Student Survival Kit

This is a fun way to welcome students and teachers back to school. We packed these up and gave them to each student and teacher on the first day of school. You can play with the theme and use this for many other purposes like scouts, sports, church.

• Starburst - We're "bursting" with excitement to start a new year.
• Tootsie Roll - You play an importatn "roll" in our school.
• Cotton Ball - to help you "absorb" all your learning.
• Band-aid - to remind you we're all here to "aid" each other.
• Paper clip - So you can remember to keep your school work organized.
• Penny - to remind you to spend your time wisely.
• Star - to remind you to stand out and shine as a good example.
• Smarties - to help you make "smart" choiced all year.

5 Ways Your Clothes Can Change Lives

It is believed by some, that as Americans, we have an abundance of clothes. Whether classically stylish business attire, up to the minute contemporary digs, or just run-of-the-mill house wear, we generally have lots and lots of clothes. The average person probably has enough clothes to fill dressers, closets, and storage totes. But what should one do when they have gotten their use out of their clothes? Here are a few ways that you can rid yourself of some things that you may not need or cannot fit anymore, while possibly helping others:

1. Donate the clothes to Goodwill Industries. Your clothing donation to Goodwill Industries translates into training, educational programs, and jobs, as well as low-cost shopping alternatives for disadvantaged families.
2. Have a yard sale and donate the financial proceeds to your favorite charity or non-profit organization.
3. Sell your clothes to a consignment store and give the money earned to your neighborhood recreation center to support community programs.
4. Give the clothes to work-preparation programs for women of domestic abuse or teenagers from low-income families. These programs usually help to teach people about proper business attire and etiquette.
5. Children's clothing is always needed in shelters and by organizations that send clothes oversees to poor children. The more you have to give, the better.

These are just a few ways that you can become a steward of good works in our communities through clothing donations. So, the next time you want to clean out your closet, don't just throw the clothes away. Make the decision to use them to help make change!

An Extra Special Volunteer Opportunity

Each year, there is a unique event that take place in your state. With it comes several days of happiness, triumph, and great sportsmanship. The event is the Special Olympics. The Special Olympics is a jubilee of Olympic-based sporting events that are specifically set up for the participation of exceptional people. Whether they are confined to a wheelchair, inaudible, or mentally disabled, these courageous athletes compete for medals; yet, they celebrate each other regardless of their finishing positions. Just by going out there and doing their best, they recognize that they have, in fact, been victorious!

With the Special Olympics comes a multitude of volunteer opportunities. You would be surprised at all of the different tasks that need to be completed to make the Special Olympics happen. People who make a commitment to volunteering with the Special Olympics generally have great empathy for the athletes and their daily struggles.

Volunteering with the Special Olympics would make an ideal outlet for your family's community service efforts. Children can be instrumental with the Special Olympics in a number of ways, especially with cheering and encouraging the participants, fundraising, and even helping to promote the event. Working with the exceptional population will teach children to appreciate life, to work for the good of others, and to accept people for who they are regardless of their physical or mental ability. For adults, there are coaching opportunities, fundraising that needs to be done, facilities work, administrative tasks, media contacting, and travel coordination. There is a lot to do!

The Special Olympics also has international events for those athletes that excel beyond the state level. Overall, the Special Olympics has so much to offer its athletes and the people that support them. Your family will feel happiness, love, and pride as they watch the athletes compete. Knowing that they helped to make it all happen will fill be engraved in their minds for years to come.

Food Banks: America's Fighting Force Against Hunger

Many people don't even know that they exist, but food banks are an absolutely essential part of our efforts as a community to combat hunger. Poverty is a horrible disease that strikes millions across the United States. It is a cycle that is plagued with such atrocities as homelessness and, unfortunately, hunger. Thankfully, there are organizations like the United Way and local food banks that work to curtail this situation. Food banks are wonderful places for people that want to give of themselves through volunteering. Here is how you can get involved with your local foodbank:

1. Pick an organization. There are a number of food banks, or other food distribution services, in most communities. Some are religious based and others are government funded. Decide which type of organization would work best for you.
2. Make yourself available. While you may think that you will only be disseminating food, food banks often need volunteers that can work in other capacities also. There are large outreach campaigns and after school food programs that are specifically children that the food bank may need you to consider working with. These tasks may actually grow to become your favorite type of work.
3. Financial donations are always welcome. Reality is that food banks need workers, but they also need food and money. Along with making a commitment to support your local food bank comes both tax deductions and an abundance of personal benefits.
4. Tell others. Spread the word about the help that is needed, raise funds or have food drives to benefit the food bank. This will give people who cannot commit a certain amount of time an opportunity to give their support.

