During the Black Plague that ravaged England poet John Donne lay on his own sickbed hearing the Church bells toll for the deceased.  He wrote:

        "No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; 
         and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."  

He expressed two ideas - we are not alone in the universe, and we are inextricably interconnected.  Growing numbers of organizations have taken up the challenge to make a difference.  While we might think of humanitarian groups like Amnesty International or Red Cross, I was more interested in corporates, like Noel Leemings who supported particular organizations like Habitat for Humanity.  I call these ethical partnerships.  We cannot all work fulltime for Tear Fund or SPCA yet we can use our resources to change the world – one step at a time.

People are often curious about why I address this issue saying things like, "Aren't your clients struggling enough without caring for others?"   I believe that a part of becoming whole is developing the capacity to care deeply for others. When we hear about the horrors of child abuse like the case of little Nia from Rotorua we are drawn to respond in some way. When we take concrete steps to make a difference we affirm our connectedness and our compassion – or we are left to retreat towards guilt and denial. 

The three D’s of helping seem to be 

• Desire – Help the causes that stir your soul –it will motivate your involvement
• Direction – You can’t do everything – choose your involvements and develop them 
• Depth – Invest deeply in the causes that stir your heart

Some Fantastic Organisations . . .