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July First, 2003 |
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Gifts |
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The announcement of a wedding brings out a wonderful side of people. They
want to contribute to the new couple's happiness. The traditional way to do
this is by giving them things to help build their new home. This is a
lovely tradition, because the couple start their life together surrounded
by things to remind them of people who care about them.
Mare and I are close to forty. We have the things we need. And we have each travelled enough to feel our positions as a couple of the most materially wealthy individuals on the planet, in addition to the wealth of friends and family who love and encourage us. We would like you to continue the tradition of making a gift to help celebrate our happiness. What we would really like is for that gift to go to a cause we care about. Alison's choice: Dr. David Sinyor's workshops. I have never met Dr. Sinyor in person, but when I called him one day in 1997 he was able to give me the help I needed in a very direct, practical, unfussy way. I also attended a six-week workshop he organised and received information about treatments for depression that allowed me to use them better. Through the workshop I met other depressives and found them on the whole to be sensitive, thoughtful, perceptive people with a wicked sense of black humour and the ability to look pain straight in the face. I thought that if they were cool people then very possibly the same could be said for me. And that I might have a contribution to make after all. Dr. Sinyor is an important reason I am alive today; he gave me encouragement to live the life I am living that allowed me to meet and to love and to be loved by Mare. It would give me pleasure if people who care about me were to help make his workshops available and affordable for other people in a similar situation to mine. Please designate donations to the Royal Victoria Hospital (part of the MUHC) Psychology Department.
Online:
By phone:
The Dutch Aids Fund My cause is not as personal as Alison's as I have no HIV-infection and don't even know people with AIDS. But I do know people that know people that have or had AIDS. And while there are now working medications on the market (with lots of side-effects) so AIDS has become less deadly, those meds are way to expensive for people in the developing world. And right there HIV-infection has spread like wildfire and a large part of the population will die in the coming decade. So there is a need for lots of money. For education, for research and for social help. So please, instead of a wedding gift, donate to the Dutch Aids Fund. Dutch readers can just send their donations to GIRO 8957 in the name of Stichting Aidsfonds. For more information read their (Dutch only) website.
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders Médecins Sans Frontières work in areas where other aid and relief organisations have left because there is too much danger. They only do emergency aid, which doesn't make the world a better place but that can be of vital importance to the people that need it. Currently all donations must be directed to the national offices. http://www.msf.org/donations/index.cfm Thank you very much! |