Are we facing donor fatigue?

I don't know about you, but if I get hit up for one more donation I may have to break into my kids piggybanks to scrape up enough nickels to help make a difference. This has certainly been one of the wildest years when it comes to helping out the cause.

If you recall, the year started with the tsunami, and pardon the pun, it's been a wave of natural disasters ever since. Each disaster has brought out the call for more donations, more aid, and people have responded in spades, but something has to give. Somewhere along the line the charity has to end, or has ended for some other worthwhile causes being eclipsed by all these international disasters.

Take for instance my oldest son, who in the last year has helped raise money for victims of the tsunami through his school, sold Regal to support his soccer team, participated in the Terry Fox Run, is doing Punt, Pass and Kick in support of London Minor Football, and of course his school has started its annual magazine drive in support of school programs. He may even decide to participate in Boola-thon in support of Kids Help Phone, and this is just in my household. Never mind all the other campaigns worthy of a donation, or those people that you know who are seeking your support while running for cancer in it's various forms (ie. breast, prostate), Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's; and that's the tip of the iceberg. What about the London Food Bank who can always use non-perishable food items, or the scan away hunger program at various grocery stores, Women's Community House, and soon enough the Salvation Army will begin its Christmas kettle campaign. When will this all end, and which of these causes will you be turning a blind eye to?

I suspect that very soon donor fatigue will be settling in as people have been giving until it hurts. But people can only give so much, especially with rising costs in our daily lives, and with forecasts of a cold winter ahead those who have home heating costs are going to have brace for more local hardship. Those who are scraping by may not have enough to get by, and those who are getting by may end up scraping by.

I am certainly looking forward to the end of 2005; it has been one of the worst years globally that I can recall. But until then I'm putting away a little extra so that when the time comes I can do my part to help. And by the way.... keep your eyes open around campus, because Fanshawe will soon be undertaking its annual United Way fundraising campaign. I think I may be raiding those piggybanks sooner than I thought.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.