Everyday Giving Blog

Spread Some Cheer This Holiday and Give Back

The end of the year is approaching and with the cool weather, holiday cheer and festive decorations, it's easy to become influenced do something extra special this year. Volunteering your time and giving back to your community is the best way to spread happiness to everyone around you. So this year, take the time out of your day or in between holiday shopping to donate your time and make those who are less fortunate have a happy holiday season as well.

Donate Blood

Hospitals often bring memories of sickness and sad times, but also new life. One way to give back this holiday is to donate some blood to your local hospital. Some patients are in dire need of blood transfusions and the best gift you can give them this year is the gift of your blood. According to the American Red Cross, someone in the U.S. needs blood every two seconds and more than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day. So this year take time from your busy schedule to donate life by donating your blood.

Donate Books

Read Across America Day is a day to celebrate reading, but, why wait for one day a year? Donate some new or used books to a variety of local charities and thrift stores so everyone has a chance to empower their mind and read inspiring books. Some inspirational books include "Outrageous, Contagious Joy" by Ed Young, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho and "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Donate to Help Hurricane Sandy Victims

Hundreds of families were affected by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 and many of them are still left with nothing. Celebrities like country singer Darius Rucker is donating $10,000 worth of toys with the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, according to The Boot. Rucker has partnered with digital media company Eventful and together they will donate thousands of toys to the children in the Lindenhurst, N.Y. area.

Mutts and Mutts Animal Rescue League, a Michigan rescue shelter, is coming together to collect pet supplies to help New Jersey pet victims. According to Observer & Eccentric, Donna Law, president of Mutts and Mutts, said they are hoping to ship all the donated items to the New Jersey area in February.

If you would like to help out Hurricane Sandy victims, there are a number of sites, like the American Red Cross, where you can donate money to help provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance.

Soup Kitchens

Help keep those who are less fortunate than you fed and happy with warm food during these winter months. Volunteering at your local soup kitchen will keep the homeless or hungry fed, happy and is an experience you will never forget. Most soup kitchens have four or five hour volunteer shifts and you might need training before you can start, so don't be surprised if you have to go through a training course or need to become a certified food handler.

Donate Unwanted Goods

To make way for the new items holiday gifts will bring, go through your home and gather up clothing, home goods, blankets or anything else you have lying around that you no longer want or use. You can donate it to local charities and organizations like the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, The Warm Coats & Warm Hearts Drive, Cell Phones for Soldiers, and Feeding America, stores like Goodwill and The Salvation Army. Local or megachurch's like Pastor Young's are also great community causes. If you're finding it hard to get rid of some of those clothes, just follow this simple rule: If you haven't worn it for over six months, then it's time to let it go.

Authored by: Willa Reese - A teacher, vocal coach and mom, Willa loves teaching kids the joys of being on stage and putting on holiday pageants.

It's Not My Birthday

Here is an excerpt from Seth Godin's latest blog post:

"Some of you may have discovered that today is supposed to be my birthday. No longer. I've never really liked birthday hoopla, especially mine, so I've given my birthday to Scott and the folks at Charity:water...."

Click to continue reading

Maybe you and I could trade in our birthdays for some good... hmmmm.

...this post by guest blogger, Scott Couchenour

A Homeless Moment

I was visiting Baltimore with my wife the other day. We were waiting at the bus stop for the shuttle to take us back to our hotel.

When he arrived at the bus stop no one approached him for his autograph. No one sought any pearls of wisdom. No one wanted his Twitter name or if he had a Facebook page. He didn't look to be a man of means. He wasn't a thought leader, author, or professor (at least not by appearance.) He was a simple man. Long beard, long hair, tall and lanky. Old pants and a worn leather jacket. He moved slowly and was considerate of those around him.

He had a kind look on his face. It was clear this was just another routine: go to the bus stop trash and seek out an unfinished lunch or a half eaten piece of fruit. He didn't seem resentful. He simply went about his business. Not saying a word, he found a small white bag, opened it and found a small treasure. Lunch is served.

Meanwhile I stood there waiting for the shuttle and stole glances in his direction. Earlier, I had eaten a crab cake sandwich and bowl of crab bisque for MY lunch. I ate it outside in the warm sun enjoying the company of my beautiful wife. We had sat at a quaint table surrounded by flowers and smiling wait staff.

But now, this was my homeless moment. Have you ever had one of these? Afterward on the shuttle, my mind raced (it still races today). I was brought up to help people. I learned that there will always be people better off and worse off than me. But I froze that day at the bus stop. I didn't offer any help. Why did I freeze? Why didn't I do something? The answer is quite simple. I wasn't prepared. I was engrossed in me and my wife (not a bad thing in itself, just incomplete).

I consider this moment a test of my character. We are all stewards of opportunity. How we seize a moment lies not in the moment itself but in the preparation ahead of the moment. This homeless moment revealed to me my inadequate time alone with God in preparation for times like these. One could argue I was sort of homeless myself - not truly at home in Christ. My commitment to everyday giving demands this kind of preparedness.

