As you are painfully aware by now, the economy is having a major toll on everyone's finances. Charities are getting hit hard too. Since all CJ proceeds go to charity, I thought it would be prudent to help spread the wealth around a bit for 2009 so that we can bring a little light to even more people.
We are still going to continue giving to our regular charities:
- Angels for Animals (http://"http://www.angelsforanimals.org")
- Shriner's (http://"http://www.shriners.com")
- Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen
This year I would like to add the following organizations:
- Down Syndrome Association of the Valley (http://"http://www.dsav.org")
- Dachshund Rescue of North America (http://"http://www.drna.org")
DSAV is local to me and is a wonderful organization to help families whose members have Down syndrome. Their big show in 2008--held in the same plaza as Cici's Pizza, about a month after our show--raised a whopping $60,000. They then gave $50K to our local libraries to buy books. I can more than likely arrange for a representative of DSAV to speak to us at the picnic on Saturday. Obviously whatever we donate to them is a drop in the bucket compared to what they raise on their own, but believe me, they will definitely appreciate it.
DRNA has representation here in Jerry (daminc) and his wife Sheila. They gave up their Saturday afternoon at CJ08 so that they could rescue a few dachshunds and bring them home to NY. It is that kind of dedication that really pulls in the true spirit of CJ. I believe that their efforts should not go unrewarded.
We will have to determine the amounts that each organization gets on Saturday afternoon, after all the monies have been collected. It may not be possible to give in the same amounts as last year, obviously, but we will donate as much as we can.
Also, I would like to ask everyone to bring at least one non-perishable item to CJ09. We can collect the food at the picnic on Saturday, then donate the food to the soup kitchen after the show. This would be in addition to the monetary donation. The soup kitchen can really use both, believe me.
As a personal note, I refuse to let the state of the economy have any bearing upon what I can give to those that need help. We know that it's tough for everyone, but now is the time to do MORE because of so many people that now have LESS. We have the ability and the opportunity to do more and so I think that we should. No, I EXPECT that we should.
If anyone has any objections to this plan, or would like to support it, please speak up now. Otherwise we're going to surge forward with this.
Thank you!
-Eric
Countdown to Dan....3...2...1...and...
I absolutely support it Eric.
I love the addition of the DSAV. This too ties in personally for me, as I have a great niece with Downs.
And, I love the idea of donating actual food to the soup kitchen. You are right, everyone needs us to give more now, and many of us, even those who don't have a lot, are lucky enough to be able to give anyway.
The way I see it is, if someone can afford the trip to CJ, they should be able to afford a can of food to add to the box. ;)
Hey Eric, I have a question... kind of a rhetorical one, if you will..... did you ever think that CJ would turn out to be such a success and become the catalyst for so many donations and helping others through love of these cars?
That's a great idea with the food donation. I'm going to hit up everybody I know before I come to Catjam this year. I also support any donation ideas that we have to help others.
This years plan is to go to the Dachshund picnic early to help set up.
And then come back to our picnic and go to the car show if it's still the same night.
Unfortunately we didn't make it back in time for the Catjam picnic last year. We didn't realize it took an hour to get there, and another to get back. So we're planning things a little different to be there this year.
I believe, the little guy that came back with us last year, now lives in a penthouse apartment in downtown Toronto. :D
Thanks guys, appreciate the comments.
I had always hoped it would turn out that way, actually, as far as the donations. Basically I've never known what it's like to be in a car-based organization and NOT give to charity. So I just took what I new and applied it to us. Simple, really. I'm just fortunate that the people who attend CJ also feel the same way.
Eric,
Is the plan to collect donations when we pay for CJ registration or is there another way to handle this? Plus count us in on donating someway or somehow also. :D
Dan and Paula ;)
We'll still be doing the donations as normal but we ask that the canned/boxed food be brought to CJ, I am assuming the picnic, and turned in there.
I know that Eric also had people send donations through PayPal last year, since they were not able to attend but still wanted to donate something.
I will still be holding the auction as usual.
I was wandering what all to aspect at cj.I want to come up on saturday.would it be a problem if I brought my dogs a boxer and a dachshund let me know
Aaron
I don't think dogs are allowed at the park.
However, you can expect to meet some great people. We have a really nice picnic, good food and friends. We put on a chinese auction, in which you can purchase tickets to win prizes, we also give away door prizes.
Afterward we go to a car show.
At the park everyone hangs out, checks out each other's cars, talk... things like that. It's a really good time.
I plan on being there saturday too after 4pm (boss wont let me take saturdays off) will be my first CJ also.
Dogs aren't allowed in the park; I just read the agreement that I signed for the pavilion.
