Less Plastic, More Trees, Please!

I Love Big Bags and I Cannot Lie

Bring reusable shopping bags when heading to the store. Whether you are grocery shopping or heading out with friends to splurge on clothes, take your own bags with you. Many stores have totes and reusable bags for a few dollars by the checkout lines and these are more durable, hold more objects, and last much longer than the flimsy plastic and paper bags we get from supermarkets, which are not biodegradable. Additionally, reusable shopping bags are a great way to “go green” and help the environment by using less plastic and cutting down less trees.

Grow Long Hair for a Good Cause: Locks of Love

Share Your Hair

Do you Have long hair or don’t mind growing it out for a good cause? Donate to Locks of Love, truly a group contributing to the good of others. 

Visit their website (http://www.locksoflove.org/) for more information. I recently read of a five year old girl who gave her hair to a fellow kindergartner going through chemo. With kids like her in the world, our future is bright!

How You Can Help Our Most Vulnerable

Welcome to the World!

Assemble a baby care kit to help young mothers care for their newborn babies. Visit the Church World Service website for information on what to pack and where to send the shipment: http://www.cwsglobal.org/get-involved/kits/baby-care-kits.html

The Healing Power of Touch

Be a baby cuddler! “Baby cuddlers are needed in orphanages, neonatal hospital units, group homes, nurseries, and wherever else there are babies and young children who may not have adequate human contact early in life to begin developing social interaction skills.” http://www.volunteerguide.org/hours/service-projects/baby-cuddlers

Could You Be Kinder? I know I Can

Use Your Common Cents

Lend a helping hand. Next time the person in front of you at the cash register is short a few cents, give them the amount they need. I actually don’t have that many regrets in my life but last year, I was going to a solstice party in Hunters Point district down the street from the San Francisco Giants stadium and I forgot to bring the sparkling lemonade I promised the hostess.  I did not know the neighborhood and could only find a strange new kind (to me) Walgreens that also had groceries and even produce. There was only one cash register and a long line and there I was, “Miss Random Acts of Kindness,” and I was tapping my foot and feeling very impatient. Right that moment,  I knew I was a teachable moment and I will be mindful of not making that mistake again. I can be kinder, starting today.

The Best Kind of Social Networking

Help the elderly with their devices. Many senior citizens aren’t tech-savvy but given that we live in a technologically advanced society, learning how to use a computer or the Internet can prove to be very helpful. Volunteer your assistance to a senior who has a cell phone or computer and needs help using it.  Be email buddies with your new friends, too!

A Book Can Change Your Life

Give someone a copy of a book that has helped or influenced you; it may have a similar effect on them. I actually keep a stock of books that I love on hand to do just that and have recently gifted quite a few copies of “The Power Of Habit.”  Give it a read!

Buddy Up; Keeping Our Kids Safe

Teach your children, or the children in your family, about the buddy system. According to the Amber Alert website, a child goes missing every 40 seconds in the United States and more than 700,000 children go missing annually. In order to ensure the safety of your children, teach them to hold your hand when out in public, not to talk to or go with strangers, their phone number and address, and to yell “FIRE!” rather than “HELP!” if some one is trying to hurt or take them—this will gain more people’s attention.

Every child we keep safe save will make for a better future.