Bride turns cancelled wedding into something wonderful

When a wedding falls apart at the last moment, I've always imagined the bride and groom rightfully wallowing over their emotional and financial scars. Not so, for one young woman in Colorado Springs who had her family call the Salvation Army once it became clear that wedding costs could not be recouped. In less than 24 hours the Shafer family and Salvation Army Captain John Bennett organized 150 people from Salvation Army shelters to attend a pre-holiday banquet at the hotel where the wedding had been planned. In an interview with local news station, NewsFirst5, the bride's father, Mac Shafer, said, "What this is all about is a warm meal on a really cold night."

NewsFirst5Both, the Christmas and Chanukah stories describe experiences of finding light in the night. Here are four ways to donate to national and international causes in the spirit of this season:

Global Fund for Women
This international network of women and men mobilizes financial resources to support women's contributions to social justice, equality and peace.

National Wildlife Federation's Gulf Oil Spill Restoration Fund
Safeguardes treasured wildlife and wild places that will be forced to deal with the BP oil disaster for years, if not decades to come.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
The reconstruction of Haiti will take years, and organizations continue to need funding. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund is on the ground, funding programs that create jobs, teach skills and assist local businesses.

Karachi Relief Trust
Flood relief and rehabilitation in Pakistan.

Please share your holiday giving stories below...