I recently sent a care package to a friend who is overseas with the military. This post outlines what I learned about what to send, how to send it, and who you can send care packages to if you don't know anyone who is deployed. Do you send care packages? What do you pack for your troop(s)?
The American Red Cross, Global Living, Save the Children, and the Hands On network are working hard in the relief effort, and are encouraging anybody and everybody to either donate themselves or encourage those who can to do so. The earthquake and tsunami has destroyed much of the eastern coast of Japan, has taken hundreds of lives, and is threatening the livelihoods of thousands more. Please click on the button in the right sidebar to make a donation,
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1. Follow this blog. For each of the first 25 new followers at Literary Legs, I will donate $1.00.
So it's getting warmer - but you're skint and still wearing your wintery garb. How can you update your wardrobe for spring and summer without spending too much, if anything? Would love to hear your thoughts - I'm doing a charity and fashion project in 2011 where I only wear second-hand clothes meaning I have to seek out fashion rather than it coming to me via the high street.
After a successful bathroom clearout, I decided to clearout the bedroom and give my old clothes to charity. The aim is to have zero waste and recyle as much as possible.
Temperatures on earth have been rising and falling over billions of years, and evidence that man's pre-dominantly responsible is far from conclusive (particularly since our existence only counts for a tiny fraction of the evolutionary timeline). However, the danger of exhausting current energy supply is beyond dispute, and more likely to affect us sooner than the need to seek inspiration from a certain biblical shipwright.
I used to follow a flickr user who snapped photos of the discards in the alleys near her. It was a thankless job, because there was no end to the photo opps. Old bikes, a headboard, dressers, kids' toys. There’s no good reason to put useful items in the garbage vs. passing them on. But at the same time, it does little good to wag your finger at those who do it if they’re not listening. Sometimes people just want something gone now. There's always a story.
It isn't that bad. I keep telling myself that. Nothing can be as bad as when I turned 30, or as I call it "The Great Depression of 2005." That year was a blur of tears, snot, sleep and stress. Not just the number killed the year but it was the not being where I wanted to be on "the list" of my life achievements.
Cancer has a characteristic that we teach our children. Share. Unfortunately, its sharing causes heartache, financial strain and often death. In a period of less than ten years, I lost my sister to colon cancer, prayed for the recovery of two of my sisters-in-law to survive breast cancer and nearly lost my husband to esophageal cancer. A classmate of mine from my writing class has cancer. It just happened. One day, she had a cough and the next day she was down for the count. She’s is waging a brave battle against her demon.
A few weeks ago I was doing a spot of, what could loosely be called, 'research' for the Mowgli Foundation. It's purpose was to find out whether I could engage online with business development organisations based in the Middle East with a view to them becoming partners of the Charity in the long term.
This weekend I attended a different charity function: “Hope for the Children” – a Benefit Concert to raise awareness and funds to help the over 50 million orphans in the world. Many of these children have no home, want for food and clothes, and lack the gift of love. American Idol’s Brooke White volunteered her time and talent to provide the headline performance.
The 6th Annual Online Auction for Diabetes Research begins today May 1st. There are 2,000 fabulous items, many of which you can’t get anywhere else, it’s going to be a blast. Last year we managed to raise over $280,000, which brings us to over three-quarters of a million so far. In 2010, we should break the $1 million mark!
Starting a legacy project provides you with the tremendous opportunity to make your mark on this world by creating something worthwhile. To give your legacy project the best chances of being successful, you have to make sure you make the right preparations. Social psychologist Alexa Ispas outlines five things you should do before starting your legacy project.
So what is a good neighbour? My definition is quite simple...Someone who helps others out of the goodness of their heart not because they want something in return but because that person is in need. These days about the only time you see this is when there is a disaster like the Haiti thing or around Christmas time. I suppose in this day and age that is to be expected. We have all become a bit narcissistic in our approach to life and living it. A bit too much me, me, me and not nearly enough us or we.
Blogs are especially good for nonprofits, where budgets are restricted but building community is really, really important. But where the heck do you find time to think of ideas, let alone actually write them?
What would you like to know about your favorite nonprofit that you don’t get anywhere else?
What are some of your favorite blogs, and what do they write about?
Millions of people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopa are currently suffering in the grip of the worst drought to hit the region in 60 years.
If you had breakfast today, and lunch, and your dinner is also pretty secure on the horizon than you can help! This post outlines how you can make a difference by donating and/or helping to spread the word.
I recently wrote about my childhood bedroom for a great cause, Blog for Digs. Claudia Clobes of Claudia Clobes Interiors worked with Dwell with Dignity and brought together several bloggers in an month long effort to raise money for this wonderful organization. I was so happy to be a part of this effort.
This year, I’m thinking about wearing only second-hand clothes for a year – well, buying them. In the name of charity - namely Macmillan Cancer Support. From charity shops, vintage markets and eBay. I’ll be spending less on clothes, making less impulse purchases, wearing more unusual things, accessorising better, giving more money to charity and generally not giving money to sweatshop factories via the high street.
Working with fellow bloggers and lead by Claudia Clobes of StonehouseLove, blog for digs gives bloggers and reader an opportunity to learn about an organization, Dwell with Dignity. Dwell with Dignity provides warm, beautiful environments to those who are homeless or who may soon be faced with that problem.
Are you thankful for Thanksgiving? Do you enjoy and/or celebrate Christmas? How do you feel about "government created holidays"? This blog takes a humorous peek at how we act during the holiday season and reflect on our behavior in other times of the year. Why aren't we as "charitable" in June? Where's our thankfulness in February? What are your feelings?
I have encountered several people in need, and others wanting to help people in need. I wrote a post on ways that you can reach out to people in your community who may need assistance.
One of the ideas I've brought up to help raise money for schools is collecting box tops for education and campbells soup labels for education. Most people buy these products on a regular basis anyway, how hard is it really to take the extra minute and remove the label or box top and put it to the side? How hard is it make one day a year were the person then takes it to their local school? Why does it seem so hard for people to do this? Do they not know about it? Don't they want to help?
I noticed over the summer that observing the people around me at my last nanny job this sense of being jaded was getting worse and one of the reasons I had to leave was that I was starting to wonder if there was any room for real compassion in the world anymore and if this was the only environment I was able to work in I didn’t want any part of it. The fact is that as hard as it is to feel compassion for someone and really care about what happens to them it is far harder and a worse fate for me if I have to live without caring.
The sweetest things in life cannot never be purchased, they're created;-)
Everyday we are blessed with the sweet gift of living another day so embrace this opportunity and indulge yourself; give, love, serve, make a difference.
It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed; Napoleon Hill
Mother and daughter team Donna Richards and Shelly Rice co-authored CHRISTMAS TREASURES FROM THE HEART. This was their first book, and they didn’t know how to go about finding someone to edit, illustrate, publish and promote their book. First they had a couple friends edit the manuscript and then they looked around for a publisher. They attended the ANWA writers conference met Dr. Pamela Goodfellow of Goodfellow Publishing Services.
