Giving in the Face of Grief with Groups Like Donors Choose

To quote the great Dolly Parton, this year feels like one hard candy Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Grinch – usually I’m all about the holly and the ivy, silver bells and presents round the tree. But like many of you, I find that these past few weeks have been heartbreaking, first with the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, which has forever changed hundreds of communities on the East coast, and now with the unspeakable tragedy of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

I would love to be carried away by twinkle lights and the untold promise that snow holds, but I won’t lie, friends – my heart’s just not in it. It feels wrong to be joyful when around me there are so many signs of grief and want, so many reminders that December will be a cold, lonely month for far too many.

The only thing I know how to do in situations like this is find some way, no matter how small it may seem, to feel like I can help. Knowing that our readers are a kind, generous group who are all for education and helping kids in need, I’ve put together a list of charities that focus specifically on school-related ways that we can give to families affected by these crises. They are sites whose stories and needs have moved me over the past few weeks, and I encourage you to check them out and consider giving however you can, both in your own community and to those in need in another part of the country.

My words are paltry and inadequate, at best, and I know that donating a backpack or a package of pencils is not going to mitigate the grief and suffering of these families. But it is a tiny, flickering light in the darkness, a light full of more joy and more hope than any twinkling strand.

May your days be merry and bright, may you and your loved ones stay safe, and may we bring light to those who desperately need it this winter.

American Association of School Administrators

The American Association of School Administrators has set up an extensive page of ways to give to families and school districts affected by the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. There are options of giving District to District, School to School, or on an individual basis. The page also lists which school districts are in need of specific supplies.

Donors Choose

Donors Choose has set up a page full of projects from educators whose classrooms have been disrupted or displaced by Hurricane Sandy. Helping educators re-establish routine in their classrooms is key to effective recovery among school-age children, and many of these projects will help give students an outlet or an escape from what they have witnessed. If you donate to a Hurricane Sandy project, you won’t be alone: comedian Stephen Colbert has created the Ham Rove Memorial Foundation with the remains of his political action committee funds, and has sponsored half of the projects on the site.

Snowflakes for Sandy

The National Parent Teacher Association knows that many students will be returning to different classrooms and different school after the winter break in Newtown, Connecticut. A simple, effective way to show your support is to participate in their Snowflakes for Sandy program, which asks people around the world to create paper snowflakes, which will be displayed on the campus that will house Sandy Hook students after the new year. They want to make a “Winter Wonderland” for the students, and to visibly show them the love and support that surrounds them the world over. The page tells you where to send your paper snowflakes.