Thanks for letting me know bout the dogs. I will look for a kennal to watch them.just wasn't sure so I asked hope to be there looking forward too it.
I'm willing to donate to whatever charities are deemed needing them. So what ever charities we are helping, I'm in!!
So where are the honest responses? I'm kinda shocked that everyone is cool with this. I honestly believe that if there are objections, they won't be presented for fear of persecution by Eric or others in the community.
I think words like "EXPECT" are a bit harsh when used with words like "DONATE", which implies "VOLUNTEER".
Consider my position more neutral at this point, but I honestly don't think you're going to get any objections. Who the heck wants to look like they're too stingy to "DONATE"?
And if you make people feel bad about it, and they don't show up because money is tight, or they just don't like the idea of being "strongly encouraged" to donate, then you've effectively chosen the type of person you want in the Cat Jam community. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I've always felt that the strongest values of Cat Jam were the community and the car. With this directive, those values seem to be changing.
Ed, this is my quote, emphasis mine:
My opinion only. It's okay to not agree with my opinion. That's why I marked it as a personal note. EXPECT simply means that I hold people to a little higher standards based upon past behavior. I'd LIKE everyone to think the same way, but we all know that it doesn't work like that.
If anyone cannot give a donation, or doesn't want to give, then that is acceptable. It's happened before and I'm sure it will happen again. I don't mark off anything stating who gave what; there is no running tally of that sort. It can be purely anonymous also.
Does it seem like I'm giving pressure? Because that's never my intention and if it was construed that way, I apologize now.
But you and I both know, Ed, that CJ goes well beyond the cars that are driven to it. The overlying spirit is that we do a little more to help others IF WE CAN. Some people can't. Those that can will make up for those that can't, and then some. I'm not particularly worried about that based upon past shows. However, if everyone that shows up gives nothing, we haven't exactly helped anyone either. It's a two-way street.
I don't want there to be any misunderstandings here.
There is no reason for anyone to feel badly if they can not donate. Some can and others can't...no one is going to be looked down upon if they can't.
I personally have not been able to donate much more than time and the energy it takes to get the things together for the auction. I have 5 kids, my son's girlfriend and a grand child on the way. Needless to say things are tight. They always have been and probably will be until the kids are grown and out of the house.
As for brining a can of food, and me stating that if you can afford to come to C you should be able to afford a can of food....think about it. A single can of food can cost $.50 to $1.00 (sometimes more, sometimes less). I look at it as being a very small amount in the big scheme of things. No one is going to go broke because they bought a can of food to give away.
Every year we get a huge amount of donations.... it's amazing when we count it up and realize how giving people are. We realize the cost of gas, hotels, food etc for the weekend and still people give a lot!
We've been fortunate that the past few years we have been able to give so much to the community from it. It's really appreciated.
I don't think Eric meant "expect" in a derogatory way. I think he feels like I do about it..... as I explained above. But I do think he meant that if we are blessed enough to be able to do it, we all should. Even when we think we don't have very much, it's always more than what someone else has.
No one is being forced to donate.... no one will be made to feel like they aren't welcome if they don't or can't afford to donate.
You are correct, the community is a strong value of this get together. Since we are all part of that community, we should reach out to the community and help if we can. It doesn't have to be a large amount...it's not like we are sending in hundreds of thousands of dollars to these causes.... it's a couple hundred dollars, but every little bit really helps them, and they appreciate it very much.
If anyone has any objections they can feel free to speak up about it...that's why Eric asked. This is a group effort and we as a group make the decisions.
I realize it's a much smaller group who actually count and divide the monies up as to where it will go, but it's still a group decision. This is also why Eric asks for volunteers for the various committees.
There is a lot of work and responsibility going into this get together every year. Eric bears the majority of it and for a long time, he did it all on his own. It took several of us to talk him into accepting help in doing it all.
I feel he does a great job at it all. He doesn't have to do it at all, but he does. I for one and grateful for that.
I don't think he is pushing the envelope by asking for donations to help out those less fortunate than many of us.
I have an honest opinion, Give if you can and want to. I never read read where it was mandatory. I also think the can thing is a great idea. we should fill jerry's trunk up with dog food to.
You give if you can, I always say.
I'll have to talk with Eric, about the way that possible food and supply donations will be handled for DRNA. And please don't forget about Angels for Animals too..
i have an opinion.:D
this statement strikes me odd, I cant figure out what it is about it that bothers me, it just does.
"did you ever think that CJ would turn out to be such a success and become the catalyst for so many donations and helping others through love of these cars?"
Another oddity- no dogs but 40% of donations go to dogs?
