This was supposed to go up on Thursday, but life has this annoying habit of getting in the way of my blogging.
Anyway, it's been a week (nearly) since Hurricane Sandy decided to make life difficult for the eastern seaboard. Compounding the issue, we're expecting a nor'easter in the next few days to add to the flooding for the coastal states, as well as to dump some snow on my area. I don't mind snow so much. Meanwhile, however, I did promise to share with the readership ways that they - that is, you - can help with the relief effort which, if this current forecast is accurate, is about to become even more crucial and more difficult.
First up, as always, the lovely and big-hearted Debbie Tenzer of Do One Nice Thing has provided us with some information on the subject. She points out that the biggest needs are money and blood donations. If you wish to and are able to donate blood, go to this page to find out where you can do so near you.
You may have heard that you can donate via text message. Send the text REDCROSS to the number 90999 to donate ten dollars to that organization. Or donate directly on their website to their disaster relief fund. Another one to consider: help the Humane Society as they help the pets and homeless animals who were affected by the storm.
Are you on Twitter? Follow the account of the Sandy NJ Relief Fund. They too have a website where you can contribute to the relief effort, and they also provide occasional updates about what's happening.
If you live in or near the state of New Jersey and would like to contribute food, clothing, blankets, and other material goods like that, your best bet is to call the state's volunteer hotline at 1-800-JERSEY-7. The operators can direct you to the best place to deliver your donation.
Oh, one more thing. The utility workers have been laboring tirelessly to get everyone's water and power turned back on in a timely fashion in all of the affected states (including mine). Workers have traveled here from almost every other state in the country. They're away from their families and putting in long hours to make other people's lives easier. Please, please - if you encounter any of these hard-working men and women, take a few minutes to express your gratitude.
I'll be posting on Wednesday because of that contest I mentioned in a previous post. In the meantime, if you live in the United States, tomorrow is Election Day. I'm not going to tell you for whom you should cast your vote, but by all means, vote.
Tomorrow is also my sister Lisa's birthday. So I'm voting that she should have a happy birthday!
Join me Mondays and Thursdays to laugh, to think, and to maybe change the world a little bit.
Showing posts with label doing good things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doing good things. Show all posts
Monday, November 5, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Rachel's Crusade
One of my favorite things to do with this blog, as you might have noticed by now, is to use it as a platform to help my friends with their assorted causes. Today, I'm doing a shout-out for my friend Rachel.
Every autumn, Rachel participates in the local Out of the Darkness community walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Every autumn, she sets a fundraising goal and works very hard to reach it. This year, I'd like to help her accomplish the goal.
The Out of the Darkness walks are designed to raise funds and awareness for the fight to prevent suicide. It's estimated that here in the United States, one person attempts suicide every minute - and once every 14 minutes, one of them succeeds.
Your contributions to the AFSP are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law, and if you donate online you'll receive an email receipt for your contribution. Comes in handy at tax time. If you have questions about things like tax ID numbers and whatnot, check out this page.
Rachel's trying to raise $250. As of this writing, she's 30% of the way there. Can you help her reach the 100% mark? Here's where to go. Thank you!
Every autumn, Rachel participates in the local Out of the Darkness community walk for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Every autumn, she sets a fundraising goal and works very hard to reach it. This year, I'd like to help her accomplish the goal.
The Out of the Darkness walks are designed to raise funds and awareness for the fight to prevent suicide. It's estimated that here in the United States, one person attempts suicide every minute - and once every 14 minutes, one of them succeeds.
Your contributions to the AFSP are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law, and if you donate online you'll receive an email receipt for your contribution. Comes in handy at tax time. If you have questions about things like tax ID numbers and whatnot, check out this page.
Rachel's trying to raise $250. As of this writing, she's 30% of the way there. Can you help her reach the 100% mark? Here's where to go. Thank you!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Isaac Cometh
As most people know by now, the southern United States is bracing for impact from Hurricane Isaac. My own area got slapped pretty hard last year by Hurricane Irene (what's with the I names causing problems, anyway?), and I have a lot of friends in the south, so I've been watching this with concern.
Florida just got a soaking, but now Isaac's racing toward Louisiana, which was already pretty battered by Hurricane Katrina just a few years ago. Haiti already took a beating from this storm. Organizations are already mobilizing to be ready to help those who will or do need it, and evacuations are in progress. If you want to help, here's where to go:
Florida just got a soaking, but now Isaac's racing toward Louisiana, which was already pretty battered by Hurricane Katrina just a few years ago. Haiti already took a beating from this storm. Organizations are already mobilizing to be ready to help those who will or do need it, and evacuations are in progress. If you want to help, here's where to go:
- The Red Cross
- Operation Blessing International
- Samaritan's Purse
- Doctors Without Borders (nothing specific for this cause yet, but I'm sure there will be)
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Free Jason P.
I did plan on showing you some pictures from Las Vegas today, but this is much, much more important. It's vaguely connected with my trip to Vegas, though, because that's where I was when I first heard about this.
Imagine that you fell in love with a foreign country. You married a local, had a great job, even appeared on international television. You settled down to a content existence in a beautiful location. Then, one day, you were arrested. There's no proof that you committed the crimes for which you were arrested; even the other people who were arrested with you testify that they have no idea who you are. But the government of your adopted country is convinced of your guilt and you're sentenced to 22 years in prison.
For Jason Puracal, this is the nightmare in which he's found himself for the last eighteen months.
Imagine that you fell in love with a foreign country. You married a local, had a great job, even appeared on international television. You settled down to a content existence in a beautiful location. Then, one day, you were arrested. There's no proof that you committed the crimes for which you were arrested; even the other people who were arrested with you testify that they have no idea who you are. But the government of your adopted country is convinced of your guilt and you're sentenced to 22 years in prison.
For Jason Puracal, this is the nightmare in which he's found himself for the last eighteen months.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Hello Henryville
As they so often do, this particular 'good idea' wandered my way courtesy of Debbie Tenzer, webmistress of Do One Nice Thing and my personal nominee for Nicest Person in the World. The April newsletter from her website enlightened me about Henryville, Indiana.
Henryville suffered tremendously from tornadoes that recently blasted through the area. One of the biggest losses was Henryville High School, which took all of twenty seconds for the storm to completely demolish - while students and staff hid inside the building. Yeah. Let that run through your mind for a minute. The building in which you are hiding from a deadly storm crashes down around you.
Miraculously, everyone survived. That's the really good news. The bad news, of course, is that the school was destroyed. The students have resumed classes using temporary space in the nearby community of Sellersburg. Meanwhile, it's prom season here in the United States. It's hard to imagine how that would work for a community that needed to rebuild its entire high school, but as Debbie phrased it in the D1NT newsletter, the prom became kind of a symbol of normalcy and hope.
Here's where the story gets even more interesting.
Henryville suffered tremendously from tornadoes that recently blasted through the area. One of the biggest losses was Henryville High School, which took all of twenty seconds for the storm to completely demolish - while students and staff hid inside the building. Yeah. Let that run through your mind for a minute. The building in which you are hiding from a deadly storm crashes down around you.
Miraculously, everyone survived. That's the really good news. The bad news, of course, is that the school was destroyed. The students have resumed classes using temporary space in the nearby community of Sellersburg. Meanwhile, it's prom season here in the United States. It's hard to imagine how that would work for a community that needed to rebuild its entire high school, but as Debbie phrased it in the D1NT newsletter, the prom became kind of a symbol of normalcy and hope.
