As business owners, we are responsible for supporting our community. It is our social responsibility to make a difference in the lives of others. Non-profit and charity organizations support those who are less fortunate and promote quality of life, and with little time and effort we can join them and make the world a better place. Personally, I am very appreciative of what I have in my life which is a reason to serve others. I get enormous satisfaction from that.

Mohammad Zavvar, the owner of the Hazara Rug Gallery, in Oakland, California, is a supporter ofBerkeley Bamyan Education Foundation. The name of his gallery, Hazara, is the name of the ethnic group living mostly in Bamyan, in central Afghanistan. Bamyan was famous for its huge Buddha statues which were destroyed in 2000 by the Taliban, who also sought to annihilate the local Hazara residents. Happily, the Hazara people have survived genocide. Mr. Zavvar’s one way of contribution to the world is to reach out to Hazaras by funding self-sufficiency and literacy classes, specially for women. Lets see how he became involved and how he helps the people of Bamyan to make a living for themselves.

One way of being socially responsible is to create our own charity organization if we have the budget and the manpower. But, if we are too involved with our own businesses and don’t have the time and resources, then there are plenty of good and solid non-profit organizations that deliver our donations and support to those in need. It is not very difficult to find the ones who shares our values and vision as a socially responsible person. CharityNavigator.org is one place to start. All those organizations are counting on us to do their important job of taking care of others.

Of course, there are many benefits that will come our way by supporting an organization: It will give us peace of mind that we are making a difference in the world; it raises awareness about that organization, and spreads good words about our personality. And, if that is not enough, all of our donations are tax deductible; meaning instead of paying taxes to the IRS, we will support the organization of our choice.

Please share your story of how you support and fulfill your social responsibilities.

Farima