Do…Something!

Volunteer at a homeless shelter.
Rescue an animal.
Send a card thanking someone.
Visit a sick friend or neighbor.
Read to the elderly.
Make breakfast in bed for your lovely.
Take a child for ice cream.

These are just a few more ideas to help get you started.

I will be spending Saturday afternoon transplanting oak trees from my parent’s property to a forest that was burnt this past summer. This was also the last disaster that my Dad volunteered and served with American Red Cross. I’m excited…it’s going to be a good day!

I hope you all join me, and may you receive the gifts of giving!

Thank you for sharing this, Karri. Volunteering in my own community is very important to me…

I am spending this Saturday morning like I have so many others, at an Emergency Residential Center for children in Boston.

When children must be taken from their homes; be it abuse, neglect, arrest or others reasons that remove a functioning parental figure…they come to stay until they find foster care.

While I am always happy to go; spend time with the children and give them a few hours of fun; I am both reminded and saddened that the Home even exists in the first place.

But it IS there and it IS necessary; I am proud of the Boston community that takes time out of their lives to put smiles on those faces.

For the first year in several, I will nto be doing “organized” do-gooding for Make a Difference Day. I will be in Orlando with our team-mate, Sarah, among others. I will be twisting a few arms to spread the word and positive vibe of Make a Difference Day. My entire day will be filled with doing random acts of kindness for strangers. I considered an organized project at the Arnold Palmer Childrens Hospital. Instead, I’m going to donate money on that day and spend my time (hopefully) inspiring strangers throughout the day.

I’m going to shut up now. You, of all people, know what this day and this cause mean to me.

I am so glad this is the first blog I read today. Very inspiring. I wasn’t aware that there was a day dedicated to this, but I’m glad there is!

I’ve been the recipient of a random act of kindness. Like you, I have no idea where these ladies came from, I just appreciated that they were there at my doorstep as I found out my marriage was broken.

I like to pass it forward. Every kind act you do for someone else puts them in a better mood and they are more likely to reciprocate with someone else and the chain just goes on. Lovely.

Well, since you mention it (and I really hope a certain someone else sees this, given this story…)

BECAUSE OF YOUR BLOG, I received a random check in the mail for $500 for the San Diego Humane Society. Huh?? You may remember a blog Trista did about 10 interesting little facts and she wanted readers to reply with their own answers to the 10 questions. One of them was to describe our first kiss. My response for that one was simple: “AJ Fechter. Camp counselor BBQ. Horrid.”

It turns out a prospective client of AJ’s stumbled across that when looking online for info about AJ. He kidded him about it, and a very shocked Mr Fechter went to the blog, followed the link from my user name which at the time went to Indy the Puppy’s MySpace page, and learned about my activities with rescuing dogs. He sent a donation for a walk I was doing for the local Humane Society.

I was so stunned, I am embarrassed to admit that I haven’t sent a thank you note yet. I haven’t spoken to the guy in 22 years, and all of a sudden he’s sending me a check, and no small cheeck at that!

I can never express how grateful I am for his generosity. I try to pay if forward to the animals I rescue every single day.

CRAP!!! This year crept up on me!! I will figure SOMETHING out. I know one, well, actually, two things I will do. They have a battered children’s shelter here in BR that will get some $$$ (they don’t let you just volunteer, or I would) and The Retirement Home for Horses will get some $$$ as well.

Can’t .. stand .. guilt … trip.. must .. find .. donation.. button .. fast .. Children’s Memorial Hospital Phew! That was close.

Make a Difference Day…yay! This should be everyday. It should be a way of life. It should be naturally part of your make up, and is and has been my life mantra, what can I do to assist those that need it and I will do it at full force this weekend.

I hate to use your forum as a political vehicle, but I’m going to say it anyway because there is a point that leads to making a difference. The supporters of Proposition 8 have donated a whopping 25 million just to discriminate against same sex couples who want to marry like every other human. They’ve attempted to convince others that discrimination is okay because they can pay for a commercial.

