December 2019 Donations

International Campaign for Tibet

I donated to ICT this month because of the following notice I received:

Your Gift x2
Richard Gere’s Matching Gift Challenge for Tibet
The stakes are high. But we have a chance to make real change for Tibet.

At a time when the Tibetan people need our support more than ever, Richard Gere and a group of friends are matching all gifts to ICT, up to $250,000. Every dollar will help us stand up to China’s oppression of the Tibetan people.

Together, we can shift the balance toward compassion and kindness. Make a gift right now and it will be matched for double the impact.

During my discovery of Buddhism I became aware of ICT and felt compelled to do what little I could to help the people of Tibet and for Palden Gyatso who I truly admired. Here is what ICT Chairman Richard Gere has to say:

Tibet is a human rights issue as well as a civil and political rights issue. But there’s something else too – Tibet has a precious culture based on principles of wisdom and compassion. This culture addresses what we lack in the world today; a very real sense of inter-connectedness. We need to protect it for the Tibetan people, but also for ourselves and our children.

ACT UP NY

OUR MISSION:
ACT UP — the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power — is a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals, united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. We meet with government officials, we distribute the latest medical information, we protest and demonstrate. We are not silent.

ACT UP was formed in response to social neglect, government negligence and the complacency of the medical establishment during the 1980s. Soon it found itself needing to fight corporate greed, lack of solidarity and various forms of stigma and discrimination at home and abroad.

While ACT UP has an incredible history, HIV/AIDS is not history. HIV/AIDS is very much with us. And we call on you to join our fight to end AIDS.

ACT UP FIGHTS FOR:
• Sustained investment in research for new medicines and treatments for HIV/AIDS and related co-infections.
• Equitable access to prevention and care for HIV/AIDS and healthcare, in general.
• Tackling the structural drivers of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, such as stigma, discrimination and poverty.

(photo of Larry Kramer kidnapped from nytimes - additional info: Sara Krulwich/New York Times Co./Getty Images)

Bonus! I ordered a t-shirt from the ACT UP store because it's a Keith Haring piece that I'm very familiar with:

Additional info on the super cool shirt: Original Keith Haring artwork licensed solely to ACT UP by the Haring Foundation. When you buy official ACT UP merchandise you not only support our “Programs, ACTIONS and Demos” and our “Communications and Social Media” efforts, but our “Fundraising” point on the triangle is supported by a an employee owned, Long-term AIDS survivor staffed fulfillment company! What’s more, all goods are Union Made, in the USA, environmentally, responsibly made—and are not a knockoff or a questionably made, unauthorized imitation!

We fight AIDS! And, we’re not going to stop until AIDS is over for everyone!

Please join me in the Low Budget Philanthropy movement and help out your community and beyond in the simplest way - donating any amount to whatever charity or organisation that you care about!