KNS Financial

Personal Finance From a Biblical Perspective

Help Find a Cure for Juvenile Diabetes

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photo by Jill A. Brown

Over the last few years I’ve developed a friendship with a wonderful woman named Joann, and in the process, I’ve come to know her amazing daughter. As Joann and I became friends, she began to open up to me about her daughter Taylor.

Taylor seemed like any normal kid – funny, silly, cute, loves to dress up dolls, etc – except for two things…she is extraordinarily compassionate, and she suffers from Type 1 diabetes.

A Tragedy Relived:

Taylor was only 4 years old when she was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, and as you can imagine, it was a difficult time for the entire family! I asked Joann to describe what went through her mind during this time:

She just laid so motionless when we went to the hospital. They gave her an IV to start fluids. Her blood sugar was almost 900 when we got to the hospital. The normal blood sugar should be between 80 and 180.

As she laid in the hospital bed I felt so helpless. No parent wants to see their child sick.

It was 3 weeks from hell and then in the hospital for a week learning everything like foods she can eat and how to give needles. We have sure come a long way. I cry thinking about it!! Its the worst feeling in the world as being a parent. 🙁

As you can imagine, this was difficult for her to write about. Taylor is now 8 years old, and must receive 4 shots of insulin each day!

A Compassionate Heart Revealed:

Here’s where Taylor’s extraordinary compassion kicked it. Each year since her diagnosis, Taylor with her family and friends have participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF) walk to cure Diabetes. She sets a goal to raise money to find a cure – not only for her, but for all other children afflicted with this disease.

However, she didn’t just stop there. One of the first things that I noticed about Taylor is her beautiful, long, curly, blond hair. Of course, I asked her a for small piece of her hair (as a joke…don’t think I’m weird 😎 ), and she told me no, because she was growing it in order to donate it to Locks of Love – an organization that provides hair pieces to children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition or treatment.

So, about two weeks ago Taylor’s cousin sponsored a Cut-a-thon to raise money for the Susan G. Koman Foundation (details below). Taylor decided to participate so she could raise money for Breast Cancer Research, AND donate her hair to Locks of Love! Here is a picture of her getting her hair cut below:



Taylor & Denise
Taylor Salmon & Denise Spearnock-Lettini



Also, by the time you read this she will have participated in her annual walk to raise money for JDRF! That’s 3 charities in 14 days!! Keep in mind that she’s only 8 years old!!!

A Chance to Make a Difference:

Ok, so far we’ve looked at the difference that Taylor and her family is making. Now it’s our turn. Below is a letter that Joann sent out to her friends inviting them to walk with, and donate on behalf of Taylor in her fight against Juvenile Diabetes. Since you will not have the opportunity to walk, please consider making a donation, AND forwarding this article on to everyone you know!

Please be sure to include “KNS Financial” somewhere in the comments section of the donate page, so Taylor can know how many of my readers gave their support (yes, she really does read every comment)! Here is Joann’s letter:

Dear Friends,

My daughter Taylor became a Diabetic when she was 4 years old.  This will be our 4th year in taking part in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s walk to cure Diabetes.  She is very proud of this walk.  The walk is at Rutgers University, Cook Campus in New Brunswick on Sunday, October 24, 2010.  The walk is right around the corner and will be here quickly.

Taylor, my family and I will proudly be walking as “Taylor’s Team” with our high hopes that one day they will find a cure to help her as she grows up with this illness.  She needs to get 4 shots a day.  She is such a strong little girl and very brave when she gets her needles.  Taylor just turned 8 in September.  Diabetes is manageable but it’s not always easy.  As she is growing so does the amount of insulin she is required to take.

Type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes, is a devastating disease that affects millions of people – a large and growing percentage of them are children.

Please make a donation for Taylor and help Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation find a cure.  I have added the link to Taylor’s page below.  I thank you and really appreciate any support you can give.

You can make a donation online by simply clicking on the link at the bottom of this message [or any of the dozen that I (Khaleef) have included in this article 😉 ].

Even though Taylor has her own struggles everyday with Diabetes, she is always looking for ways to help others!  On Sunday, October 10th, Taylor participated in a Cut-a-thon for Breast Cancer Research for the Susan G. Koman Foundation at For Pete’s Sake Hair Salon in Edison.  On top of that, Taylor donated 11 1/2 inches of her hair to Locks of Love.

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.   Her family is so proud of her for always trying to help others and for participating in such great causes. The attached photo is Taylor along with her cousin, Denise Spearnock-Lettini, owner of For Pete’s Sake.

Thank you for supporting this great cause that means so much to Taylor and my family to find a cure.

A very sincere thank you!

Joann

The picture on Taylor’s JDRF page was from our walk last year.  Thank you in advance for your generous donation.

One thing I must note is that even though it’s too late to participate in the walk, it is not too late to donate. Just click any of the “JDRF” or “donate” links above and make your contribution. Also, don’t forget to include “KNS Financial” in your comments so we all can know how wonderful you guys really are!

I almost failed to mention that every dime donated to JDRF is 100% tax deductible (depending on your tax situation, of course).

Thank you so much for your support! Maybe I’ll have Taylor write a guest post updating you on our progress and letting you know how much she appreciates all of you!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or if you want to donate by check.

IRS Gives Non-Profits Until October 15th to Protect Their Tax-Exempt Status!

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A few months ago we wrote about how many non-profits were set to lose their tax-exempt status on May 17th. That date has come and gone with thousands of non-profits still failing to file the necessary returns.

