When I was growing up, my Mother and Father always taught us the Biblical principle of tithing. Not only that, we were taught that as a child of God, we should give an offering on top of our tithe.
So as a 7-year-old, each week I gave 10¢ of my 25¢ allowance as my tithe and offering.
So later on, at NICABM, we made it a cornerstone of our organization that we would give back and do what we can to make this world a better place . . .
. . . and each year, I appreciate more and more how rewarding it is to support the good work that so many people and organizations are doing.
I’m sharing that list here in the hope that it will inspire others.
Here’s what we’ve given this year:
- $50,000 – Support for Syrian Refugees via Save the Children
- $46,000 – Cyclone Relief in Mozambique via Save the Children
- $20,000 – The Citizens Foundation
- $20,000 – Women and Girls fund at Save the Children
- $10,000 – Amnesty International
- $10,000 – Covenant Soup Kitchen
- $10,000 – Holy Family Home & Shelter
- $10,000 – International Rescue Committee
- $10,000 – Windham Area Interfaith Ministry
- $10,000 – Windham No Freeze Shelter
- $6,000 – American Near East Refugee Aid
- $6,000 – Direct Relief
- $5,035 – Community Foundation – Windham Women and Girls Fund
- $5,000 – Center for Medicare Advocacy
- $5,000 – Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network
- $5,000 – GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders)
- $5,000 – Habitat for Humanity
- $5,000 – Human Rights Campaign
- $5,000 – Human Rights Watch
- $5,000 – Joshua’s Trust
- $5,000 – New England Public Radio
- $5,000 – OXFAM America
- $5,000 – Provincetown Film Society
- $5,000 – Salvation Army
- $5,000 – Smile Train
- $4,000 – UCONN Foundation – Jorgensen
- $3,500 – Willimantic Athletic Club – Frogtoberfest Run
- $2,000 – Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
- $2,000 – Benton Art Museum
- $2,000 – Insight Meditation Community of Washington, DC
- $2,000 – Sierra Club
- $2,000 – Windham Area Interfaith Ministry
- $2,000 – World Wildlife Foundation
- $1,100 – Mansfield Downtown Partnership
- $1,000 – Alzheimers Association
- $1,000 – American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- $1,000 – E.O. Smith High School Robotics Team
- $1,000 – Mansfield Holiday Fund
- $1,000 – Massachusetts General Hospital Fund
- $1,000 – Michigan State University
- $1,000 – NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health)
- $1,000 – Preemptive Love Coalition
- $1,000 – Provincetown Art Association and Museum
- $1,000 – Taylor University
- $1,000 – The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
- $500 – Our Companions
- $360 – Charity Water
- $200 – Integrated Day Charter School
- $200 – Oasis Legal Services
- $200 – Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)
Total: $306,095
As I look over this list, I already hope to exceed this next year.
That’s why we’ll be announcing our Holiday Special very shortly.
It’s a favorite tradition at NICABM to lower the price of one of our programs and more importantly, to give half of the proceeds to charity.
I’ll have more to say about that soon.
But in the meantime, I’d love to hear about the good work that you support during this season of giving. Please tell me about it in the comments below.
Amazing work.
Thank you for your inspirational list of organizations that you support. It feels good to be a small part of your generosity through tuition paid.
I am an art teacher for low income public schools, so my income is on the poverty level. At the end of the year I gave my “widow’s mite” (one to two digit donations) to the Audubon Society, Sierra Club, ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Poor People’s Campaign, and a couple of women candidates. I also volunteer through the year at my church and on a Low Income Housing Board (which has a history of support for people with Hansen’s disease). Our Board also helps fund a Catholic Worker house, a refugee/immigrant Center in Mexico, and a Women’s Empowerment Center in a favela in Brazil.
One of the best ways to feel better about our own difficult situations (and about the world) is to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
Wishing all a peaceful, healthy and loving New Year,
Alyce Dodge
Dear Ruth, thank you for the work you do at nicabm,
and your history of the wonderful principles your parents
taught you. I had a similar experience and along with my
husband we support a many faith-based and other organizations serving children and families, in the States and abroad.
WOW that’s really great how you are not only impacting us therapists but are sharing of your abundance to all these points of need. I’m reminded of this quote: Fredrick Buechner says, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Thanks for doing what you do. I went and graduated from Taylor University way back in ’85 and found myself wondering how they came to your attention? Still a great place.
