Santa's little helpers

Edit...Anyone wishing to make donations please clink on 'Santa's little helpers' ...every little helps!

As this year begins to draw to a close i've been looking back on how things have gone, and i can honestly say it's been one of the hardest years of my life so far.
I've never been in so much debt, or struggled to make ends meet as much as i have this past year.
I've never seen so little of my children, again due to my financial situation, which has also been really hard for them.

Despite struggling so much i've always tried to keep positive and remind myself that things could be a lot worse, and i'm truly grateful for all that i have.

It's been a mixed year on the forum too.
There have been far too many tragedies this year. People losing those closest to them, both on the roads and off them...people losing their jobs...their homes.
There have also been some incredible moments too.
The forum has come through when it was most needed on the memorial rides and the Bunny run. It's shown how it's possible to make great friends from complete strangers on forum rides, social drinks, bike polo tournaments.
Most of all it's shown that there is strength in numbers...that if enough people care about something and are willing to help then we can truly make a difference in peoples lives, both on and off the forum.

This brings me right back to 'Things could be a lot worse'.

There are a huge number of people for whom things ARE a lot worse.
For those who will be spending their Christmas on the streets, or the children who will be spending it in hospital or without their families, for the elderly living alone...it's not going to be such a happy occasion.

This is where i'm hoping that the forum can once again show it's strength in numbers.

What i'm proposing is 'Santa's little helpers'.

This will involve a variety of schemes, rides, alleycats, or anything else you can think of that may help in achieving the end goal of making this winter a safer, and hopefully happier time for those people who may not be as fortunate as you.

One of the first things i'd like to get going is donations.

I'm hoping that part of this money can be used for the purchase of space blankets.
These can then be dropped off at homeless shelters to be given to those who aren't fortunate enough to be able to get a bed in the shelters. For those people this could literally save their lives.
With a huge number of forum members spread over such a wide area, it should be possible to deliver blankets to a good number of shelters.

There are so many different ways in which we can help, and for this to work it will require people to organize their own things and then with the help of the forum carry them out.
Whether it be delivering Christmas cards for the elderly...organizing an alleycat...i suggested one last year where instead of checkpoints you have shopping lists and you have to buy food items from the list then drop them off at shelters, homes for the elderly, etc...it could involve toys for childrens homes...basically whatever you can think of.
Obviously permission will be needed for anything you plan, just as it was for the Bunny run.

All ideas are welcome and all help greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
Scott not scot.