So about the charity thing. Why did I come up with this thought?

First, I am a public schoolteacher. I teach science in a public school in Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Anyone familiar with the teaching profession knows that it is a job for servants who want to change the world by impacting students. Plus, we often dont get paid as much as other fields, especially for us scientists.

I love my job. I love seeing students every day, and talking with them and seeing them learn about the world around them. I teach 11th grade, and see about 100 students each day. But I am not in it for the huge paycheck. If I had been, I would have gone to work at a research company and earned more salary, along with perks and bonuses and advancement. No, I love teaching and the interaction I have each day with my students. I want to continue doing that.

My wife and I used to give regularly to other organizations. We used to tithe at church (we still go to church), and used to donate when we could. But since our financial situation went downhill, we have not been able to. And we want to begin doing it again, as soon as we take care of the money mess we have made.

So our thought was this: Suppose we enlisted the help of others who would like to donate to charity? The money they would give would actually accomplish two things: 1) Help our family (including our 3 year old) out of debt and back onto a budget which we pledge to keep. We could then avoid bankruptcy. 2) Help community organizations once we are out and able to work it back into our budget. I know it sounds farfetched, and takes a good deal of faith, but right now, that is all we have.