“If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them.”
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These are the wise words of the Dalai Lama.
It perfectly sums up the intention of the The Examiner’s Winter Relief Appeal.
This year the appeal celebrated its 60th anniversary.
We set the ambitious goal to raise $60,000 for this milestone year.
On Friday night we celebrated – with our charity partners, business leaders, service groups and community-minded individuals – the fact we had reached and exceeded that $60,000 mark.
And we still have about three weeks left to continue to grow that number.
The donations that make up this tally range from $10 to $12,000.
Some have the names of those who donated and many - despite attempts to sweet talk the donors into listing their name – are listed as anonymous.
One of the greatest parts of this appeal isn’t always hitting our fundraising target.
Instead it is hearing about the direct impact the funds will have on our community.
If you haven’t already, take the time to chat to representatives from St Vincent de Paul, City Mission, the Benevolent Society and the Salvation Army.
They will be able to tell you about the programs and support services they offer Northern Tasmanians.
Whether it be at times of grief, looking for a job, unable to pay the power bill, addiction, loneliness, homelessness or domestic violence – these charities are there with emergency, short-term or long-term support.
While every dollar helps these charities, we also shouldn’t underestimate the value of our time.
There are many forms of volunteering that can have as big of an impact on our community as any dollar that you give.
We’ve said it before in this paper, but if you are going through a tough time you wouldn’t want to be living anywhere else but Northern Tasmania due to the kindness of our community.