Here's where the story gets even more interesting.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Do Something
I'm not feeling well today, so this is going to be kind of on the short side.
As I've had occasion to mention in previous posts, I spent three years as the so-called adult in charge of a church youth group. Working with those kids was some of the best use of my energy ever. The fact is, teenagers are pretty awesome people when given half a chance.
That's why I really like Do Something.org. The whole thing is geared toward that age group, to let them harness their natural passion and energy and funnel it into doing something good for the world.
The steps are pretty simple. Browse the website; figure out what really gets you interested; read up on suggestions for ways to get involved. Respond to polls, read what other kids are doing, post the details about your own projects, and learn how to start a Do Something club at your school.
I know quite a few of my readers fall into the teenage age bracket, which is the main reason I thought I would throw this out there. You guys have so much amazing potential. I can't wait to see what you do with it.
<3
As I've had occasion to mention in previous posts, I spent three years as the so-called adult in charge of a church youth group. Working with those kids was some of the best use of my energy ever. The fact is, teenagers are pretty awesome people when given half a chance.
That's why I really like Do Something.org. The whole thing is geared toward that age group, to let them harness their natural passion and energy and funnel it into doing something good for the world.
The steps are pretty simple. Browse the website; figure out what really gets you interested; read up on suggestions for ways to get involved. Respond to polls, read what other kids are doing, post the details about your own projects, and learn how to start a Do Something club at your school.
I know quite a few of my readers fall into the teenage age bracket, which is the main reason I thought I would throw this out there. You guys have so much amazing potential. I can't wait to see what you do with it.
<3
Monday, February 6, 2012
Come shop for a cause
As I've mentioned on occasion in the past, I work at the greatest little store in the world. No, really, I took a poll. Granted, it was an informal poll and I only asked six people, but still.
In case you needed further proof of how awesome the store is, though, we're going to be holding community shopping events throughout the coming year to benefit various charities. And because I happen to be the store's social media guru (yes, that IS part of my job description, right along with MacGyver and resident storyteller), I will be sharing the details of these CSEs with you, my loyal blog readers.
Our first such event will be taking place on Thursday, March 8th, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. This shopping extravaganza will benefit an organization called Touching Lives Ministry; one of our volunteers, the indefatigable Wendi, works with them and helped put this together. TLM is currently working to establish a 120-bed hospital in Kenya, the Sanjweru Medical Center, and this is the project that my store is supporting with the shopping event.
Here's how it works. We'll be open our regular business hours. However, between 4 and 8 in the evening, every purchase made in our store will benefit the hospital initiative. Ten Thousand Villages will donate 15% of all the money we make in that four-hour stretch to TLM. Their current need is a supply of safe, clean water at the site, so our donation will help to pay for a borehole that will provide the water to both the Sanjweru Medical Center and the people who live in the surrounding community. Cool, right?
To sweeten the deal, we've partnered with a local restaurant, Alando Kenyan Cuisine, who will be providing authentic Kenyan refreshments during the shopping event. You'll get to enjoy things like peanut soup and Kenyan chai, and a couple of other things whose names I can't remember off the top of my head. But it'll all be good.
Just to clarify, this is only at the Lehigh Valley location for Ten Thousand Villages. So if you're within driving distance of the region, and want to help, please try to come out - and if you're not, please share this information with anyone you know who is. This page contains our address and phone number, and some basic directions to the store.
I hope to see some of you there!
Edited to add: Update! This event is not only at the Lehigh Valley location. I have since learned that our sister store at the King of Prussia Mall will also be participating in this fundraiser, with the same contribution level and also the same Kenyan cuisine available to its customers. So if you happen to be in that vicinity, give them a visit!
In case you needed further proof of how awesome the store is, though, we're going to be holding community shopping events throughout the coming year to benefit various charities. And because I happen to be the store's social media guru (yes, that IS part of my job description, right along with MacGyver and resident storyteller), I will be sharing the details of these CSEs with you, my loyal blog readers.
Our first such event will be taking place on Thursday, March 8th, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. This shopping extravaganza will benefit an organization called Touching Lives Ministry; one of our volunteers, the indefatigable Wendi, works with them and helped put this together. TLM is currently working to establish a 120-bed hospital in Kenya, the Sanjweru Medical Center, and this is the project that my store is supporting with the shopping event.
Here's how it works. We'll be open our regular business hours. However, between 4 and 8 in the evening, every purchase made in our store will benefit the hospital initiative. Ten Thousand Villages will donate 15% of all the money we make in that four-hour stretch to TLM. Their current need is a supply of safe, clean water at the site, so our donation will help to pay for a borehole that will provide the water to both the Sanjweru Medical Center and the people who live in the surrounding community. Cool, right?
To sweeten the deal, we've partnered with a local restaurant, Alando Kenyan Cuisine, who will be providing authentic Kenyan refreshments during the shopping event. You'll get to enjoy things like peanut soup and Kenyan chai, and a couple of other things whose names I can't remember off the top of my head. But it'll all be good.
Just to clarify, this is only at the Lehigh Valley location for Ten Thousand Villages. So if you're within driving distance of the region, and want to help, please try to come out - and if you're not, please share this information with anyone you know who is. This page contains our address and phone number, and some basic directions to the store.
I hope to see some of you there!
Edited to add: Update! This event is not only at the Lehigh Valley location. I have since learned that our sister store at the King of Prussia Mall will also be participating in this fundraiser, with the same contribution level and also the same Kenyan cuisine available to its customers. So if you happen to be in that vicinity, give them a visit!
Monday, January 23, 2012
SOPA/PIPA thrown out
Well, it's official. After the massive internet outcry last Wednesday, SOPA and PIPA have been indefinitely suspended. Read more here.
(I'd have shared this sooner, and put this blog back to normal, but I've been sick pretty much continuously since then, hence no post on Thursday. It'll take me a little time to put everything back the way it was, so pardon the unfamiliar appearance until I'm feeling better.)
Here's the thing that bothers me, though. A lot of people were complaining, and not without merit, that it took this to get us to act. It took the threat of having the internet held hostage to rouse this generation. There are hundreds of injustices happening every day. Poverty, slavery, abuse, torture... You get the idea.
The SOPA/PIPA thing proved one thing for sure: we have the power to create change. Don't let it stop with this one campaign. Find something else that speaks to you. Make your stand. Use the tools that this fight has shown we have available to us - Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, email, texting, so on and so forth.
Need inspiration? Try one of these, and pick your cause wisely. Use your passion. Use your voice.
(I'd have shared this sooner, and put this blog back to normal, but I've been sick pretty much continuously since then, hence no post on Thursday. It'll take me a little time to put everything back the way it was, so pardon the unfamiliar appearance until I'm feeling better.)
Here's the thing that bothers me, though. A lot of people were complaining, and not without merit, that it took this to get us to act. It took the threat of having the internet held hostage to rouse this generation. There are hundreds of injustices happening every day. Poverty, slavery, abuse, torture... You get the idea.
The SOPA/PIPA thing proved one thing for sure: we have the power to create change. Don't let it stop with this one campaign. Find something else that speaks to you. Make your stand. Use the tools that this fight has shown we have available to us - Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, email, texting, so on and so forth.
Need inspiration? Try one of these, and pick your cause wisely. Use your passion. Use your voice.
