel discouraged from donating to the victims of the terrorist attacks. But as the holidays approach and charities gear up for their biggest donation drives of the year, Americans should remember the need that exists within their own communities.
Some may feel compassion-fatigued by so many requests for donations, but disasters in one part of the country don’t decrease need in our own neighborhoods.
