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We all get the bug to do something good for others during the holidays, and Lands’ End Big Warm-up is my charity of choice this holiday season.
Lands’ End, together with the National Coalition for the Homeless, will be providing gently used coats to the more than 3.5 million homeless, men, women, and children in the United States. The more coats we donate the more people can benefit.
Now through November 30th, take your gently used winter coats to any of the 252 Lands’ End Shops at Sears or the 13 Lands’ End Inlets and receive 20% off the purchase of a new coat for each coat donated. It’s a win-win situation that takes very little effort on our part to help people struggling with homelessness thsi winter.
Please leave a comment if you plan on donating to the Big Warm-up this winter!
Not only am I a huge proponent of teaching children the basics of financial stability I think keeping kids active is the perfect way to clear their heads, keep their minds sharp, and set them on the right life course. Physical fitness works hand in hand with so many other aspects of life, it’s important to make sure that kids are not only getting their exercise, but enjoying their exercise!
SOGO Active is a Canadian youth fitness program unlike any program I have seen in the United States. It inspires kids to be active by promoting group activities through a super cute website that makes it easy to find out what activities are going on in your area, hooking up with teams to play with, and organizing your own fun and games.
Coca-Cola is keen to the importance of youth physical activity and sports participation, and is the main sponsor behind SOGO. They’ve taken this great opportunity to help kids improve their physical fitness and have sweetened the deal by offering kids a chance to be a Torchbearer for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics! All kids have to do is join and participate (you have to participate, otherwise you won’t be fit to run the relay!) for their chance to be one of 100 youth chosen to carry the Olympic torch during the relay.
My husband and I tried to start a vegatable garden last spring. It’s a great way to do something good for the environment, enjoy the fruits of your labor while saving a little money, and really enjoy the summer months. Unfortunately, a completely shaded 5×10 balcony isn’t the place to grow award winning tomatoes and green beans. We’re looking forward to the day that we can plant a real garden and enjoy our own produce, but until then we’ll watch Project Orange Thumb grant in awe.
Project Orange Thumb is a grant program that awards thousands of dollars worth of green goods and Fiskars gardening tools to groups focusing on green living, sustainable agriculture, horticultural education or neighborhood beautification. Community garden groups, schools, youth groups, camps, and clubs are all eligible to submit their application, including their creative answer to this year’s following question…
In an inter-galactic exchange program, an alien is sent to Earth to learn our ways. The United Nations chooses you to explain how gardening makes you feel. Express in it non-verbally because, of course, he doesn’t speak your language.
They want to know how gardening makes you feel. Not how to plant a seed or water a garden. What it does beyond the obvious. I love that.
If you’ve got a “Orange Thumb” and your group has a compelling answer for how gardening makes you feel, submit an application to Project Orange Thumb. You can put all those gardening tools to work and get your community garden flourishing this spring. Deadline is February 17th, so you have a little time to think about the question and get creative!
I don’t prescribe 100% to the theory that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, but I do think we get overwhelmed with shopping and cooking and party planning during the holidays and forget there is a reason for the season and there are still people out there fighting for our freedom and sacrificing time with their families.
The Sears Heroes at Home Wish Registry is a joint effort by various organizations to provide for military personnel, veterans, and their families during the holidays. Not only is the economy struggling and families are desperate to make ends meet, many families are separated during a time of year that’s meant for togetherness. There are dozens of family stories on the Sears website, ranging from families that want a comfortable living room to spend time together to deployed soldiers with small children at home that want to take their children’s minds off their absence.
Our donations can help provide necessary items and small indulgences by making a donation to Heroes at Home. If you find a particularly touching story, one that hits close to home for you, you can fulfill specific wish list items for that family, from necessities like pots and pans and crib mattresses to holiday classics like wagons and baby dolls.
My husband and I aren’t exactly rolling in money (more like swimming in debt), but we’re much better off than a lot of people that are struggling to pay their utility bill or put food on the table. While we may be living paycheck to paycheck, our jobs are secure and we have a stable roof over our head. Thankfully, I think the US has elected the right president to help stimulate the economy and help families get back on their feet, but until then Rebuilding of America is a great way to stimulate your own community.
Rebuilding America is a program that uses fully insured certificates of deposits to invest, rebuild, and resell viable income generating properties. All monies are combined to back construction loans, which in turn create jobs and rebuild families and communities while bringing business and visitors to newly refurbished real estate and giving you the maximum return on your investment.
$25 is nothing to some people. It’s a week’s worth of Starbucks that they don’t drink half of, an evening at a movie they don’t enjoy, or an impulse purchase that never gets used. Make an investment in something that can revitalize your community, help your neighbors, and improve your quality of life. Give $25 to Rebuilding America.
Are you getting a tax return this year? Is it a couple hundred dollars? A few thousand dollars? How about taking a tiny bit of that money, and doing something good with it!
My friend, Laurie, is walking in the Dallas Breast Cancer 3-Day this year, and her team, 60 Miles or BUST, has a set a $3,000 goal and are almost half way there. Laurie is doing everything from baking cupcakes to giving away Save the Ta-Tas t-shirts, so make sure to visit her team blog for the latest on fundraising and training, and donate to her team goal.
Project Orange Thumb is a grant program that awards thousands of dollars worth of green goods and Fiskars gardening tools to groups focusing on green living, sustainable agriculture, horticultural education or neighborhood beautification. Community garden groups, schools, youth groups, camps, and clubs are all eligible to submit their application, including their creative answer to this year’s following question…
I don’t prescribe 100% to the theory that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, but I do think we get overwhelmed with shopping and cooking and party planning during the holidays and forget there is a reason for the season and there are still people out there fighting for our freedom and sacrificing time with their families.
My friend, 