- The Petition Site
- Care2
- The Hunger Site (in addition to free clicks, it has links to petitions and other outreach opportunities)
- Water.org
- One Click At A Time
- Do One Nice Thing
Monday, January 9, 2012
Getting carded
Recently, my pal Irma lamented that she had so many beautiful holiday cards sent to her, and she really wasn't sure what to do with them all. She asked her friends for their advice on saving versus tossing. I know a lot of people get crafty with their cards, turning them into wreaths or garlands or what have you; I applaud such efforts, even though I don't do these things myself. I'm personally an advocate of keeping cards of particularly sentimental value (for example, I have the last Christmas card I ever got from my mother's parents before they both died in 2006), but I'm also a big fan of taking a third option, which in this case is donating the surplus cards to charity.
The best known recourse for donating cards is a program called St. Jude's Ranch for Children, a rescue mission for abused, neglected, and abandoned children. (It's not to be confused with St. Jude's Hospital, which caters to critically ill children regardless of their ability to pay for treatment.) The ranch has a program for recycling cards by having the resident kids turn them into new cards. These are then made available for purchase as a fundraiser for the ranch. Of course they mostly work with holiday cards, because that's what the most people send to each other, but they accept donations of all kinds of cards all throughout the year. In fact, there is currently a particular need for birthday and thank-you cards.
There are a few rules, of course. For one thing, the program cannot accept any cards manufactured by Hallmark, Disney, or American Greetings. They use the front part of the card, so make sure before you send any cards that there's no writing inside the front. Oh, and please don't send those really big novelty cards - cards measuring 5 by 7 inches or smaller are vastly preferred.
If you're sending a large quantity, the website notes that the most cost-efficient way to mail them is in one of those flat rate packages at the post office. (You know..."if it fits, it ships.") Bundle up your donation and send it to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
If you're interested, you can also purchase the cards made by the kids, to complete the cycle. Cards are sold in packs of ten for $10. You can place an order by calling 1-877-977-7572, or by sending a check and written request to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
ATTN: Donor Office
P.O. Box 60100
Boulder City, NV 89006-0100
Reducing waste, helping kids in need, saving trees...sounds like a great way to start the year, doesn't it?
The best known recourse for donating cards is a program called St. Jude's Ranch for Children, a rescue mission for abused, neglected, and abandoned children. (It's not to be confused with St. Jude's Hospital, which caters to critically ill children regardless of their ability to pay for treatment.) The ranch has a program for recycling cards by having the resident kids turn them into new cards. These are then made available for purchase as a fundraiser for the ranch. Of course they mostly work with holiday cards, because that's what the most people send to each other, but they accept donations of all kinds of cards all throughout the year. In fact, there is currently a particular need for birthday and thank-you cards.
There are a few rules, of course. For one thing, the program cannot accept any cards manufactured by Hallmark, Disney, or American Greetings. They use the front part of the card, so make sure before you send any cards that there's no writing inside the front. Oh, and please don't send those really big novelty cards - cards measuring 5 by 7 inches or smaller are vastly preferred.
If you're sending a large quantity, the website notes that the most cost-efficient way to mail them is in one of those flat rate packages at the post office. (You know..."if it fits, it ships.") Bundle up your donation and send it to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Recycled Card Program
100 St. Jude's Street
Boulder City, NV 89005
If you're interested, you can also purchase the cards made by the kids, to complete the cycle. Cards are sold in packs of ten for $10. You can place an order by calling 1-877-977-7572, or by sending a check and written request to:
St. Jude's Ranch for Children
ATTN: Donor Office
P.O. Box 60100
Boulder City, NV 89006-0100
Reducing waste, helping kids in need, saving trees...sounds like a great way to start the year, doesn't it?
Monday, January 2, 2012
Walking a mile in their shoes
Happy 2012! I hope you've all enjoyed these past few weeks. I know my holidays were insane, but also a lot of fun (except for the part where the husband person got sick, but he's okay now).
It's not going to come as a shock to anybody that I'm a fan of shopping with a purpose. I don't work at Ten Thousand Villages for nothing, after all. Today's blog post comes at the request of my friend Emma. Emma recently acquired a new pair of shoes, a fact which by itself is not inherently blog-worthy, but it becomes so when I explain that they're not just any shoes - they're TOMS Shoes.
Tom isn't a person, by the way. The founder of the company is a guy called Blake. In 2006, Blake Mycoskie was in Argentina, where he discovered that a lot of children didn't have shoes. I never thought about it before reading their website, but going without shoes is actually a huge problem. For one thing, people in developing countries (like Argentina) can pick up a number of diseases from the dirt through the skin on the bottom of their feet, or by having foot injuries become infected. For another, many of those kids couldn't go to school because shoes were a required part of the school uniform and their families just couldn't afford them.
Blake, being a stand-up sort of guy, wanted to make a difference. So he headed back to America and started TOMS Shoes. It's a fairly simple concept - every time someone purchased a pair of shoes from his new company, the company would donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. And boy, did that simple idea take off! Later that same year, Blake and a small entourage of family, friends and employees returned to Argentina and doled out ten thousand pairs of shoes. That was how well people responded to the concept.
In the six years since then, TOMS has grown exponentially. You can now purchase not only shoes through them, but also sunglasses, sweatshirts, scarves, t-shirts, jewelry, hats, and more. Every purchase buys a pair of shoes for a needy child somewhere in the world. They also offer a pretty nifty gift pack for $50; you get a DVD of the documentary that tells the TOMS Shoes story, a poster for the company, and a $50 gift card.
Not a fan of shopping online? Not a problem. Use their store locator to find a shoe store in your area that carries TOMS Shoes.
They call the movement "One for One," which sums it up pretty well. College students are encouraged to check out the campus clubs - fill in the application and they'll put you in touch with the club at your campus, or help you to start one if there's not one already in place. You'll help spread awareness about this amazing project. Not in college? Everyone is invited to participate in One Day Without Shoes, a delightfully gimmicky event in April where you spend one whole day doing what you'd be doing anyway - you just don't wear shoes while you do it. The idea is to make people wonder why you're going barefoot, and then tell them about TOMS Shoes and the good it does.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the shoes are really, really cute. It's all their own in-house brand, but they reflect popular styles. You can get boots, pumps, sneakers, loafers. There's a category identified as "Campus Classics," which has shoes in the color schemes of a few state universities. There's even an entire line of wedding shoes. Shoes are available for men, women, and children alike. And every last purchase will help a child in need.
Ballet flats are coming this spring. I kind of secretly love those, so I've just signed up on the subscriber list to be notified when they arrive. Nerds like cute shoes too.
It's not going to come as a shock to anybody that I'm a fan of shopping with a purpose. I don't work at Ten Thousand Villages for nothing, after all. Today's blog post comes at the request of my friend Emma. Emma recently acquired a new pair of shoes, a fact which by itself is not inherently blog-worthy, but it becomes so when I explain that they're not just any shoes - they're TOMS Shoes.
Tom isn't a person, by the way. The founder of the company is a guy called Blake. In 2006, Blake Mycoskie was in Argentina, where he discovered that a lot of children didn't have shoes. I never thought about it before reading their website, but going without shoes is actually a huge problem. For one thing, people in developing countries (like Argentina) can pick up a number of diseases from the dirt through the skin on the bottom of their feet, or by having foot injuries become infected. For another, many of those kids couldn't go to school because shoes were a required part of the school uniform and their families just couldn't afford them.