How about this for a chairty- Collect a pool of cash for those about to hit forclosure or perhaps help members who are in hard times and need a bill or two paid? Thats the kinda thing i step up to man!!!! This is the kinda stuff that hits home,, and the home boys here need help first.
Helping out pets and Downs is a great charity also but I am naturally skeptical to the end user and where the money goes. Ill never forget the "mandatory" volunteer donations made by all us Navy guys to the "United Way". yeah, you all know how that turned out a few years ago.
As for Eric's post, I support it blindly based on his and the volunteers character as i see them only on this board. If they say its a good cause, it must be. I havent been to a cj yet and most likely will never be able to. I say one thing and yet another happens. My boys and wife want to as well because they know how much I love these cars and enjoy the people here.
edits above
I don't know why my statement struck you as odd...or how it is hard to understand...I simply meant that when Eric started out, I doubt he thought it would turn into such a big event with so many people showing up from all over the country.
Since it started, the donations received have grown and we have been able to donate to many causes.
I just wondered if he had really ever thought it would turn out to be such a big thing.
Not sure why that bothers you, but, it was just a personal statement by myself and he understood exactly what I meant.
As for helping people on the board, while it's a nice idea, it would be way too hard to accomplish. We would have to put in a lot of work to verify all information received and try to decide who was 'most worthy' to receive the help.
If we get 10 different people who claim to need help for whatever reason, then we'd have to decide how many we could actually help, and out of them, which need the help the most. Then we would have to get information to verify that their need is an actual need.
Then if someone wasn't chosen, they would be offended over it and it could cause a huge problem on the board.
The way we do it, is much easier. These are established charities.... they are well known and can be easily verified.
With a group this large, it is hard to satisfy everyone all of the time. The decisions are made as a group and the majority rules. This is why Eric asks everyone's opinions before he does anything.
As I already explained, it may be a smaller group that actually sits down and divides the money, making sure all bills are paid first and then dividing between the charities, but it the group as a whole that decides where the money goes in the end.
There has to be some limitations put forth for this to function well. The way it has been done for the past several years had been working very well. I don't see a reason to change it now.
Eric puts a lot of time, money and effort into this. He doesn't do it because he has to, he does it because he wants to. If one day he decided to not do it anymore, the only ones who would suffer would be the rest of us. I doubt anyone else could put together this big of a gathering with all the activities involved and have such a good outcome, unless they have been doing it for a while.
There is a lot that goes on 'behind the scenes' that people don't realize. Most people just show up to the hotel and follow the itinerary Eric puts forth. Which means they book their room, travel to OH, and don't have to do much planning for themselves the rest of the weekend.
Eric does all of that for them....right down to maps and planning where to eat as a group so everyone can afford to go to the place chosen.
There is a lot of work behind it all and it all runs fairly smoothly for most. Eric is usually the one who stresses the entire weekend because he worries about everyone having a good time, getting enough to eat, etc. He also feels personally responsible for everyone while they are there. If they have a problem he takes it upon himself to help them as much as he can..... he doesn't have to do that, it's just the type of person he is.
I'm not trying to go off on a rant here I am just trying to show how much work is already put into this and feel it would be unfair to Eric and those that work with him on the show to have to put in more time and work to change where the donations go (as far as making it a personal thing for people on the board).
Scott, I see your reasoning here and would like to address it. It comes as no offense to me, it is just simple question that you want answered. Unfortunately it's not a real simple answer.
We are not officially an organization or "club" when it comes to CJ. The whole club mentality is not something that I want to see for us because of the politics and red tape. If we were a club, we would need to elect officers (a nightmare in and of itself) and also buy blanket insurance coverage for the group. Hence, more money shelled out. Where would that money come from? Probably either out of my pocket, or out of the donation money. Either way it is not really fair.
Therefore, at CJ we hold all of our events in public places, everyone is on their own as far as liability (and they agree to that when signing up for CJ), and since everything is done this way we don't have to worry about insurance issues. It's every person for themselves. This also increases the amount of money that we can donate.
By doing everything like this, we are bound by the rules of public places. The park has set forth rules prohibiting dogs from our pavilion area. It also prohibits any kind of loudspeakers, alcohol, and limits the amount of people that can be there (and also the number of cars in the parking lot). Those are the rules, and by signing my name to all the paperwork I am bound by those rules and therefore must protect them.
It is rather ironic that we are raising money for animals yet dogs aren't allowed though...I thought about that myself. :)
Now say Jerry and Sheila are on a rescue mission that weekend and happen to have a few dachshunds with them. If I were to talk to someone at the park office, we may be able to get a temporary allowance to bring the dogs to the picnic for "show and tell". But I couldn't promise that. The park has been very good with us...still, even the rep from Angels for Animals brought a DVD instead of a kitten and puppy. That is a grey area that would could address if needed.
