Awesomeness – is that a word? Well, I am certainly not the first to post about the awesomeness of officer Lawrence DePrimo and his selfless act that was caught by another officer on film. The officer gave boots and socks to a homeless man on a cold NYC night and a photo of the kind act went viral. Just when it seems that there is no humanity in the big city – voila – humanity (unless you read the idiotic comments posted on the internet about said story – please don’t! But I digress…)
During the holiday season (or any season), it is great to step back and help those less fortunate than us.
On vacation, I tore out Glamour’s 31 Days of Giving which has some great ideas for charitable donations/acts and gifts that give back:
1. Train a service pet – $5 gift to Canine Assistants covers a week of food for a puppy learning to aid people with disabilities.
2. Buy groceries for a needy family – $21 to Feeding America feeds a family for 2 weeks! (Or try your local food pantry or City Harvest!)
3. Donate your old phones to Cellphones for Soldiers who recycles them and sends calling cards to the troops with the proceeds.
4. Restore vision – $50 to Unite for Sight gives surgery to one of the 94 million people who are blinded or visually impaired by cataracts.
5. Rehabilitate women who have been trafficked – Senhoa hires survivors to make jewelry and helps women transition safely back into society. (Great gifts!)
6. Provide a kid peace of mind – Holiday bulbs designed by celebrities support the Child Mind Institute which resources mental illness in children. Buy at Bloomingdales $40.
7. Help more teens in the US to graduate – Tutor and assist kids in at-risk classrooms for 10 months with City Year.
8. Keep an infant HIV free – $50 to Mothers2Mothers teaches an expectant mom in Africa to avoid transmission to her baby.
9. Donate your wedding gown or veil – to Brides Against Breast Cancer. They sell them at bridal shows to help pay for support groups and services.
10. Comfort the homeless – At Project Night Night, $20 provides a blanket, book and stuffed toy to one of the 334,000+ kids in shelters nationwide.
11. Beautify a city park – $15 to the Trust for Public Land goes toward playground equipment in a new or renovated green space for boys and girls across the US.
12. Ready young mothers – $50 to Nurse-Family Partnership coaches first time moms about healthy pregnancies and parenting.
13. Save a life in South Sudan – $5 to Doc2Doc ships unused supplies from US hospitals to remote clinics where shortages threaten lives.
14. Give internet access to Afghhan women – $25 to Young Women for Change donates a desk to the first ever female only web cafe in Kabul.
15. Prep and animal for its new home – $10 to Pet Finder Foundation vaccinates 4 shelter dogs, or 5 cats, readying them for adoption.
16. Invest in health – One in three children are overweight or obese. $50 to Action For Healthy Kids buys PE tools for kids in a struggling school district.
17. Inspire a new author – M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel’s holiday album benefits 826 National which helps disadvantaged students build writing skills.
18. Stop partner violence – in honor of Yeardley Love, who was killed by an ex-boyfriend, Join One Love educates us all on preventing abuse.
19. Pay for a terminally ill child’s get away – $25 to Give Kids the World helps affected families take a vacation to its Florida resort.
20. Share your office skills – Sparked asks about your skills and passions and then gives ideas on how to use your skills to better the world!
21. Fight lung cancer – A donation to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America funds research to fight the top cancer killer among Americans. You could also donate to Cycle for Survival which fights rare cancers in honor of Jennifer Linn – an amazing woman who lost her battle to sarcoma in 2011 but left this amazing fundraiser as a legacy.
22. Take care of amputees – $300 to BRAC provides a prosthetic arm or leg to a Haitian who lost a limb in the 2010 earthquake.
23. Prevent illiteracy – Order yourself a new book at Better World Books and they will send one to a needy child in the US or abroad.
24. Raise a roof for a struggling family – Spend a day at one of Women Build’s 27 sites to help put a low-income family in a home.
25. Groom women for government with a gift to the non-partisan WUFPAC.
26. Keep at Risk Youth Drug Free – For $25 to DEA Educational Foundation one girl can attend after school dance classes for 10 weeks.
27. Reduce hunger – spend $120 on a Feed tote from Dean and Deluca and 15 meals go to kids in Africa, Asia or the middle east (and you are giving a great gift). Bonus – Get 20% off of any order over $75 at Dean and Deluca online with the code F12HIL20P through Christmas.
28. Soothe a scared kid – Send a stuffed animal to Project Smile; police officers and paramedics hand them out to trauma victims.
29. Give land to poverty stricken women – For $150, Landesa secures a plot for a woman in India to love and grow food with her family.
30. Support disaster relief – Team Rubicon uses your $11 donation to keep a veteran trained to deploy in crisis areas.
31. Rebuild schools after devastation – Every dollar the Happy Hearts Fund collects does just that!
Awesome ideas from Glamour!! !
I also want to remind Chicago friends to check out Zealous Good. Zealous Good is like Craigslist for donated goods. You list your donations and charitable organizations send messages (via the website) about who will benefit from your donations if you select them. Many charities will pick up goods from your home or office. Could it be any easier??
What are you supporting this holiday season? Please share your best giving back finds