Making a Difference

I thought I did a decent job of donating to charity, but I don't make tons of money, and there are all the student loans and other start-up costs of life. Well, Saturday, I felt like Scrooge.

I was invited to the Lifer's Association banquet at David Wade Correctional Center because of a story I wrote earlier this year. As the name implies, this self-help group at the prison is made up of men who have life sentences, who have decided to do something productive with their time. They make birdhouses that are sold to charities for silent auctions, perform skits for area youth, and raise money within the prison walls to donate to charity.

Saturday, for national Make a Difference Day, they held a walk-a-thon. At the banquet, they gave checks to the United Way of Northwest Louisiana, the Northwest Louisiana Sickle Cell Disease Association and the Boys and Girls Club of Claiborne Parish totalling $891.79. In addition, they presented two 20-inch TVs with DVD players to Providence House.

Let's do some math: most prisoners make 4 cents an hour (some make up to 20 cents an hour). Raising $891.79 means working 22,295 hours. 22,295 hours -- that's just over 557 weeks or 10 YEARS of income.

Where's my checkbook?