Would the homeless man have responded to my offer for lunch if I had been prepared? Doesn't matter. It would have been mine to obey. Period. The results are not for me to claim.

Looking ahead: Will I respond to the next homeless I see? You bet. Will I offer lunch? Maybe, maybe not. It may simply be a handshake. A smile. Or maybe I will embark on a conversation, give some cash, or point to a shelter I know about.  It's God's role to work through me. It's my role to be prepared.

What about you? Are you prepared to give?

 

 

Scott Couchenour, guest blogger

Certified Life Coach

www.servingstrong.com

www.servingstrong.typepad.com

VP of Operations

www.cogun.com

photo credit

 

Marrow Donor Registry Campaign Update

IMG00101, originally uploaded by rogercarr.

The "Thanks Mom" marrow donor registry campaign ends on Monday, May 19. During the campaign, you can join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry for free until they meet their goals. Costs are covered by generous partners and contributors for the first 46,000 people who join the Registry (this includes the first 10,000 who join online).

The photo is the donor kit I received in the mail after filling out an online registration form. It took less than 5 minutes to read the directions, complete the procedure and send it back to be registered.

Go to http://www.marrow.org for details on how you can participate. Join me in giving hope to someone in need.


Related post: Thanks Mom Awareness and Donor Recruitment Campaign

Thanks Mom Awareness and Donor Recruitment Campaign

Join me in saving lives by joining the National Marrow Donor Registry during the Thanks Mom campaign. It is happening across the country during the two weeks surrounding Mother's Day (May 5-19). The goal is 46,000 new members to the Registry (10,000 online) during the Thanks Mom awareness and donor recruitment campaign.

I am doing it and so should you. Participating is easy. Find a donor drive near you by logging onto Marrow.org or typing your zip code into the search box below.

Give hope to someone in need. Join the National Marrow Donor Registry today.

Giving beyond yourself

My wife and I recently went to Chipotle for dinner. If you're not familiar with this restaurant, it's a fast food place where you can get burritos the size of a small country, packed with rice, beans, chicken, and so on. I added a picture to this post.

While eating, I noticed writing on my cup. It informed me of a person by the name of Wes Jackson, a plant geneticist who transforms agriculture by cross-breeding traditional, annual food crops like wheat, sunflowers and corn with deep-rooted perennials. This can possibly lead to diminishing the need for pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It can also help save water, reduce erosion, and replenish the soil. He founded www.landinstitute.org. He is quoted as saying "if your life's work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you're not thinking big enough."

"If your life's work can be accomplished in your lifetime, you're not thinking big enough."

What a great quote to use to re-align ourselves at the beginning of a brand new year! How are YOU going to give this year? Does your giving lead to something bigger than you are? Why not let this year be the best ever?

Scott Couchenour, guest blogger, Certified Life Coach - Serving Strong (Scott's blog)

Congratulations Northern Illinois University

Scott Meis, Campaign Manager for Donate Life Illinois, contacted me with the final results of the “I Am. Are You?” Campus Challenge. The challenge was a statewide organ/tissue donor registration drive competition between Illinois colleges and universities.

Northern Illinois University won the contest with 484 registrations.

The real winners are each of the students who participated and the people whose lives will be saved. The result of this single  campaign has the potential to ultimately impact 62,775 lives!

Here are the campaign results for each college and university that participated:

Northern Illinois University – 484
University of Illinois – 372
College of DuPage – 235
Illinois Wesleyan University – 187
Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) – 185
DePaul University – 138
Monmouth College - 125 (9.3 percent of student body)
Eastern Illinois University – 125
Loyola University - 116
Aurora University – 106
Augustana College – 93
Illinois State University – 77
Bradley University - 73
Western Illinois University – 46
Knox College – 40
University of Illinois at Chicago – 35
Illinois Institute of Technology – 33
North Central College – 25
Benedictine University – 9
Illinois Central College – 7

Total: 2,511 new organ donor registrations

Go to http://iam-areyou.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-am-are-you-2007-campus-challenge.html and learn more about the organ donor contest and results.

Are you a registered organ donor?

Update: I Am. Are you? Illinois Campus Challenge

In the previous post College Students Compete To Save Lives, I wrote about an organ donor registration competition between several Illinois colleges and universities. After only one week into the challenge, the following list shows the schools participating in the challenge and the number of new organ donors registered at each institution:

Loyola University - 87
Illinois State University – 70
University of Illinois – 49
Illinois Wesleyan University – 45
Northern Illinois University – 20
North Central College – 18
Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) – 18
Eastern Illinois University – 16
Monmouth College – 14
University of Illinois at Chicago – 12
Knox College – 12
Western Illinois University – 11
DePaul University – 11
Aurora University – 7
Illinois Institute of Technology – 6
College of DuPage – 6
Illinois Central College – 3
Benedictine University – 3
Augustana College – 2
Bradley University - 0

The challenge has so far resulted in 410 new organ donor registrations. That is only the beginning of the story. When I interviewed Scott Meis, Campaign Manager for Donate Life Illinois, he said each registrant has the potential of saving 25 lives through their future organ donation.