When you volunteer to fight hunger, you will feel great knowing that your work is helping so many. Many children, elderly, and families depend on food banks, so your work would definitely not be in vain.

Tips to Raising Money For a Good Cause

Just about every non-profit social service organization needs financial donations. In fact, for many of them, they rely very heavily on the kindness of others for their continuity. For them, fundraising is a part of life. With fundraising, they are able to get the much needed funds to continue their impact on people's lives.

As a parent, we have to work to teach our children the value of hard work, whether it is for our own personal prosperity or for the furtherance of the efforts of a helping organization. By teaching our children how they can contribute to making our community more positive, we are teaching them to love, to respect, and to care about the world in which they live. Here are some ways that your family can help to raise money for your favorite charities:

• Hold a car wash. Work along with local merchants or churches to use their parking lot, get someone to donate supplies, and wash cars for a reasonable price. Using a shop vac, you can even provide vacuum service for an extra fee. Having snacks available for sale are a great way to earn more during your event.
• Have a clothing drive. There are organizations that pay a per pound fee for clothes. So, the more you collect, the more money you can get.
• Coordinate a sponsored walk-a-thon or 5K. These are great for fitness enthusiasts, and can be a fantastic way to bring in money because each participant solicits their own supporters for the event.
• Work with a calling campaign. This could possibly be one of the most timely ways to raise money, but it can be effective in incorporated into a general fundraising project.

There are tons of other ways that you can raise money for your favorite charities. The most important thing to remember is that no matter how much you actually raise, when it comes to support for non-profits, every penny counts.

Volunteering at a Hospital- Is it right for you?

Probably every moment of the day, all over the world, someone is hurt or injured. Be it in a serious accident or skinned knees, the truth remains , that people are always in need of care and medical attention. Even though the hospital appears to be brimming with medical professionals, most hospitals and health care facilities could still use the assistance of volunteers. But, is hospital volunteering right for you? That is a question that you have to ask yourself. You should consider the following when making your decision:

1. Can you take the sight of blood? No one can predict what type of person or what type of injury they will encounter in a hospital. Someone may arrive with multiple injuries and bleeding. Will you be able to handle yourself if confronted with that type of situation?
2. Are you compassionate and not judgmental? Hospitals are filled with people of all types of racial, ethic, and religious backgrounds. Your ability to care for them directly correlates with your willingness to help them regardless of who they are or what they believe.
3. Do you like working with babies or children? There are many opportunities for people to volunteer with children in a hospital setting. From holding preemies to providing fun and entertainment to children that have experienced trauma, there are many ways in which you can be helpful. Most organizations in which you work directly with children will require a background and criminal check.

Making the decision to be a hospital volunteer is a serious decision. Everyday, the people there face life and death situations. This can be very heavy and, sometimes, burdensome. Volunteers help to alleviate so of the stress of the staff and the patients. Your contribution to a medical organization may be much more significant than you realize...and, no doubt, very much appreciated.

Volunteering In the Arts

Many take it for granted, but the arts are an integral part of the creative landscape in our lives. In other words, the arts color our world with drama, pictures, dance, masterpieces, and song. The arts help to make our lives much more interesting. Their preservation and continuity, however, are due in great part to volunteer efforts from those that have a deep love for the arts.

To get more involved in the arts, explore these great ways to volunteer:

• Make your services available at a theatre. Theatres and theatrical programs often need volunteers to work the box office, for prop creation, marketing campaigns, and even to perform. Volunteering in a theatrical program could make you the star that you always dreamed you could be.
• Teach. Community, recreational, and school programs are always looking for volunteers to educate people on the arts in a variety of formats. You could share your skills and knowledge as a way of helping that art form to continue.
• Become an advocate. Promote the value of the arts in our communities by campaigning for more art and art education. Through advocacy, you could help to create art programs in schools, possibly develop a community beautification project, or use your personal network to get more funding.

No matter how you get involved, you can be assured that your efforts will make a difference. For the arts are a part of what makes our world bright, vivid, and exciting.

