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It crossed my mind yesterday that posting about charities isn't enough. I used to blithely donate to various charities, then luckily I learned about Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is America's largest charity evaluator. They have an extensive site that allows you to search for a charity by type, by alphabetical listing, by the top ten listings, the highest and lowest ranked charities and more. One area I like to scrutinize is what charities are run by the highest paid and lowest paid CEO's. Charities receive a star ranking, with four stars being the highest. Each charity is scored in different areas, such as fundraising, accountability and transparency and expenses breakdown. This service is available at no cost to the user, although since it is a non-profit, they do rely on contributions to keep afloat. Charity Navigator helps me to be an informed contributor. When I go on their site, it literally blows my mind at the available information. So, you may want to swing by the Charity Navigator before you donate. Your dollars will be going exactly where you want them to go, no where else. Cindy "Give what you have. To someone it may be better than you dare to think" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Tags: giving resources, thoughts and ideas
Current Mood:  mellow
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I am finally back at long last. I know this suggestion is probably too late to use for your Christmas shopping this year, however, keep this in mind if you are shopping online for any and all other occasions, particularly if you use Amazon. Instead of going through Amazon for online shopping, go onto Amazon Smile. Amazon Smile donates a small portion of the sale to a charity of your choice, at no additional cost to you. It's the same Amazon, but with a bonus. I chose a charity that works to provide clean drinking water to people around the world, because in too many areas children don't make it to their 5th birthday because of diseases contracted through unclean water. This is so amazingly easy and it feels good to know that you are helping. Another easy way to help make a difference in the world is to take surveys through surveymonkey. I'm not sure exactly how I first heard about them, but I just take short surveys as they become available; and for each survey completed, surveymonkey donates 50 cents to the charity of my choice. Doctors Without Borders is my charity of choice here. I read about the mission of Doctors Without Borders and heartily recommend reading their book. They are an amazing group of people who risk their lives every day just to help alleviate the suffering of people everywhere. So far I have been able to donate $20 to this group, just by taking some surveys. You can find them at surveymonkey@go.surveymonkey.com. I am calling it a night. I hope to be back again very soon. May the blessings of this season reach deep into your heart and give you peace. Cindy "It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding." Kahlil Gibran The ProphetTags: giving resources, help your neighbor, kindness, love one another, shopping with a purpose, thoughts and ideas
Current Mood: calm
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For those of you who live in the Greater Harrisburg PA area, PennLive, The Patriot-News and Central PA Magazine are combining forces to fight hunger in this area. People are being asked to drop off cans of food at 2020 Technology Parkway, Mechanicsburg PA from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday until December 20. All food collected will be donated to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. There are some additional shopping opportunities that give back. Stand Up To Cancer is selling some very stylish bangles in either gold or silver for $28. They are designed by Alex and Ani. Go to Standup2cancer.org to view and order them. Speaking of bracelets, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is selling WEAR (We Each Are Responsible) bracelets. All proceeds go to the hospital. These are at Wearproject.com for $45. Kiehl’s is selling their grapefruit-scented Crème de Corps to benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign. 100% of the net profits from this item go to the cause. You can find these at Kiehl’s.com. Click on their limited edition section. An 8.0 oz jar is available for $38. You can buy a tee-shirt that not only proudly proclaims where you are from, but also benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Go to Thehomet.com. They are $28 each. Kohl’s is currently selling books and stuffed animals (of the Peanuts gang) for just $5. All proceeds go to Kohl’s Cares. Kohl’s Cares is a program to help education and health initiatives across the United States. These are really nice books and toys. They make super gifts and could also do double-duty by donating them to Toys 4 Tots. There is a lot of conflict and suffering going on in Syria at this time. This upheaval is affecting the children most of all. Because of the strife, many children in Syria are not able to receive vaccines for serious illnesses such as polio. Parents and pediatricians across the globe want to protect children. Shot@Life and its partners allow them to help by delivering life-saving vaccines where they are needed most. Help Shot@Life and its partners give all children a shot at life. Thanks to a generous matching contribution, your impact will be doubled. From now until December 31, a $20 donation protects two children from polio, measles, pneumonia and rotavirus— for life.  Nelson Mandela’s funeral celebration was featured in this evening’s news. I say celebration, because, even though the people of South Africa love him and will miss him, they do him honor by celebrating his life. Nelson Mandela truly valued people more than things. He touched the lives of many people, and made their lives better with his efforts. Cindy “I have always held firmly to the thought that each one of us can do a little to bring some portion of misery to an end. “ -Al bert Schweitzer Tags: children, feed the hungry, giving resources, shopping with a purpose
