IAM Group Ltd | Mobile Charity

With the turn of the new century, the world has witnessed more than a few natural and sudden calamities. Millions of lives were destroyed because of it. Despite of the turmoil and the devastation people from different parts of the world have experienced from the cyclone Katrina in the US, tsunamis in Sumatra, Indonesia and earthquake and flood in Yokohama, Japan, the act of unity and the extension of oneself have always been existing.

• There poses one challenge though.

 Many people have been willing to give but are afraid they do not have much. The distance has also been a problem. An outreach cannot be made in places that are miles away. Recognizing this dilemma, the governments of countries affected by the disaster, charity cases such as IAM Group Limited and private telecommunication companies came up with a solution that would extend help in the simplest way possible: through technology. Among the different charity methods that have been thought of, mobile charity or mobile donating has emerged.
Mobile donating refers to donating to an organization through a mobile device. The primary means for mobile donating is through SMS. Mobile donating can also refer to consumers donating their old phones to a cause for recycling and reuse of the device.

• Mobile Giving Process

Premium SMS Donations: Text messaging, or SMS, is the primary means of mobile giving. Mobile phone users can make donations by texting a keyword to a specific SMS short code. Keywords are determined by the fundraising organization, and usually pertain to the organization’s cause or purpose. After donating, users receive a confirmation text message and the donation amount is added to their monthly phone bill. Donations can take up to 90 days to be processed.

• Drawbacks to Mobile Giving

Mobile giving can be a convenient way to donate to charity, IAM Group Ltd. has found out that there are a lot of pitfalls in this way of donating, including concerns that service providers may charge fees or take a cut of the donations. We also found out that it can take as long as 120 days for a charity to actually receive a text donation and that wireless carriers may limit the number of times per month a user can donate via text. A charity will generally receive your donation faster if you mail a check or donate directly to the charity online using its secure web site.
Scammers may also take advantage of natural disasters by posing as legitimate charities.

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IAM Group Ltd | Never Too Late

Through the eyes of strangers, Michael is just a normal 15 year old young lad who has a bright future ahead and a happy home who cares for him. When you get to know him though, you will be surprised that this red-haired, handsome young man has epilepsy and has neuroendocrine tumor, a kind of cancer that target the intestines and grows rapidly inside. Also, he has been living with a partner orphanage of ours ever since his Japanese mother went home to Yokohama when he was 10 and was never heard again. He never knew about his father. Since then, he has been volunteering with IAM Group Limited while still continuously searching for his mom. Getting acquainted with him and knowing about his circumstance, I have never heard any remorse from him, nor did I saw him angry or sad. He would just always say, “There is nothing wrong in my life. I just have a very unique battle. And this battle will not be given if I cannot conquer it”. He would then wink with his little eyes and whistles away. There are times that I would catch him thinking deeply and when he realizes that you are watching, he would quickly plant a smile on his face.

Michael’s greatest dream is to be a firefighter. He would always be mesmerized while watching fire trucks go by. He promised me that someday, he would. One of our senior volunteer heard his wish one day and planned a surprise birthday party for him: one that would really make him happy.

One day, while we were in a read-a-book program in IAM Group Ltd. with one of our educational charity partners, we were all alarmed when sirens began blasting near the school where we were conducting the charity works. All of us tried our best not to panic and along with Michael, I ran outside to see what was happening. Three fire trucks were in front of us and about 20 fire fighters with their red uniforms formed a line in front of us. The children who we were teaching earlier suddenly ran in front of the firefighters, took out their placards which read Happy Birthday, Michael and sang wholeheartedly. I also brought out the cake which was already melting ever since I hid it under the table and lighted the candle and sang with them. I can see Michael’s surprised and unbelieving eyes were already full of tears when he blew the candle. The chief of fire fighters also came forward and gave Michael an honorary medal and certificate which states that he is already a member of the local fire department. It was such a memorable moment for all of us and we cheered while all of us were crying.

Two months later, after attending a real fire himself as a volunteer, Michael passed away. Despite not having met his mother who until now has not come back, and having cancer, he was still brave enough to smile and conquer all the challenges and saw the beauty in life. We will always remember the lesson he left behind.

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IAM Group Ltd | Those in NEED

People always ask us how we at IAM Group Ltd. find all the charity groups that we partner with and know which one is legit. My response is standard. I would say, we google them and call their number, really get to know them and know if they are true. I know, I am sounding so casual when the thing we do shouldn’t. I mean, it should be from the heart, what we are doing and in saying that we google them would mean we are not serious in this. Well, in all fairness, it’s not really how we do things. The way I answer is just because it seems that the people asking it doubt the way we work things and it really seethes me to answer them nicely. For me, it doesn’t matter as long as we can help out.

Many of us people look up to big charity foundations, thinking that we cannot extend our help because we do not have much and those kind of foundation have people and rich volunteers to do the task because they can afford it. Having those thoughts are in fact, for me, an excuse to do your share of charity. Asking us in IAM Group Limited on how we find our charity also gives the impression that if you are to partner with us, you have to secure that your money will go to a worthy cause. Harsh as it may sound, there are really a lot of people who think of it that way.

What is charity? And to whom should we really extend it though? Do we think that if we do not have enough, it already means we cannot give out? Or if we have enough, do we think that it should be worthy to give?

“We are surrounded by those in need of our kindness. We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve His children.” As said by one of our friends from Yokohama, Japan. These kind words, saying that we do not have to look up to big charity cases to help, should be enough to weigh our thoughts again and reconsider.

 If you do not have enough, can’t you extend a portion of yourself to a sad friend who needs comfort? That is charity. If you have much, can’t you help a little kid go through college if you do not trust big charity companies? That is also charity.

See, it does not matter how we do our share of charity. What matters is, we can lend a helping hand, in cash, kind or willing heart to those who are in need.

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