What Congress Should Consider as they look to change Immigration Laws

Good example of immigrant contribution to the United States.  Philanthropic people who succeed, coming here with little and contribute back so much.

... Daniel Straus and his wife Joyce are now huge philanthropists, employing the lessons of their parents. They donate to schools, synagogues, education centers and universities, hospitals, Jewish, women's and Israel causes...  (Read the whole article) 

Charity Begins at Home, Daniel Straus Knows that Well

When CareOne CEO Daniel Straus saw the impact of Hurricane Sandy last fall, he, as many other people of good-will did, looked hard to find the appropriate way to help victims.  Groups such as the Met Council offered food, Kars for Kids gave coats to kids, thousands of other people and charities donated whatever they could to people who lost homes, needed heat, and a hand up.  Straus did not want to be just another face in the crowd, and knowing that so many angles were already being handled, he decided to look inward and help with all of the above to the people who meant the most to him and his family.

Many of the workers at his Careone facilities live or lived in the disaster struck areas, and they were deeply affected.  "What a better way to help," he thought, "than to make the people at Careone as whole as we can get them."  He called his friends, one being the philanthropist Raphael Benaroya, and asked for help.  His center established a small application that anyone working for Careone who suffered losses would fill out.  The documents were so that Straus could assess just how much was needed.  Once compiled, they knew they needed about $1 million.  Straus and Benaroya donated personally and the final donations will be distributed on April 24 at his King George facility in New Jersey. 

All told, about 100 employees and their families will be made whole from the damages.  "We can't make it all better, nor take away the hurt and emotional losses, and we can't replace what had intrinsic value to individuals and families, but we can help our friends and our collective families rebuild and offer a fresh start," Straus said.

At the ceremony, Daniel E. Straus will distribute $30,000 to community-based relief funds: $15,000 each to the Hope For Highlands and Middletown Disaster Relief Fund.

Here is a man who knows where charity begins and puts his efforts into making sure that the people who help him get where he is get what they need and deserve.

Happy National Financial Literacy Month

The month of April is dedicated to educating consumers in handling their finances, which includes developing good money habits, and learning how to cope with debt. The dearth of financial literacy in the United States is less well-known than the reading difficulty known as “dyslexia” yet much more pervasive in our society.

Two in every five adults graded themselves barely passing or failing on matters financial, more than half (56%) of U.S. adults confess to having no budget, and a full third of all Americans, or 77 million adults, fail to pay their bills on time. This is according to a just-published study carried out under the auspices of two organizations: the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association.

During the month of April, consumers are encouraged to take advantage of this month’s Tools for Success including webinars on such topics as credit reporting and goal setting, and worksheets that can be filled out online and printed, such as the Financial Priorities Worksheet.

While this drive for financial literacy shows much promise, it is even more important to teach our youth about personal finance before they reach adulthood. That is the purpose of Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, which aims to teach pre-kindergarten through college students all about establishing best financial practices. Another initiative, Springboard, has a poster contest that motivates contestants in 3^rd through 12^th grade toward learning about financial matters, under the guidance of teachers and other learning mentors.

Filling The Gap

Part of the problem in educating youth about financial literacy is in figuring out how to direct children toward these resources. The students who most need these lessons fail to receive them at home and schools may not be doing enough to fill in the gap. That’s where after school programs come in, a proven method of instilling academic motivation and self-esteem in our youth.

Adults who know little to nothing about finances were once children who might have been taught these subjects in school or in afterschool programs. If you’re wondering what you can do to support the development of financial literacy among this generation’s youth, it would make eminent sense to support afterschool programs. In this way, children are inculcated with financial wisdom before transitioning to adulthood.

Good with numbers? Why not volunteer your time at a local school or an afterschool program in your community?

Support Afterschool Programs

No time? Donate your car to Kars for Kids. The proceeds go to support afterschool programs for children.

The main thing is to be proactive and look for ways to help. The job won’t get done on its own. That’s what April and National Financial Literacy Month is all about: lending a helping hand, any way you can.

Esti Landau is a non-profit coordinator based in New Jersey.