The Charitable Way

One of the main attributes of Lauderdale House is that it is a registered charity. In fact, it is part of 180,714 charities in England and Wales (www.charity-commission.gov.uk, 2010). Some may view charities as organizations which aid the poor, come to the rescue in times of disaster, and feed the hungry. As rightfully so as this is, the underlying mission of a charity is proposed to be to "provide benefit to the public, not to a specific individual" (www.charity-commission.gov.uk, 2010). The Charity Commission provides a great definition, but it is the word "individual" which made me wonder. While the message of the Charity Commission is probably that the a charity should not be misused to benefit an individual, whether in terms of making a profit or fooling the general public, the external individual, one that some might consider a "customer", should in every way benefit. When I first started volunteering, I thought I could save the world, one country at a time. However, the world is big with many problems and many people and for that "problem" someone gave me a great "solution" by saying that 'When you're young you think you can save the world. As you get older, you understand that even if it is one person you impact or help, you're on the right track'. When seeing the word "individual" mentioned on the Charity Commission website, it made me think that while a charity like Lauderdale House may not constantly be in the public eye and not getting the press attention it wishes, it still is impacting a group, and more importantly, individuals. For example, it focused on an area of schools where they are aiming to make a difference rather than trying to reach beyond their resources. While I'm sure they would enjoy making a greater impact, they have touched the lives of students which might otherwise have been overlooked. That is recognizing individuality and rather than assuming that unless you help a large group of people you're not doing anything, remembering that you can still be thorough and make an impact in one person's life. Registered Charity Number 275502 and proud of it.

Charity Commission. 2010. Is setting up a charity the right thing to do? [Online]. Available at: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Start_up_a_charity/Set_up/default.aspx [Accessed 9 February 2010].

Charity Commission. 2010. Register of Charities. [Online]. Available at: http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/About_us/About_charities/Fact_figures_index.aspx [Accessed 9 February 2010].