What Is Your "Champion" Cause?

About a decade or so ago I had to take a psyche profile for work. It was fairly long, about 250 questions, but it was a very detailed analysis. What was interesting about it was the empathy/nurture part of the test I scored a 2 out of 100. The HR manager's reply was something like, "A terminator could have scored higher." I find it very hard to find sympathy for others, volunteerism isn't in my nature, but I have over the last couple years donated when I could to the Navy SEAL foundation and Troops Direct. I've also been told I'm an excellent teacher and mentor within my industry, even if I come of like a drill instructor most the time.

Animal rights is definitely on the top of my list. I do realize that until the day I go full on vegan I am still a hypocrite.
In that regard then wide spread education would be a close second. Animal rights wouldn't be as much of an issue if more people were educated. Society, whether large scale or small needs to become educated before it can become more compassionate...

http://www.aspca.org/

I was a bit foreign political cause'y in my early 20's and did have a champion cause, but once established in the workforce the only thing I really did was to volunteer and participate in an industry taskforce to develop and promulgate IT standards/issues about web accessibility for disabled people. Which was good because Ms Adder worked in anti-discrimination policy.

These days I'm flat out chasing Ms Adder as she rounds out her career - so that is the only thing I'm championing at the moment.

I'd like to volunteer for the local Coast Guard when I get more time, but generally I try to maintain an attitude of constant awareness to suffering around me so I don't miss opportunities to help if I come upon them, as integral to my view of the world, because it is easy to inadvertently look the other way and 'not notice' something you know you could have noticed properly.

My champion cause is education. From all of my research and freakanomics - the biggest bang for your buck concerning saving the world and doing good is education.

give people a net, and they can save themselves.

second is food. People need to eat well in order to think well.

https://youtu.be/4eFoSP5vjGQ

There isn't any one specific cause I champion. I am a volunteer firefighter and a union steward to help people however I can. I don't seem out causes and ways to change the "world", I let them find me. Even the smallest deed makes a difference.

I tend to go through groups which then donate to a variety of organizations.

My workplace allows us to contribute directly from our paycheck to one such group locally that turns around and doles it out as it sees fit (you can also specify where you want it to go. This year I chose the Big Brothers Big Sisters program).

I also contribute pretty much every time Stephen Amell has a t-shirt fundraising campaign. He picks a few charities a year and then they sell t-shirts, the proceeds of which go then to those charities. I think I'm up to four Amell shirts now.

And every year I participate in Movember, which is an event where men grow mustaches to raise awareness and funds for a variety of men's health issues like prostate and testicular cancer. I'm pretty active in that, even though my fiance hates the mustache. :laugh:

My favorite charities are the ones that help kids or animals. I have more sympathy for them because they are less capable of changing their own circumstances. Plus, if I can help a child now they can then live a full productive life and maybe help others in the future. As harsh as it sounds I have a little less sympathy for adults because they have more ability to directly affect their own lives.

I am heavily involved in two, three causes. One of them is an Anti- Fracking movement here in the UK called Druids Against Fracking, and we work with The Warriors Call, which is a group that encompasses all Pagan communities that join as one against Fracking. The second one is called Druids Against Stonehenge Tunnel, which about the Dept of Transport wanting to put a tunnel on the A303, to ease what they say is congestion. What we say is that they want to stop anyone being able to see Stonehenge from the road or drove , they want people to pay. Heritage English already charge £17.20 per person to go on the land to see the Stones, but you are not allowed to touch them or be in the middle of them, unless you go in for free on any or all of the Free and Open Access days 4 times a year. The final one is volunteering 12 hours a week at the local Cats Protection Charity Shop, animals need a voice too

After spending quite a bit of time contemplating this, I have decided that my champion cause is simply helping where help is needed and I am able. Like many others here have stated, there isn't one singular cause I focus my attention on. Rather, when someone asks if I can donate to something, I say yes and give what I can. When I hear about local charity events, such as the walk I participated in, in August, I sign up.
I also like to volunteer. Education is important to me and through volunteering I was able to play a large part in getting more educational opportunities in my rural area.
Teaching yoga and participating in peer support groups have been other things I find to be a very worthy cause.

Thank you for this question, CryojenX. Reading about what others have done has been motivating and inspirational.

I thought I'd bump this by asking where you draw the line in feeling you've done "enough"? How do you choose what takes priority? It was easy to choose a few causes that mean a lot to me, but then life happens, a friend needed help and I helped. But it wasn't enough, she's still in bad shape and only one other person has helped. I've only got about 200 bucks to see me to the end of the month (I'm on disability, but living with family), but she's got a family to take care of and is in need. If I give more, it is would still only be about a quarter of the money she needs. Believe me I want to give her all the money I can, but having already done my part, would it even be wise with such limited funds. How does one turn down a good cause? There are more charitable causes than any of us could possibly donate to. How can one draw a line and still look at oneself in the mirror?

I feel overwhelmed by the needs of the many, not because I don't want to help, but because I do.