"UNICEF is the world's 911": A UNICEF supporter shares her story

Why I give

I always saw my parents giving. And not just money—they gave their time. When I was a kid, all my classmates' moms would be home when they got home for lunch. But not mine. So I used to get mad at her. I'd think, "Why aren't you at home, sitting with me when I eat my lunch?" Well, she was out volunteering, donating her time. She did a lot of work in the Calcutta slums. Later, when I became an adult and began getting involved in my own causes, I realized how incredibly lucky I was to have a mom like that. A mom who worked so hard to help others.

So it's really not an option for me not to give. It's just very unnatural not to. I'm astounded that it's 2009 and, despite all the resources the world has, 24,000 children still die every day from preventable causes. I just can't accept that we, as civilized people, allow this to happen.

"UNICEF is the world's 911"

I give to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF because I want to make the biggest difference in the world. UNICEF is the world's 911—it responds when and where children and families need it. And I feel that my dollar goes so much further with UNICEF than with any other organization. Being a businesswoman, I always look for the biggest bang for my buck. UNICEF offers tremendous value as well as quality. With UNICEF, I can probably save about ten more lives with the same dollar that I would give to another organization.

When you hear about less than a dollar saving a child's life, that's something. You think, okay, how can I multiply that? And I tell you, it becomes really hard to buy a designer handbag after that. You can't help but wonder how many lives could be saved for the cost of that bag.

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