So these two kids (around 16 or so) came to the door tonight. They were going door to door on a project affiliated with “The Movemeant” [sic], where effectively they were selling magazines but trying to bill it as a charitable act. They claimed that every time they sold, they got points – and once they hit 20,000 points and demonstrated a work ethic thereby, they got to be counselors at some youth camp.
There was some officious-looking document [laminated, of course] that they used for bona fides, and they played hard on the ‘charitable acts’ and ‘learn a work ethic’ side of things. I initially was willing to do so, although not super interested in any of the magazines they were selling.
They added that if I didn’t want to actually receive the magazines, they’d pick which ones to buy and send them to disadvantaged families as a literacy project. This was the first red flag, as they had magazines like ‘Maxim’ listed – and Maxim counts like comic books to me, as far as literacy goes. Still, going along with the hard work and charitable giving ethic, I was decided to participate anyway. [ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, etc. - http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/4/16#16]
I asked Cynthia about the budget, to see what we have to offer. Having realized that we haven’t done the budget yet this year, I went to defer – asking the two petitioners to return later when we knew how much we could give. He pushed harder, asking me to just come up with something, and I refused – repeating that if he returned in a few weeks when we know the budget better, I might be able to help. As he left, he saw our picture of Jesus in the entryway, and made an attempt at inducing guilt by stating that Jesus would help people like him. Fortunately, he was already on the way out – so no response was necessary.
As I look back on it, clearly he thought that since we have a big house in a nice neighborhood we can simply play fast and loose with our money and be fine. I think it’s good I didn’t give him the lecture that comes to mind when I think of this, because it would not have helped either of us. [We're a young and growing family - the house is a huge expense right now, but the right thing to do long-term.] But I can find no documentation online of anything called ‘The Movemeant’ associated with youth camp or selling magazines for work ethic training and points. Part of me wonders now if they weren’t simply trying to scope out houses to break in later, although their appearance was not scruffy in the slightest.
In sum, I’m conflicted – I’ve suffered the petitioner to put up his petition in vain, and yet I’m not sad about it. I would have paid if we’d known the budget allowances for charity already, trusting in the Lord to make sure the charitable act helped someone in the end. I’m glad I didn’t because I have no idea who ‘The Movemeant’ is, or even if they really exist. For all I know, the kids would have taken the money and used it for their own ends.
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