When disaster hits close to home, we can offer our ‘physical’ selves with on-site help - volunteering with a clean up crew, rebuilding structures, preparing food for victims or volunteers, offering child care for relief crews, offering clothing, bedding or shelter, transporting water or medical supplies, replenishing lost goods.

Hearing and reading of suffering further away from our homes – our local touch stones and ‘reality checks’ – we struggle more, and families and children often look to their faith communities for ways to help. The reality I find is that when tragedy happens far away, we are frustrated by not being available to offer on-site relief for the immediate need we see. In these cases I find it helpful for people of all ages to remind ourselves that if we continue to live our lives in ways that focus on kindness, compassion, courage of convictions and vision, following a path that is both important to us and helpful to others - no matter where we live or what our circumstances - we are sure to have an impact on the world.

Knowing this is true in our own lives, in the larger world view we then rely on organizations such as UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, to offer emergency relief plus many year round programs and helpful resources. UNICEF supports children, mobilizes resources, helps focus our world’s attention and creates opportunities for us to help make a difference to those living with more challenges and fewer resources, choices and freedoms. UNICEF is one agency that I support as it works for a world where children are given the chance to be happy, healthy, educated and appreciated for their inherent worth and dignity. My family’s financial donation to UNICEF at this time gives us hope that it, along with the generosity of others, will help with the immediate relief needed as a result of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake that resulted in so many deaths and caused such devastation – primarily fresh water and sanitation, to prevent addition tragedy and losses.

You can contact the following agencies to make donations and read updates about their disaster relief efforts: UNICEF at www.unicef.ca  or 1-877-955-3111, CANADIAN RED CROSS at www.redcross.ca  or 1-800-418-1111, OXFAM CANADA at www.oxfam.ca  or 1-800-466-9326, WORLD VISION at www.worldvision.ca  or 1-800-268-5528, SALVATION ARMY at www.salvationarmy.ca or 1-800-SAL-ARMY, CARE CANADA at www.care.ca  or 1-800-267-5232, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS at www.msf.ca  or 1-800-982-7903.

As well, Unitarian Service Committee (USC) Canada works to break the patterns of poverty; educating children and supporting women in their communities. www.usc-canada.org is their web site. USC will work with partner organizations in the disaster affected countries to support on-going needs. Your regular support to USC and local agencies is also very important.

"Everything that is done in the world is done by hope" (Martin Luther)

Did you child receive a gift of money from someone special in their lives for Christmas this year? Perhaps that $10 or $20 could go toward a family donation to support relief efforts, after making a choice by learning more about the agencies offering relief, on the web. That small amount of money may offer hope to your child and aid to another child, far away.

Books like "Old Turtle" by Douglas Ward bring back to us the mystery and awe of the interconnectedness of all living things.

For an annotated bibliography of other children’s books, please check out the CUC web site at http://www.cuc.ca/lifespan/biblio_principles.htm  You may find books here that speak to your family and children’s needs or contact me at lifespan@cuc.ca  for additional resources.

With love for the children,

Sylvia