Resolve to Be a Force for Good in This World #HappyNewYear!!!

New Year’s Day. Did you make a New Year’s resolution for this year? 

Throw that word “resolution” out the window. It’s not strong enough to hold people to their goals, or at least that is true for me and everyone I know!  If you want to eat healthier, spend more time with your family, or finally volunteer at your church’s soup kitchen, go ahead and make these things happen. Tell people about your mission and maybe they will join forces with you. I had so much fun at Glide Memorial Church serving lunch that my friends asked to come along with me! Or, if you want to jumpstart your New Year’s with a MAJOR act of kindness, head on down to LA for the New Year’sl Race for  A Place Called Home, www.apchorg,  is a safe haven in South Central Los Angeles where underserved youth are empowered to take ownership of the quality and direction of their lives through programs in education, arts, and well-being; and are inspired to make a meaningful difference in their community and the world.

Be the Light in Dark Days: Help Others

The holiday season is not easy for a lot of people who are struggling. 

What can you do? Turns out, you can do a lot. 

Sometimes we all feel deflated or overwhelmed, someone or something hurts us or disappoints us, or we hear bad news about a loved one’s medical condition. On those days, when you feel your light has gone out, remember there is always a glimmer of hope and something to be thankful for. Albert Schweitzer said it well: “Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us 

Holiday Acts of Kindness: Pay It Forward

Teach your children well: here's one sure-fire way to successfully pass it on:

If your heart and your wallet have different ideas about making monetary donations, it is time to summon your inner regifter.  An unwanted gift could be a welcome donation to a charitable organization. For help selecting a charitable organization, visit the Better Business Bureaus’ Wise Giving Alliance. You can also contact the government office responsible for registering charities in your state. A little research upfront will make sure that your donation is put to good use.  If the process of selecting a charity seems daunting, remember, you benefit from giving as well.  

Involving your children in the selection of and contribution to a charity teaches valuable lessons.

Give to causes in your own backyard as well as internationally

You have an opportunity to make a difference.

Some charitable gifts are tax-deductible if made to a qualified organization.

But be sure your organization meets IRS guidelines, as there may be different tax breaks when you donate certain types of assets to charity. 

Share the Love: A Volunteer Christmas

The holidays can be a difficult time for many people who don’t have family nearby, a home to sleep in, or food to eat. Helping others expressed the true holiday spirit. 

A great way to be a good in the world is to do good for the world and the people who inhabit it. Volunteer a few hours of your time to work in a soup kitchen and help serve those who are in need of a hot meal. You can also use this time to get your family involved and impart good moral values on your children. For many years running, I have volunteers at Glide Memorial Church in downtown San Francisco and enjoyed each and every minute of it.  I bet your community has a place like Glide that can be your “happy place” meaning that you make other people happy and that alone filled YOU with joy.  But if you find yourself in the San Francisco Bay Area around Thanksgiving or Christmas, come on down and we’ll have fun together serving up some love:

-         

GLIDE on over and Serve a Meal!

The Volunteer Resource Program at GLIDE places about 10,000 volunteers each year, totaling 65,000 hours of service. www.glide.org Meals Program is a transformative experience. This program requires 85 volunteers each day to fill the breakfast, prep, lunch and dinner shifts, 364 days a year. With your help we can serve up to 2,400 meals per day to our community. Volunteers assist with everything from serving food, to bussing tables, to handing out silverware and condiments. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves, and make some beautiful human connections! you have any questions please feel free to contact the volunteer team at volteam@glide.org or 415.674.6081

Sign up To Be Santa’s Helper #HolidayActsofKindness

You know Santa needs your help, rght? This is soooo easy you gotta do it!

 

Go to your local Post Office in around Christmastime and pick one of the letters to Santa that they get every year. 

Buy and send the gift before Christmas to the child who asked for it.

Save The Planet: One Tree at A Time

Decorating a tree can be a highlight of the holiday expereonce. Why not go green this year?

 

Buy an artificial Christmas tree. People love my blue and silver “disco tree” which I got at yard sale a few years ago. It is VERY festive!  On average, over 30 million Christmas trees are sold in the United States each year—that’s over 30 million trees cut down each year, trees we could be saving and using for oxygen, housing material, and paper products instead of decoration for a small amount of time. Consider buying an artificial tree—you will save money within the first few years and they look just as nice without the mess of pine needles! http://urbanext.illinois.edu/trees/facts.cfm

Honor Human Rights Day: December 10th

What can you do to help others on a global scale?

