The Help-a-Stranger Idea is an organization formed for the sole purpose of promoting a simple idea - that if each one of us will take a little time at Christmas to help someone who doesn't expect our help, we act out the true meaning of Christmas. That's all there is to it. Who you help, or how you help, is strictly your own business. We're only promoting the idea. We are not a charity.

WHY DO WE DO THIS?

This is not a church organization, nor is it affiliated with any group. The Help-a-Stranger Idea was started in 1965 by an advertising man who has no active church connection, but who believes that the original Christmas message is a universal message which should be shared by men and women of all faiths. In the first "Help-a-Stranger" folder, founder Tam Deachman, now a Vancouver advertising agency copywriter, said:

"Jesus Christ never heard of Chritianity. Basically He was only after the attainment of universal brotherhood. He was trying to teach individual and personal humility. Undoubtedly He would be shocked to find churches bearing his name as rigidly labelled and as compartmented as they are, because by doing so, we have made it difficult for people to remember that Christianity should be a way of life, not simply membership in an organization. I say this without rancor of any kind. I feel the churches themselves recognize the dilemma and are making valiant efforts to reach more people effectively. But at present they are the victims of their own size and inevitable complexity."

"But suppose we go back in time and imagine how it all began. Let's forget about churches and sects and the great complex of inverted Christian organizations, and just visualize ourselves on a hill over-looking Galilee, hearing this man talk in simple terms about how we can achieve a better life and a better world by treating others as we would ourselves. That was really the core of almost every message He left with us. He talked about sharing with those less fortunate than ourselves. In parable after parable He urged us to help strangers. He assured us that good works, done secretly, anonymously, among strangers, would bring the fullest rewards."

"This truly is a universal message, and Christ intended it as such! It is Judaism, Mohammedanism, Buddhism, and indeed is the key precept of every large religious movement in the world. It is nothing short of preposterous vanity or ignorance to hold that Christians have a sort of 'copyright' on the extension of decency and charity toward their fellow men."

"So why not take the occasion of the anniversary of Christ's birthday to carry out these basic injunctions, and invite all mankind to join in with us. . not necessarily as Christians, but just as men of goodwill. Would it not be more fully in keeping with Christ's original message? Would this not be a magnificent way to finally make Christmas fully meaningful?"

THIS IS ALL WE ASK. . . . . The Help-a-Stranger Idea is not a charity. We do not collect funds to help the poor. Any donations we receive (and they are needed!) go to keep the idea alive. We are not competing with regional charities. Rather we are supporting them, whether they are on a national, regional, local or strictly personal level. We say simply, "Take time this Christmas to make life a little better for any stranger, anywhere, and in any constructive way. Your help can be as simple as a smile, or as costly as you can possibly afford. The spirit of the gesture is all that matters".

(Please Note: Casper Fox Health is not requesting, nor accepting, donations - as mentioned above, this content is from the original brochure.)

HOW DOES IT WORK?

These days, when we want someone to grasp an idea quickly and remember it, we use symbols and slogans. The Red Cross and Red Feather symbols are familiar to millions. Manufacturers too, have symbols and slogans to help you remember their products. And so we have tried to distill the Christmas message into a simple insignia or symbol, with a slogan, which would call for some definite kind of action, and which would be instantly meaningful for all. You see it on the front of this folder.

The reaction from most Christian clergymen has been excellent. Some would like to see the cross incorporated, but they respect what we are trying to do; keep it free from a strictly Christian image, in the hope that it might become a universally accepted precept. Others, of course, think that we are shortchanging true Christianity.

USE THE "HELP-A-STRANGER" SYMBOL On your Christmas cards! In your business advertising! On your postage meter! For club or church literature! (No link back required)

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Let's dream for a moment: suppose the Help-a-Stranger Idea catches on. Suppose instead of spending millions on our own well-fed, affluent families and friends at Christmas, we give them some kind of token gift, and begin to use this occasion to really help the strangers in our midst. Suppose we visit the sick, help the local poor, or take an interest in starving waif's across the sea through such organizations as Foster Parents' Plan. Wouldn't it begin to be a tremendous force for good...this Christmas spending? (No, we would not wreck the Christmas retail trade; we would just change the direction of the spending.) And if we succeeded, in time, in making Christmas a great out-pouring expression of respect and compassion for our fellow men, would we not have taken a giant step forward toward the day when "peace on earth, goodwill toward men" becomes a vibrant reality, and not merely a Christmas catch-phrase as it now is? We think so. That is why we do this.