Helping Australia In Any Way We Can

Image Credit: Gulf News

I went back and fourth about sharing this post. Which is so sad to say out loud. But every time I’ve shared some sort of post about helping humanity in some way, I always get backlash. When I shared a post about helping Houston, people said I wasn’t giving to the right organizations. When I shared a post about donating to a specific animal organization, people told me that organization was a terrible one. When I said I would give a portion of my book profits to an animal rescue organization, I was criticized for only trying to sell books. I’ve never been able to win in the past so I often stay quiet about where and when I give back because I don’t want to deal with getting attacked every time I speak out for wanting to help.

But as I continue to watch TV and see the ongoing images online, my heart continues to break for Australia and I can’t stay quiet because of the small backlash I may receive. And I’m lucky enough to have a very small platform to spread the word and help other people out there feeling as helpless as I do in terms of figuring out where to give. You guys have already seen the images and heard the numbers, so I won’t be sharing a ton of that type of info here. I definitely don’t want to bombard you with images of animals dead in the street or burned alive. It’s too heartbreaking to see day in and day out. But you’ve heard the stats – that over half a billion animals have died (think about that number for a second), millions of acres burned, towns evacuated, thousands of homes lost, and many people have lost their lives. And there is really no end in sight. The heat in Australia rages on while more destruction happens every single minute. It’s devastating for us to see…think about if you lived there. Think about standing in the street, the air glowing red like the entire world is on fire, watching the neighborhood you grew up in burn to the ground.

I don’t know about you, but I feel helpless. I wish I could do something more than just give money. But that’s all I know I can give at this point. It may not be millions of dollars like celebrities give, but I’m going to do my best. For me, I want to give to a Firefighter fund as well as an animal rescue. I won’t share which exact ones because that doesn’t matter. There are many nonprofits out there that need our help. And if everyone in the US could give to this country, we could make a really big impact. $10, $100, $1000 – whatever you can give will make some sort of impact in some small way. It’s important to remember that when we feel so separated and like nothing we do will change anything. Because that’s just not true. I’ve done a bunch of research with finding organizations that are helping the victims (humans and animals) of Australia, but please inform me of any others you know of. I’m only one person trying to make a small impact, but your voice can be heard on here, too. Below are some great organizations that need our help.

Australian Red Cross

Salvation Army of Australia

Go Fund Me for First Nations Communities

New South Wales Rural Fire Service

VIC Bushfire Disaster

GIVIT (matches donated goods with items that are specifically requested by victims of the fires)

CFS Foundation (supporting volunteer firefighters)

WIRES (wildlife rescue nonprofit)

World Wildlife Fund Australia

Wildlife Victoria

Go Fund Me for Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

Australia Koala Foundation

RSPCA New South Wales

My thoughts go out to everyone affected by these fires. And I hope our donations can make a difference for someone or something across the world from us. If you have any other organization recommendations, please leave a comment below so anyone who sees this post can also see those, as well. Thank you guys for reading this post, for supporting Australia, and for making an impact in our world.