Heart warming! It is such a wonderful gesture to the world that needs all our support .
Hi – tomorrow is the last day for any donation before your tax for next year! It is a reminder for myself as well since every year I do my best to contribute to the breast cancer researches, to the Red Cross, and family services agencies. Best wishes!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Beautiful!!!!
I love that you do this! The discipline of tithing is a wonderful gift to have been taught at a young age! <3
It’s so wonderful that you do this 🙂 Such a blessing to so many
I am inspired by the work you’ve done and your generosity. I believe when giving we are receiving. We are living in a world abundant of material things and self-centered, it is vital to think of others especially those who are less fortunate than us. Keep up your great work. For us we try to show example to our children by getting them helping with our local church’s soup kitchen during their school holidays; donate their birthday’s gifts to charity organization such as “Helping Hands Helping Hearts” which assist in the provision of support, health and education for disadvantaged children, young people and communities.
This makes me believe even more in what you are doing and offering. As the old saying goes, putting your money where you mouth is :). Life is about service for me, and I appreciate that you have shared the good fortune with those in need.
I read the “sharing this year” list, and I have scrolled through many of the comments. One group is missing! NICABM has been generously giving to women and men like me who are avid followers of all that the organization offers, yet who don’t have the funds to purchase any of the programs that are offered.
Thank you for what you do. May your work and your wisdom continue forward. The thinking and the effort to produce seamless, well-structured videos that are pleasing to listen to and to see is remarkable and commendable.
Throughout the year I support CBN Israel, and their Children ministry with title and other giving as well as other ministry opportunities.
Congratulations, dear Ruth, May this coming year be as fruitful for our cared for community, may the homeless be sheltered and may our children have foods and clothes. And jobs in abundance for the newcomers in the workforce.
ditto
Thanks for sharing the benefits of your amazing organization, this is wonderful to read and makes me happy that I have contributed to sharing the wealth by purchasing many wonderful learning tools that I have found so helpful in my life. Thank you Ruth! I feel like you have become a friend along the way who I can count on and who I am deeply appreciate of. -Aniko Lewis, North Wales, UK.
Fantastic – a diverse range too 🙂
Early inprints. My father yelled at me, i was just 4 years old, ” You are a Devilchild, born to misfortune and noone will ever be able to love you” Now at 69 and miserably alone at Christmas i can’t fight it anymore. My parents, siblings, husbands and my 4 children, 6 grandchildren do not love me. Possibly because of suffering CPTSD, which i fought hard to heal, or the curse by my father or whatever. I am tired, burnt out.
My husband had a very similar experience through his early years. It has taken a lifetime to resolve his feelings of being worthless and unloved. However, in his last years before retirement, he decided to “fake it till you make it”.
He responded to everyone with positivity. He offered everyone help if they wanted it. In other words he did to others what he needed from them. He says he wishes he had known this was so powerful and he had done this much sooner! He received appreciation, accolades, respect and love from colleagues, friends, strangers and family. This of course made it much easier for him to experience self- worth and in turn he continues to respond to others in a helpful, caring way as he now has the inner experience of love that he so much needed. He isn’t needing to fake it anymore! (Except on rare occasions with a miserable person). He now has love to give.
Thanks for posting this Helga! This is so true. Whatever we focus on appears larger – meaning we get more of it. When we focus on what we’re grateful for, we get more things to be grateful for. Give to others what you want to receive – or as the Bible and all major religions teach – Treat others the way you want to be treated. This is how we heal ourselves and how we heal our society. Happy New Year!
Dear Gertrude, my resolution for this new year is not only to be generous in helping, but also to be optimistic. In this sense, I want to see that life has its bad sides, but also not to ruminate to spoil a whole life. I think about it more and more and allow myself to think about it for no more than ten minutes. Your father has unconsciously ignored the limits. I am saddened to see so many fathers allow themselves to call their children by name and without apologizing or giving as an excuse that they are their offspring. The horror. How to think that a child born, it is up to us to do what we want from him. It is to understand nothing.
