For my project #4 someone from the community came to our class asking if we could be a part of this first ever give day event. We had a month to prepare an idea, and promote it. We were a group of 11 students all working together to raise money. As a group we had chosen to donate our profit to the stretch pool which is where people donate if they want to give to all of the non-profits. As the team and I began to develop our idea, I began to wonder and decided to search for the answer to my question, "What is it that makes people want to donate, when they receive nothing in return?"
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ART
For my art project I did a few different things, but my main project was the "I Gave" keychain on the far left. I developed about 12 different versions of this, due to trial and error with the printer. In the end we had about 85 printed off and ready to be distributed on "Give day." The second picture in the right top corner was our tri-fold poster which we developed for the kids to be able to pop paint filled balloons through the holes without getting paint on themselves. The canvas which you can see in the left bottom corner was a huge hit with the kids, and was later donated to the coordinators of the event. One of the many snacks that were sold at the event were these "Central York HS" themed cookies. We made a batch of chocolate chip and regular sugar cookies.
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HISTORY
For the history portion I wrote a letter to an editor answering my question 'Why are people willing to give when they might receiving nothing in return.
Letter to Editor
Dear Editor,
I’m a high school student writing to share my discovery on finding the answer to my question, “Why are people willing to give?” it has come to my attention that philanthropy has become a growing industry, but I wanted to know why are people so willing to give, what are they receiving in return? We are taught very early on to value what we have and give back to those who don’t have much. As we grow older these values strengthen and weaken for some, so what is it that makes a person charitable? The positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy driven guilt are just some of the reasons behind charitable giving.
When someone thinks about giving, they might not consider the health benefits that people receive in return. According to “The science behind why people give money to charity” published by the Voluntary Sector Network, research revealed that it makes people happier to spend money on others than to spend it on themselves, meaning that giving to others can be “healthy” as stated in the article. It is said in the same article that humans are “wired” to be generous; it’s in their human nature. A study done by The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving and Generosity by Scientific American Blog Network studied the brain’s activity and found that “When people donated money to a charity, the same network showed even greater activity—and the activity spread to the subgenual area (implicated in social attachment), which had remained inactive in the pure monetary reward choices.” Meaning your very brain gives you a better feeling when you give rather than when you receive. Giving can be described as an investment because of the good feelings and healthy mental health that comes with it. While giving is simply good for a person, there are others who give because of more selfish reasons. Even with charity we are still receiving something in return whether it is health benefits or recognition, no giving is ever completely “free” or selfless. Even the wealthy who seem to have everything gain something in return. An article called, “Wealthy People Give to Charity for Different Reasons Than the Rest of Us” by the website Scientific American focused on the fact that “When a donation request resonates strongly with our self-image, they argue, we are more likely to feel charitable.” They stated they “feel charitable” using the association to something good like charity to better their self images. In the same article by Scientific American a research concluded that “As people become wealthier, their caring and compassion for others decreases.” If giving is said to be good for social health and promote empathy, this got me thinking that when the wealthy don’t have to rely on people as much, they lose that empathy and may be less willing to give for good reasons. Wealthy people are going to be the ones who are going to be able to donate more than any other group, mainly because not only do they have plenty of resources but they get something in return, an image. There are some people in this world who are born into wealthy lifestyles while others aren’t. Some say they feel obligated to give back to their communities because they feel bad they were born with so much without working for it. There are many reasons we choose to give, but guilt is another driving factor. A historical example of guilt would be the polio epidemic during the 1940’s, scientifically known as infantile paralysis ,which affected the lives of many children, leaving parents fearful for their future. This was during a rough time period when the Great Depression was still taking its toll on the American economy and yet the American people were still willing to give. The major success of the March of Dimes campaign founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to raise money for polio featured poster children in wheelchairs and leg braces, an emotional and visual effect of the illness. A Youtube video called “The History of Polio in the US” states, “The numbers weren’t as important as knowing that every kid was vulnerable.” The public was forced to watch in fear as this illness continue to take over, and money continued to be raised as researchers raced to find a cure.
Whether it’s seeing a homeless in the street or a loved one suffering from a cancer disease, it takes a look into the problem to put things into a reality, a reality these people must live in. Positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy driven guilt are some of the reasons that drive people to be charitable and be willing to give even when it might seem like they’re getting nothing in return. Some of the answers to my question really shocked me especially to think that we tend to give out of guilt
Sincerely,
Monica Membreno
I’m a high school student writing to share my discovery on finding the answer to my question, “Why are people willing to give?” it has come to my attention that philanthropy has become a growing industry, but I wanted to know why are people so willing to give, what are they receiving in return? We are taught very early on to value what we have and give back to those who don’t have much. As we grow older these values strengthen and weaken for some, so what is it that makes a person charitable? The positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy driven guilt are just some of the reasons behind charitable giving.
