A friend just told me I’m being too secret about something. It’s true. I’ve kept something hidden. It seemed to me that telling you about it would seem self-serving. But my friend told that today people tell other people about things like this.

My secret is that for three years I have monthly donated 10% of my net income to a black, blind woman who also three years’ ago had open heart surgery. I first saw her singing in a group of jazz musicians in San Diego where she lives The group was doing a fund raising gig for homeless people. Most of the members were homeless, including my friend, whom I had not yet met. I found it striking that a blind , black homeless woman would be donating her time to help other homeless.

So, I introduced myself, and heard her life’s story. The first thing I did was take her to the office of the Mayor of San Diego, where two of his helpers guided us to a State office that eventually found her a low-cost rent controlled apartment. It did not take long for the 10% of my assistance to help. Although the apartment required six months of state bureaucracy to acquire, it had halted her homelessness. After that, my monthly payment helped her start computer training for the blind.

Personally, I soon found that paying 10% of my income did not really harm my own situation. It taught me how much money most of us waste. I learned how to cut back on non essentials and focus on what was necessary to keep a roof over my head and my bills paid.

The reason I’m now finally telling you this, is to hope you may do what I did. I’m suggesting you go find someone in your community who has become homeless –  and help them. Our government almost totally ignores the homeless. Our big business moguls ignore them. And all the non-profit corporations of Bill Gates and others don’t deal with America’s homeless.

So, let’s help. If you feel you can’t afford it, let me explain my personal finances to persuade you to reconsider. My income from Socia lSecurity and a VA Disability Pension is 4200 a month. Ten percent of that is $420 a month. That’s a annual total of $5040 for Janet.

This sharing with her has made an immense difference to her life. It’s made an immense difference to mine too. I’ve even been thinking of creating a Website called The 10% Club to try to persuade other Americans to do the same thing. How about it, want to give to a homeless person and help them get their life together? Come join me. Get out of the house and go find and meet a homeless person.

Learn about their life. And pitch in.

Guaranteed. It’ll make you feel better.