Does your heart feel bigger than your checkbook these days?
Today’s 24/7 media coverage, compounded immensely by social media, inundates our hearts with images and videos we cannot unsee. We’re watching hurricanes, floods and fires. These disturbing scenes and tragic stories are heartbreaking and make me want to reach for my checkbook “just one more time.”
I don’t know how you’re getting through this but I’m doing a lot of praying. You may feel helpless for friends, families, loved ones and even strangers whose lives have been blown completely apart in Texas, Florida, the Virgin Islands, and beyond. You may feel deeply sad.
If you’re like me, all these natural disasters are too huge to wrap your head around and your heart breaks a little more with each new story. These stories are so real and raw and you want to help everyone! My checking account is limited but I know God’s love has no limits. So I say another prayer.
They say God’s timing is always perfect but truly sometimes it just stinks. We are less than 48 hours from North Texas Giving Day, the largest philanthropic day of the year when non-profit organizations go all out to raise thousands of dollars for their causes. Our goal for this year was $15,000.
That is still our goal. Yes, right on the heels of too many catastrophic events and endless requests for money, we’re asking you to support DPR on North Texas Giving Day. I almost feel guilty for asking.
But here’s why I don’t:
1. Unlike hurricanes and other natural disasters, we can prevent drug use and misuse, but prevention services must be available for all youth in all communities. Current funding limits us to providing prevention only in communities where disasters from substance use disorders have already hit. You can change this!
2.Every day in Texas, young people try alcohol and other drugs for the first time. In fact, current (past 30 days) use as well as lifetime use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription drugs, and illicit drugs all have increased percentages among students in all grades (7- 12) since the 2014 Texas School Survey. All too often parents or caregivers are not aware of the dangers and haven’t taken steps to safeguard their families. You can prevent this!
3.Even though you don’t see it on the news around the clock, 144 young people die every day from opioid-related deaths, including overdoses. You can eliminate this!
The devastation caused by alcohol and other drugs is much more pervasive than natural disasters and more challenging to fundraise for because of continued shame and stigma around substance misuse and substance use disorders.
We are asking you to donate to something much more destructive than hurricanes even though it’s something you can’t always see.
Will you please help us save lives and create a #drugfreegeneration? Keep it simple by texting the letters DPR to 41444 or go to our #NTxGivingDay page.