Blake, being a stand-up sort of guy, wanted to make a difference. So he headed back to America and started TOMS Shoes. It's a fairly simple concept - every time someone purchased a pair of shoes from his new company, the company would donate a pair of shoes to a child in need. And boy, did that simple idea take off! Later that same year, Blake and a small entourage of family, friends and employees returned to Argentina and doled out ten thousand pairs of shoes. That was how well people responded to the concept.
In the six years since then, TOMS has grown exponentially. You can now purchase not only shoes through them, but also sunglasses, sweatshirts, scarves, t-shirts, jewelry, hats, and more. Every purchase buys a pair of shoes for a needy child somewhere in the world. They also offer a pretty nifty gift pack for $50; you get a DVD of the documentary that tells the TOMS Shoes story, a poster for the company, and a $50 gift card.
Not a fan of shopping online? Not a problem. Use their store locator to find a shoe store in your area that carries TOMS Shoes.
They call the movement "One for One," which sums it up pretty well. College students are encouraged to check out the campus clubs - fill in the application and they'll put you in touch with the club at your campus, or help you to start one if there's not one already in place. You'll help spread awareness about this amazing project. Not in college? Everyone is invited to participate in One Day Without Shoes, a delightfully gimmicky event in April where you spend one whole day doing what you'd be doing anyway - you just don't wear shoes while you do it. The idea is to make people wonder why you're going barefoot, and then tell them about TOMS Shoes and the good it does.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the shoes are really, really cute. It's all their own in-house brand, but they reflect popular styles. You can get boots, pumps, sneakers, loafers. There's a category identified as "Campus Classics," which has shoes in the color schemes of a few state universities. There's even an entire line of wedding shoes. Shoes are available for men, women, and children alike. And every last purchase will help a child in need.
Ballet flats are coming this spring. I kind of secretly love those, so I've just signed up on the subscriber list to be notified when they arrive. Nerds like cute shoes too.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Society of Secret Santas
First and foremost: If you're planning to send holiday cards to Holiday Mail for Heroes, your submissions must be postmarked by tomorrow, December 9th. Details are found here. Thank you to everyone who has helped to spread the word about this program, and about why you can't send the cards straight to Walter Reed Hospital. I'll run this same information next fall too.
Recently I learned about an organization (though I use the term loosely) that tickled every funnybone I have as well as making me feel good. Who wouldn't love to be a member of the Society of Secret Santas? I'd love to be able to say that I belong to that - not that you're supposed to tell people if you do.
Have you ever, especially at the holidays, done something generous for a person or organization in need? I'm sure you have. But have you ever done it anonymously, refusing to identify yourself even when asked?
Congratulations. You're a Secret Santa.
The original Secret Santa, at least as far as the Society is concerned, was Larry Stewart. For twenty years he gave, selflessly and anonymously, until three months before his death when his identity was finally made known. The Society today tries to build upon the legacy of Larry, and mobilize Secret Santas everywhere to make their communities a better place.
Anyone can be a Secret Santa, whether you celebrate Christmas or not. You just have to abide by certain rules while you're out doing your...do-gooding. You must remain anonymous (that's the whole point, you're Santa Claus!), you must have a sense of humor, you must be humble and compassionate and kind. Really, it's not hard. You're limited only by your own financial and physical resources and energy.
How do you find the people and groups who need a Secret Santa? There are all sorts of ways! You could subscribe to Debbie Tenzer's mailing list at Do One Nice Thing. My local paper runs a Be An Angel campaign every year to support local non-profits; I bet your local media outlets do something similar. You can usually find ways to outreach through your house of worship, school, or community programs.
Oh, and you can follow this blog, because you might have noticed I post stuff like that here. ;)
To conclude, a small follow-up to my last post, in which I told you about a young man named Nate in need of funds to pay for his cancer surgery: There have been a few new donations since my post, but Nate still needs more than $50,000 to be able to afford the surgery that will save his life. If you're looking for a place to start your Secret Santa work, this would probably be perfect.
Recently I learned about an organization (though I use the term loosely) that tickled every funnybone I have as well as making me feel good. Who wouldn't love to be a member of the Society of Secret Santas? I'd love to be able to say that I belong to that - not that you're supposed to tell people if you do.
Have you ever, especially at the holidays, done something generous for a person or organization in need? I'm sure you have. But have you ever done it anonymously, refusing to identify yourself even when asked?
Congratulations. You're a Secret Santa.
The original Secret Santa, at least as far as the Society is concerned, was Larry Stewart. For twenty years he gave, selflessly and anonymously, until three months before his death when his identity was finally made known. The Society today tries to build upon the legacy of Larry, and mobilize Secret Santas everywhere to make their communities a better place.
Anyone can be a Secret Santa, whether you celebrate Christmas or not. You just have to abide by certain rules while you're out doing your...do-gooding. You must remain anonymous (that's the whole point, you're Santa Claus!), you must have a sense of humor, you must be humble and compassionate and kind. Really, it's not hard. You're limited only by your own financial and physical resources and energy.
How do you find the people and groups who need a Secret Santa? There are all sorts of ways! You could subscribe to Debbie Tenzer's mailing list at Do One Nice Thing. My local paper runs a Be An Angel campaign every year to support local non-profits; I bet your local media outlets do something similar. You can usually find ways to outreach through your house of worship, school, or community programs.
Oh, and you can follow this blog, because you might have noticed I post stuff like that here. ;)
To conclude, a small follow-up to my last post, in which I told you about a young man named Nate in need of funds to pay for his cancer surgery: There have been a few new donations since my post, but Nate still needs more than $50,000 to be able to afford the surgery that will save his life. If you're looking for a place to start your Secret Santa work, this would probably be perfect.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Give Forward
I got a bit distracted from doing today's post, largely on account of my buddy Andrea's acquisition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and our mutual desire to see what wonders it contained. But upon perusing my Twitter feed, I saw a message from Linkara, asking for support for a fan of his. I quite like Linkara; more than once I've thought that if I had a little brother, I'd kind of want one like him. This is a good example of why.
So I clicked on his link. It took me to Give Forward, which is a charity website designed for helping those in need of medical treatments or otherwise in a financial crisis. I was curious about this, so I investigated a little farther, and here's what I learned.
What you do is establish a fund for your loved one. Describe the situation, explain what you've done to solve the problem so far, upload photos, and tell the world how much money is needed. Set a deadline by which the money needs to be raised. Then spread the word, providing the link to that page, and urge your friends and family members to do the same. (The loved one doesn't have to be human, either - many have used the site to raise funds for medical treatments for their beloved pets.)
On your Give Forward page, people have the option of contributing to your fund. They can use a credit or debit card; if you want to make it even easier for them to give, set up a PayPal account and make that an option as well. (This also makes it easier for you to receive the money - if you have a PayPal account connected to your fund, the money will be sent directly to it; otherwise, you have to wait for a check to be mailed.) Once your end date passes, the Give Forward website will take a 7% service fee off of what you raise, to cover processing charges, and give you the rest.
Does it really work? By the looks of this page, yes it does. According to the site stats, they have raised more than $8 million for medical treatments and other needs thus far. If you're having misgivings, I hope it helps to know that they have an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau, and the only reason for the minus is the fact that they were just started in the past year. They also received a good write-up from Good.is, a website dedicated to this sort of thing.
As for that guy whose situation brought the site to my attention in the first place? His name is Nate. He's 28 years old, and he has very aggressive cancer. He needs surgery to remove masses from his lungs, but can't get it on his own; the medical center has informed him that he's received the maximum amount of care he can get through their charity program. He needs $60,000; at the time of this writing, he's just shy of $10,000.