Current Mood: mellow
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I am currently reading Stephen King’s book, “11/22/63”. In it, one of the characters, Al, mentions the butterfly effect. He describes it as the following: “…if some guy kills a butterfly in China, maybe forty years later – or four hundred – there’s an earthquake in Peru.” He was discussing the possible ramifications of JFK’s assassination on that date. And yes, it’s plausible that the murder of a major world leader could have, and possibly led to some very bad outcomes. Why give you a mini book review? Because that is precisely the reason for this blog. I am the first to admit that there is a lot of bad stuff in the world. But I refuse to give up. I hang on to the belief that every time someone does one act of kindness it’s repercussions are widely felt. We may not even see or experience these effects. But I believe they exist. I believe to the very core of my being that we all have the potential to make this world a much better place, and to ease the suffering of people and animals everywhere, To that end, I have a few more shopping resources for the Christmas season which also do good. Walmart has established a program called Empowering Women Together. If you go onto walmart.com, you can shop their line of merchandise. Proceeds help to get women out of poverty and helplessness. Crate and Barrel is selling house ornaments. Monies generated from these sales go to Rebuilding Together. Rebuilding Together provides home repairs for low income people who would not otherwise be able to afford it. You can get them at crateandbarrel.com. Neiman Marcus is selling Sir Elton John’s Fireside Candle. Proceeds go to Elton John AIDS Foundation. Neimanmarcus.com. US Fund for UNICEF sells a wide selection of cards and gifts. Shop them at inucefusa.org. I try to get my cards from them. Not only are they beautiful, UNICEF is an international organization working to protect children, from disease, famine and exploitation. They recognize children as our most vulnerable treasure and work to help their cause in many arenas. Go USA mittens benefit the US Olympic and Paralympic teams. They cost $14 and can bought at site: Teamusa.org/raiseyourhands. I have more sites and ideas, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with the whole shopping thing. I will post again as soon as I can snatch a few moments. I just learned in working on this blog post that Nelson Mandela has passed away. He will be greatly missed, but maybe, we can all carry on his love for all people. Cindy “ Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” Sally Koch (in Wisconsin)Tags: children, help your neighbor, shopping with a purpose
Current Location: home
Current Mood: hopeful
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Well, it’s that wonderful, yet complicated time of the year again. The time when charities seem to come out of the woodwork, asking for your donation. And, this is also a time when our hearts seem more open, and we find ourselves reaching out beyond ourselves in an attempt to lessen the plight of others. Plus, this year is further complicated by the tsunami in the Philippines and the tornados in the Midwest. It can become very confusing. Who do you trust to really use your contribution in the way it was intended? One organization I find myself turning to again and again is Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator monitors all charities and reports on their effectiveness and compliance. They show you what percentage of your contribution actually goes to help the cause you hold dear in your heart. They list the salaries of the top executives, and rank the charities by their effectiveness. They can also help you make a selection pertaining to a certain cause. If you go on their website now, for example, they list reputable organizations to help with the recent tragedies. We can’t be everywhere to make sure what is being done, but Charity Navigator acts as our eyes and ears. They can be reached at www.CharityNavigator.org. May the good you do shine like a light in the darkness. Cindy "I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to his or her fellow human beings." -Margaret Mead Tags: giving resources, help your neighbor, helps for the earth, kindness, love one another
Current Mood: optimistic
Current Location: At home
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I wasn’t really planning on posting to my blog today, but my St. Jude Holiday Bull’s-eye stuffed dog came today. Target is selling these cute guys for $14.99, and 100% of the retail price of this toy is being donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I figure I got a triple play on this purchase because I am donating it to Toys for Tots, and because I put it on my Target charge, Target will also make a donation to the school I have designated as my “Take Care of Education” recipient. Several other items have crossed my desk that will help me this time of year while making life easier for others. In the November 2013 issue of the Rachael Ray Magazine, Rachael featured “Cookies for Kids’ Cancer” as one of the bakers in her Cookie Jar Heroes. This company was formed when Gretchen and Larry Witt’s son, Liam was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer in 2007. Not only were the Witt’s facing a heart-breaking diagnosis for their son, they were appalled to learn that very little research had been done on this disease. With the help of 250 volunteers they began baking and selling cookies, raising more than $400,000 for research. Unfortunately Liam lost his battle with cancer in 2011, but the Witts continue to carry on this mission in Liam’s memory. 