Here at the Advocate, we are big supporters of neighborhood nonprofits. We like to highlight ways neighbors can help neighbors in the “What gives?” segment, and we also have an Advocate Foundation to support neighborhood schools and nonprofits.

Still, I couldn’t help but identify with a question in The Atlantic‘s July/August “What’s Your Problem” column, and giggle at Jeffrey Goldberg’s sarcastic response:

Every time I go to the supermarket, the checkout person asks me if
I would like to donate an extra dollar for children with cancer. I want
to support charity, but I don’t want to be confronted like this when I
go shopping. What should I say? H. W., Arlington, Va.

Dear H. W.,

You should say “I’d love to, but I’m late for my massage.” Or “I
can’t today, I have to get my Range Rover detailed.” Or, alternatively,
“How do I know that you and your fellow Safeway clerks aren’t going to
spend the money on hookers and blow?”

Many of us have experienced the questioner’s scenario, and though I greatly admire efforts by both individuals and businesses to give back to the community and want to support those efforts, I’m also somewhat of a stickler for finding out what exactly I’m supporting and where the money goes. So I politely decline these requests, and feel like a bad person when I do. If Goldberg’s answer strikes a chord with others, maybe I’m not alone.

Summer is a pain in the back sometimes. You’ve got bored kids eating all the food in the house, 100-degree temps, vacations that cause more stress than they are worth, or worse, no vacation at all. Here are two things sure to stop your (OK, my) bellyaching:

Our city is full of kids who could use a nice gesture. So Hanks Chiropractic, located at 11411 East Northwest Hwy. #107, is hosting Christmas in July, July 19-31, to benefit the Community Partners of Dallas, a nonprofit that provides services to abused and neglected children. Bring an unwrapped gift to Hanks for them (during the above dates Mon.– Sat., 9 a.m. –noon and Mon. – Fri., 3 p.m .– 6 p.m.), and you’re sure to feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

But, it’s double good, because when you come in with that gift, you’ll get free chiropractic services—existing patients get a free adjustment, and new patients get a free spinal exam, two x-rays and therapy, a $160 value.

See below a list of suggested gifts:

Infant/Toddler – puzzles, board books, building blocks, stuffed animals, blankets, trucks, musical instruments, riding toys, push toys, baby dolls (all ethnicities), clothes

Children Ages 3-6 – baby dolls (all ethnicities), Barbies (all ethnicities), puzzles, books, developmental board games, arts and crafts sets, race tracks, legos, dress-up clothes, children’s videos, bikes, clothes

Children Ages 7-12 – board games, books, purses/wallets, art sets, boom boxes, sports equipment, barbies (all ethnicities), arts and crafts sets, journals, model car kits, clothes, bikes, jewelry

Teen Ages 13-18 – books, journals, bath and body gifts, make-up sets, sports equipment, purses/wallets, jewelry/watches, art supply kits, gift certificates to Wal-Mart or Target, DVD’s, MP3 Players, clothes

Gabriel is a 7-year-old environmental entrepreneur. He started Trees For Humanity, a non-profit, when he was 4 1/2. Today, we caught up with him in front of Whole Foods in Lakewood where he was giving away oak trees and selling tshirts. The kid has good intentions, good action plans, good parents and, I have to say, awesome hair. He and his mother Monica Hochberg are planning to do the same setup at the Whole Foods store on Belt Line and Coit this saturday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Every day, ordinary people — right here in our neighborhood — are doing extraordinary things.

She made news following Hurricane Katrina, when she rallied scores of neighbors to advocate for survivors living in Dallas.

A-B-A-C-I-S-C-U-S. Abaciscus. An abaciscus is a small abacus. It was also the final word in the Literacy Instruction for Texas (LIFT) Second Annual Adult Spelling Bee …

Erickson is doing her part to improve East Dallas so her two young daughters can grow up in a community at its best. Her method: Lend a hand to organizations that have the potential to work miracles where they are most needed.

As a young woman with a master’s degree in social work, Bogen gravitated toward senior citizens. “Ever since I was young they’ve tugged at my heartstrings,” she says.

In all her years wandering the Sudanese wilderness, surrounded by other pre-teen children and attempting to remain alive, Priscilla Deng witnessed one tragedy that stayed with her. It was a young girl on the side of the road, in the dirt, giving birth unattended.

Neighborhood resident Stephanie Jehle used to spend her free time visiting animal shelters and volunteering, all the while wishing she could do more.