Building Self-Reliance:       We who are fortunate enough to reside in the United States, undoubtedly the richest country in the world, have a duty, a responsibility, an obligation if you will, to help those born into less fortunate circumstances. More than half, over 3 billion people in the world, live on less than $2 per day. This is less than a cup of Starbucks latte coffee; less than a gallon of gasoline, the same as two pulls on the dollar slot machine in Vegas. Heifer International, a non-profit group, is a 60 year old organization dedicated to ending hunger throughout the world. Heifer donates animals (cows, ducks, chickens, water buffaloes, goats, llamas, etc. - 22 species in all), to villagers in developing countries, as well as to Americans in 38 States. They then teach the recipients how to care for the animals, providing shelter, food and health needs. They are also taught how to use the by-products (the milk, the eggs, the wool, the offspring, the manure, etc.) to benefit them and their families for the present generation as well as for the next. And, through a program called "Passing On The Gift," the recipients of the donated animals are obligated to pass on the first female offspring to his or her neighbor. Through their donations eventually the entire village community benefits. By donating my time, skills and money to Heifer, I know that families throughout the world are building towards a more self-reliant existence. For more information on this very worthy organization, please visiit their web site, www.heifer.org

© Copyright 2006 D. C. Keeton