The holidays are behind us, as is a particularly tough year in terms of major natural disasters, including several devastating hurricanes that afflicted communities right here in the U.S. Disasters always hit our collective radars with dramatic, up-to-the-minute news coverage as they strike and immediately after, but after the news cycle moves on, it's easy for us to forget the stricken communities' pain, losses, and challenges remain. It takes plenty of resources, many helping hands, and time to rebuild afflicted areas. There's no quick fix, but there are ways we can continue to assist the process of moving forward long after initial relief efforts are done.
That's why we'd like to remind folks about The Motley Fool's 2017-2018 holiday drive partner, All Hands & Hearts -- Smart Response -- and the fact that it's not too late to contribute to our fundraiser, which has amassed about $107,000 as of this writing due to generous folks like you. Check out give.fool.com and consider donating before our deadline on Friday, Jan. 19, at 11:59 pm.
Fools with David Campbell, co-founder of All Hands & Hearts. Image source: The Motley Fool.
"We come early and stay late." -- David Campbell, co-founder, All Hands & Hearts
If this is the first you're hearing about our partnership with this worthy charity that mobilizes volunteers to help rebuild and ultimately heal communities after disasters, there are several avenues to find out more. First, check out our campaign's introductory article, as well as a blog post detailing the trip several Motley Fool employees made to volunteer with All Hands and Hearts in Houston in October.
Furthermore, in this Facebook video, Motley Fool employees and philanthropists Anne Henry and Bill Mann chat with All Hands & Hearts' co-founder David Campbell about the organization -- which incidentally, has a coveted four-star rating on respected charity vetting site Charity Navigator -- and effective giving in general.
You can learn about how the organization views its donors as "investors," how it stretches its dollars so it can do so much good in mobilizing volunteers (in an aside that deserves particular applause, 95% of revenues go straight to programs), and hear a bit more about Campbell's quote above (for example, the organization arrived in Houston about a week after Hurricane Harvey hit and will stay on to rebuild communities for between two and three years).
Meanwhile, learn even more from Campbell's chat with Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner on the Rule Breaker Investing podcast, including Campbell's inspiration for founding All Hands and its evolution to where it stands today, why it's different from big organizations like the Red Cross, why one of its mottoes is "maximum impact, minimum bureaucracy," and why actually volunteering in communities through All Hands & Hearts might suit your need to help just as well or better than simply providing financial donations.
Many thanks to those who have already helped the Motley Fool's 2017-2018 Foolanthropy holiday drive reach past the $100,000 mark, and to those of you who now choose to help move the needle to provide even more financial support to this organization before the impending deadline. Fool on!
