Too often, when we consider all the problems in the world, such as poverty, disease, illiteracy, crime, and the high cost of education for many people, we despair. We may give a little money here and there, but we don't really think that any big changes will happen. But sometimes they do.
Here's an example. Imagine that you were a young person, with a burning desire to learn as much about music as you could. You hoped for a career in music, even. And then you were admitted to Yale. Hooray, right? Well, yes. But you'd still face a hefty expense -- college isn't cheap for many people these days (though you can afford it and we can help you there) -- and music majors don't generally go on to make millions. Well, you lucked out, pal. The Yale School of Music just announced that it received an anonymous $100 million donation, which will make advanced music education free beginning with the 2006-2007 school year. An Associated Press article noted, "Music scholars hope it will pressure other schools to do the same." (These schools might be a bit reluctant, though, until they receive their own $100 million donations.)
Why do I bring this story up? Because it involves giving, and it involves improving the world -- two aspects of our own Foolanthropy campaign, which is now underway.
America's most admired companies tend to donate a lot of money and expend energy to better the world. Motley Fool Stock Advisor pick Dell
You can be one of America's "Most Admired Citizens," if you'd like. One way might be to join with us in our Foolanthropy campaign, as we raise money for some very unique organizations. In the past years, we've raised more than $2 million together, and we have high hopes again. Read all about our current drive and meet our five featured charities.
It takes a lot less than you think to make a big difference in the world. Read about all the good work Mercy Corps is doing in places such as Pakistan, Indonesia, India, Guatemala and Louisiana. And then note that it's able to leverage every single dollar you donate into $20 of goods and aid. Heifer International can lift more than 140 families out of poverty with $100,000, and we've raised more than that for it in the past. I encourage you to read about all our featured organizations -- even if you don't contribute (though we hope you will), they'd love you to just become familiar with them.
And by the way, if you're interested in investing in companies that are out to make big changes in the world, take advantage of a free trial of our Rule Breakers newsletter service, and you'll be introduced to some very impressive companies that we've recommended. Last time I checked, the total average return for the picks was around 18%, vs. 4.4% for the S&P 500.
Longtime Fool contributor Selena Maranjian owns shares of Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, and Wal-Mart. The Fool has a disclosure policy.
