Donations

[Cam81]

Hi folks, I dont know if this is the correct location for this thread, but I have been intending on making a few donations this year for a few charities, OCD UK is one, as I am so grateful for the support and advice many of you have given me,  however I was wondering if anyone knows of other OCD charities that focus on research I could add to the list. 

I didn't manage to do a shop for the local food bank so was going to also add a donation for that.

Thanks in advance.

 

Cam

[snowbear]

Hi Cam,

Thank you for any donation you can make to OCD-UK.   It all helps to pay for the forum software, the many projects OCD-UK runs across the country, and for the support phone lines and support groups the charity provides.

As far as I'm aware there isn't a charity devoted to or focusing on OCD research. OCD charities promote good practice based on what research has been done.

If you're interested in the research angle, OCD-UK's magazine for members has a section devoted to reporting on all relevant research published in the medical and pyschology journals. Why don't you consider joining as a paid-up member? Then you'd automatically get the magazine (via email or by post.) It contains many other useful articles, and as a member you also get access to the member's only area on the forums, advance access to conference recordings, advance tickets to the conferences when not held online... all this and more for the bargain price of £2 per month (£24 per year.)

If you're interested you can join here and you can see the full list of benefits for members here.

[Lynz]

Just wanted to add as well if you shop on Amazon you can nominate OCD-UK as your chosen charity through Amazon Smile. This means that whenever you buy something Amazon will make a donation to them. I'm forever buying Kindle books so it works out well for me (and OCD-UK!)

[Cam81]

I have found online Orchard OCD which I think is a University of Cambridge based charity researching treatments and studies.

I am going to start a new tradition in my house that every year this time we are going to donate what we can afford to our chosen charities, my wife is choosing the local food bank, as I said and myself, obviously OCD UK so thinking 50/50 to here and Orchard as I firmly believe that Mental health is one of the most underfunded areas to date yet it damage it causes to us and society is crippling.

Lynz, thank you for that, I have set that up and set a bookmark so that when I use amazon its through the smile path.

snowbear, I will be sorting my membership later today as £2 a month really is a drop in the ocean for such an amazing group.

 

[snowbear]

45 minutes ago, Cam81 said:

I will be sorting my membership later today as £2 a month really is a drop in the ocean for such an amazing group.

[Lynz]

3 hours ago, Cam81 said:

Lynz, thank you for that, I have set that up and set a bookmark so that when I use amazon its through the smile path

You're welcome . I alternate my chosen charity every once in a while between OCD-UK and Endometriosis UK as I also have endometriosis. I do buy a lot of stuff from Amazon so I think it's a good idea.

 

3 hours ago, Cam81 said:

I am going to start a new tradition in my house that every year this time we are going to donate what we can afford to our chosen charities, my wife is choosing the local food bank, as I said and myself, obviously OCD UK so thinking 50/50 to here and Orchard as I firmly believe that Mental health is one of the most underfunded areas to date yet it damage it causes to us and society is crippling.

That sounds like a great idea.

Apart from the donating that I do myself, I've been trying to get my family to do something similar for years now where instead of buying each other Xmas presents we donate to a charity instead.

I find present buying very stressful, as well as expensive, and a lot of it is just things that aren't really needed along with all of the plastic waste that comes with it which will ultimately end up in landfill.

Unfortunately my family are very resistant to this idea. For them presents are a sacred tradition that they just can't do without. I find the whole thing quite toxic as there is an expectation that we have to buy every single member of my family (including aunts and uncles etc) a Xmas present every year, and it's got to be a decent expensive present too. I absolutely hate it .

I think from next year I will just have to put my foot down and insist that I don't want any presents and also I won't be buying any for them and will donate to charity instead. I tried that one year though and I very quickly became public enemy no.1 within my extended family for not taking part.

(Sorry I seem to have hijacked your thread slightly to have a moan about my difficult family )

[Cam81]

It's Christmas, what else are we going to complain about . 

I have realised this year that whilst presents are nice, they are really just things, nothing compared to good mental health, and let's face it, if we all had a choice between one or the other, we know which we would choose.

As for family, we just get the younger nieces and nephews something and parents, everyone else can ****** off.

It seems that some of your family have forgotten what christmas is about, it's a gift freely given, not something anyone should expect, and if you want to make a larger donation on their behalf that would benefit people that I would assume are worse off, then I think that speaks more to your good nature than others.

[Summer9173]

4 hours ago, Cam81 said:

I have realised this year that whilst presents are nice, they are really just things, nothing compared to good mental health, and let's face it, if we all had a choice between one or the other, we know which we would choose.

So sorry to hijack the thread too but I couldn’t agree more with this ^^  oh how I wish I could ask for a new brain hahahah Oh Santa Santa how no mental health struggles would be so lovely….. Although, without my struggles, I don’t think I’d be as compassionate and caring, so I guess all bad things do have a positive to them, even if that positive is tiny!! 

Edited December 23, 2022 by Summer9173

[Cam81]

You have pointed out something there that I think you are bang on with, and that I have mentioned to my wife on a few occasions, I truly believe that those of us with mental health challenges tend to be significantly more aware, of people, ourselves and the world around us, we pick up subtleties that I feel many do not see, we are also more empathetic and understanding than most. Yes it is a generalisation however one that I have certainly observed.

And absolutely, unfortunately that positive can be overshadowed by our conditions.

As for hijacking, no apologies needed  enjoy the chat. The more the merrier.

And yes, Santa? If you are reading these posts, please heal us and keep the material things this year, hell, and for the rest if need be.

[taurean]

My Christmas present to all the forum users is a £100 donation to our wonderful charity OCD-UK. 

Where on earth would we be without them?

[Lynz]

5 minutes ago, taurean said:

My Christmas present to all the forum users is a £100 donation to our wonderful charity OCD-UK. 

Where on earth would we be without them?

That's amazing Roy

I don't know where I'd be really. I credit this forum with helping me the most to overcome my OCD over the few years that I've been an active member.

[Lynz]

17 hours ago, Cam81 said:

It's Christmas, what else are we going to complain about . 

I have realised this year that whilst presents are nice, they are really just things, nothing compared to good mental health, and let's face it, if we all had a choice between one or the other, we know which we would choose.

As for family, we just get the younger nieces and nephews something and parents, everyone else can ****** off.

It seems that some of your family have forgotten what christmas is about, it's a gift freely given, not something anyone should expect, and if you want to make a larger donation on their behalf that would benefit people that I would assume are worse off, then I think that speaks more to your good nature than others.

You are so right. Unfortunately I've tried to broach this topic with them a few times but I've not been successful so far. I think I'll just have to put my foot down and they'll probably be annoyed with me for a bit but will then get over it hopefully!

I think the issue is that there's no kids yet in my family. Me and my brother who are in our thirties are still the kids .

[Summer9173]

2 hours ago, taurean said:

My Christmas present to all the forum users is a £100 donation to our wonderful charity OCD-UK. 

Where on earth would we be without them?

Amazing @taurean!! When I qualify my HR apprenticeship next May, I’d love to do something like this for OCD-UK too as a massive support network for getting me through my first ever job with OCD. How amazing is this charity right  

[Cam81]

That's great @taurean.

Yeah, everyone has been so supportive when I was worrying about the possibility of being judged. 

I have been doing better the past week or 2, still feel like I am walking a tight rope but reading some of the suggestions and messages on here has been really therapeutic.

A massive thankyou to OCD-UK and all of you guys.  

Have a lovely Christmas all.

 

[daja]

That’s great Taurean  and others  hope you all have a good Christmas. I will be out of my comfort zone which is good.

Edited December 25, 2022 by daja