Money suckers!

I am so so peeved with these phone calls and letters asking for donations for this society and that organization.

Usually the callers will ask me to get a book of raffles to sell to family and friends, of which some I will comply, depending on my mood. So far, I've done for SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), multiple sclerosis, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, Monash community, blablabla. It's like a lottery ticket where I ask you to pay $2 and you get a chance to win some big prize. Each raffle has 20 tickets. Not difficult right? But try asking the same people over and over again??

So I usually end up paying for the whole book. And now I won't entertain the calls anymore. I mean, how long can this go on? While I am on this, I still have to fulfil yet another book for Aidan's Cabena Care. This one I cannot run away from. I'd love to help, but I am no charity centre. Not everyone has $40 to give away each time. Plus I am already sponsoring a child and make a monthly contribution to Lost Dogs Home.

And the letters, they send you some nice postcards or your name labels, asking you to donate. That is alright if I want to donate the amount I want. But no, there are boxes to tick. And the minimum is like $50.

Heck, if I were to pay for every single one, my yearly tax offset will be quite significant. We are no rich family living in Toorak or some high maintenance suburb. We are working class people living in a unit and struggling to find the money for a bigger place. If I have that kind of money, no one will have to ask me for it. I know how cancer sufferers feel as I have been touched by it through my mother-in-law, or how parents will feel if their children die from SIDS. I am a parent too.

BUT, sorry to say, much as I would like to become a philanthropist, I have my family to take care of.

Of course they have to do their work to ask and create awareness, but if you get it over and over again, hey, am sure you'll be irritated too.