Can you help save Nate? Any amount would be gratefully accepted. Read his story here...and thanks.
So I clicked on his link. It took me to Give Forward, which is a charity website designed for helping those in need of medical treatments or otherwise in a financial crisis. I was curious about this, so I investigated a little farther, and here's what I learned.
What you do is establish a fund for your loved one. Describe the situation, explain what you've done to solve the problem so far, upload photos, and tell the world how much money is needed. Set a deadline by which the money needs to be raised. Then spread the word, providing the link to that page, and urge your friends and family members to do the same. (The loved one doesn't have to be human, either - many have used the site to raise funds for medical treatments for their beloved pets.)
On your Give Forward page, people have the option of contributing to your fund. They can use a credit or debit card; if you want to make it even easier for them to give, set up a PayPal account and make that an option as well. (This also makes it easier for you to receive the money - if you have a PayPal account connected to your fund, the money will be sent directly to it; otherwise, you have to wait for a check to be mailed.) Once your end date passes, the Give Forward website will take a 7% service fee off of what you raise, to cover processing charges, and give you the rest.
Does it really work? By the looks of this page, yes it does. According to the site stats, they have raised more than $8 million for medical treatments and other needs thus far. If you're having misgivings, I hope it helps to know that they have an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau, and the only reason for the minus is the fact that they were just started in the past year. They also received a good write-up from Good.is, a website dedicated to this sort of thing.
As for that guy whose situation brought the site to my attention in the first place? His name is Nate. He's 28 years old, and he has very aggressive cancer. He needs surgery to remove masses from his lungs, but can't get it on his own; the medical center has informed him that he's received the maximum amount of care he can get through their charity program. He needs $60,000; at the time of this writing, he's just shy of $10,000.
Can you help save Nate? Any amount would be gratefully accepted. Read his story here...and thanks.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Reminders and Popcorn
First, just want to point out that you only have a few more days to enter my giveaway! Come on, it's really easy and the competition is light. You can totally take them.
Second, I also want to mention that the deadline is approaching to submit your holiday cards to Holiday Mail for Heroes. Remember, send holiday cards to them, not to "Any Recovering Soldier c/o Walter Reed Hospital." For the details, click here. And when you see someone on your Facebook friends list, Twitter feed, and other places telling others to send the cards to Walter Reed Hospital, please give them the corrected information. The cards they send to WRH will only be destroyed unopened.
Moving on, the remainder of this post is chiefly directed at my local readers. So the rest of you can go get some coffee or something.
Some months ago, I posted about my love for a local movie theater, the Roxy, which is also a historical landmark. As I mentioned in that other post, I've been going to the Roxy for as long as I can remember. The movies are just three bucks a pop and the refreshments are priced similarly. It's a beloved part of our regional landscape.
I belong to their mailing list, so every week I get an update about their upcoming shows. The current email reminded me about one of the neat things they do every year, and I'm passing it on for those who don't know.
Every year, the Roxy shows a family-friendly Christmas movie at no charge. One night, one showing. No admission fee. The catch? Every person who shows up to see the film must bring a non-perishable food item, which is then used to stock the shelves at the Northampton Area Food Bank. This year, they will be showing The Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks, on Thursday, December 8th at 7:30 p.m. The doors will open at 7:00 p.m.
So, to recap: good movie, free admission, just bring a can of soup or vegetables so that someone less fortunate than yourself gets to enjoy a hot meal this winter. Could this be any more of a win-win situation? I think not! Spread the word!
Second, I also want to mention that the deadline is approaching to submit your holiday cards to Holiday Mail for Heroes. Remember, send holiday cards to them, not to "Any Recovering Soldier c/o Walter Reed Hospital." For the details, click here. And when you see someone on your Facebook friends list, Twitter feed, and other places telling others to send the cards to Walter Reed Hospital, please give them the corrected information. The cards they send to WRH will only be destroyed unopened.
Moving on, the remainder of this post is chiefly directed at my local readers. So the rest of you can go get some coffee or something.
Some months ago, I posted about my love for a local movie theater, the Roxy, which is also a historical landmark. As I mentioned in that other post, I've been going to the Roxy for as long as I can remember. The movies are just three bucks a pop and the refreshments are priced similarly. It's a beloved part of our regional landscape.
I belong to their mailing list, so every week I get an update about their upcoming shows. The current email reminded me about one of the neat things they do every year, and I'm passing it on for those who don't know.
Every year, the Roxy shows a family-friendly Christmas movie at no charge. One night, one showing. No admission fee. The catch? Every person who shows up to see the film must bring a non-perishable food item, which is then used to stock the shelves at the Northampton Area Food Bank. This year, they will be showing The Polar Express, starring Tom Hanks, on Thursday, December 8th at 7:30 p.m. The doors will open at 7:00 p.m.
So, to recap: good movie, free admission, just bring a can of soup or vegetables so that someone less fortunate than yourself gets to enjoy a hot meal this winter. Could this be any more of a win-win situation? I think not! Spread the word!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Is the Phillie Phanatic considered Philabundant?
So one of my high school classmates (hi, Christine) recently contacted me on Facebook to alert me to the existence of Philabundance. Very helpful, this, especially since I needed a blog topic! No, seriously, I love being told about stuff like this, and only partly so I can pass the details on to my readers.
Philabundance assists people living in the Delaware Valley, which is a vaguely defined region in southeastern Pennsylvania, plus Delaware and part of New Jersey. Nine counties benefit from the efforts of Philabundance, which provides for "low-income residents who are at risk of hunger and malnutrition, of which 23% are children and 16% are senior citizens." They offer both direct services and also distribute the food through food banks and similar agencies.
For the 2011 holiday season, they've partnered with two big names - Dunkin' Donuts and 6 ABC News. If you click on that link, you'll be taken to a schedule of all sorts of events, from supermarket collections to a Facebook promotion, all of which will help Philabundance.
But remember, the need for food isn't limited to the holiday season; it's an ongoing problem. So you can pick any time of the year to get involved, be it with Philabundance or with a food program closer to where you live. Donate money, or give of your time, or conduct a food drive of your own. Or Philabundance offers other ways in which you can help, including hosting a donation button on your personal website and purchasing some of their fundraising merchandise. These are great because you can do them no matter where you live! Man, I love the power of the internet.
Speaking of which, I'm going to conclude this post by saying hello to all of the new readers I've acquired since I joined Tumblr and BloggersBase. Thanks for stopping by! And I hope you'll all drop by for Monday's post, which is going to be something a liiiiittle different. (Hint: I'm giving something away! Something shiny!)
Philabundance assists people living in the Delaware Valley, which is a vaguely defined region in southeastern Pennsylvania, plus Delaware and part of New Jersey. Nine counties benefit from the efforts of Philabundance, which provides for "low-income residents who are at risk of hunger and malnutrition, of which 23% are children and 16% are senior citizens." They offer both direct services and also distribute the food through food banks and similar agencies.
For the 2011 holiday season, they've partnered with two big names - Dunkin' Donuts and 6 ABC News. If you click on that link, you'll be taken to a schedule of all sorts of events, from supermarket collections to a Facebook promotion, all of which will help Philabundance.
But remember, the need for food isn't limited to the holiday season; it's an ongoing problem. So you can pick any time of the year to get involved, be it with Philabundance or with a food program closer to where you live. Donate money, or give of your time, or conduct a food drive of your own. Or Philabundance offers other ways in which you can help, including hosting a donation button on your personal website and purchasing some of their fundraising merchandise. These are great because you can do them no matter where you live! Man, I love the power of the internet.
