With the warmer weather comes a lot of changes to the campus we call home. Students walking through campus begin to see the snow melting, and out come the new tables set up to request donations for spring charity projects. Yes, those tables outside of Wells Hall asking for students to donate to any given charity will begin sprouting at any moment, and this fact brings about a range of reactions.
On one hand, many are annoyed by the number of people who stop and interrupt their iPod playing their favorite song of the week. For these students, the walk through campus might be one they would rather not make and they hope to make the experience as painless as possible. On the other hand, a large portion of students do not mind these individuals stopping them and are willing to donate some money to the charity at hand.
The thought of passing a charity table makes me anxious. I want to make a change in the world, and I’ve always considered myself a charitable person. But I, like a majority of students, worry about if I can afford it.
There is no doubt that college is expensive. For the majority of students, figuring out how to pay tuition is enough of a source of worry, and by this time of year, most of the savings from the prior summer are greatly depleted, as are the semester’s financial aid. My heart breaks a little each time I am asked to donate funds. I simply cannot donate to every table I pass, especially because of the state of my bank account.
But for many students with similar anxieties, I have a lesson to share. My boyfriend is working on an upcoming dance marathon that helps Camp PALS, a nonprofit organization that puts on summer camps for children and young adults with Down syndrome. In an environment where funding can be difficult to come by, he came to me asking for a donation to help out his cause. For me, that came in the form of a small $5. This donation, and the reaction of a friend, reminded me of something very important: any giving is better than nothing.
This message is pretty straightforward. Yes, the majority of students in college struggle financially at one point or another. But this lesson encourages me to urge students who want to make a difference to feel proud doing so, even if that difference comes in the shape of a dollar or two. Every addition to a fund contributes to a total, and if you truly want to make a difference, even putting a few quarters in a jar can add up.
Now, I would be doing a disservice to my major if I failed to remind students to really inquire into what organizations and funds you are contributing to. Make sure that the small amount of money that you are able to donate goes to a cause that you feel powerfully about and understand what your funds will be contributing to. If you deem a cause is worthy, take a stand and make a difference - even if that difference might seem small.
When I donated to the charity, I was reminded that a dollar given is far better than the sadness that I have when I have to turn my back on an organization because I do not feel as though I have any substantial money to give. When these tables begin to spring up this semester, I encourage you to take a second and ask yourself if you have even one single dollar to spare for a cause that you feel will help others.
Daniel Becker is a comparative cultures and politics and international relations junior. Reach him at becker76@msu.edu.
