Jun 10, 2009 10:33 pm US/Eastern
'Flash Mob' Sheds Light On Drop In Charity Giving
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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United Way's flash mob raised awareness of a drop in donations to charities amid the recession.
WBZ
It's called a "flash mob," an internet era phenomenon where a crowd gathers to do something unusual for a short time and then disperses.
They don't always have a clear purpose. But the flash
mob outside South Station Wednesday was all about people helping those in need.
The three-minute rush hour event raised awareness of a very real problem tied to the recession we're suffering through -- a falloff in charitable giving.
That's the bad news.
The good news is it could be much worse, and there's something you can do to help.
When a crowd of people strip off their jackets and freeze during rush hour, you figure it's yet another PETA protest, or those MIT kids acting out again.
But the so-called flash mob outside South Station at 5:05 p.m. wasn't a prank or political statement. The stunt was organized by the local
United Way to draw attention to the hard times local charities are going through.
There's a huge need for everything from clothing donations to food donations. The latest figures show meeting those needs is becoming ever more difficult.
According to an annual study by the group
Giving USA, the recession took a bite out of charitable donations last year.
Among those suffering the most:
- Educational non-profits, down 5.5 percent from 2007
- Art and cultural organizations saw their donations drop 6.4 percent
- Non-profit foundations of all kinds suffered a huge hit of nearly 20 percent
But charitable giving still topped $300 billion last year and held it's share of the gross domestic product.
People continued to give generously to religious groups and combined purpose funds like the United Way, both up by about 5.5 percent. Gifts to international aid groups were also up slightly.
It seems you can freeze the U.S. economy in its tracks, but you can't freeze the generosity of the American people.
The flash mob's goal was to promote the
United Way's Day of Action Donation Drive to benefit community non-profits. The event takes place this Friday and Saturday when donations are especially welcomed.
Sometimes flash mobs promote pillow fights and group dancing -- this one was promoting what's best about the American spirit.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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