As some of you may have heard, early in my career I was moved by a speech in my own Toastmaster Club. A fellow member did a speech about Abby’s House in Worcester, MA. www.abbyshouse.org
At that time I was still a struggling speaker. I promised I’d donate 10% of my speaking income to a charity in the hopes of a little marketing help from above. That was more than ten years ago, and thousands of dollars as well.
When I was visiting my family this past Easter weekend, I popped in to say “hi” there. I met Anna, Debbie, and Loretto (below- left to right) who are benefiting now from that shelter. We are standing in front of the 20 Abby’s House Years Quilt. (Yes, those are rings under my eyes, I was tired, jet lag!)
I encourage you to to give their “gift of speech.” More on that soon! Who do you support?
This looks like a great cause. I looked up their tax forms, and they’re really putting the money into their programs (it’s certainly not going to salaries — is Worcester really that cheap that they can pay so little?).
To answer your question about who I support, I like Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic. A lot of children really struggle to read print, mainly because of dyslexia or learning disabilities. Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic uses volunteers to record textbooks for students who can learn through listening. I sponsored “Intermediate Algebra” which is a laugh because I never got through algebra in my life! Great organization: you can get more information at http://www.rfbd.org.