Speaking of which, I'm going to conclude this post by saying hello to all of the new readers I've acquired since I joined Tumblr and BloggersBase. Thanks for stopping by! And I hope you'll all drop by for Monday's post, which is going to be something a liiiiittle different. (Hint: I'm giving something away! Something shiny!)
Monday, November 14, 2011
A coat is a hug you can take with you
Okay, I kind of just made that up.
Anyway, with the approach of the winter giving season, things are getting busy at my dear little fair trade store. In my spare time, such as it is, I'm trying to do some cleaning out around my house. One thing that the husband and I have in excess is coats; more coats than two people can realistically wear. So I turned to the internet, which is where I get most of the answers to my questions anyway.
This led to my discovery of One Warm Coat. It's pretty simple, and of course, in the simplicity lies the brilliance. It's a great way to dispose of your clean and gently used coats and ensure that they will go to people who really need them.
Want to donate a coat? Click on the Donate button and select "Donate a Coat." (You can also donate money.) Type in your zip code and the maximum number of miles you're willing to travel to donate your coats to a coat drive, then see what pops up. You can donate not only coats but gloves, mittens, scarves, hats, and even sweaters and sweatshirts.
Want to run a coat drive of your own? Great project for school clubs, Scout groups, and that sort of thing. Check out the guidebook and from there, you'll be able to get in touch with a participating agency close to you.
If your house is like mine, you've got closets to clean, and One Warm Coat is going to make it easy to do so in a way that will help other people. Let's get started!
Anyway, with the approach of the winter giving season, things are getting busy at my dear little fair trade store. In my spare time, such as it is, I'm trying to do some cleaning out around my house. One thing that the husband and I have in excess is coats; more coats than two people can realistically wear. So I turned to the internet, which is where I get most of the answers to my questions anyway.
This led to my discovery of One Warm Coat. It's pretty simple, and of course, in the simplicity lies the brilliance. It's a great way to dispose of your clean and gently used coats and ensure that they will go to people who really need them.
Want to donate a coat? Click on the Donate button and select "Donate a Coat." (You can also donate money.) Type in your zip code and the maximum number of miles you're willing to travel to donate your coats to a coat drive, then see what pops up. You can donate not only coats but gloves, mittens, scarves, hats, and even sweaters and sweatshirts.
Want to run a coat drive of your own? Great project for school clubs, Scout groups, and that sort of thing. Check out the guidebook and from there, you'll be able to get in touch with a participating agency close to you.
If your house is like mine, you've got closets to clean, and One Warm Coat is going to make it easy to do so in a way that will help other people. Let's get started!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Food bank off the beaten path
I'm a born and bred resident of Lehigh County, for better or worse. A fair chunk of my readership hails from the same place. So occasionally, I like to talk about something that's relevant to the area.
In the case of today's post, though, I hope the interest transcends our region.
Being hungry is something that many people experience, of course. WorldHunger.org estimates that there are around 925 million people in the world who are undernourished, many of them children. Considering that the world population just exceeded 7 billion in the past week, that's roughly one out of every seven people who aren't getting enough to eat.
Now, here in the United States, there are many Native American communities who are among those in need of food. According to the American Psychological Assocation, Native Americans make up almost a full one-fourth of American citizens living in poverty. Vaguely relatedly, November is Native American Heritage Month, which makes this an ideal time to bring the matter to public attention.
My home county has a rich history regarding Native Americans. Our very name is of Native American origin, in fact; the county is named after the Lehigh River, which runs through it. The word Lehigh is taken from the Native word Lechauwekink, which means "where there are forks." Several Native trails forked around this area.
Our Native heritage is best preserved by a small museum in the city of Allentown, the Museum of Indian Culture. Founded by a woman whose parents were both of Lenni Lenape ancestry (you might know them better as the Delaware), this is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about the area's Native history.
Where the two things - Native Americans and fighting hunger - collide is in the museum's own food bank, the Three Sisters Harvest. For more than five years, this food bank has been distributing food items to area Native American families who desperately need them. Like many food banks, they're feeling the pinch of the economic downturns we've all been suffering.
I'll be honest: I did not know this food bank even existed, which makes me feel like I don't pay close enough attention to what goes on around me. I knew the museum existed, because I visited it as a child on a school trip, but while doing research on my latest post for the Allentown Genealogy Examiner, I stumbled across their website and started looking at what they have to offer.
And I thought, if I've lived here all my life and I didn't know they provide this food bank, how many other people don't know about it either? So I'm telling my readers about it today.
If you live here in Lehigh County, or near enough that you can visit, you can support the food bank by dropping off items on their list of requests. These can be delivered to the museum during their normal hours of operation or during any of their special events. If you live farther away, or don't have time to shop/make a delivery, click on that link to get the mailing address in order to send either a financial donation or a gift card that will enable them to purchase fresh items for the families they help.
Thanksgiving is coming. Let's share the bounty.
In the case of today's post, though, I hope the interest transcends our region.
Being hungry is something that many people experience, of course. WorldHunger.org estimates that there are around 925 million people in the world who are undernourished, many of them children. Considering that the world population just exceeded 7 billion in the past week, that's roughly one out of every seven people who aren't getting enough to eat.
Now, here in the United States, there are many Native American communities who are among those in need of food. According to the American Psychological Assocation, Native Americans make up almost a full one-fourth of American citizens living in poverty. Vaguely relatedly, November is Native American Heritage Month, which makes this an ideal time to bring the matter to public attention.
My home county has a rich history regarding Native Americans. Our very name is of Native American origin, in fact; the county is named after the Lehigh River, which runs through it. The word Lehigh is taken from the Native word Lechauwekink, which means "where there are forks." Several Native trails forked around this area.
Our Native heritage is best preserved by a small museum in the city of Allentown, the Museum of Indian Culture. Founded by a woman whose parents were both of Lenni Lenape ancestry (you might know them better as the Delaware), this is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about the area's Native history.
Where the two things - Native Americans and fighting hunger - collide is in the museum's own food bank, the Three Sisters Harvest. For more than five years, this food bank has been distributing food items to area Native American families who desperately need them. Like many food banks, they're feeling the pinch of the economic downturns we've all been suffering.
I'll be honest: I did not know this food bank even existed, which makes me feel like I don't pay close enough attention to what goes on around me. I knew the museum existed, because I visited it as a child on a school trip, but while doing research on my latest post for the Allentown Genealogy Examiner, I stumbled across their website and started looking at what they have to offer.
And I thought, if I've lived here all my life and I didn't know they provide this food bank, how many other people don't know about it either? So I'm telling my readers about it today.
If you live here in Lehigh County, or near enough that you can visit, you can support the food bank by dropping off items on their list of requests. These can be delivered to the museum during their normal hours of operation or during any of their special events. If you live farther away, or don't have time to shop/make a delivery, click on that link to get the mailing address in order to send either a financial donation or a gift card that will enable them to purchase fresh items for the families they help.
Thanksgiving is coming. Let's share the bounty.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
More Mail for Service Members
Once again, please spread the word about Holiday Mail for Heroes. In addition to that, Debbie Tenzer of Do One Nice Thing has provided her friends with some other avenues by which you can spread some end-of-year cheer to our hardworking service personnel.
