I'm Sorry Oprah........

I’m prepared to say that I was wrong – that Oprah is right (lordy, lordy, why did I even question that). The Big Give premiere showed that it might in fact be possible to turn philanthropy into a reality show. When I was a young’un I remember watching The Millionaire and Queen for a Day – where people in need were given money. The Big Give is not only about the people who need help in our world, but the process of how they can be helped. That is the part I liked about the show. The people who needed help in this first episode (of 8 episodes) are regular citizens who can’t really get help through the system – a woman who is homeless after leaving an abusive life, a widow whose husband was killed in an act of random violence leaving her with three young daughters, a veteran who has injuries and no idea of how to return to his life, a mother who has set up a day-program for children with disabilities. The competitors are charged with developing a method in five days to raise money to help these people – and their methods are mostly good models for anyone wanting to do good works. It isn’t just about fixing the problem, it is about involving the community, the church and the neighbours. How would you proceed? What ideas do you think would be effective? Some contestants did a great job, others floundered and bickered and got lost. But watching the Big Give will help us all realize that helping others just takes simple steps, some imagination and a commitment to make a difference. I’d rather watch this show than the Apprentice any day………