[nagdu] Why should donors give to guide dog schools?

[Julie J]

For a lot of blind people, surgery just isn't an option.  I think for most of us if there was some magic wand that would give us our vision back, we'd go for it.  Unfortunately modern medicine doesn't quite work like that.

So I guess I'm saying that donating money to charities that provide surgeries to improve vision and charities that provide guide dogs are two distinct and seperate things.  It's comparing apples and oranges.  

Then there is health insurance or medicaid that will cover medical related expenses.  Health insurance doesn't pay for guide dogs, at least not that I've ever heard of.

In the end, I think we donate to what is personally meaningful to us or what we have personal experience with.  I donate to the NFB, homeless shelters, the local pet shelter and others because I have a personal connection and experiences that cause me to have some empathy.  And now for my own cold hearted truth...I sleep just fine at night after hanging up on the cancer society people and the make a wish people who want my money.

Sorry for any typos.  I'm using my iPad and I'm still learning how to operate the thing.

Julie


Sent from my iPad

> On Nov 8, 2013, at 1:34 PM, "Sherry Gomes" <sherriola at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Well, Peter singer thinks parents should have the right to let disabled
> children die, so his opinion about why donate to a guide dog school doesn't
> count much with me. I love the confidence and companionship that comes with
> being a guide dog handler, the physical stability my guides give me as well.
> I used to donate to GDB and so as a donor myself, I think all of that is
> good enough reason. 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
> Sent: Friday, November 08, 2013 12:08 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Why should donors give to guide dog schools?
> 
> Ginger, I guess I'd mention the countless times my dog has kept me from 
> being run over by a car or bike I didn't hear coming.
> I heard Mr. Singer on the radio yesterday.  He says it's human nature to 
> care more about what's close to us than what's far away, right or wrong. 
> And the cold truth is that I care more about blind Americans than I do about
> 
> people elsewhere.  Call me a monster if you like, but I'll keep giving my 
> money to TSE.  Selfish, you bet. And I'll encourage others to do the same. 
> Folks can see how much my dog does for me.
> Tracy
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, November 08, 2013 12:08 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] Why should donors give to guide dog schools?
> 
> 
>> Ed, thanks for sharing this article. It may be of interest to know that 
>> this
>> article was published in response to comments made by Peter Singer, a
>> well-known Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, who frequently
>> lectures about effective altruism. He recommends that donors put data 
>> ahead
>> of passion and give to organizations that help the most people. He stated