Would you donate?

[myfairbabies]

My 6 yr old nephew is part of a fundraiser at school and sent us this little blurb:

Hi

Our school is holding a Math-A-Thon to support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. At St. Jude, the doctors treat patients who have diseases like cancer, AIDS and sickle cell disease. The researchers are creating an HIV vaccine and are helping scientists around the world fight bird flu and other frightening diseases. That is why they need our help. I am asking you to join the Math-A-Thon, too.

Thank You!


Would you donate to them? I have a problem with this because I don't want my money to go to help create a vaccine that will one day be pushed on my family and nieces/nephews. Is that what the money goes to? Or does it go to something else? I'm leaning towards not donating. WWYD?

[annettemarie]

Probably not. I don't give money to UNICEF at Halloween either, because I dislike their policies. I'm trying to think of a gentle way to explain why, though. That's a toughie.

[Spy]

No, I wouldn't.

[Mirzam]

I wouldn't either.

[Gitti]

No.

[*mama moose*]

what I usually do in these cases, is take the money I would have given that group, and donate it to another org that is related (i.e. I don't give to March of Dimes due to cruelty to animals, but will give to another org that works with/helps babies but does not do vivisection). I'm not sure your nephew would understand why you did it, but maybe you could donate money to another HIV org (like one that donates meals, runs support groups, pays for medical costs of patients, etc.) and explain to him that while you don't want to give money to research a vaccine, you do want to help people with HIV just like he does, so you gave money to the other org instead. You might also be able to donate to St Jude and earmark your donation to go only for a specific thing (like paying childrens bills who can't afford it?). I'm not sure if thats possible, but I remember reading on PETA that some people do this with orgs like March of Dimes, they say the money can only go to directly care for babies, not research, thus avoiding paying for the vivisection. not sure if that all made sense....I'm nak (as usual....)

[sebarnes]

I wouldn't

[iris0110]

Nope I hate St Jude, and Shriners for that matter. : I'm still mad because they won't help children and families with autism. They say it is a mental disorder and they don't treat mental disorders. Just passing the buck if you ask me. 1 in 150 kids and they can't be bothered to help. No one can. :

[myfairbabies]

Originally Posted by *mama moose*

explain to him that while you don't want to give money to research a vaccine, you do want to help people with HIV just like he does, so you gave money to the other org instead

The thing with that, he didn't even want to do the math-a-thon because he didn't get the money, he's only doing it for the prize if he reaches a certain amount. Yeah, he's being bratty, and I really don't think he would care if I donated it to another organization, he'd just be mad that he didn't get the prize.


DH is just going to talk to his sister (mom of boy) about why we don't feel right donating. Funny thing is, dh's siblings are pretty crunchy. All of their kids were natural births (8 so far, no drugs, only 1 born in a hospital), all are intact, breastfed, and some are on delayed/selective vax schedules. Atleast they won't think we're too crazy!

[spero]

No, I wouldn't. But we already donate to another children's hospital (where we get the option of earmarking our donation for a specific purpose), so I could use that as an excuse.

Originally Posted by iris0110

Nope I hate St Jude, and Shriners for that matter. : I'm still mad because they won't help children and families with autism. They say it is a mental disorder and they don't treat mental disorders.

Wow. Do you have a link? I would like to know more.

[rmzbm]

Absolutly not.

I am also interested in more info. on Saint Jude, as I have supported them in the past.

[lil_stinkyfeet]

What does vivisection mean?

[myfairbabies]

Dh talked to his sister and she understood. They are having a bake sale with the money going to dn's school so we will just send them money for that.

[spero]

Originally Posted by lil_stinkyfeet

What does vivisection mean?

Noun1.vivisection - the act of operating on living animals (especially in scientific research)

[monkeysmom830]

Honestly, the idea of an AIDS vaccine being given to kids in Africa for example, does not sound like a bad idea to me. : I would not want it given to American children but unfortunately, if it were to be invented, it would probably be mandatory here too, which scares me a lot. AIDS is not a disease to fool around with and inject into people.

Googling AIDS vaccine led me to this interesting article:

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index....ies/part2.html

If you ignore the rantings about how other vaccines have saved mankind, it is a very interesting read.

Vaccines teach the body how to ward off disease by causing a faint infection that triggers the immune system. Once exposed to the vaccine, special white blood cells called regulatory T-cells direct the immune system much as a conductor leads an orchestra.

A vaccine for polio, for example, prompts the immune system to produce antibodies — proteins that neutralize disease agents — and white blood cells, which cleanse infected cells from the body. The immune system is then armed with a blueprint that allows it to quickly mobilize in the event of infection.

The search for an AIDS vaccine has failed, researchers say, because the disease is very different than polio, smallpox, mumps, measles and other once-catastrophic illnesses that have been all but eradicated through vaccination.


HIV, for human immunodeficiency virus, targets the T-cells themselves, turning them into virus-producing factories that can churn out more than 1 million copies a day. The virus' outer shell, meanwhile, renders antibodies ineffective by cloaking the molecular sites where they can attach. To make matters worse, HIV is a retrovirus, which means it can hibernate for long periods before "waking up."

edited to add: I am going to start a new thread on this b/c I find it really interesting.

[Nan'sMom]

I would not but I might give money to a similar type of charity that I believe in and I would tell my nephew that although I would not donate to that particular charity (and I would give a very simple explanation of why) his fundraising efforts have inspired me to donate to another charity (maybe a grassroots HIV education or outreach effort?). I did this recently with a friend who was doing a walkathon for a charity that I did not want to support and it made us both feel good, plus it helped an important organization do its work.

It's a tough situation to be in...I have found myself in similar situations a few times as well!

[Kokopelli-mana]

I thought UNICEF was pro-breastfeeding. What's wrong? Interested to know more...

[mamakay]

St. Jude does a lot of good, but the WHO's influenza dept. is located in there. So...I dunno...

[iris0110]

Actually that is what I was told when I called them after ds1 aged out of ECI services. It was suggested to me by my mother's friend whose daughter has CP. They were a great help to her. But I called and they said they couldn't help me because autism is a mental disorder and they don't treat mental disorders.

Here is what happens if you seach Autism on their site

http://www.stjude.org/StJude/CDA/Sea...eryText=autism

Here is there informational site http://www.stjude.org/aboutus You will see there is lots about HIV/AIDs and lots about vaccines, but nothing about autism. Despite how many children in america are somewhere on the spectrum and despite the fact that many parents go into bankruptcy trying to pay their autistic child's medical bills. There is no one out there to help us.

I feel a bit better about shriners because at least they aren't pushing vaccine programs. They only handle burns and orthopedic issues (they provided my mom's friend with orthopedic devices and wheel chairs for her child). It still rubs me the wrong way though.

[grisandole]

No, I wouldn't and don't donate to causes like that. UNICEF has a huge vax program, so I don't donate to them, either.