It seems there is an abundance of charities to choose from around the holiday season. You have the choice to give Christmas presents to needy children, food to families who can’t afford a nice meal and things of that nature.
I, like most Americans, do my
part in donating to these charities
by putting a few dollars and
spare change in Salvation Army
kettles and boxes, such as the
ones at the City Bagel counter.
It’s either the cold weather or
my love for the holidays, but
whenever it becomes nippy outside
and I see Christmas decorations,
I become a more generous
person and make it a point to
donate to everything I see. I
haven’t been passionate about
a charity in a while because I
haven’t had any attachment to
its roots until recently.
On Nov. 13 of this year, a student
at Mississippi State experienced
the feeling of almost
losing a child. Hannah Hester
walked onto the balcony of a
friend’s Cotton District apartment
and found that her soonto-
be 4-year-old basset hound
fell off the second story balcony
onto the patio below.
To those who don’t understand
the connection between
a child and a basset hound, let
me explain. When a person has
a dog before they have a child, it
becomes the closest experience
to having a child without the
whole pregnancy and childbirth
experiences.
Being a good mother, Hester
took her basset hound, Gus,
to the vet’s office to see what
the next steps are to make sure
he lives. The vet told her that
the dog needed surgery to fix
the damage from the accident.
Unfortunately for Hester, the
mandatory surgery costs about
$2,500, and that is a lot of
cheddar for a college student.
Because of the high cost of the
surgery, Hester found herself at
a dead end when payment was
needed. And then she realized
there is no better way to raise
money for a worthy cause than
to host a benefit.
My guess is that the “Benefit
for Gus” will mainly appeal to
pet lovers in the area. If the
idea of a dog not being able
to move his back legs because
he fell from a two-story balcony
does not pierce your heart,
you are undoubtedly not a pet
lover. I will be the first to admit
that I sometimes find myself
giving more compassion to an
animal than I do to a human.
This might be the reasoning for
someone calling me “cold” once
or twice before, but I stand my
ground when it comes to the
defense of animals that need
help from humans. Even if you
are not a pet lover, I think it
would show the importance of
community in a small town if
people participate in this charity.
I understand that there is
alcohol to drink, bills to pay
and football game outfits to buy,
so college students don’t have
much money to give out. But it’s
true that every little bit counts
when it comes to charity.
Mugshots Bar & Grill hosted
an event Thursday night, charging
$5 cover to go toward Gus’
surgery costs, but with the limited
capacity in a small bar, there
is only so much money that can
be raised, which is why Hester
and her friends have decided to
set up a charity kettle at their
tailgate location on Saturday
during the last home game of
the season. Anyone can walk
by the location set up on the
shoulder of the walkway leading
to the entrance of the Leo Seal
M-Club and donate.
Students who own pets
understand the bond between
an owner and the animal. If
you can put yourself in Hester’s
shoes and have the fear of not
being able to pay for a surgery
that will save your pet, you will
understand the amount of stress
and agony she is experiencing.
If not, this charity might not
seem important to you, but consider
it a good Samaritan act to
help out someone in need especially
during the holiday season
or finals, because nobody wants
this pressure put on them during
either of those periods. So if you
wander around The Junction on
Saturday, make a trip down the
center walkway and help out
a fellow MSU student. I can
almost guarantee that it will be
an instant pick-me-up.
Bailey Singletary is a senior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].