Turns out, more than you might things. December 10th, World Human Rights Day, presents an opportunity to celebrate human rights and advocate for everyone to receive equal human rights everywhere. As much as we like to think that the world is all sunshine and rainbows, that is not the truth, and we should not be blind or ignorant to the truth. Today, make yourself aware of the injustices going on in the world, do some research on the prejudices people face and the hate many experience from others. Do what you can to help promote human rights today and every day. To keep up on all the latest, check out http://www.hrw.org.

Giving the Gift of Sustainability

In this era of decluttering and less is more, try giving acts of kindness instead of things!

 

Don’t want or need anything for Christmas? Have a friend or loved one that wants something unique? Visit www.heifer.org to view and purchase some of the most helpful and generous gifts that can be given—but they’re not for you or anyone you know. Heifer International is an organization that works with communities to end hunger and poverty by providing sustainable agriculture and animals to families in need. You can “purchase” a goat for $120, a flock of geese for $20, a hope basket for $50, and browse the website for other options. These gifts are priceless (figuratively) and won’t go unappreciated or unused. Think about the positive impact you can make on family-a world of difference, actually

Gifts That Keep On Giving

What if all your holidays gifts gave back and helped feed hungry people?

 

My favorite kinds of gifts are the ones who keep on giving. The FEED project has many cool options that are made-in-America and crafted with love and pride.  By presenting a beautifully carved wooden cutting board for your best friend’s birthday from www.FeedProjects.com, that gift will help feed the hungry.  I love their FEEDbags, which are a handy way to ditch the plastic and the paper, too

Operation Christmas Child: A Box of Love

Are you starting to feel the holiday spirit? Good! Now, get busy!

 

Pack a shoebox with new toys, school supplies, socks, whtever you think a young child might need. Just go to www.samaritianspurse.org for more information on how to pack a box. It will be donated to a child in need (you can decide the gender and age group) and you can even track the box to see where it ends up! Check out this website for some packing ideas: http://faithfulprovisions.com/2012/10/01/101-operation-christmas-child-shoebox-ideas/

DIY Holidays: Crafting Love

Make your Christmas presents this year. It’s more personal and will save you money.

 From a tin of homemade fudge to a colorful knitted scarf, your family and friends are sure to appreciate your hard work and thoughtfulness. You can also think bigger! Here are some ideas that  list many ways to knit, sew and quilt your way to a better world.

Socks For Soldiers knits socks for soldiers serving in the Middle East.
Stitch for a Cause knits, crochets, sews, and quilts blankets and infant apparel for local children's agencies. Based in Louisville, KY, USA.
Stitches From the Heart sends handmade clothing and blankets to premature babies across the nation. Based in Santa Monica, CA, USA.
Stitching Up The World knits, crochets and sews items to donate to a variety of organizations. Their main effort is items for chemotherapy patients in New Hampshire, Based in Candia, NH, USA.
Threads of Love provides clothing, blankets and other handmade articles for premature and sick infants. Threads of Love has chapters in the United States, Canada and London, England.
Tiny Stitches is based in Gwinnett County, Georgia and provides basic layettes to disadvantaged newborns and preemies in north Georgia. They also provide burial ensembles to families who lose an infant.
Ugly Quilts for the Homeless, My Brothers' Keeper.
Victoria's Quilts and Victoria's Quilts Canada. Quilts for cancer patients.

World Aids Day: We Can All Help

HIV is still an major health issue in underserved communities and countries. 

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the world’s most serious health and developmental challenges. In the United States alone, 1.7 million people are estimated to have the HIV virus. You think that number is big? According to http://www.aids.gov/, 33.4 million people are living with the HIV/AIDS virus globally with more than 25 million deaths resulting in the virus worldwide since the first reported cases in 1981. Educate yourself and your family about this epidemic, promote safe behavior, and consider volunteering some of your time toward helping those infected. Anyone can help by supporting and donating to a number of organizations dedicated to finding a cure. By banding together collectively, the human race can help preserve the lives of others.

AmfAR’s “Countdown to a Cure for AIDS” is a research initiative aimed at finding a broadly applicable cure for HIV by 2020. “Countdown to a Cure” is designed to intensify amfAR’s cure-focused HIV research program with plans to strategically invest $100 million in cure research over the next six years.   www.amFar.org