I want to share an important update about my monthly donation posts.
Since starting this initiative in 2011, I’ve committed to donating one day’s worth of my salary to various causes and documenting each contribution. After much thought, I’ve decided to end the monthly donation documentation while continuing to donate one day’s salary each month. This decision was not made lightly, but I believe it’s the right step for me now.

Moving forward, I will no longer document and highlight one donation per month. While the updates will cease, my commitment to giving will not. I will continue to donate the equivalent of one day’s salary each month to causes that matter deeply to me.

This change aims to focus more on the act of giving rather than the documentation process. Over the months, I’ve realized that while sharing my journey has been valuable, the core of this initiative is the impact we can make together. By freeing up the time spent on documentation, I hope to engage more deeply with the causes I support and explore new ways to contribute to their missions.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has followed, supported and encouraged me throughout this journey. Your enthusiasm and kindness have been a driving force, and I hope you continue to support the causes close to your heart. Each of you has played a part in the success of this initiative, and for that, I am truly thankful.

Let’s keep making a difference together. Though you won’t see monthly updates, rest assured that the spirit of this initiative lives on. Your continued support and understanding are invaluable as I transition to this new phase. Together, we can still achieve great things and contribute positively to our community and beyond.

Thank you once again for your unwavering support.

The donation of December 2023 goes to:

Frelsesarmeen (Salvation Army Norway)

The Salvation Army is one of the world’s largest Christian social welfare organisations, with over 1,650,000 members working in 134 countries. Frelsesarmeen, the Norwegian branch of the Salvation Army, has many projects through which they help people in need.

Text from the fund-raising page:

The night of October 16th, a kitchen fire broke out in the Montgomery’s home while they were gone. Nicole, Austin and Molly are all safe, but tragically, they lost their three cats.
Their home is uninhabitable, and their belongings are smoke or water-damaged. As you can imagine, the devastation and emotional toll is overwhelming.

Please consider donating to help them with immediate and future items as they sort out their needs.
Additionally, please reach out if you know of any short-term rentals available in the Broomfield area. I will keep this updated as more details arise.

Thank you for being so supportive during this difficult time.

1. Usually, I donate a day’s worth of my salary to a regional/national/global cause. Still, now and then, I make an exception and choose to donate to an individual cause.
   In this particular case, I’ve known one of the victims for decades (and decades to come, I hope) ︎

Operating since 1989, arrive alive DRIVE SOBER® receives outstanding support from the public and media, for which they are very grateful. A registered charity which does not telemarket or use professional fundraisers. Their mission is to eliminate impaired driving in Ontario, Canada.

Vision

arrive alive DRIVE SOBER®, in collaboration with key stakeholders and community partners, identifies, implements and supports effective initiatives to eradicate impaired driving.

Mission

arrive alive DRIVE SOBER® provides leadership and programs to eliminate impaired driving and enables people and communities to share resources and information that will prevent injuries and save lives.

Goals

• Establish arrive alive DRIVE SOBER® as the leader of the anti-impaired driving movement.
• Provide dynamic and innovative programs to address the anti-impaired driving movement.
• Provide a forum for people and communities to share resources and information.
• Build strategic alliances to reduce the incidence of impaired driving in Ontario and beyond
• Create environments that support impaired driving legislation
• Be a viable, self-sustaining organization.

Activities

• Organize province-wide initiatives, including the arrive alive DRIVE SOBER® public awareness campaign.
• Co-host an annual conference or workshop.
• Share information on legislative reform with our members.
• Direct their concerns and ideas through one voice to political and corporate bodies.
• Pursue the elimination of alcohol and other drug-related injuries/deaths, with the focus on impaired driving.
• Meet frequently to exchange ideas and information – New members are welcome.

NOAH – for dyrs rettigheter (for animal rights)

NOAH is a Norwegian animal rights organization that works tirelessly to promote the rights of animals without making any compromises at their expense. They staunchly oppose all forms of animal exploitation and are recognized as the largest NGO in Norway dedicated to animal rights.

The organization was initiated in 1989 by a group of activists experienced in national and international environmental and animal rights work. Now they have over 13,000 members and active supporters, with local volunteer groups in most of the larger Norwegian cities. These groups coordinate their activities through a central office and executive committee. The organization’s work is underpinned by the idealistic commitment of individual volunteers, professional and thorough work, and a well-thought-out foundation in animal rights philosophy.

NOAH’s activism spans all areas of society, inviting anyone, regardless of age, occupation, or background, to participate. They exert influence at various levels and groups within Norwegian society, engaging with politicians to effect legal changes, arranging high-profile demonstrations to draw media attention to animal rights, distributing information, talking to people on the street, holding conferences, giving talks at educational institutions, writing articles, demonstrating, and saving individual animals. They also liaise with and participate in various officially appointed consultative groups and committees related to animal welfare, including a member of the Norwegian Council for Animal Ethics.

The organization operates independently of political and religious affiliations, receiving government support but primarily financed by income from its members, other contributions, and their own efforts.

NOAH cooperates extensively with animal rights organizations in other countries, having conducted several joint campaigns with other Scandinavian, European, and international organizations. They are a member organization of international networks such as the Fur Free Alliance and act as the contact organization for InterNICHE, which opposes the use of animals for teaching experiments. Their ultimate aim is to attract people who seek a world free from animal exploitation and wish to contribute to achieving such a world as swiftly as possible.

