You are given $250,000 you may spend as you wish.....with only 1 condition....

Our parish church needed renovations about six years ago and so they started with the project which, at present, has yet to be completed. The problem is that the approved church design was way beyond what the whole parish could afford; thus the eventual bogging down of the construction. Efforts to jump start the project were, so to speak, just trickles in an enormous, empty bucket. So, I would donate my $250,000 towards the completion of our parish church. I believe that we are all just stewards in this life anyway. Whatever possessions that we have in this world are not really ours. Put simply, we just look after them while we're here. Some are given few, while others have the lion's share. (Why this is so should be tackled in a different discussion.) That's why we take nothing with us when we die. I would have liked to buy a nice car for myself with part of the money but, as wheel416 said, nothing for yourself. So every last cent of the $250,000 goes to charity, with the hope that it will change people's lives for the better. I would also choose to be anonymous with my big donation.

I would use that money to help my school get better school supplies and maintenance because my school is getting pretty poor and is need of more supplies and repair. Also I would give whatever is left to anyone who needs it the most.

I am writing this response not because I am a dreamer like you but because I just want to respond. My contribution in the area of social service[though I have done my best in teaching students and did not charge high rates] is not of an extremely high order.It has just been average. My heart goes out to the downtrodden and I am thankful that I haev been a privileged human being in this world.But it has just been thus far and no further. However, for your hypothetical question here is my hypothetical answer If I have the time and energy to do these things I would buy plenty of good clothes and distribute these in a blind school. I would buy lots and lots of books and distribute these in an orphanage. I would buy as much medicine as possible and distribute this in a hospital where the staff are reasonably reliable and non corrupt. I would buy many saplings and ask for these to be planted, nurtured by good gardeners in public parks. I would buy woolen clothes and distribute them in needy areas. I would contribute the money to an organization that organizes free meals for the poor everyday. [Say a temple or similar places where normally this takes place].

Bah humbug, I can't give any of it to my family or my friends?? Ok, well here is my smarta$$ answer first - since it says I must give it away, I will give it away to anybody I owe a bill to lol. Then I will no longer owe them anything. Ok, now to be serious I think I would like to start either an internship type of program with the money - so that people can 'test drive' nearly any job or occupation they might be interested in - get paid on the job training - without having to go take 458567 classes at college. I realize it would need a lot more than 250K to be a reality but at least I could start it! The other idea would also be in education and geared towards kids with more hands on life skills instead of traditional classroom papers/tests in order to learn. Learning through doing, experience. No books and papers. No homework. Nothing boring or tedious.

I would set up a network of refuges for battered men - victims of domestic violence by female partners or ex-partners. There are loads for women, so someone needs to do this!

I'd give 250 people 1000 dollars each.

I would put the money toward opening a non-profit organization for families with children, single parents with children, with a focus on doing something with there life, and I would also have the love and logic program for parents. That and furthering their education would be mandatory.

start my own animal shelter and keep homeless animals who need a home in it.

Oh this is something beautiful. If I receive such amount, I would surely spend to pay my debts, repair my house, buy a new car, give some to my relatives, children, neighbours, and invest them.

When I was younger I always wanted to start a not-for-profit shelter for homeless people that would en-able them to have their own space to live in. Kind of like the Ronald McDonald House for Homeless people. In the center there would be various educational facilities to teach people how to get back on their feet again and how to be productive citizens of society again. I would most likely donate all that money into getting that up and running, use it as a means to start even though that would probably not even be a drop in the bucket. However, it would be a start. My second choice would be to donate the money to a clinic in DRC, that takes care of women who have been brutally sexually assaulted, to give them money for me assistance and technology in the clinics. This is about as descriptive as I can get at this point! Eryn

I would give the money to homeless families, to children, education, to help the poor, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick.

First of all I would pay all of my debts off. That would take care of $5000 of it. Can I buy a house or car..? If so That's what I would do with some of the rest of it... If not.. well, I'd divide the rest between the american cancer society, the women's shelter that I volunteer at, and the aspca, and a children's organization..... I would also probably give some to the ronald mcdonald house and St. Jude. All charities that are close to my heart.

Well ill invite to eat a lottttttttttttt of people, i will buy clothers or maybe presents for the christmas!!! lol have a nice day and hope you will have a very good week ;) see you soon and bye bye.

I think I should give the money to the people directly who are in need. For instance I would like to hand over it to beggers, poor people, Children, orphans. I do not believe in giving some charity. Because I have seen many such charity in the name of helping people running away with the money. So it is always better to give them directly. I would also like to spend some amount for medical research purposes. ya Being from a medical background that is also my duty which inturn might save many life.

I would open shelter for dogs and cats. I was thinking about for many years. I would open kind of shelter where dogs are not in cages, but in small rooms, maybe 2 in one with small beds....good space for exercise and maybe volunteers to walk with them....

Oh, I forgot to ask you, why did you post this question? Do you have $250000 and don't know what to do with them? :) Give them to me, I know how to use them :)

$250,000 is a great start and definitley needed as I know first hand working in the non-profit organization. I would donate it to an organization much like the one I work for in the form of a grant, with certain stipulations and accomplishments that need to be met in order for them to have the money. Another idea would be to split the money up evenly between five strangers you just stopped and asked what would help them the most right now, because garanteed that most will say money - there you go, you've done a good deed :)

Well, these days $250k is not that much but I would split it between my kids to buy them each a home for them and their kids.

Thats not really difficult. There's so many people around us whose in need. I can go to a supermarket, shop for clothes and food, bring it to an orphanage. If thats not enough, I'll go to a bookstore, buy TONS of books and donate it to a local school. There's also this house building project here in the Philippines called GAWAD KALINGA, I can blow off all that money to build so many house. I think if we focus on the money, it will really be a tough task. But if we're looking forward to helping others, $250,000 wouldn't be enough.

I would give the first $100,000 to the local food bank. They always seem to be struggling to pay the rent. That amount of money would pay their rent for the next ten years or so. The next $100,000 would go to the Princess Margaret Lodge in Toronto. It is like a hostel for cancer patients from out of the city to stay while they get treatment. I was there for several weeks while I was undergoing treatment and I would like to give something back. The last amount I would spend on goats and pigs. There are programs for poor countries that give basic livestock and other needs like clean water. We sometimes take so much for granted. This one of the programs. http://plancanada.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=194 When can I expect the funds. You can either transfer into my bank account or as I am close enough to you in my province I can come pick it up. Small bills in a briefcase will be fine. :)