If you're like me, you've got a ton of leftover Halloween candy. I only had three kids ring my bell all evening! So here's a great way to keep it from going to waste (or on your hips): Send it to Operation Gratitude, which will share it with our deployed servicemen and women. They also accept other items too, but only until December 5th. Find shipping guidelines, addresses, and other important information here.
Do you clip coupons? Find yourself with coupons for products you don't use or need? Consider sending them to the Overseas Coupon Program, which will make them available to military families stationed in other parts of the world. This will help the families of our personnel stretch their budgets and buy things they need. Even expired coupons are accepted!
Operation Birthday Cakes, via the website BakeMeAWish.com, will send birthday cakes to deployed military personnel.
With Cup of Joe for a Joe, you can provide a cup of coffee to a man or woman in the military for just two dollars. Or adopt a whole platoon for thirty dollars! Something warm to drink can warm their hearts. Okay, that was a little cheesy, but you know what I mean.
Debbie, who is awesome like that, has several other ways you can support our military troops. To read more of them, visit Do One Nice Thing.
If you're like me, you've got a ton of leftover Halloween candy. I only had three kids ring my bell all evening! So here's a great way to keep it from going to waste (or on your hips): Send it to Operation Gratitude, which will share it with our deployed servicemen and women. They also accept other items too, but only until December 5th. Find shipping guidelines, addresses, and other important information here.
Do you clip coupons? Find yourself with coupons for products you don't use or need? Consider sending them to the Overseas Coupon Program, which will make them available to military families stationed in other parts of the world. This will help the families of our personnel stretch their budgets and buy things they need. Even expired coupons are accepted!
Operation Birthday Cakes, via the website BakeMeAWish.com, will send birthday cakes to deployed military personnel.
With Cup of Joe for a Joe, you can provide a cup of coffee to a man or woman in the military for just two dollars. Or adopt a whole platoon for thirty dollars! Something warm to drink can warm their hearts. Okay, that was a little cheesy, but you know what I mean.
Debbie, who is awesome like that, has several other ways you can support our military troops. To read more of them, visit Do One Nice Thing.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Walter Reed: The Return of the Holiday Mail
This is one blog post that I can honestly say I have been planning to make all year.
Last November, as long-time readers of the blog may recall, I jumped at the chance to spread the word about Holiday Mail for Heroes, which allows us all to send holiday greeting cards to soldiers recovering in military hospitals. It remains the single most widely-read post I've ever written on the blog, and I'm hoping that means that a lot of people actually sent cards. I even got a thank-you comment from the staff at Walter Reed Hospital.
Here's the thing. Very soon, well-meaning but ill-informed people will begin suggesting to their Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and other social media connections that "when writing out your Christmas cards this year, address one to Any Recovering Soldier at the Walter Reed Hospital!"
NO. DO NOT DO THAT.
Sorry for the caps, but I can't stress this enough. Mail addressed to "Any Recovering Soldier" at any military hospital will be destroyed unopened. Like most prevalent urban myths, there's truth to this one; years ago, you could legitimately do this and the mail would reach a soldier in need of some holiday cheer. In recent years, however, that practice has been discarded because there's too much of a chance to send something unpleasant through the mail.
Instead, send your cards to the Holiday Mail for Heroes program, which is run by the American Red Cross. They will see to it that a hospitalized soldier or sailor will receive your good wishes. Just make sure everything you send adheres to their guidelines:
Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
Make sure your cards are postmarked no later than Friday, December 9, 2011 in order to ensure timely delivery to the recipients.
Please spread the word! Let's get the correct information out there ahead of the prevalent mistake, and maybe Walter Reed Hospital won't have so many cards to throw away this year.
Last November, as long-time readers of the blog may recall, I jumped at the chance to spread the word about Holiday Mail for Heroes, which allows us all to send holiday greeting cards to soldiers recovering in military hospitals. It remains the single most widely-read post I've ever written on the blog, and I'm hoping that means that a lot of people actually sent cards. I even got a thank-you comment from the staff at Walter Reed Hospital.
Here's the thing. Very soon, well-meaning but ill-informed people will begin suggesting to their Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and other social media connections that "when writing out your Christmas cards this year, address one to Any Recovering Soldier at the Walter Reed Hospital!"
NO. DO NOT DO THAT.
Sorry for the caps, but I can't stress this enough. Mail addressed to "Any Recovering Soldier" at any military hospital will be destroyed unopened. Like most prevalent urban myths, there's truth to this one; years ago, you could legitimately do this and the mail would reach a soldier in need of some holiday cheer. In recent years, however, that practice has been discarded because there's too much of a chance to send something unpleasant through the mail.
Instead, send your cards to the Holiday Mail for Heroes program, which is run by the American Red Cross. They will see to it that a hospitalized soldier or sailor will receive your good wishes. Just make sure everything you send adheres to their guidelines:
- Sign all of your cards.
- Do not enclose anything - no photos, money, business cards, religious tracts, anything. All inserts will be removed and thrown away.
- Do not include any contact information.
- Use a generic greeting, like "Dear Service Member."
- No letters - cards only.
- Participants should limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group. If you are mailing a large quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope, as envelopes will be removed from all cards before distribution. (This one I copied verbatim from the site.)
- NO GLITTER. It poses too much of a threat to patients with respiratory ailments.
Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
Make sure your cards are postmarked no later than Friday, December 9, 2011 in order to ensure timely delivery to the recipients.
Please spread the word! Let's get the correct information out there ahead of the prevalent mistake, and maybe Walter Reed Hospital won't have so many cards to throw away this year.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Drink Coffee, Save Lives
Back to my regularly scheduled blog posts, with thanks to everyone who came to check out yesterday's Blog Action Day post.
Last night we had a staff meeting at the store, and one of the things that was revealed to us was the fact that we're getting a new flavor of coffee. We sell coffees manufactured by Equal Exchange, which guarantees that the beans used to make the coffee are fair trade. The coffee sells pretty well, and I'm told it's really delicious; I can't speak to that personally because I don't like coffee, so I've never had any, but I'm inclined to believe it.
Anyway, we're getting a new coffee, but that in and of itself isn't quite a huge deal. However, the kind of coffee we're getting is another matter entirely. The new coffee is Congo Coffee, and the sales of this coffee will all be part of Equal Exchange's new initiative, the Congo Coffee Project.
In the Congo, which is in central Africa, sexual violence toward women has blossomed into an epidemic. According to the Panzi Foundation, rape of women by soldiers has been a problem for a while, but now civilian rapes are on the rise as well. The Panzi Hospital, which is run by the Panzi Foundation, treats many of these women and reported a 3% increase in the number of civilian rapes between 2009 and 2010.
The proceeds from sales of Congo Coffee will directly benefit the Panzi Hospital, and in turn, aid the women who are suffering from this cycle of violence and humiliation. In the last twelve years, they have treated more than 25,000 women who were raped or otherwise sexually assaulted. Try to imagine that, if you can.
So if you drink coffee, consider buying some Congo Coffee to help these women. If you're like me and you don't drink coffee, Equal Exchange has some other ideas for how you can be a part of their efforts to end sexual violence in the Congo.
Last night we had a staff meeting at the store, and one of the things that was revealed to us was the fact that we're getting a new flavor of coffee. We sell coffees manufactured by Equal Exchange, which guarantees that the beans used to make the coffee are fair trade. The coffee sells pretty well, and I'm told it's really delicious; I can't speak to that personally because I don't like coffee, so I've never had any, but I'm inclined to believe it.