The first thing that crosses my mind when I hear that number being donated to promote hate is some of the better more positive alternative uses that that money could’ve been used for my god….like donating to the Red Cross, helping people that have lost their homes due to fires or Katrina, those children in Africa that lie in the middle of the street hungry, cancer research. Together we could compile a pretty big important list on where that money could’ve gone. There is so much that people in this world can do and are capable of doing to make a difference in a positive way, but don’t. There hearts aren’t even in the right place.

Actually, I am scheduled to volunteer at a local learning center to help kids read on Saturday. I didn’t even know it was Make A Difference Day. Heh.

Besides, we need a day to remind us of that now. Sheesh! What assholes we’ve become.

Thanks for the heads up Karri! I really like this idea.

The funniest story I have about this happened last November. I was out at a very crowded bar/club on a Saturday night. After a few drinks I was feeling good and went up to order the next round. I inadvertently cut in front of this guy, who said something to me about it, but kinda in a kidding way. I felt so bad for cutting that I apologized profusely and asked him what he was ordering. He was getting a few mixed drinks and a couple beers to bring back to his friends. I ordered it with my drinks. He was confused and said, “But I was gonna pay with a credit card. I don’t have any cash to give you.” And (as if I wouldn’t beleive without proof), he pulled out is wallet and showed me the lack of money while fanning out his card collection. I told him I wasn’t expecting him to pay, that the drinks were on me. He was flabbergasted. And excited. He said no one had ever done that before, asked if I was I rich (which I’m not by a long shot, but it was only about 30 bucks anyway), thank you thank you thank you, etc.

Then the funny thing happened. He felt like he had to compensate me in some way, so he decided the only card he could part with was his Subway restaurant discount card. He insisted on giving it to me. I still carry it with me in the front of my purse, and every time I see it it brings a smile to my face.

I was tickled pink by the whole thing, but mostly his exuberance at the unexpected kindness, and the card reminds me how easy it is to make someone’s day.

So, the lesson of the day is, go buy booze for other people. :p

What a lovely blog

I don’t do nearly as much volunteering as I’d like to do, mainly because of time constraints. Bad excuse I know. Between school and my job I hardly have time to do anything else. But one of my deep down secret wishes is to win the lottery and buy an enormous plot of land out west, build a huge, warm, family home and adopt as many children as they’ll let me have. My heart breaks almost daily thinking that there are children out there with no one to hug them, love them, encourage them and believe in them. How very lucky I am to have had all that. Now I’d love to pass it on. I truly believe EVERY single child on this planet has the right to a loving home in which to grow. It would really be a privilege to provide this to even just a handful of children. After all they are our future and if we don’t invest in them who will?

I also cry at the commercials against cruelty to animals. Big puppy dog eyes, kittens, and Sarah McLachlan wailing in the background = Kleenex.

I have had random acts of kindness from people on the web.

I have received gifts for my kids.
I have received money in the mail.

I have had people, “strangers” reach out to me in serious times of need… more so than people who I have known my entire life.

I will be doing something for Make a Difference… I am just not sure what yet.

A visit to a nursing home to read or talk with our seniors is a great idea as first mentioned. One can also take paper towels, baby blankets, towels, dog/cat food, toys, etc. to an animal shelter. They can always use them. Raking leaves and preparing a yard for the winter for a disabled or elderly neighbor is another idea. Donating women’s dress clothes to a local woman’s shelter so they have something nice to wear to a job interview as they piece their lives back together. Just think how different our world could be if we all had consideration for each other. I look forward to more ideas that I can use not just on this day but all throughout the year.

I’ll be canvassing for the Obama campaign that day, so there will be plenty of opportunities to meet strangers and possibly do a good deed.

Yes… donate blood it was a couple days ago US time.. but still, it always helps :). I’d so rescue an animal but we can’t seem to have pets in the barracks… some odd sanitation laws, not to mention the Korean’s might eat ‘em..

To quote Lazyboy “This homeless guy asked me for money the other day, and I though he just gonna use it on drugs and alcohol, then I though… that’s what I’m gonna use it on why am I judging this poor bastard, people always love to judge homeless guys, I mean you give him the money he’s just gonna waste it, what do you want him to do, save it up, buy a wall unit, or a throw rug he lives in a box” -Lazyboy, Underwear goes outside your pants.

Sal