Volunteering

There are some people in the world who believe that they can make a difference in the lives of others. There are also some organizations whose aim is to put an end to some serious problems which affect society. Mary Sutherland is one of those volunteers who escaped from the streets to help other people. She ran away from school and home at the age of 15. She fought against depression and loneliness. At the age of 17 she started a charity that works with the homeless. After four years, she started to work on the SAFE Project, which offers many services for the homeless, with three other volunteers. In their project, they also provide spiritual help, weekends away, haircuts, advice, love and support. She also organizes dinners and shelters for the homeless in London. She is now 21 years old, and she works with other young volunteers. They are all eager to raise money for the homeless. Mary thinks that this project helped her to be more confident. Nowadays, Christmas is approaching and they’d like to collect more money for poor people. For this reason, they are going to distribute leaflets, take an ad in the newspaper and ask people to send their support. 

Around the world in The USA, the holiday season is a time for gift giving between friends and family members. They do it not only with their family and friends, but also with the people who are less fortunate than they are. Every day from November to the end of January, The New York Times newspaper highlights the situation of ninety people who could be helped by readers. Then, the “Neediest Cases Fund” was established. The fund was designed on Christmas Day 1911. Back then, the newspaper publisher asked his staff to find one hundred of the neediest people in New York and to write about them to raise awareness about these people and collect money. Since it began, the fund has received more than two hundred million dollars.

Adapted from eslprintables and eslcourses websites.)