Anyway, we're getting a new coffee, but that in and of itself isn't quite a huge deal. However, the kind of coffee we're getting is another matter entirely. The new coffee is Congo Coffee, and the sales of this coffee will all be part of Equal Exchange's new initiative, the Congo Coffee Project.
In the Congo, which is in central Africa, sexual violence toward women has blossomed into an epidemic. According to the Panzi Foundation, rape of women by soldiers has been a problem for a while, but now civilian rapes are on the rise as well. The Panzi Hospital, which is run by the Panzi Foundation, treats many of these women and reported a 3% increase in the number of civilian rapes between 2009 and 2010.
The proceeds from sales of Congo Coffee will directly benefit the Panzi Hospital, and in turn, aid the women who are suffering from this cycle of violence and humiliation. In the last twelve years, they have treated more than 25,000 women who were raped or otherwise sexually assaulted. Try to imagine that, if you can.
So if you drink coffee, consider buying some Congo Coffee to help these women. If you're like me and you don't drink coffee, Equal Exchange has some other ideas for how you can be a part of their efforts to end sexual violence in the Congo.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Facebook and the Placebo Effect
What I'm about to talk about - indeed, this will probably be the closest I have ever come to ranting on this blog - is likely to not make me popular with certain of my acquaintance. But I keep running across this issue on Facebook, and I'm tired of not expressing my annoyance. In fact, I was asked to write about it. If I offend anyone in the process of airing my grievance, all I can say is that I'm sorry.
Facebook is, in largest part, great. I use it to keep up with family members I haven't seen in years and friends who have moved away. I also use it to keep up with local news, favorite charities, and other sources of information.
However, I find it a source of irritation when certain kinds of statuses get posted. There are three sorts that particularly get under my skin.
The first, which is arguably the least galling, is the 'proud parent' type. If you use Facebook, then I'm sure you've come across a status resembling at least one of the following.
The second kind of status that agitates me is a bit less innocent. For the last three years, someone has instigated a 'game' on Facebook where women make mysterious posts that are supposed to keep everyone wondering. In 2009, we were all asked to post the color of our bras, allegedly to raise awareness for breast cancer. (Exactly how this was supposed to raise awareness for anything when half the population of Facebook didn't know what was going on, I still don't understand.) Then last year, we were supposed to say "I like it on the [horizontal surface of your choice]" based on the current location of our handbags. This year, however, we were supposed to announce that "I'm [x] weeks and I'm craving [y]!" using a system based on our birthdays.
This made me so angry that I don't even have words. My own medical condition aside, I have a few friends who, for one reason or another, are having issues with fertility. So asking them to post a fake status which implied that they had finally succeeded in conceiving a child was, in my opinion, heartless. Fortunately, this one was not nearly as popular as the previous two, and I'm hoping that maybe the game has died once and for all.
It's the third kind of status that annoys me which I consider to be the most insidious. This is the kind that gets worded rather like this one, which I've invented for the sake of farce:
One out of every ten children is born without eyelids. Can you imagine how hard it must be to go without eyelids? 90% of people won't care enough to post this, but I did and I hope you will too, to raise awareness for those who must endure the tragedy of no eyelids.
Usually these are about cancer, or child abuse, or something along those lines. Now, I'm not saying that the causes which these statuses are meant to support aren't worth the effort, because they most certainly are. What I'm saying is that there is no effort, here.
Let's say I repost a status about leukemia. All of my friends already know that leukemia exists, so it's not like I'm enlightening them on that score. I'm not earning any money for a leukemia charity by posting that status. I'm certainly not curing anyone of leukemia by posting that status. What, exactly, am I accomplishing? Absolutely nothing. I'm just making myself feel better, like I've done something to help the cause when in fact I've done nothing of the sort. It's a placebo effect.
For bonus aggravation, most of them - like my fake status up there - conclude with a guilt-trippy little message about how a lot of people just don't care enough about the cause to lend it their Facebook status for however long. That's not fair. I do care about these causes; I just don't care to be held emotionally hostage by the internet.
Folks, if you're passionate about a cause and you want to do something about it, that's awesome. I fully support that. Heck, my blog is full of ways to do something. Sign a petition, join a fundraiser, buy a membership in an organization. And then use your Facebook status to tell us about what you are doing. But copying and pasting a tired status that doesn't actually serve a purpose? No.
Facebook is, in largest part, great. I use it to keep up with family members I haven't seen in years and friends who have moved away. I also use it to keep up with local news, favorite charities, and other sources of information.
However, I find it a source of irritation when certain kinds of statuses get posted. There are three sorts that particularly get under my skin.
The first, which is arguably the least galling, is the 'proud parent' type. If you use Facebook, then I'm sure you've come across a status resembling at least one of the following.
- "It's SONS' Week! Repost this if you have the best son(s) on earth!"
- "It's DAUGHTERS' Week! Repost this if your daughter is your best friend!"
- "Why yes, I DO work, because I AM A MOM! I'm a chauffeur, a maid, a teacher, a psychologist, and more! Post this as your status if you are a PROUD MOM!"
The second kind of status that agitates me is a bit less innocent. For the last three years, someone has instigated a 'game' on Facebook where women make mysterious posts that are supposed to keep everyone wondering. In 2009, we were all asked to post the color of our bras, allegedly to raise awareness for breast cancer. (Exactly how this was supposed to raise awareness for anything when half the population of Facebook didn't know what was going on, I still don't understand.) Then last year, we were supposed to say "I like it on the [horizontal surface of your choice]" based on the current location of our handbags. This year, however, we were supposed to announce that "I'm [x] weeks and I'm craving [y]!" using a system based on our birthdays.
This made me so angry that I don't even have words. My own medical condition aside, I have a few friends who, for one reason or another, are having issues with fertility. So asking them to post a fake status which implied that they had finally succeeded in conceiving a child was, in my opinion, heartless. Fortunately, this one was not nearly as popular as the previous two, and I'm hoping that maybe the game has died once and for all.
It's the third kind of status that annoys me which I consider to be the most insidious. This is the kind that gets worded rather like this one, which I've invented for the sake of farce:
One out of every ten children is born without eyelids. Can you imagine how hard it must be to go without eyelids? 90% of people won't care enough to post this, but I did and I hope you will too, to raise awareness for those who must endure the tragedy of no eyelids.
Usually these are about cancer, or child abuse, or something along those lines. Now, I'm not saying that the causes which these statuses are meant to support aren't worth the effort, because they most certainly are. What I'm saying is that there is no effort, here.
Let's say I repost a status about leukemia. All of my friends already know that leukemia exists, so it's not like I'm enlightening them on that score. I'm not earning any money for a leukemia charity by posting that status. I'm certainly not curing anyone of leukemia by posting that status. What, exactly, am I accomplishing? Absolutely nothing. I'm just making myself feel better, like I've done something to help the cause when in fact I've done nothing of the sort. It's a placebo effect.
For bonus aggravation, most of them - like my fake status up there - conclude with a guilt-trippy little message about how a lot of people just don't care enough about the cause to lend it their Facebook status for however long. That's not fair. I do care about these causes; I just don't care to be held emotionally hostage by the internet.
Folks, if you're passionate about a cause and you want to do something about it, that's awesome. I fully support that. Heck, my blog is full of ways to do something. Sign a petition, join a fundraiser, buy a membership in an organization. And then use your Facebook status to tell us about what you are doing. But copying and pasting a tired status that doesn't actually serve a purpose? No.
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