Christmas is just around the corner. If you're still wandering the shopping malls for original gifts to put under the Christmas tree, check out the "Spirit of Giving charity gift catalog. It's the ideal gift for people who seem to have everything, and who would appreciate a gift for someone who has very little. The catalog offers a variety of choices. You can donate to Refuge Egypt which provides food packages to refugees for as low as LE 45. There are literacy classes for Egyptian women. You can give away LE 125 to help organize summer camps for girls working in the Mokatam workshops, or LE 165 can go towards providing services for day classes with children with Autism, Down syndrome, or developmental problems in Menara School in Sadat City. Your gift can allow underprivileged children to go on short seaside vacations to the North Coast during the summer. Animal lovers can donate to the Society for the Protection and Welfare of Donkeys, which provides veterinarian care and educates their owners - who rely on animals for their livelihood - about humane treatment and welfare of animals. There's something for everyone and every budget. The charity gift catalog was created in 2003 to raise funds for the underprivileged in Egypt. The fourth edition is yours to pick up at various coffee shops and community centers in Maadi. "In the past three years, a great many people - both locally and abroad - have contributed generously, allowing the projects described in this catalog to feed, dress, equip, entertain, educate, comfort, and heal numerous needy people, explains the introduction to the catalog. "Spirit of Giving was the inspiration of Reverend Paul-Gordon Chandler, the rector at St. John's Church in Maadi. The idea created to help the chiefly expatriate community to contribute to a need they saw among the local people. "Expats couldn't find a practical way to give, other than giving money away in the streets, Chandler told Daily News Egypt. "From a financial means, it is a way to give assistance. While many people in the expatriate community felt a real need to offer their help to the local charities, the language barrier often made it difficult, he further explained. Essentially, the charity catalog makes giving simpler. "We've brought it down to bite size [portions], Chandler adds. While the catalog is organized by the Episcopal Church of Egypt, it reflects St. John's Church's interfaith spirit. The church, Chandler notes, is known more for its "compassionate institutions. Not all the projects listed in the catalog are sponsored by the church. He points out that the projects listed in the catalog are part of compassionate services offered to both Muslims and Christians in the community. "We're careful to make sure they're non-sectarian projects. If it's just Muslim or Christian we'll mention it, Chandler adds. The first edition of "Spirit of Giving raised $22,000. Last year, it more than doubled that, pulling in $55,000. The catalog kicks off each year with a charity auction. Thanks to donations from local communities and businesses, this year the auction raised $19,000. These funds go directly to the projects in the catalog. "Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, not a piaster of your donation goes to overhead fees, Chandler notes in his letter. The project runs on the efforts of 20 volunteers. Local schools get involved as well, like the New Maadi British School. Though the catalog is issued for the Christmas season, people are welcome to donate year-round. "It's another way to give a Christmas gift, suggests Chandler. "Here is a simple and concrete way to give to those who have little or nothing. By the same token you can honor a loved one or friend by making a donation in their name, he said. Now, that's the spirit of giving. Pick up a copy of the catalog at St. John's Church (Rd 17 & Port Said, Maadi), the Community Services Association (£4 Rd 21, Maadi), or Café Greco (64 Rd 9, Maadi). Or order from the catalog through www.maadichurchstjohn.org/catalog