100% of the profits go to pediatric cancer research. These cookies are made of all natural ingredients; there are no preservatives or trans fats in these cookies. They are hand-baked to order and delivered fresh. The cookies are not cheap, but, according to their site the purchase price is tax-deductible. When I get done with this post, I am going to go on this site and order some cookies for Christmas. I’ll wrap and freeze them and hope that they last for the holidays. (I usually label them with the name of something I know that everyone will let alone, like “Tomato Sauce Pie”)! I also received my Global Girlfriend and Toms catalogs this week. Global Girlfriend is an organization founded by Stacey Edgar to help women in developing countries achieve economic stability. By assisting the women, families are kept together and the women and children are (hopefully) treated better. I have ordered a number of items from Global Girlfriend in the past and have always been very happy with them. The items sold by Global Girlfriend are not available in any mall. They would make unique, beautiful gifts. And, of course, I can’t forget TOMS. TOMS is my favorite shoe. It is a great style that goes with everything and is so unbelievably comfortable. Because of their “Buy One, Give One” philosophy, TOMS has given their 10 millionth pair of shoes to a child. TOMS also has a Sight Giving program which has helped 150,000 people with vision problems. This year TOMS is introducing their Marketplace, working with other social entrepreneurs to help people’s lives. I encourage you to give TOMS a try. You will be stylish, you will be comfortable, and you will feel really good knowing that a child will have shoes because you cared. Thanks for stopping by, Cindy “If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction.” Martin Kornfield (as quoted by Kiva)
P.S. I just went onto the Animal Rescue Site and did some more shopping. Oh yeah!Tags: shopping with a purpose
Current Location: My desk
Current Mood: happy
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I was walking through Strawberry Square this afternoon and encountered a table set up by the Salvation Army, collecting funds to buy socks, hats, scarves and gloves for children and young people this winter. All monies collected will be pooled to buy a large selection of sizes and items for our kids and young people. A woman came up along side me to make a contribution of her own. I have seen and noticed this woman in downtown Harrisburg. It’s obvious to look at her that she does not have much money, yet, as in the gospel, she gave from her need, rather than from her surplus. It was touching and heartwarming. The Harrisburg Salvation Army had literature available detailing the other functions they perform in our area. Every year at this time they assemble and distribute baskets of food so that the needy in our community may have a decent Thanksgiving dinner. Tags from the Salvation Army are provided with gift suggestions for needy children in our area for a “Giving Tree” that your company or store can put up. You can contact the Salvation Army to adopt a family in the area that otherwise might not have a Christmas. If you would like, you could adopt a senior citizen. Salvation Army will give you the information and you can deliver a home cooked holiday meal or food basket. You can also lend a hand delivering gifts or ringing the familiar Christmas bell. In the November 2013 issue of Guideposts magazine, there was a letter to the editor from Pastor Randy Davis of Redkey, IN with another idea for helping our veterans. Pastor Davis took a friend to an appointment at a local Veterans’ Affairs hospital. He noticed some rather sad-looking veterans in the lobby. Pastor Davis spoke with the voluntary service office. They said that the veterans could use fast-food gift cards. He initially posted the idea of a Veterans’ Gift Card Project on Facebook, asking for fast food card donations. In 2012 his organization gave 11,310 meals to local vets. You can learn all about the Veterans’ Gift Card Project at www.veteransgiftcards.com. You can contribute to the project, or start one of your own. Stop by your local VA hospital or center to see what their needs are and how you can help. Before my dad died, he and a group of telephone company retirees got together to put bedside phones in their local VA hospital. Can you imagine hospital patients not being able to call their families and loved ones? They called their campaign, “Operation Phone Home”. So, you see, it’s easy enough to find needs and ways of helping. All you have to do is look! Till the next time, Cindy “What do we live for if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?” George Eliot Tags: children, giving resources, help your neighbor, kindness, love one another
Current Mood: good
Current Location: My family room