When someone thinks about giving, they might not consider the health benefits that people receive in return. According to “The science behind why people give money to charity” published by the Voluntary Sector Network, research revealed that it makes people happier to spend money on others than to spend it on themselves, meaning that giving to others can be “healthy” as stated in the article. It is said in the same article that humans are “wired” to be generous; it’s in their human nature. A study done by The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving and Generosity by Scientific American Blog Network studied the brain’s activity and found that “When people donated money to a charity, the same network showed even greater activity—and the activity spread to the subgenual area (implicated in social attachment), which had remained inactive in the pure monetary reward choices.” Meaning your very brain gives you a better feeling when you give rather than when you receive. Giving can be described as an investment because of the good feelings and healthy mental health that comes with it. While giving is simply good for a person, there are others who give because of more selfish reasons. Even with charity we are still receiving something in return whether it is health benefits or recognition, no giving is ever completely “free” or selfless. Even the wealthy who seem to have everything gain something in return. An article called, “Wealthy People Give to Charity for Different Reasons Than the Rest of Us” by the website Scientific American focused on the fact that “When a donation request resonates strongly with our self-image, they argue, we are more likely to feel charitable.” They stated they “feel charitable” using the association to something good like charity to better their self images. In the same article by Scientific American a research concluded that “As people become wealthier, their caring and compassion for others decreases.” If giving is said to be good for social health and promote empathy, this got me thinking that when the wealthy don’t have to rely on people as much, they lose that empathy and may be less willing to give for good reasons. Wealthy people are going to be the ones who are going to be able to donate more than any other group, mainly because not only do they have plenty of resources but they get something in return, an image. There are some people in this world who are born into wealthy lifestyles while others aren’t. Some say they feel obligated to give back to their communities because they feel bad they were born with so much without working for it. There are many reasons we choose to give, but guilt is another driving factor. A historical example of guilt would be the polio epidemic during the 1940’s, scientifically known as infantile paralysis ,which affected the lives of many children, leaving parents fearful for their future. This was during a rough time period when the Great Depression was still taking its toll on the American economy and yet the American people were still willing to give. The major success of the March of Dimes campaign founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to raise money for polio featured poster children in wheelchairs and leg braces, an emotional and visual effect of the illness. A Youtube video called “The History of Polio in the US” states, “The numbers weren’t as important as knowing that every kid was vulnerable.” The public was forced to watch in fear as this illness continue to take over, and money continued to be raised as researchers raced to find a cure.
Whether it’s seeing a homeless in the street or a loved one suffering from a cancer disease, it takes a look into the problem to put things into a reality, a reality these people must live in. Positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy driven guilt are some of the reasons that drive people to be charitable and be willing to give even when it might seem like they’re getting nothing in return. Some of the answers to my question really shocked me especially to think that we tend to give out of guilt
Sincerely,
Monica Membreno
ENGLISH
For my english portion I wrote an expository essay to show what I had found during my research. After looking at many different reasons people like to give I found it only right to analysis the short story The Gift of the Magi which emphasis the real meaning of a good gift.
I was suggested by my history teacher to take a look at the story of Henrietta Lacks a women whose cells were taken by researchers without her consent or ever getting properly acknowledged. Her cell's known as the HeLa cells contributed in many science discoveries in the late 1900's and yet makes us question the meaning what she would have thought of her "donation."
Expository Essay
CHARITY
The word “charity” means to be generous and help give or provide money to those in need. It is said that generosity begins at home, that it is a moral value we are taught as young kids. We are taught very early on to value what we have and give back to those who don’t have much. As we grow older these values strengthen for many yet weaken for some. So what is it that makes a person charitable? The positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy-driven guilt are just some of the reasons behind charitable giving.
When someone thinks about giving, they might not consider the health benefits that people receive in return. According to “The science behind why people give money to charity” published by the Voluntary Sector Network, research revealed that it makes people happier to spend money on others than to spend it on themselves, meaning that giving to others can be “healthy” as stated in the article. It is said in the same article that humans are “wired” to be generous; it’s in their human nature. A study done by The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving and Generosity by Scientific American Blog Network studied the brain’s activity and found that “When people donated money to a charity, the same network showed even greater activity—and the activity spread to the subgenual area (implicated in social attachment), which had remained inactive in the pure monetary reward choices.” Meaning your very brain gives you a better feeling when you give rather than when you receive. Giving can be described as an investment because of the good feelings and healthy mental health that comes with it.
