10 days to go — 10 dollars makes a difference
Of the great Rabbi Akiba and his wife Rachel, “it is related that once, when a bundle of straw was the only bed they possessed, a poor man came to beg some straw for a bed for his sick wife. Akiba at once divided with him his scanty possession, remarking to his wife, ‘Thou seest, my child, there are those poorer than we!’ This pretended poor man was none other than the prophet Elijah, who had come to test Akiba.” (Ned. 50a, from Wikipedia).
I know times are tough.
I know the US economy is the worst it has been since the Great Depression. In response to my appeals to help Chai Lifeline, at least 3 people have said, “John, I’d love to help, but I’m out of work right now, and I simply can’t.” I can dig that.
When I signed up to run this marathon and meet this fundraising goal for Chai Lifeline, I was out of work, too. It gave me more time to run, but it was hell on my PowerAde and sneaker budget, not to mention my confidence in the future. As a consultant most of my jobs are measured in weeks or months, if not hours. Usually, my projects line up one after the other, with little or no break in between. This time, the break lasted two months. So I get it, believe me. By the grace of God, I’m working again, and I can even afford to take off a couple of days for a little jog in Las Vegas.
The same sages from the Jewish tradition who tell us we are morally obligated to give 10% to 20% of out net income to charity ALSO say that we are FORBIDDEN to give a dime until our own and our family’s basic needs are met, lest by our charitable giving we become a burden on our brothers, too. So if you really can’t give, please, please don’t.
But if you can…
Please Sponsor My Marathon For Chai Lifeline
Checking my progress toward the $3,600 goal — 40 sponsors have given a total of $2,523 — I noticed that the lowest sponsorship amount has been $18. And I’m not knocking my $18 sponsors; far from it. I’m wondering why I don’t have any sponsors at $10, or $5.
My message today is this: If you feel like you want to help, but you can’t justify $18 right now, consider $10. If $10 is a stretch — and I know I’ve had times recently where $10 is a stretch — consider lucky number $7. This is Vegas we’re talking about, after all.
Please Sponsor My Marathon For Chai Lifeline
When times are as bad as they are now, everyone hurts — you, me, and even great organizations like Chai Lifeline whose donor pools dry up and whose endowments shrink with the stock market. As family budgets shrink, it’s more important than ever that we be careful with our giving. Your donation to Chai Lifeline is 100% tax-deductible, with 83 cents on the dollar going straight to programs like Camp Simcha and 17 cents going to organize and promote the race. It’s also more important than ever to help families with seriously ill children — facing their own budget crises AND soaring medical costs — have access to Chai Lifeline’s totally free programs.
Time is short. I have 10 days to raise $1,077, and just $10 from you could make all the difference in the world, not just to me, but to the families of Chai Lifeline as well.
Please Sponsor My Marathon For Chai Lifeline
Thanks again for reading and for your consideration. May God bless you in these difficult times.