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I just made a business loan through Kiva. Well, actually, I rolled over the proceeds from a former Kiva loan to a new recipient. Kiva helps people from all walks of life improve their situation through micro-loans. I make my loans in $25 increments, because that is what I can afford. My money is pooled with money from other lenders and a loan is issued to a specific borrower. The money is not issued blindly, you may select a specific group or area to select from. This time I focused on people who didn't have much time left to get their loans, and were close to achieving their loan amount. I figured that this way, I could help someone make sure they get what they need. Today, I lent $25 to a man in Ghana named Gabriel. He and his wife are trying to raise their two children, they work and have a little boutique which they used to supplement their income. With this loan, Gabriel will be able to make some much needed repairs to the family home and purchase additional stock for the boutique. The children will be able to stay in school, and the family will be able to be a little more secure financially. When your Kiva loan is repaid, you can elect to withdraw your funds (I usually get a little interest) or simply roll them over to another loan. So in a way, your original $25 loan can go on to help more and more people. Reading about the people and their situations is fascinating. But don't take my word for it. Read all about it at Kiva.org. I forgot to mention one other way you can help our heroes in the armed forces. Take a minute this Christmas season and send a card to: Holiday Mail for Heroes PO Box 5456 Capitol Heights MD 20791-5456 Take care, Cindy "Kindness is never wasted. If it has no effect on the recipient, at least it benefits the bestower." -S.H. Simmons Tags: giving resources, help your neighbor, kindness, showing our appreciation
Current Location: home
Current Mood:  accomplished
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As I was driving to church this morning, I saw a flock of Canada Geese grazing in a field. I’m always impressed at how several geese will keep watch while the rest of the flock eats. They instinctively protect and care for each other. What a marvelous lesson in working together. Do you have Parade Magazine included with your Sunday paper? In honor of Veterans Day tomorrow, they had a marvelous article entitled, “11 Ways to Help Our Vets and Troops on 11/11”. Actually, if you followed the link in the article, there were more than 11. I included most of them. For those who don’t have access to the article, here are the suggestions: -Upgrade a soldier’s helmet – For $35 you can provide a soldier cushion helmet pads to help protect against traumatic head injury. www.operation-helmet.org. -Foster a companion animal – Pets for Vets pairs shelter animals to help ease the emotional wounds of war. Pets can show unconditional love and compassion. Volunteers are needed to foster the pets, and train them for their new assignments. www.pets-for-vets.com. -Help throw a baby shower (Didn’t see this one coming, did you?) - Celebrate an expectant mom whose husband is deployed or injured by sending a gift or volunteering in person at a party hosted by Operation Shower. www.operationshower.org -Mail a care package – Look up specific requests for all types of items from service personnel in all five branches of the military. Pack the item with a letter of thanks and send them. Get specifics at www.booksforsoldiers.com -Watch Tim McGraw – McGraw is working with Chase and Operation Homefront to provide mortgage-free homes to vets and service members in need. He is performing a concert this evening for military families. It will air on the pentagon channel and on his website at 8:45 eastern time. Check it out at www.timmcgraw.com -Give shelter – Homes for Our Troops constructs houses for severely injured veterans who served after 9/11. Donate equipment or help build a home. https://www.hfotusa.org/ -Give a vet transportation – The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) provides free transportation to veterans unable to travel to VA medical facilities on their own. You can volunteer to drive a DAV van. www.dav.org/volunteers -Provide foster care for a pet – Take in the dog or cat of a deployed soldier or wounded veteran while they are on duty or receiving VA medical treatment. www.guardianangelsforsoldierspet.org. -Record a war story – The Library of Congress wants to hear combat stories from old soldiers. For more information go to: www.loc.gov/vets. -Donate old cell phones – Ship your old cell phones to “Cell Phones for Soldiers”. For each phone donated this organization will pay for one hour of talk time for troops overseas. www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com -Donate used DVD’s – Drop off movies or television shows at your local VA facility, or mail them to DVDs4Vets. www.dvds4vets.org -Send coupons – Send your expired coupons or those for products you don’t use to military families. They are able to use them for savings up to six months past the expiration date. Get details at: www.couponsfortroops.com. -Contribute to a gift box – Operation Gratitude holds an annual campaign for service personnel and their families. They collective, food, clothing and other items and packs it up in gift boxes for service members. Read about it at: www.operationgratitude.com/volunteer. -Send a care package – Operation Care Packages coordinates the sending of packages containing everything from Kool Aid packages, granola bars to Beanie Babies! Learn about these giving opportunities at: www.operationcarepackages.org. -Support Big Brothers/Big Sisters – This organization has a Military Mentoring program for children with parents in the armed forces. They carefully pair kids with adults serving in the military, as well with veterans and civilians. Go to: www.bbbs.org. And as always, you can help by clicking on the veterans’ site, which can be reached through the hungersite. www.thehungersite.org I’m beat. This post wore me out. Nonetheless, have a good week. Be gentle with yourself. Cindy “To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” -Abraham Lincoln Tags: giving resources, help your neighbor, kindness, love one another, showing our appreciation
Current Mood:  exhausted
Current Location: My house
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