For the organizations themselves, we as a group several years ago determined where the monies would go so that we get the best "bang for the buck"--in other words, helping the most needy or the most amount of people or creatures with the money. It was solely a group decision; people threw out some organizations, and I even put forth several organizations to the table, and then everyone voted on them. I am bound by their decision in the distribution of the funds. It's really that simple. Now, this year I proposed (and yes, it was a PERSONAL request) to further split up the funds, so that was posted in this public forum for people to give opinions. It's a continuation of what we've been doing, but since we're not all face-to-face it has to be done electronically.
Animals have no voices in human politics, and I'm pretty sure that the majority of people on this board love animals (at least by my observation), so choosing an animal charity was natural. If you visit http://www.angelsforanimals.org you can find the breakdowns of their funds, and where our money goes in helping protect dogs and cats. They are a local organization that is making a difference; the numbers prove it. They have a longer way to go with cats than dogs, though. We get a personal response from Angels, and I always invite Diane, their rep, to our picnic.
It just so happens that Jerry and Sheila are also involved with another animal-based organization. Since they are so dedicated to their cause and are a part of our close-knit group, their efforts become personal and should be rewarded. They sacrifice their time and money and effort to keeping these animals alive and in good homes. And THAT is what CJ is all about. It's not just the cars.
Kids also became a priority. We had been giving to one local children's organization but it disbanded several years ago. We asked for suggestions and Shriner's came up, as Karen had personal experience with them. It was a no-brainer...we all voted to give to them. You can look up our threads in the CJ archives section. It's all out in the public.
This year I'm asking about the Down Syndrome Association of the Valley (http://www.dsav.org) because I have been working very closely with their founder over the past few months to help redesign and relaunch their website. Their show last year brought in $60,000--a staggering amount for an economically-depressed area like mine. In turn, they donated $50,000 back to local libraries so that they could buy new books. Again, that is putting funds back into the community where it's needed. I think it's a very worthy cause and therefore brought it up in the public forum.
The soup kitchen is local, and my aunt and uncle work there to help feed the underprivileged and the working poor. The kitchen receives donated food, and some of that is surplus, so they end up giving us a little food for our picnic. In turn we give back to them, usually in monetary form. This year I am asking people to bring a can of food IF THEY CAN so that we can also donate food to them.
This is the total and entire breakdown of charitable organizations to which we donate, or propose to donate. Some are local, some are national, but all have a special meaning, and most of them on a personal level for someone. It's that personal connection that we need to make our contributions worthwhile. There are lots of other deserving organizations out there, sure. But these are the ones that we've picked, and we're going to try to spread ourselves a little thinner this year and see how that goes.
I am always perfectly happy and willing to address any issue out in the public CJ forum. Please don't be afraid to ask.
And sorry for the short novel...
Eric, I read your opening post with interest and perhaps have been dense about CJ & charity donations as I've also never been able to make it to a CJ event - much to my chagrin. I think it's fantastic that CJ donates to so many worthy charities. :) Between the kids & a girlfriend who's not the adventurous type nor a big car person (though she drives a Cougar and does go to FFW with me once a year - doh!), I've never been able to make the 700 mile trek. Even though I am out of work at the moment (after 14 years - :mad: ), I will make a donation this year - I'm glad I saw this thread and was actually semi-conscious when I read it :hick: - good job on the well written post BTW. Since we're also adding our suggestions here, I wanted to put in a word for Autism & it's related offshoots. In one form or another, this affliction has affected several members of my family and it has been really difficult finding resources to help cope with what is a very common affliction these days. The schools seem oblivious to the needs of these kids and really push the "medicate or be expelled" mentality. This sucks IMO. :beatyoass: If we are going to include issues that affect families and especially children, I would like to put in a vote for Autism research/support groups. I wouldn't be so bold as to suggest a particular organization to contribute to, but I would lean toward a national group in order to add a sense of balance for those who live far from the valley. If you Google Autism research, you will see a plethora of organizations working to help families cope with this issue. I know this issue effects other families on this board as well. I realize that my request could be perceived as containing a certain amount of underlying criticism of the existing plan, but I think that's what you requested when you posted this thread. I appreciate those who broke the ice in this thread as I would have been hesitant to present my thoughts were it not for their posts above. To repeat, I think that what all involved are doing is great work - and I'm an animal lover too and fully in support of those efforts :D I hope my suggestion is seen as a positive input to your efforts.
[SIZE="1"](my 400 word novelette addition to the thread)[/SIZE]
Please don't ever feel that way. As I said, this is a group effort... it's important to all of us.
well, like i said before, you all are doing a great job and i respect and support you.