This is in response to Sarah’s comments above. What is worse for a parent to have said “You are not my child” to his/her own childs. You have the choice, for better. Best,
I understand you. I also went through an abusive childhood and still have a lot of problems due to this. It was the reason I did not let my children be born. I had no other way tgan to stop this at that time. Im so sorry for you that you can have no good contact with youre children. It must be awfull. I hear this more around me. I hope your future will be easier for you and better. Love
Always look at the better way to do it is how i evaluate my students papers. Some have shared and gone through hardship, abuse, restrained to short visitations, it is the most difficult time of the year. As a social worker I have had many clients who have no contact with parents or children. This is a very big loss but things get better when the court see their progress. I didn’t know that at 67 and being living in-home, I only have aids coming for visit. I hear some persons said that despite the worse, their own children still love them and get along by their husbands. That was my choice of staying loyal to my principles in life. So, i moved closer to the area where they are to make the peace, and the “faux” part of my life is always staying closer, without their love or daily attention.
Very inspiring! 10 cents out of 25 cents! It was about 40% of your allowance, Ruth! I will keep this as a personal goal.
Very interesting to know the choices NICABM made for 2019!
Good idea to publish it.
I am curious to know if NICABM is paying taxes and if yes, in which state? In Quebec about half of our income goes to provincial and federal taxes, not to count the TPS and the TVQ on every thing we buy, which is an excellent way to share our allowances also.
I support Corazon de Nina which is a home for children in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico whose families can’t care for them. It was established 7 and a half years ago, as the only place in the state to take in teen age girls. Soon realizing the need to reunite siblings, it now exists as the only home in the state and amongst few in the country to take in siblings of both genders and all ages, also teenagers with babies (typically they would be separated). The children are cared for through post secondary education and stay at home until they are ready to face the world independently. They now number more than 100.
The funding is all private…no government support……needless to say there is a great need for financial assistance…..the housing is leased and all maintenance and repurposing expenses are born by the foundation.
P.S.
NICABM methodology is very much in use at Corazon de Nina
It is great to know that we share like values. I am proud to be a small part of this organization.
Wow! This is incredibly generous!
Thank you. It is indeed inspiring.
God bless you and your team in the work you do and the spirit of love and compassion that you bring to us all.
Peace, love and light.
Natasha
Thanks for being such a conscientious organization! I gave to Water Not Oil which is an action agency promoting the closure of an old oil pipeline that runs under Lake Michigan. An Oil spill in the Great Lakes would be devastating!
Other favorite charities of mine include Finca (microloans to women), Docotrs Without Borders, and Southern Poverty Law Center (combatting hate in our society)…and independent new outlets that are doing the vital work of finding and sharing important information about our world – like TalkingPointsMemo, Truthout, and Reader Supported News. Among others… I’m heartened to see how much you give!
Wonderful work and such an eclectic mix of organisations.
Well done!!
Ruth, thank you for sharing your amazing list of contributions with us. Your organization is to be highly commended. We also support many agencies throughout the year to help others less fortunate than we are.. Merry Christmas and Blessings in 2020.
Best Wishes,
Susan D. Gorman
Very impressive. I donate to Planned Parenthood, Doctors Without Borders, Global Fund for Women,
Center for Climate Protection, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights , Cancer Support Community, Wellesley College, ESN Nicaragua, Women for Women Global Support Center.
What I love about this is that you cover such a wide range of organisations, doing good in so many ways. Thank you for being stewards of the world. My mother taught me that I needed to take care of the world because it supported me. No surprises that I “work” as a research scientist working almost fully as a volunteer, to tell the stories that lack of financial resources allow few people to tell. I love your site. It gives me such hope.
So heartwarming to see all the good works your organisation is doing. Sadly i cannot give anything, being a senior on disability leaves nothing left over except my prsyers for you and the organisation.
Judi Tapley. Kent UK EMDR Practitioner.
Dear Ruth.
Very inspirational and wonderful to know that a percentage of your Institute proceeds go to supporting so generously such a wide range of needs.
My private practice is small but I do give to a number of organisations and offer my clients, who could not otherwise afford EMDR for complex trauma, the opportunity for help.
I hope you reach your target to increase the final sum next year.
Thank you for making it possible for your supporters to learn from such well known theorists and experienced practitioners.
Awesome! I do contribute to cancer patients aid association.
Thank you Ruth for sharing about your childhood principles as well as how you continue to live by those solid principles of giving. I am honored to support an organization in which the cornerstone of all they do is rooted in biblical principles, yet the support extends beyond religion and on to humanity. I love it. I enjoy giving as well inspired by similar parental guidance. Dome organizations I support include: Share International; Forgotten children, both supporting Human sex trafficking survivors; Positive Results Corporation, supporting “at promise” children and teen domestic violence awareness; The Power Project, a hockey league for girls of color, which includes self-esteem, etiquette, and other essential training for gyoung girls and teens. Thank you for allowing me to share!!