Because of this the IRS has initiated a relief program. Here is part of the announcement:

Small nonprofit organizations at risk of losing their tax-exempt status because they failed to file required returns for 2007, 2008 and 2009 can preserve their status by filing returns by Oct. 15, 2010, under a one-time relief program…

The IRS today posted on a special page of IRS.gov the names and last-known addresses of these at-risk organizations, along with guidance about how to come back into compliance. The organizations on the list have return due dates between May 17 and Oct. 15, 2010, but the IRS has no record that they filed the required returns for any of the past three years.

“We are doing everything we can to help organizations comply with the law and keep their valuable tax exemption,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said. “So if you do not have your filings up to date, now’s the time to take action and get back on track.”

How can organizations participate?

Small organizations required to file Form 990-N simply need to go to the IRS website, supply the eight information items called for on the form, and electronically file it by Oct. 15. That will bring them back into compliance.

Under the VCP, tax-exempt organizations eligible to file Form 990-EZ must file their delinquent annual information returns by Oct. 15 and pay a compliance fee. Details about the VCP are on the IRS website, along with frequently asked questions.

Are all non-profits eligible?

The relief announced today is not available to larger organizations required to file the Form 990 or to private foundations that file the Form 990-PF.

What happens to any organization who doesn’t meet the deadline?

The IRS will keep today’s list of at-risk organizations on IRS.gov until Oct. 15, 2010. Organizations that have not filed the required information returns by that date will have their tax-exempt status revoked, and the IRS will publish a list of these revoked organizations in early 2011. Donors who contribute to at-risk organizations are protected until the final revocation list is published.

If an organization loses its exemption, it will have to reapply with the IRS to regain its tax-exempt status. Any income received between the revocation date and renewed exemption may be taxable.

Why are these returns necessary?

The Pension Protection Act of 2006 made two important changes affecting tax-exempt organizations, effective the beginning of 2007. First, it mandated that all tax-exempt organizations, other than churches and church-related organizations, must file an annual return with the IRS. The Form 990-N was created for small tax-exempt organizations that had not previously had a filing requirement.

Second, the law also required that any tax-exempt organization that fails to file for three consecutive years automatically loses its federal tax-exempt status. The IRS conducted an extensive outreach effort about this new legal requirement but, even so, many organizations have not filed returns on time.

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All organizations that did not comply with the original deadline have been given a “stay of execution”. If you plan on operation as a tax-exempt organization in the future, I suggest that you file the necessary paperwork (the Form 990-N is extremely simple)!

It can be a very long and costly process to reapply with the IRS in order to regain tax-exempt status!

If you have any questions about taxes, please visit our Tax Center, or contact us to schedule an appointment.

photo credit: Meredith Harris

Helping Those in Need is a Reflection of God’s Love!

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According to the bible, helping others is a very tangible, practical way to express God’s love.  We can’t be so focused on “getting more” that we miss chances to serve other people.

We must understand that it is God who supplies our needs, and we have to stop trusting in our possessions. Those who are wealthy have to be very careful in that area. That is why God gives these instructions to them:

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. ~ 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Being “generous and ready to share” isn’t just a command for the rich. Hebrews 13:16 tells us:

And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

There are two main ways that we can disobey this command.

Trusting in riches more than God:

As 1 Timothy 6:17 says, we are “not to be conceited or fix [our] hope on the uncertainty of riches“. Trusting in our riches can make us not want to help others in two ways.

First, we may fall victim to what the bible calls “the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) – a strong feeling of pride over our accomplishments and possessions.  This may cause you to feel as though the needy person is just lazy and needs to work harder in order to better themselves. You may look down on them because you had to work hard to “earn” what you have, and you feel that they should do the same.

Second, we sometimes can gain a false security from having money. In these cases, it will be very difficult to part with our money or possessions in order to help someone else. We may start to think, “if I give money to someone who won’t be able to pay me back, what will I do if I get hit with an emergency?”.

However, if we are trusting in God to provide for us, we will be willing to give without the fear that we will have no provision for the future!

Overlooking small ways to be a blessing:

Life can be so busy and distracting that it can be easy to overlook those in need. Oftentimes, we can be can be so caught up in ourselves that we neglect to be helpful to others.

Many times as Christians, we are searching for huge ways to show God’s love to others! We have visions of doing grand things such as adopting a child, or flying to Haiti (or some other country) and helping out with disaster relief.

However, small, personal  sacrifices are what pleases God and impacts our brothers!

James 2:15-16 gives a good example of that point:

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

Here James is showing how faith and good works should coexist in a Christian’s life. Our good works should flow out of our faith; and a life without them is a good indication of a lack of faith!

He doesn’t use being a missionary, selling all your goods in order to support poor Christians, or even taking in orphans! Instead he uses as an example a brother or sister who is in need of the very basics of life.

We must never overlook those who are close to us in search of some “greater calling”; if God’s love is in our heart, we will seek to help even “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40)!

In 1 John 3:17 we find these words:

But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?

This isn’t a verse that needs a lot of explanation. If you have something, and your brother (another Christian) is in need and you refuse to help, this is a good indication that the love of God isn’t in you!

Those of us who were blessed to have more than enough to meet our basic needs, should always be willing to share with others who are not.

Much more could be said on the subject, but I just wanted to share a thought that was on my heart.

A few questions for you:

Have any of these stumbling blocks stopped you from giving to someone in need?

What are some ways that you defeat pride in your life?

Do you incorporate helping others into your budgets and other financial planning?

Have you even been the recipient of this sort of help?

What has motivated you to help others?

photo credit: liberalmind1012

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