Volunteering With Animals

For many of us, from the moment of our first interaction with them, we were in love, and our infatuation with animals has never ceased. Now may be a perfect time to turn your passion for animals into a past time or personal crusade. There are so many opportunities for animal lovers, or anyone that enjoys helping, to volunteer with animals. Volunteering with an animal based organization has many wonderful benefits for those seeking to making a positive impact. Here are a few to consider:

1. Making new friends. While working with animals will offer you tons of opportunities to make friends with many four-legged creatures, it will also afford you time to meet some pretty cool humans as well. This is great because you can deepen your personal and professional network, which could prove worthwhile at another point in time. Plus, you'll be around those warm, fuzzy and sometimes slimy favorites of yours.
2. Learning new skills and information. Your knowledge of the struggles of animals, or even the trials of the organizations that help them, may be limited. By volunteering in an animal based organization, you will be introduced to care giving, administrative, or leadership skills that could be very valuable in your life. You will, no doubt, gain greater insights into how the organizations work and their significance in our society.
3. You will feel great about yourself! This is a key to your volunteer involvement. You want to do something that you enjoy, and that gives you a much deeper personal gratification.

Being a part of the animal protection and placement process will make you happy, but knowing that your are helping lives, the four-legged ones, as well as those of the people who receive these animals into their lives, will be a reward that you will treasure forever.

Volunteering With the Elderly

We see them all over, and each one carries a past chocked full of historical bits. They are America's elderly population. They have seen and done a lot in their day, and they know, all too well, how time marches on. These senior citizens are past leaders, advocates, parents, and workers that helped to make our country what it is today. However, along with an aging population comes a greater need for their care and preservation. This need creates a massive amount of volunteer opportunities for those that would like to work with the elderly. Here are a few possible ways to volunteer:

1. Visit and share your talents at a nursing home. It is where many elderly people spend the latter years of their lives and, ultimately, their last days. Nursing homes are filled with elderly people that need companionship, some that have a silo full of stories to share about their lives, and some that enjoy different hobbies, music, or singing. Whatever it is that you like to do, chances are, there is a resident with a similar interest.
2. Make a family commitment to help an elderly neighbor. Your neighborhood is usually a great place to start teaching your children to appreciate the elderly, and to show them much love and respect. As a child, they can help with gardening or basic household chores. Your child could even commit to sharing the holidays with homemade cards and gifts. Having someone outside of their family to remember their birthday does wonders for someone that is usually alone. Any extra attention that they receive could really make them feel special.
3. Make yourself available to work with a non-profit social service organization. There are a number of tasks that they could have you do, such as working with a program like Meals On Wheels, or being an advocate for better benefits and programs for senior citizens, or simply doing administrative work to support and further the organization.

We may all get old some day. We want to teach our children to care for the aged now, so that when it is our turn, they will be there for us. A contribution of time and effort is appreciated and can have a lasting effect on their lives and yours.

Teach Your Child To Volunteer

Teach Your Child To Volunteer

Brief Description/Purpose:

• Once a month, have your children help you with volunteering.

Setup up a schedule:

• January: Take your children to a local nursing home with a plate of cookies
• February: Collect new baby items and take them to a local women’s shelter.
• March: Read Across America Week. Volunteer in the school to read with the students. Start a school wide read a thon. Donate gently used books to your school library.
• April:Take a treat to your neighbors with a note thanking them for their friendship. Pick up trash that may be in the street.
• May: Donate food to your local food bank. Many food banks get very low this time of year.
• June: Clean out your closet and donate used clothes and toys to your favorite charity.
• July: Have a neighborhood bike parade and invite everyone on your street over for watermelon.
• August: Back to School Supplies: Donate a few extra school supplies to your local school’s that are in need. Donate paper to your teacher.
• September: Participate in a national walking or running event with your family. Raise whatever money big or small for specific causes like: Race for the Cure, MDA walk a thon, Diabetes, children’s charities etc... This is a GREAT way to get kids excited about volunteer work. The crowds are fun and inspiring.
• October: On Halloween Night grab a wagon and ask families that you trick or treat at to donate a can of food for your food drive. This is a great way for teenagers to still trick or treat without looking dorky and they will still get the candy! Donate to your local food bank.
• November: Get friends together and take a pumpkin pie or the whole Thanksgiving dinner to your local firemen’s unit. Remember the thank you notes!
• December: Take your children to pick out toys and buy them for your local organization that donates toys to needy children like Toys for Tots. Remember to let your children use some of their own money that they earned for this project.