Great and Small

I’d like to bring two worthy causes to your attention this morning. The first is quite simple. A friend of mine has taken on a charitable project to benefit residents at Grassroots. Here is her appeal:

I will be collecting body wash for Grassroots. I have a goal of collecting 100 bottles. Please help. Just drop it off on my porch.  (Or find the list on amazon and you don't even have to leave your house.) https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1B768FBYUZFTM?type=wishlist&filter=unpurchased&sort=default

I will be collecting through December 2, 2017. 

Mission: Grassroots provides supportive and professional 24-hour crisis intervention, suicide prevention, shelter, and outreach services to individuals and families experiencing a personal, situational, mental health, or shelter crisis.

Something so simple as being able to get clean can mean so much when your life is in crisis. Readers of the blog obviously won’t be dropping anything off at her house, that’s meant for close friends, but you can take advantage of the Amazon link to support her cause.

The second is more far-reaching. Former Columbia Patch writer Lisa Rossi (remember this?) is raising funds to support the training of journalists in her native Iowa. While Iowa is pretty far afield for us to contemplate, I would suggest that good journalists beget more good journalists, and that’s something we all should support.

Here is her appeal:

For Christmas and Hanukkah this year, I'm asking for donations to Iowa Watch, an organization that trains the next generation of investigative journalists and provides news to underserved areas. My goal is to raise $1,000 for an organization that teaches and distributes unbiased, factual journalism. This year, each donation up to 1,000 will be matched by News Match. They are also tax deductible.

Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support. I've included information about Iowa Center For Public Affairs Journalism below. 

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism's mission is to maintain an independent, non-partisan journalistic program dedicated to producing and encouraging explanatory and investigative journalism in Iowa, engaging in collaborative reporting efforts with Iowa news organizations and educating journalism students. Our goals are: • To produce short-term and long term multimedia projects for the Center's Web site, IowaWatch.org, and to post other information and data that will be accessible to all readers and news outlets in Iowa; • To establish collaborative relationships with other news organizations and educational institutions for the sharing of stories and information and for the joint production of individual journalistic projects; • To focus its reporting efforts on public affairs issues and problems in government, health, consumer affairs, education, the environment, sports, criminal justice and other subjects relevant to the people of Iowa; • To give journalism students the opportunity to learn by working under the supervision and instruction of seasoned professional editors; • To help journalism students and young professionals enhance their employment potential by giving them the opportunity to build a portfolio of professional work.

You can donate here.

The holiday season will bring many charitable appeals your way. Most of us have limited resources; we do what we can. I wanted to bring these two to your attention because the women involved have moved me by their sincerity and sense of purpose. Please help if you can.