Guest Blog: More Than Roses for Valentine's Day

By Becca Rhew (Reposted from The Gracias Foundation, now called Global Gratitude Alliance)

The other night my husband and I got onto the topic of Valentine’s Day and how we would celebrate.  We live in Switzerland, so:

a) Valentine’s is not as big as in the U.S.
b) A“nice” but not extravagant dinner can easily run you $120+, a standard greeting card averages $5, and a dozen roses…you don’t want to know.  

We both enjoy cooking together, so decided that we could just as easily celebrate Valentine’s by making a special dinner at home.  We don’t need flowers, gifts and cards to show each other that we love each other, so that’s easily another $50+ saved.  That’s a nice chunk of change that we would have otherwise spent, so why not use the money in a way that could truly benefit someone who needs it?  We love that by donating to the Gracias Foundation, we can decide exactly what our money goes towards (if we wish to do so), and we also trust that it’s being used for the intended purpose (not staff salaries or coffee and creamer for the office kitchen).  

I challenge anyone reading this to make a similar choice this year.  Think about it—long after your meal is digested and the roses have wilted, the people being helped by the Gracias Foundation will still be benefiting from the donations given by supporters.  Doesn’t seem like such a hard choice to make after all, does it?