A home for the holidays

Every year I do my end-of-year number-crunching right around now. I figure out what I need to set aside for estimated taxes (the bane of the self-employed). I figure out how much I can squeeze out for the retirement fund. And if I have anything left over, I make my donations. It’s good for the budget and good for the spirit, and since the short days and grey skies of December always make me cranky, every little bit helps.

I divide what I have to give in half. One half always goes to an organization that works for women’s health and reproductive rights — often Planned Parenthood, though not always. That’s the issue closest to my heart, and I won’t neglect it. The other half supports an organization connected to the year’s events. Three years ago, a scholarship fund in a friend’s name at her alma mater. Two years ago, the Writers Emergency Assistance Fund, in memory of a friend and mentor who was instrumental in the start of my career. Last year, a progressive political organization, out of sheer relief at the results of the 2008 elections.

This year, I’m making a donation in memory of Rebecca Porter, who died in August, far too young, from complications of diabetes. Among many, many other things, Rebecca volunteered for The Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation of Washington, DC. She was my roommate in college and my friend ever since, and I know first-hand her special knack for finding homes for animals: a tiny, scrawny kitten she found in a parking lot 14 years ago is now a plush, lazy diva who wants me to stop typing this because it’s interfering with my important ear-scratching duties.

If you’re looking for a place to put your donation dollars this holiday season, consider this a gentle suggestion. Or, of course, you could just slide on over to your local animal shelter and bring a new friend home for the holidays. Now there’s a gift that keeps giving.

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