I’ve been doing this kindness gig for about 2 months now. It’s been really fun to play the “random kindness super hero” game but it feels, I don’t know, too random? Like I want to do something concrete & tangible that I KNOW will make a difference on a regular basis.
So, the other day the kids and I went to Panda Express.
Don’t judge me. 🙂 Yes – I know it’s not “real” Asian food and no – I don’t really care. LOL. My kids LOVE this place and I find it a great little guilty pleasure when I crave something Asian but don’t want to shell out $40 for the good stuff. So I’m ringing out and the cashier says “Do you want to round up to $19 and donate your change?”
Hmmm….that got me thinking. First – YES – of course I want to round up! Odd numbers make me nervous AND make it harder to balance my bank account. Second – I’m a sucker for a good cause (but ya’ll ready know that) so I agreed and was pleased to know my change was going towards The Children’s Hospital.
Based on this experience, I’ve decided that part of the kind year will be making donations at my local shopping places when asked. I know it’s a simple, silly kind of thing – but I think it’s a good way to spread the love AND it teaches my kiddos that it’s important to think of others even while you are thinking of yourself. I mean, $18 and change for some “fake” Asian food? We can definitely spare the extra to help sick kiddos (or local high schools, cancer fighters and survivors, you get the drift) reach goals and make progress.
If any of you would like to play along – I strongly encourage it! It is an easy way to make a difference and the amounts are usually pretty negligible (spare change, a buck or two) and it will give you a warm fuzzy which we all know is priceless.
Finally, going forward, I’d like to focus on a specific cause each month. For example, this month is Childhood Cancer Awareness. I plan to look into what my family and I can do to help this worthy cause and will post some links below if any of you are also interested.
Does anyone have a suggestion for the month of October? I’m pretty sure stuffing kiddos full of sugar isn’t exactly a cause so let’s not go down the Halloween path. However, if there is a cause close to your heart that is promoted in October please comment and share a link. I will spend the month focusing on ways to help with the cause and promoting ways to participate as well.
Thanks everyone – I’m excited about this and hope you are too! Here’s to kind, purposeful, conscious giving.
September Childhood Cancer Month
St Judes:
www.stjude.org/
American Childhood Cancer Foundation:
https://acco.org/SupportUs/MakeaDonation.aspx
Mary Taylor Mom
This is one of my favorite blogs about a family and their battle with childhood cancer.
http://www.chicagonow.com/mary-tyler-mom
October is National:
Domestic Violence Awareness Month
National Book Month
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
National Bullying Prevention Month
National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
Spina Bifida Awareness Month
Pregnancy/Infant Loss Awareness Month
Pastors Appreciation Month
Hope this gives you some ideas!
Nancy T.
Awesome! Thanks so much – a lot of great choices it’s going to be tough to pick just one! 🙂
October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and the American Cancer Society usually has something going on during it. Here in PA, there are multiple walks scheduled to raise awareness and money
Yes – breast cancer awareness is an important topic that gets lots of good attention. I’m trying to figure out a way to do the walks/fitness aspect without going broke – lol – but I’d love to incorporate doing charity events and coupling them with health benefits. I need a kindness benefactor! 🙂
Unicef still conducts its Trick or Treat Campaign (I remember doing it as a kid in the 70’s), still a great cause and the organization gets very high ratings on Charity Navigator.http://www.unicefusa.org/mission/usa/trick-or-treat
Have you heard of the gift card giver through plywoodpeople.com? instead of rounding up, you send gift cards with a minimal amount left on them and they get them to people who really need them.
Never heard of this! Thanks for the heads up – I’m going to check it out! Sometimes I end up with gift cards I can’t use or little balances that I know will never get used – this could be a great alternative!
I’m helping to organize a local fundraiser for adoptions in October. Our national charity is http://www.sacredselections.org/ and you can make a secure tax-deductible donation to our specific local fundraiser here: http://sacredselectionslexington.blogspot.com/p/donate.html Thanks!
Totally intrigued by this – I remember hearing about Unicef but it wasn’t very popular in the 80’s when I was at the height of trick or treating. Might be able to make this a neighborhood effort this year – I’ll keep you posted and thanks for the suggestion.