By Anna Von Reitz
Among
all the questions I get--- and I get some strange questions -- none
perplex me more than inquiries about where I donate money and why?
Well,
obviously, for some years now my husband and I have been supporting a
mammoth effort to research America's history and the history of law and
religion throughout the world. This has not been a small or inexpensive
endeavor for an oil painter and a legal beagle. The bulk of whatever
charitable giving we have goes to the members of The Living Law Firm and
the researchers and paralegals supporting them. That's the way it is,
and the way it has to be, if we are to continue to make the strides
homeward that we have made.
That said, there are lots of worthy efforts and we don't forget them or fail those duties, either.
We
just got our "21 years" card from the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
My husband put it most succinctly: "Their sacrifice continues, so our
support continues, too."
Easy enough.
The family motto is "Loyal unto death." So it was and is and always will be.
Paralyzed Veterans of America
7 Mill Brook Road
PO Box 9533
Wilton, NH 03086-9533
We
have been contributing for a long time, though I have no specific
number of years, to Food for the Poor, also. This organization provides
food, clean water, housing, medical help, orphan care, and whatever it
can do to help our neighbors in the Caribbean and Meso-America. It has
one of the lowest administrative costs of any such organization on
Earth, and when they invite you to make a prayer request--- they are
serious. They will call you up and pray for you and with you. As you
all have cause to know, I am a skeptic--- so when I say, "Yeah!" -- it
means something. The people this organization supports are our
neighbors; they are desperately poor and many have suffered the ravages
of severe storms, earthquakes, and other disasters. If we have a
calling to help beyond our borders, let it begin here with our offshore
neighbors and with organizations like Food for the Poor --- mission
driven, unselfish, effective, and sincere.
Food for the Poor
PO Box 979003
Coconut Creek, Florida 33097-9989
Then,
I have two schools I support, both of them Church Residential Schools
for Native Americans. Although I do not and never did support the
enforced residential schools imposed by the government, these Christian
institutions fulfill a desperate need in some of the poorest counties in
America and protect some of those who are most worthy of our care:
Native American children.
It
is a terrible scandalous situation that continues to blemish our great
nation that these First People have suffered all that they have suffered
and continue to suffer: poverty, neglect, prejudice, and truncated
opportunities. Life "on the Res" is often brutal and the clash of
cultures and values that continues to this day destroys health, destroys
families, and too often, destroys hope itself.
I
know that Kevin Annett has made a name decrying abuses that went on in
similar schools fifty or a hundred years ago. What I can tell you for
sure is that both of these schools have no such history of child abuse
and have many, many successful graduates who are making a difference in
the arts and sciences, in the military, in education, and in
government. Giving these Americans a decent chance in life is--- in my
view--- another sacred duty. Nobody knows or loves this country more
than the Native Americans. Enough said.
St. Labre Indian School
P.O. Box 216
Ashland, Montana 59002-9989
Serves the Crow and Flathead tribes in Montana, some of the most expert traders and craft artists on this continent.
St. Joseph's Indian School
P.O. Box 326
Chamberlain, SD 57326
Serves the Lakota Sioux, among the bravest warriors who ever lived on Earth.
My charity also extends to animals, especially draft horses and elderly black cats.
I
have always loved the Gentle Giants and revered their strength and
contribution to building this country. It was draft horses that pulled
the millstones and worked the fields and hauled the stones and logs and
now many of them need help. A draft horse needs a lot of food and care
and pays back in love and strength and willingness to work. Maybe we
can't go back to a truly agrarian farm culture, but my "horse sense"---
pardon the pun--- tells me that we would be better off if we did, and
that if we betray these patient, trusting creatures we betray ourselves
and our roots and our culture. If everyone reading this contributed
just $10 a year, it would totally revolutionize the work that the good
people at Gentle Giants do to save and defend and preserve this precious
living heritage.
My
own Black Cat Rescue began many years ago when I was adopted by an
elderly black cat. He was a denizen of the salty piers in Juneau,
Alaska, a tough, cold, and rainy place if there ever was one, but
Poontah of the Punjab, so called because of his regal demeanor,
panther-like grace, unfailing civility, and noble temper--- as well as
the fact that he wore a collar of Hindu beads--- was equal to any
challenge. Even me.
I
had never been owned by a cat and never imagined that I would be, but
he won me over and together we survived some very, very tough times.
When the Old Hero died, I wept for three days. Among the lessons he
taught me were patience, respect for others, grace, mercy, and
forgiveness. Who can repay such a debt?
And
among the things I learned because of him is that life for a black cat,
especially an elderly black cat, can be very desperate indeed.
People
are superstitious about black cats, so they have a lower than average
chance of being adopted into a good home to begin with, and as they get
older, those slim chances decline. Despite the advantages that many
older and more experienced cats offer to a family, they aren't as cute
and playful as kittens. So, in memory of my first cat, I began putting
out the word that when rescuers found elderly black cats in need of a
sponsor..... four elderly black cats later, I can tell you that I have
no regrets. They each gave me love and entertainment and good luck
equal to winning a lottery.
As
with most things, patience and dedication and goodwill are what pay
off, not the amount given, but the fact of the giving, not the grand
gesture, but the day by day and year by year support that fills in the
blanks and tides over the rough spots and makes it possible to keep
going when all you have is faith that someone, somewhere cares enough to
help.
You realize that fully when you get a membership card in the mail that says you've been a supporter for 21 years.
So
for all those who are curious about my own giving habits, these are
"my" charities above and beyond The Living Law Firm and the Asset
Recovery Team that I contribute to faithfully every year. I can
recommend them all as worthy efforts and good places to weigh in and
make a difference. The important point is to thoroughly check out the
organizations and causes you give money to, and make those choices in
alignment with your own values and experience in life---and then give
and keep on giving. Make it count. Make it a commitment. There are
times in my life when I only had $5 to give, but I gave it.
When
I turn up my heels, I will know that I kept my faith with my country
and my countrymen, with our veterans, with the Native children, with the
Gentle Giants, and a certain number of very special elderly black
cats. That may seem to be an odd assortment, and I fully admit that it
is, but then, I am an odd person. It all fits me to a "t". So go
forth, America, in the dark days of the winter and let your light shine
when it is least expected; give in support of the people and causes that
matter to you, because in the end, you are giving back to yourself and
"voting" in a far more meaningful way than by checking a box on a
ballot.
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