We watched a documentary on Magic Johnson the other night that was moving, not because he had been such a great basketball player but because of the impact he has had on raising money for — and acceptance of — people with the HIV virus.
The documentary was well done, but more importantly, it made us realize how far the 
world has come in treatment of the virus that, when Johnson was diagnosed with it, was a so-called curse of being gay. Society didn't come into the 21st century because of fund raising, but treatment did.
Fund raising is critical to many health issues, of course, but also to issues unrelated to physical well-being and fund raisers are grateful for dollars donated, big or small.
Sometimes, the dollars come from what cynics would consider the unlikeliest of sources – cruise lines and cruise passengers. A couple of them came to attention when we were still de-briefing from our Magic moment in front of the television…
In Florida, 300 volunteers built a playground in Rockledge, a city just south of Cocoa, Florida. They moved 135 cubic yards of mulch and mixed 280 bags (80 lb.) of cement for a playground that's part of a $3.5 million commitment. The money comes from the Disney Cruise Line and 150 of the volunteers were cruise-line employees.
At sea, on ships from four cruise lines (principally Holland America but also Carnival, Costa and Princess), walkathons to support breast cancer are regularly held. Passengers who participate donate between $10 and $18 for tee shirts, wristbands and pink lemonade at wrap-up parties, and for a chance to walk five kilometres around the ship while raising money for the cause. Since it all began in 2006, Holland America has raised $1.5 million.
As an aside, while Royal Caribbean isn't one of these lines, we were on Navigator of the Seas for a Make-A-Wish Foundation fund-raising walk, in support of that line's main charity.
And finally, the non-profit Cruise Lines International Association made another donation to Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, a fund established 88 years ago to help Coast Guard family members who need aid. The donation was $5,000 and before you line that up against Holland America's $1.5 million, remember…it's the thought.
Caribbean Princess
7 nights
November 24, 2012
Fort Lauderdale (return): Princess Cays, Curacao, Aruba
Inside: $549
Cost per day: $78
www.princess.com