While giving is simply good for a person, there are others who give because of more selfish reasons. Even with charity we are still receiving something in return whether it is health benefits or recognition, no giving is ever completely “free” or selfless. Even the wealthy who seem to have everything gain something in return. An article called, “Wealthy People Give to Charity for Different Reasons Than the Rest of Us” by the website Scientific American focused on the fact that “When a donation request resonates strongly with our self-image, they argue, we are more likely to feel charitable.” They stated they “feel charitable” using the association to something good like charity to better their self images. In the same article by Scientific American a research concluded that “As people become wealthier, their caring and compassion for others decreases.” If giving is said to be good for social health and promote empathy, this got me thinking that when the wealthy don’t have to rely on people as much, they lose that empathy and may be less willing to give for good reasons. Wealthy people are going to be the ones who are going to be able to donate more than any other group, mainly because not only do they have plenty of resources but they get something in return, an image.
There are some people in this world who are born into wealthy lifestyles while others aren’t. Some say they feel obligated to give back to their communities because they feel bad they were born with so much without working for it. There are many reasons we choose to give, but guilt is another driving factor. A historical example of guilt would be the polio epidemic during the 1940’s, scientifically known as infantile paralysis ,which affected the lives of many children, leaving parents fearful for their future. This was during a rough time period when the Great Depression was still taking its toll on the American economy and yet the American people were still willing to give. The major success of the March of Dimes campaign founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to raise money for polio featured poster children in wheelchairs and leg braces, an emotional and visual effect of the illness. A Youtube video called “The History of Polio in the US” states, “The numbers weren’t as important as knowing that every kid was vulnerable.” The public was forced to watch in fear as this illness continue to take over, and money continued to be raised as researchers raced to find a cure.
We sometimes tend to forget those moral values our parents taught us, but it takes visual issues to make people remember them. Whether it’s seeing a homeless in the street or a loved one suffering from a cancer disease, it takes a look into the problem to put things into a reality, a reality these people must live in. Positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy driven guilt are some of the reasons that drive people to be charitable and be willing to give even when it might seem like they’re getting nothing in return. Regardless the reasons behind their actions, as a society people should continue to help one another because even little help can make a huge impact.
The word “charity” means to be generous and help give or provide money to those in need. It is said that generosity begins at home, that it is a moral value we are taught as young kids. We are taught very early on to value what we have and give back to those who don’t have much. As we grow older these values strengthen for many yet weaken for some. So what is it that makes a person charitable? The positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy-driven guilt are just some of the reasons behind charitable giving.
When someone thinks about giving, they might not consider the health benefits that people receive in return. According to “The science behind why people give money to charity” published by the Voluntary Sector Network, research revealed that it makes people happier to spend money on others than to spend it on themselves, meaning that giving to others can be “healthy” as stated in the article. It is said in the same article that humans are “wired” to be generous; it’s in their human nature. A study done by The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving and Generosity by Scientific American Blog Network studied the brain’s activity and found that “When people donated money to a charity, the same network showed even greater activity—and the activity spread to the subgenual area (implicated in social attachment), which had remained inactive in the pure monetary reward choices.” Meaning your very brain gives you a better feeling when you give rather than when you receive. Giving can be described as an investment because of the good feelings and healthy mental health that comes with it.
While giving is simply good for a person, there are others who give because of more selfish reasons. Even with charity we are still receiving something in return whether it is health benefits or recognition, no giving is ever completely “free” or selfless. Even the wealthy who seem to have everything gain something in return. An article called, “Wealthy People Give to Charity for Different Reasons Than the Rest of Us” by the website Scientific American focused on the fact that “When a donation request resonates strongly with our self-image, they argue, we are more likely to feel charitable.” They stated they “feel charitable” using the association to something good like charity to better their self images. In the same article by Scientific American a research concluded that “As people become wealthier, their caring and compassion for others decreases.” If giving is said to be good for social health and promote empathy, this got me thinking that when the wealthy don’t have to rely on people as much, they lose that empathy and may be less willing to give for good reasons. Wealthy people are going to be the ones who are going to be able to donate more than any other group, mainly because not only do they have plenty of resources but they get something in return, an image.
