Just A Little Change.

My local paper had published a story by a Wal Mart cashier explaining how they were raising lots of money for CMN (Children's Miracle Network).They do it by asking customers to round up their total purchase to the next dollar and donating the change. It's called a "round up". In this stunted economy she was saying the company was actually well beyond it's goals. I'm thinking good and happy thoughts for once about this much bedeviled corporate giant. Maybe there is some good in the world after all. That is until I make the mistake of reading people's comments to the story. At first they were all positive and encouraging. Most people seemed as surprised as I was that this company known for it's stinginess was being so thoughtful and helpful.

And then it happened. Some woman posted a reply saying she was "offended" that every time she went into the retailer she was asked to surrender her change for charity. Offended?
How could you be offended by a cashier asking you to drop a few cents for a child's charity? It could be one cent, or it may be ninety-nine cents, no big deal. Her reasoning was "times are tough and getting tougher." Her pocket book was going to be empty just because she was asked to donate a few cents.
I am unemployed and not collecting any state assistance and have no car to drive to Wal Mart to be "harassed" into giving up my change, so I know tough times. Thank God my girlfriend and I have been able to support our family on her retail store paychecks. Hard times, sure, but every time she is asked to donate her change to CMN she does it with out blinking.

I understand to some people being constantly asked to fork over a portion of your hard earned money, no matter how small an amount is annoying. It's not like it's a huge bother, nothing to fill out, no little trinket to carry around, they just want your change. I look at it this way, every penny I turn over to Wal Mart they in turn give it to a charity that allows sick children to get the medicine and treatment they normally couldn't afford. For me it's a chance to be someone's hero. I need no superpowers, no funny tights, and no special training to help save someone's life, or at least make their life a little more comfortable before they pass on.
No one should have to watch their child suffer just because some people felt "offended" enough not to donate their spare change. We live in a country where "helping thy neighbor" used to be automatic and done without whining about "tough times." It was done out of kindness and concern for other people. Most people I run into today can only think of themselves. We are at a crossroads good readers, we can continue to walk the wicked path and only do for ourselves, or we can go back to a time when charity started at home. Just picture yourself or your family in need and there is no one there to help. We live in a world where heroes are few and far between, this maybe your chance to be a hero.

We all have tight budgets now, it's the way of the world. It doesn't mean we shouldn't be charitable, especially when it comes to the children. I could quote some cheesy Whitney Houston song explaining how they are our future, but by now we all understand that. All I ask is never be "offended" by someone asking for a little help from you. I challenge my readers to say "yes" every time a Wal Mart cashier asks you to "round up". I want to believe that everyone who reads this blog can be a hero.
                                                                      http://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/