Lately, I have read many articles about Realtors and their Brokers complaining about how bad their listings are going and how the economy is getting worse.  Well, since at this moment in time, if your hands are tied, make an effort and donate, either your time, your money or your service during these critical and unprecedented times.

With the holiday season around the corner, I honesty believe the best thing you can do for yourself (as a professional) and your family, is to donate your time, money or service to:

1)  "Toys for Tots" program, or the also called "Marine Toys for Tots" foundation,

2)  Deliver a turkey or other food items to the Salvation Army,

3)  Donate blood at your local Blood Clinics,

4)  Teach a child how to read,

5)  Teach a child how to do math, 

6)  Volunteer at your local hospital,

7)  Volunteer at a soup kitchen for the needy,

8)  Volunteer to visit an elderly person without a family,

9)  Donate money to a charity of your choice,

10)  Volunteer with cancer patients in your local hospitals.

You may have have had a wonderful last few years prosporous, taking wonderful vacations, big toys for big boys and girls, etc.  While many of your children's friends or their friends' friends have had hardly any toys, clothing or food.

My point is it's high time, we quit complaining and share what you can with other families during their financial crisis.  Unfortunately, many of these families that need help are not just the poor and uneducated stereotypes from the past, but NOW include middle and upper class educated families that have fallen on hard times.

Yes, things are bad, but now is the time for people to come together and help each other.  This is like a hurricane or tornado, except it's much more widespread!  It's our duty as citizens of our countries (where ever you are on our Earth) to take care of the people who are less fortunate.

Ask yourself this question:  "Do our kids or other family members really need more toys, clothes or gadgets ?"  If the answer is NO, then do something different this year.   Helping others, also shows the human aspects of us and most importantly & I believe the BEST thing for our children is to see the real gift of Christmas, GIVING & SHARING....  It helped both my 20 and 16 yr old daughters to understand the meaning of holiday giving and to learn to accept what we have as a family.

Here are a couple of links that you might want to view:

Toys for Tots:        "http://www.toysfortots.org/"

Salvation Army - Canada:      "http://www.salvationarmy.ca/"

Salvation Army - United States:    "http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf/vw-local/Home"

VIP - Volunteers for International Partnership:   "http://www.partnershipvolunteers.org/"

Canadian Blood Services:   "http://www.bloodservices.ca/"

American Red Cross:    "http://www.redcross.org/"

Canadian Cancer Society:  "http://www.cancer.ca/"

American Cancer Society:   "http://www.cancer.org"

Hestia House - Saint John, NB:   "http://saintjohn.cioc.ca/details.asp?RSN=632"

Let me know, WHAT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN DO FOR OTHER UNFORTUNATE FAMILIES WITHIN NORTH AMERICA!!!