Giving back. It’s something that was impressed upon me from an early age. I was a Girl Scout (shocking, I know) and remember working at a food pantry with my troop, serving food to kids my age. One of my college professors ran a homeless shelter and told us heartbreaking stories about the people he met every day. And when I was twenty-two, I went to work for a nonprofit organization serving underprivileged youth living in downtown Atlanta.
The idea of giving back stays with me still. While I know there are ways to contribute to causes without donating money, I know firsthand how much most nonprofit organizations rely on donations to help those they serve. Unfortunately, up until I started selling my books as a second job three months ago, I didn’t have a single bit of expendable income.
However, thanks to my amazing readers, sales of the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy have been good enough since their publication three months ago that I can now fulfill my wish to give back. When I mentioned this desire to my husband, I was worried he would flinch over the expense. Let’s be honest…even with the books selling, we’re not rolling in the money after only three months, and we have bills out the wazoo just like most people.
His response? “Sounds great! How about we donate 5% of the monthly earnings on the books? In fact…why don’t we donate to a different cause every month?”
Have I ever mentioned how much I love this man?
Thus, the idea of Raine Gives Back was born. From here on out, I’ll be donating 5% of each month’s book earnings to a great cause. To me, October’s donation was a no-brainer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There can’t be many people out there whose lives are untouched by this disease.
For me, this cause hit home back in July when I received a call from a friend of mine (who I’ll call Sally) saying that she received a diagnosis of advanced breast cancer. The news swept my feet out from under me. As I listened to her emotional story and ached for her, I vowed that as soon as I could afford to, I was going to make a donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® in honor of Sally’s fight.
And now, three months later, that’s just what I’m going to do. Thanks so much to all of you for helping me accomplish this personal goal! If you’d like to join me in donating to this wonderful cause, please visit http://ww5.komen.org/.
What I’d like from you, my readers, is your suggestions on what cause Raine Gives Back should donate 5% of all book earnings to in November. If you prefer to e-mail me your reasons, feel free to use the contact form and I’ll be happy to consider it. If your particular suggestion is chosen, I’ll make every effort to make the donation in your name if the cause allows it.
I’m very excited about this undertaking, and I thank you all in advance for joining me and my family in making a difference!