75 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
75 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
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---
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type: post
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date: 2013-12-04
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slug: holiday-donations
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title: Holiday Donations
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---
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Hi! Thanks for reading this. After the success of last year's combined drive
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on Twitter, and in memory of my pup Millie, I will be donating $1 to the [Humane
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Society of the United States](http://www.humanesociety.org/) for every retweet
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of [this status update on
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twitter](https://twitter.com/drab_makyo/status/408284722972749824).
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Additionally, I will be donating $1 to the [Humane Society of Boulder
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Valley](http://boulderhumane.org) for ever retweet of [this status update on
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twitter](https://twitter.com/drab_makyo/status/408378552023666688).
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I will donate no less than $500 to each charity, and no more than $2000 total (I
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still have to support the house!), but if the numbers differ, I will use the
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*larger* number for both (again, up to $2000); this isn't a popularity contest,
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just a fun way to help with giving for the holidays!
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### Why?
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I've got a lot of stuff. *We* have a lot of stuff. It's just part of the
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accumulated past of more than two families. The last thing we really need is
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more *things*. In that vein, and after [the experience of donating to the ASPCA
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last year](http://adjectivespecies.com/2012/12/19/on-giving/), I've decided to
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repeat the experiment.
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Additionally, due to cancer and internal bleeding, [my dog Millie was put down
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earlier this year](/posts/personal/2013/10/06/millie/). Millie was adopted from
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the Humane Society of Boulder after her previous owner had tried to make a
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fighting dog of her. Fed up with her inability to be anything but a sweetheart,
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he kicked her and broke her back leg, which then healed improperly. Even so,
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she was a trooper, and followed my mom on hikes for years. This is one small
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thing I can do in her honor.
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### The Charities
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The Humane Society of the United States is [highly
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rated](http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3848#.Up9ierWJDAQ)
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on Charity Navigator in finances as well as accountability and transparency.
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Mission:
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> The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is the nation's largest and most
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> effective animal protection organization. Established in 1954, The HSUS seeks a
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> humane and sustainable world for all animals - a world that will also benefit
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> people. We work to reduce suffering and to create meaningful social change for
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> animals by advocating for sensible public policies, investigating cruelty and
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> working to enforce existing laws, educating the public about animal issues,
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> joining with corporations on behalf of animal-friendly policies, and conducting
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> hands-on programs that make ours a more humane world. We are the lead disaster
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> relief agency for animals, and we provide direct care for thousands of animals
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> at our sanctuaries and rescue facilities, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and
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> mobile veterinary clinics.
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It was brought to my attention that it is not clear that HSUS is *not*
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affiliated with local Humane Societies, though they do operate shelters in five
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states and work with various local shelters throughout the US. This isn't a
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statement about either HSUS or local shelters, as both do fantastic work! In
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order to more properly address this concern, I will also be donating to The
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Humane Society of Boulder Valley, the shelter that took in Millie, as well as
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one of our current pups, Falcon!
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Mission:
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> It is the mission of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley to protect and
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> enhance the lives of companion animals by promoting healthy relationships
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> between pets and people. We were founded more than a century ago in 1902, yet
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> this mission holds true today as we counter animal neglect and cruelty and
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> partner with other animal welfare organizations, sharing our mutual mission of
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> saving more animals' lives.
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