There are some people in this world who are born into wealthy lifestyles while others aren’t. Some say they feel obligated to give back to their communities because they feel bad they were born with so much without working for it. There are many reasons we choose to give, but guilt is another driving factor. A historical example of guilt would be the polio epidemic during the 1940’s, scientifically known as infantile paralysis ,which affected the lives of many children, leaving parents fearful for their future. This was during a rough time period when the Great Depression was still taking its toll on the American economy and yet the American people were still willing to give. The major success of the March of Dimes campaign founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to raise money for polio featured poster children in wheelchairs and leg braces, an emotional and visual effect of the illness. A Youtube video called “The History of Polio in the US” states, “The numbers weren’t as important as knowing that every kid was vulnerable.” The public was forced to watch in fear as this illness continue to take over, and money continued to be raised as researchers raced to find a cure.
We sometimes tend to forget those moral values our parents taught us, but it takes visual issues to make people remember them. Whether it’s seeing a homeless in the street or a loved one suffering from a cancer disease, it takes a look into the problem to put things into a reality, a reality these people must live in. Positive health benefits, increase in welfare in society, and empathy driven guilt are some of the reasons that drive people to be charitable and be willing to give even when it might seem like they’re getting nothing in return. Regardless the reasons behind their actions, as a society people should continue to help one another because even little help can make a huge impact.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The story told in Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks is another form of giving that relates to modern day giving in the medical field. Henrietta Lacks is the colored women whose cells were taken during a cancer treatment without her consent and were used for research throughout the late 1900s. She had been part of a scientific revolution thanks to her “immortal” cell line also known as “HeLa,” but what many don’t know are the deceptions she and her family endured in order for researchers to have them.
When a family or friend suffers from something like cancer, people tend to open their eyes to an entirely new problem and are more willing to give donations. Many times with charity we are willing to give because we feel empathy and guilt towards a person or organization and the same goes for organ and blood donations. People tend to not realize how much their contributions are needed until they or their loved ones are the ones who need them.
Her family, although through deception, was asked if they could take blood samples to make sure her kids didn’t have cancer. Although hesitant, her husband allowed it hoping it would help his kids in case they also suffered from cancer. Seeing his wife die from this illness made him more willing to give in to help his family. If Henrietta had been asked, I think she would have been willing to give part of herself in the name of science out of the same empathy driven guilt everybody lives with.
When a family or friend suffers from something like cancer, people tend to open their eyes to an entirely new problem and are more willing to give donations. Many times with charity we are willing to give because we feel empathy and guilt towards a person or organization and the same goes for organ and blood donations. People tend to not realize how much their contributions are needed until they or their loved ones are the ones who need them.
Her family, although through deception, was asked if they could take blood samples to make sure her kids didn’t have cancer. Although hesitant, her husband allowed it hoping it would help his kids in case they also suffered from cancer. Seeing his wife die from this illness made him more willing to give in to help his family. If Henrietta had been asked, I think she would have been willing to give part of herself in the name of science out of the same empathy driven guilt everybody lives with.
The Gift of the Magi
We may not realize it, but we may like giving gifts more than we like receiving them. In the short story “The Gift Of The Magi” by O. Henry, a married couple sells their most valuable things to buy each other gifts that in the end turn out to be useless.
The joyful giving during Christmas time is what encourages Della to show her appreciation and love towards her husband Jim through a thoughtful gift. Despite their lack of money she went and bought him a gold chain for his watch by selling her most valuable possession, her long beautiful black hair. While her husband, she later found had been selling his prized watch in exchange for some brushes for Della’s hair.
We can come to the conclusion that “Jim’s joy at seeing Della’s happiness at her present was likely greater than his enjoyment of his own gift, and the opposite holds true for Della.” Experiencing joy from seeing others’ joy is a simple social trait that not only makes us better people, but it is also really good for one’s social health.
The joyful giving during Christmas time is what encourages Della to show her appreciation and love towards her husband Jim through a thoughtful gift. Despite their lack of money she went and bought him a gold chain for his watch by selling her most valuable possession, her long beautiful black hair. While her husband, she later found had been selling his prized watch in exchange for some brushes for Della’s hair.
We can come to the conclusion that “Jim’s joy at seeing Della’s happiness at her present was likely greater than his enjoyment of his own gift, and the opposite holds true for Della.” Experiencing joy from seeing others’ joy is a simple social trait that not only makes us better people, but it is also really good for one’s social health.
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