Charitable Miami

You see, we Miamians aren't so bad after all.

From Burnett's Urban Etiquette:

(Kudos to) Miami for making the Men's Health Magazine most charitable city list. According to the mag, in 2005 Americans donated $273 billion to charitable causes domestically - due in large part to Hurricane Katrina. And of 100 cities given grades ranging from "F" to "A+," Miami ranked 21st and got a grade of "B."

And here's a list of 25 major cities and their 2005 charity ranking. Miami ranked 15th. Not great, but not bottom of the barrel either.

Considering that Miami is one of the poorest cities in the U.S., and Miami-Dade County among the poorest urban counties, the fact that we rank anywhere above the bottom third is a sign that we are a giving community.

Honestly, this doesn't surprise me at all. I still remember vividly after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 how the community responded by coming together during a time of great need. I remember all the times we've offered help to other disaster-stricken communities around the world. After Katrina last summer, I posted stories about Good Samaritan Miamians who have donated their time and money to help others.

All this goes to prove something I have always thought: inside that tough exterior that Miamians can often exhibit, primarily when we get behind the wheel of a car, van, SUV or truck, we can be quite generous people.