Live Proud, So That Others May Live Free

At the very beginning of the February, heck, even the end of January, I was still gung-ho for my "A charity a month" idea. Not to say I'm not still enthused by it.

But February just snuck up on me. I didn't even mail/write out a single Valentine this year, if that gives you any indication.

(If it doesn't, I've been known to spend over $100 on postage to send candy, or spend the whole day writing [sometimes] witty Valentine messages to every single person I am friends with on Facebook.)

Initially, I found this video at the end of January and thought "Wow, found it already!"

Then February came and went and it's already a week and a half into March.

I was hoping for other people to chime in on charities they'd like to see me donate to (and I still am!)

However, that did not happen during February. So I went back to that video, and clicked the link they provided. There are a lot of great ideas on that page, however I had no info about any of them except Landfill Harmonic, and unfortunately the last mention of plans appears to be written in 2011, about what they hoped to accomplish in 2012. This does not give me great confidence in what my money will be doing. Because of that, I decided to find a different charity for February, though I plan to keep checking on Landfill Harmonic, because I truly hope it is still underway.

Now this left me scrambling, I had no suggestions and my one idea didn't seem optimal... So I resorted to a more well known charity, that I have known about for a while, but never delved into.

Welcome to the It Gets Better Project.

(I was going to provide a video from their site, but I teared up over every single one that I saw so I figured I'd spare you. However, their main pages has a few featured and the ability to browse the most popular [if you feel like bawling, I recommend Pixar's submission] but also if you just want to search the videos, you can do so here.)

I think this one might not need as much detail as my January charity, but I'm gonna play it safe.

The It Gets Better Project message is simple. It gets better. You are a wonderful human being, and your uniqueness should be a source of pride and strength  not insecurity and doubt. This message is for everyone, but the project focuses specifically on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and questioning youth who need to know that they are supported and that it does indeed get better.

Technically I was a victim of bullying, even throughout High School. But nowhere near the extremes that media reports today. Partially because I didn't (usually) let the hateful words have any power over me, but partially because there were other kids besides me to pick on. Don't worry, I'm not getting out my violin. I know that despite the trouble I had, I was lucky. Other kids had/have it much worse. But that's the point, everyone at some point in their life gets told that who they are is not okay, that it's something to be ashamed of. AND IT'S NOT.

So although I did not do my research this February, I have no qualms about donating to the It Gets Better project.

Be proud of oddities and uniqueness. It makes you a beautiful, beautiful human being.

And I know this wasn't a motivational essay and I didn't really tell a story, but whether you wandered here by accident or on purpose, if you or someone you know needs help/support they have a list of wonderful helplines. 

Also, I am always available for hugs. I may not check my blog on a daily basis, but that matters not. Whether I'm here or not, I love you all. <3