The other day, I thought up a charity. I've never particularly had a dream to start one, but I have always wondered what it would look like to work with an orphanage. I wouldn't just want to do a short-term mission with an orphanage, I think it would kill me to never see those kids again, and to feel like I only gave them something that would pass: my time.
It really came to me when I was thinking about how I have all these really cherished stuffed animals that I don't just want to give to a thrift store, or throw away. I'm sure there are other sentiMENTAL shmucks like me out there, who wouldn't mind if they knew their friends (Danielle Lou, I'm lookin' at you) had a good set of loving arms to sleep with at night. And for some reason I thought, I bet there are tons of kids in the world who never have that very favorite stuffed animal, and yet as an adult I got rid of half of my 30-40-some stuffed animals, and the other half all hold some special place in my heart.
What if there was a way to sanitize them (get rid of bed-bugs or whatever else might be there), and send them to kids in places in the world where they are not fortunate enough. It might sound really stupid to someone, but I think it'd be really freaking awesome.
People who donate could write the stories and names of the stuffed animal(s) they're donating, and the kids would receive them, in their language.
Stuffed animals might seem like a really stupid thing to make a charity out of, but having that really treasured thing to comfort, sounds like a really nice idea to me. Likes TOMS shoes but with teddy bears.
