The Heart of Giving

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2003-12-15

The Heart of Giving
Give back to your community this holiday season

By Darrell Miho

Photo by Jonathan Macaranas

Darrell Miho dressed as Santa hands out toys to kids at the annual Center for the Pacific Asian Family Christmas party.

Christmas is a time of loving, sharing and giving. We walk the malls or surf the internet in search of that perfect gift to show our love and appreciation to those who are very important and special in our lives. We have Christmas parties and family get-togethers to celebrate this joyous time of the year.

This is also the time of year when we often turn our thoughts to others we don't even know. We realize we have a lot to be thankful for - food on the table, a roof over our heads, a cool digital camera and a computer at hand so we can check out the latest buzz in the sports photo world on Sporsshooter.com - and decide its time to give back to our community.

As Founder and Executive Director of the Garrett Miho Foundation (GMF) www.theGarrettMihoFoundation.org , a non-profit organization founded in memory of my older brother who passed away at the age of 36, I, along with some friends, have focused our thoughts and energy to helping children of single parent households.

With the cost of housing, education, childcare, healthcare and other essential services rising, the cost to raise children is growing faster than a family's ability to pay for them. This strain on a family budget is multiplied for single parent households. As a result, a parent is forced to reduce the number and types of extra-curricular activities his or her child partcipates in.

Many of these activities provide essential life-experiences that these children need to build self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and leadership skills that will help mold them into responsible and well-rounded individuals. To eliminate these experiences from their lives is to retard the growth of our future leaders.

The GMF is devoted to helping these children by providing financial support, mentors and volunteers to organizations and individuals that meet their specific needs. We believe that by providing a positive environment and positive role models, we can help pave their way to a better and brighter future.

Over the past few years, we have:

Helped Wyatt play basketball and take swimming lessons by paying all the necessary fees as well as purchase a new ball, shorts and gym bag.

Sent Tara, a teenage girl in Honolulu, to volleyball camp run by the University of Hawai'i women's volleyball team.

Purchased school uniforms for Emmanuel so he could attend school.

Started a children's activity center at the Center for the Pacific Asian Family where children at the shelter can go do their homework or play games with volunteers.

The GMF is run completely on a volunteer basis. There are no salaries to be paid. All the money we raise goes toward helping children of single parent households. Why do we do this and not get paid? I can't speak for the other volunteers, but I think it could best be summed up in a Master Card commercial.

An Epson printer, $100. An iMac computer, $1500. The look on the children's faces, priceless.

Our very first donation was an iMac computer and Epson printer. And the look on the children's faces at the shelter was truly priceless. It was like Christmas in August. Their eyes lit up and their smiles went ear to ear.

That is why I do it.

In a country where we are surrounded by exceJonathan Macaranasss, corporate greed and the me-me-me syndrome, it's important for us to remember that there are people out there that are not as fortunate as we are. And even when we are struggling, regardless of how bad we might think we have it, there will always be someone that is 10 times worse off then we are.

So I'd like to encourage everyone out in the Sportsshooter.com community to step up to the plate, because you can make a difference. There are many ways you can help.

First off, find a charity you believe in. It doesn't have to be the GMF, but if you happen to believe in our mission, than we welcome any help we get. What is most important though is that you find a worthy cause that you are passionate about, something that will keep you motivated year after year. Perhaps a family member has cancer, or you have a love for animals. There are plenty of charities to choose from that cover everything from Aids to the Zoo.

Donate some money. Any amount is better than nothing. If every member of SS.com donated $20, that would be over $30,000 of financial assistance!!! Some of you also work for companies that have corporate matching programs. Take advantage of it. Your donation just doubled!

But there are more ways you can help than just opening your wallet.

Donate your time. Volunteer at fundraisers, feed the homeless, clean up the city, go Christmas caroling at the hospital or retirement home, be a mentor. Finding good volunteers is sometimes harder than finding funding.

Donate your services. Non-profits are always in need of great pictures to help illustrate their needs or document their events. What a great way to use your talent. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Great pictures help them tell their story and get more funding.

Donate your artwork. Many charities hold silent auctions to help raise money. A free portrait sitting plus an 11x14 print. Or perhaps you have an autographed photo of an athlete. An autographed photo Rod Mar took of Ichiro Suzuki brought in over $500 for the Asian American Journalists Association 2 years ago.

The ways you can help are endless. The rewards are priceless. But if you expect to be praised or recognized for your generosity or you're doing it just for a tax deduction, then you're doing it for the wrong reason. The rewards you gain are the ones you find. The joy in a child's smile. The comfort of knowing someone won't go to sleep with an empty stomach. The relationships you will build working alongside other like-minded individuals will last a lifetime. These are rewards money can't buy.

Follow your heart and you're body will follow.

Related Links:

The Garrett Miho Foundation

Darrell Miho's member page