That means these Illinois university students have already created the potential for impacting 10,200 lives!

There are a few weeks still left in this competition. I'm anxious to see the final results.

Check out http://www.giftofhope.org/donatelife/join-campus-campaign.htm to learn more about the "I Am. Are you?” Campus Challenge.

College Students Compete To Save Lives

Sports and academics aren't the only areas college students compete. Starting October 2007, college students in Illinois will have a unique challenge. The purpose of this “I Am. Are You?” Campus Challenge is not to win a trophy or earn a better grade. It will save lives! The challenge is a statewide organ/tissue donor registration drive competition between Illinois colleges and universities.

I had the privilege of being able to ask Scott Meis, Campaign Manager for Donate Life Illinois, about the upcoming campus challenge. Here is what he shared with me.

Roger: Why is Donate Life Illinois putting on the campus challenge?

Scott: Simply put, there are a lot of stereotypes that exist about college students being lazy or unconcerned with larger social issues. In our past work with Students for Organ Donation chapters and other student groups in Illinois, we’ve seen how motivated students can get around the issue of organ/tissue donation. There are still millions of Illinois residents that do not realize that they need to RE-REGISTER post Jan. 1, 2006 (when Illinois initiated their first-person consent registry) to ensure their wishes as donors. So many residents quickly associate signing the back of their driver’s license with being a donor, which is no longer the case in Illinois if you want to ensure your wishes.
 
The “I Am. Are You?” Campus Challenge is a great way for us to unite these college students for a one-month focused registration effort that engages students, faculty, staff, alumni and surrounding campus communities. Given the context and popularity of today’s social media atmosphere and the benefit of having an online registry in Illinois, it only makes sense that we put these elements together and forge ahead with a strong outreach effort.   

Roger: What goals do you hope to meet through this contest?
 
Scott: Primarily, we want to push beyond the notion of promoting the issue. Promotion is certainly a key element to any outreach initiative, but let’s face the facts…4,700 Illinoisans and now over 97,000 people nationwide are waiting for lifesaving transplants. That demands action. It’s such a simple process to register and the potential benefit of one day being able to save 25 lives is downright incredible. This is such an easy, powerful issue for college students to get behind.
 
Second, we want to not only engage college students, but make them strong advocates. We have some great content lined up to keep their attention engaged with the Challenge and on the issue at large during October. We hope that this will eventually spur registered donors to tell their friends, family and so forth about the need to re-register. Even with our support and coalition partners, Donate Life Illinois is a pretty small team, so we need all the help we can get encouraging action and spreading the word about Illinois’ new registry.

Roger: What schools are involved?

Scott: As of August 30, we already have the following schools planning to participate in the Challenge in one capacity or another:

• University of Illinois
• Western Illinois University
• Northern Illinois University
• Southern Illinois University (Carbondale & Edwardsville)
• Illinois State University
• Illinois Wesleyan University
• Loyola University
• Midwestern University
• Columbia College
• Illinois Institute of Technology
• North Central College
• Illinois Central College
• Monmouth College

We’re incredibly cognizant of the limited time and resources of college students, so we work with each group on an individual basis to ensure their efforts can be maximized. With our Facebook group, MySpace group, YouTube and other online communities, we’re working hard to engage as many students as possible in the effort.

I am excited about the hope this campaign will bring to others. Be sure you check out http://www.IAmAreYou.org, http://www.giftofhope.org/donatelife/join-campus-campaign.htm and http://iam-areyou.blogspot.com/2007/08/donate-life-illinois-2007-campus.html to learn more about how to get involved.

BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign

What image comes to mind when you think of a hero?

Does the picture of a firefighter, law enforcement officer or doctor who is saving a life come to mind? Maybe your image is of a person at the scene of a fire or accident who risks his or her life in a dramatic way to save another.

You have the potential to save lives as well. As an organ donor, you have the potential to save up to eight lives. Imagine the impact you could have on this world if you saved the lives of several people? You don't have to imagine it. You can do it!

Almost 100,000 men, women and children in the Unites States are currently waiting for life-saving organ transplants.

I am one of many bloggers around the world who is making people aware of the impact they can have by being an organ donor. This BlogCatalog Community Organ Donation Awareness Campaign and others like it are crucial. 90% of Americans say they support donation, but only 30% know the essential steps to take to be a donor. Since the law varies from state to state, it is important that you know what the laws are where you live. Donate Life America has made this easy.

Go to http://www.donatelife.net/CommitToDonation and select the state you live in. You will be provided the steps you need to take to sign up as an organ donor. It will take very little time and the rewards for doing it are tremendous.

For more information about organ donation, check out these web sites:

• http://www.organdonor.gov/donor/index.htm
• http://www.unos.org
• http://www.MatchingDonors.com
• http://www.donatelife.net

If you live outside of the United States, You can have just as great an impact if you choose to be an organ donor. Go to http://body.orpheusweb.co.uk/lnks.html to find links to organ donation websites that apply to your region of the world.

I made the decision to sign up and be an organ donor several years ago. I am asking you to seriously consider doing the same. Together we can give the gift of life and make a positive difference in the world.