Donations and personalized gifts help those in need and those who give of themselves to help others.

The devastation from the 7.0 Haiti earthquake is the worst that has happened to any one country with over 150,000 deaths, plus all those injured and homeless without food or water for too many days. I’m proud to say Americans, from the very young to the not so young, have stepped up to help without hesitation.

My four-year-old granddaughter, Emily, is collecting donations along with her friends in her pre-school class. Her eight-year-old sister, Kaitlin, watched the TV special, Help for Haiti. When it was over, she handed her parents the phone number. She told them, “We have to call.”

A sense of compassion and the importance of community service can be started at any age. By encouraging and supporting our children and grandchildren in their desire to help others, they will develop a natural desire to serve on into adulthood.

Proof of this was apparent when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Now it continues in the help for Haiti in the form of donations for relief and development offered to charities serving thousands of people in need. Corporate responsibility is the ultimate example of ingrained desire to help others. Even though profits may be down, the commitment to help others in need has not wavered.

American businesses have donated probably close to a million dollars since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti. One of those businesses is Gifts For You Now, specializing in personalized gifts for all occasions. Their donation for Haiti relief was made to the American Red Cross. Gifts for You Now hopes that my readers will donate to Haiti if you haven’t already given help for Haiti through the American Red Cross or another charity. Donations to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief can be made online.

Gifts For You Now also donates to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure of breast cancer and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Giving a personalized gift can make a difference in people’s lives when they have suffered through a disaster, illness, or loss of a loved one. Gifts For You Now has a variety of inspirational gifts and memorial gifts to help you express your caring and support.