Thank you Ruth and for an organization that is based on principles of giving. I was also taught that we can do more when we give, it changes our heart perspective.
I am privileged to have a small part in your compassion and charity through the purchase of programs. I make it a practice to tithe my income from psychotherapy to subsidize clients who otherwise would not have access to a therapist. Many of those clients have sent donations to me years later, after their circumstances have changed, so that others can have the benefit of subsidized therapy. The circle never ends.
Would you consider adding Autism Speaks or another autism charity to the charities you support? My son suffers with significant autism and lives at a residential school.
Marsha Marino
God bless you Ruth!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for your very generous giving; yet, another reason to love NICABM❤️
Hi Ruth! I too believe strongly in the principle of tithing. I support NAMI, St. Jude Children’s Cancer Research, the Humane Society, Union Gospel Mission, Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland Rescue Mission, Decoding Dyslexia (I used to be a teacher), Outside In, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology, the American Red Cross, and Portland State University (where I earned my three Master’s degrees). I can see how much your organization gives back and it’s so fabulous! I love the work your organization does.
Kathy Hardie-Williams M.Ed, MS, NCC, LPC, LMFT
My income is not so great that I can do a lot, but I have been a regular contributor to Pasado’s Safe Haven in Sultan Washington which is a animal rescue and Rehabilitation organization that does amazing work! It takes a lot of love time and funds to help these animals that have been abandoned or so mistreated and to bring them back to good health and find them loving homes when possible. I also have been a regular contributor to the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) the years which fights to protect our natural places and Wildlife!
Oops and I forgot to mention Charity Water which I contribute to every month.
I’ve been giving 1day a week to a Christian Counselling Service, plus regular financial contributions to 2 churches, a Christian relief fund, and charities for clean water and animals.
However, giving my time stopped just before Christmas as I’m now caring for my father alongside building my business from home.
I don’t often mention what I give, as I hope my reward will be elsewhere.
But I’m in awe of the amount your organisation has been able to give, and would love to earn enough to help myself and others that much. This is inspirational! Thank you for sharing ❤️?❤️
I applaud the ‘unnamed’ ancestry that produced and inspired such a remarkable practice of generosity
Can you offer more details about your people and the history of this practice?. I would also like to donate and prioritize their charitable agencies in appeciation and to ensure this wisdom endures.
Many blessings to you and yours in this season of light
Ruth,
So impressive!
Great to know that part of what we pay goes to meeting needs like these.
Lilian
This is amazing Ruth, very impressive you are a wonderful person I could tell from the work you do for us that you were very generous; fundamentally you have to be a giving and caring person to have embraced that profession. You are right to tell us as we would have never guessed! Personally I give to Charities – Samaritans, Cancer Research UK, NSPCC (Protection of children) but not in a scale comparable to yours OMG and I am involved in a lot of voluntary work in my local Church and town, particularly in music (choir, classical music festival). This is very rewarding. It gives me a sense of purpose, of being useful, of belonging, of doing something for others than myself which is gratifying. I have made new friends and I feel valued – not always but most of the time! I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Wow Ruth! This is so impressive!!!
May God bless you Ruth
Woaw ! Nice work ! Congratulations and Happy Holidays!
Wonderful work, Ruth, you are an inspiration. I am chairing a small charity supporting colleagues confronted with cancer – themselves or a dear one. This year from what exceeded our activities we helped some Brussels-based foundations supporting research, some charities helping children facing cancer and their families, we support them every year. The novelty this year was a charity in Cluj-Napoca which offers a day-centre proposing creative activities to cancer patients and to people with disabilities. One of their other projects is On(cool) art, helping women support each other and deal with the trauma of scars due to surgeries.
Lots of charities but these were the biggest donations.
Orange sky laundry- founded in Brisbane, Australia provides a mobile shower and laundry service for the homeless and sit down group chats which can lead to medical, dental or psych referrals.
Share the dignity- which provides sanitary and toiletries products to homeless or displaced women ( often domestic violence victims)
This year we donated a tank of water to a drought affected family in Western Queensland, through our local community Facebook page.
A very heartwarming comment at a time when love, charity, kindness and compassion are in our hearts. May we remember to practice all these essential human qualities through the year 2020!