(since no donation has been made in the month of May, I’m donating two days of salary to NOAH )

the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation

The Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, which was given public interest status in 1996, has been working for individuals affected by genetic intelligence disorders (Down syndrome, Williams-Beuren syndrome, fragile X syndrome, “cri du chat” syndrome, other trisomies, monosomies and unexplained intellectual disability…)

At the service of affected individuals and their families, the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation is driven by three objectives:

Research
It implements and supports research programs designed to develop treatments for Down syndrome (trisomy 21) and other intellectual disabilities of genetic origin.

Care:
The Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, France’s number one funder for research in genetic intelligence disorders, develops and funds programs in France and abroad.

Advocacy:
It created and funded the Jérôme Lejeune Institute, a centre for specialized medical and paramedical consultations; it defends life and patients’ dignity.

Middagshjelpen Sarpsborg

We want to offer dinner to children, young people and families with children in Sarpsborg.
We have rented the premises in the IOGT house. And the Sparebankstiftelsen has sponsored us with rent and some funds for the purchase of food.
Initially, this is a trial project for 3 months. We started on Tuesday, February 14th at 15-17. After this, we will evaluate and assess whether it is possible to expand the offer.
We need to get information about the offer out. Both to those who need this for various reasons. But also to potential sponsors. We are entirely dependent on sponsors to make this work. And if this is to work in the long run, we need a few more people who can help with cooking if we can’t for various reasons.

Scooby Medina

Scooby, a shelter and sanctuary, has provided a home to mistreated and abandoned animals for over 30 years. It was created thanks to the initiative of a group of women who wanted to do something about the number of abandoned dogs in the area of Medina del Campo (Valladolid). In the nineties, Scooby brings to light the atrocities inflicted on Spanish Greyhounds and its work is internationalised by Scooby´s current chairman, Fermín Pérez.

At present, international funding and adoptions from countries such as Holland, France, Italy and Germany are crucial for our NGO. In 2015, for the first time since Scooby´s inception, the number of adoptions of dogs and cats surpassed that of collections with a total of 1138 adoptions.

Despite this, the abandonment numbers did not decrease, giving us alarming figures in 2017. Every day an average of 4 to 5 abandoned animals arrive at our shelters. The end of the hunting season in February, along with the birth of unwanted litters, especially in spring, mark two critical points of abandonment.

Nowadays, we are the largest shelter in Spain, and its premises are home to more than 600 dogs and cats, plus 200 farm animals in our Sanctuary. Horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, geese, ducks, etc… All of them, with a past of abuse, live today free in our meadows.

Voedselbanken Nederland
(Food banks Netherlands)

“An eye for food, a heart for people”
Nearly one million people in the Netherlands live below the poverty line. Did you know that this dire situation can be solved simply by giving food surpluses? A solution that is both good for people and the environment.

Every week their food bank volunteers hand out food to those who need it most. Companies, institutions, governments and individuals offer their support through funds, food, and services.

2 individual donations

Those of you who recognize the logo of the ‘Norwegian eBay’ may realize I’m doing it a little differently this month.

Usually, I donate to official foundations or organizations. This month, however, I have decided to split the amount and donate it to 2 people/families who have placed an ad on Finn.no because they need help to make ends meet in this expensive, difficult last month of the year.

I had to think about this a bit since, unlike official charities, it’s hard to verify the legitimacy of the ads. One can hardly ask for proof of poverty, can one?

So I’ve read the ads carefully and picked 2 from https://www.finn.no/bap/forsale/search.html?christmas=bap-gift-wish .

Each is getting 50% of this month’s donation in cash. I hope my contribution helps 2 families have a (somewhat) better end to 2022

Captain Paul Watson Foundation

The Captain Paul Watson Foundation for the Protection and Conservation of the Ocean has as objectives:

1. To focus on the protection and conservation of the ocean through direct intervention supported by education, documentation, research activities and partnerships with other NGO’s, governments and international institutions like the United Nations.
2. To establish operations to:

• Finding solutions to address the diminishment of diversity and interdependence in marine ecosystems.
• Finding solutions to address the diminishment of phytoplankton populations in the sea.
• Finding solutions to address the illegal, unreported and unregulated commercial fishing operations.
• Finding solutions to address the impact of climate change on oceanic ecosystems.
• Finding solutions to address ways to remove plastics, fishing debris and ghost nets from marine ecosystems.
• Finding solutions to address the impact of noise pollution on marine life
• Finding solutions to address the problem of acidification in the sea
• Finding solutions to address the unlawful killing of marine mammals.
• Finding solutions to protecting sea turtle nests from poachers.
• Finding solutions to protecting sea-bird populations from illegal fishing and ingestion of plastics
• Finding solutions to protecting critically endangered species in marine ecosystems.
• Finding solutions to protecting Southern Ocean Eco-systems from illegal fishing and development activities.
• Finding solutions to protecting Arctic Ocean Eco-systems from illegal fishing and development activities.
• Finding solutions to protecting global coral reef systems from damage from acidification, invasive species, pollution and climate change.
• Researching, documenting and producing films, books and other educational materials to address the conservation and protection of marine species and ecosystems.
• Working with government partners to find solutions to stop poaching activities within established economic zones.
• Working with the United Nations and other international organizations to find solutions to stopping poaching in areas beyond nation in accordance with the United Nations World Charter for Nature.
• Funding research into addressing threats to marine ecosystems.
• Operation of ships and aircraft to document illegal activities on the high seas.
• Working with scientists, filmmakers, historians, communicators, environmentalists and conservationists to find solutions to address the threats facing marine species and marine ecosystems.