Tag Archives: charity

Allana’s Compassion in Action

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“Look, Mom!  My shirt matches the sign!”  Allana proudly exclaimed when she spotted wings on the Angel Crossing sign.

A few days before Christmas, Allana and I volunteered at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent.  It was a wonderful learning experience for her as she saw firsthand how our donations to the food bank help others.  Allana enjoyed helping the families and throughout the evening she often commented on the graciousness and cuteness of the children.

A couple weeks later, I realized just how much the experience impacted Allana when my friend made some remarks about her high school students’ poor their hygiene.  I didn’t know Allana had heard my friend’s comments until she chimed in, “Well maybe they’re homeless and they don’t have any running water.  Maybe they live in their cars.  You really shouldn’t judge, because you just never know someone’s situation.”

Our short time volunteering had a big impact Allana but at that moment, I learned something too.  My daughter is growing into a truly beautiful, compassionate human being.

30 Days of Giving 2011

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30-Day Giving ChallengeFor the third year now, I participated in the 30 Days of Giving Challenge.  The act of giving may not seem like a challenge, but it actually requires quite a bit of scheduling and planning.  Even with all the planning, situations pop up to cause a bump or two on the road to giving.

Some gifts are simple, like a mailing a card to a loved one.  Some things require more work, like preparing a meal for friend.  In the end, no matter how small or big, it’s the thought that counts and that gesture means so much to someone else.  The smallest gift can have the biggest impact on others.

“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”  – Aesop

Our gifts

    • Donated canned goods to a food drive.
    • Donated items to Goodwill.
    • Recycled my old running shoes to benefit the homeless through Fit Niche.
    • Filled shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

    • Brought gifts to a local animal rescue shelter.
    • Dropped spare change in the Salvation Army red kettle.
    • Donated items to Toys for Tots.
    • Bought a coffee for a frequent play date host in my moms group.
    • Sent coupons to a military base in Japan through Overseas Coupon Program.

    • Added a love note to my kids’ lunch boxes.
    • Planned a picnic lunch for my kids and enjoyed a “special” lunch together at school.
    • Planned a lunch date with hubby.
    • Baked cookies for the firefighters.
    • Volunteered at my children’s school.
    • Arranged guest speakers for the Great American Teach-In at my kids’ school.

    • Spent an evening with an old friend to catch up to give the gift of time.
    • Baked cookies for my running club and tossed $5 in the coffee fund.
    • Welcomed new neighbors of a 16 month old with a baby safety kit.
    • Sent a “thinking of you card” and Publix gift card on behalf of my moms group to a friend in need.
    • Mailed a set of hand drawn Angry Birds by Allana to Stacy Uncorked for Princess Nagger’s birthday.

    • Mailed a Thanksgiving card to my grandmother.
    • Mailed a get well card to my ill uncle.
    • Brought a home cooked meal to a friend at work.
    • Purchased meal vouchers for families in need through Groupon’s Feeding America program.
    • Sent $10 gift certificates to several friends via Restaurant.com’s “Feed It Forward” program.

Pssst!  Speaking of gifts….Don’t miss this one!

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Random Thoughts about Some Challenges, My Heeling Process and a Footnote

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For the month of October, I committed to the Unprocessed Challenge and by doing so, I swore off processed foods.  Basically, participants had to refrain from eating foods they couldn’t reproduce, bake or cook themselves, such as foods that can only be produced in a factory.   Thankfully, store-bought beer and wine were acceptable.

Seriously?  In October?  What was I thinking?  I freaking love candy corn and other Halloween candy.  I think I ate even more of it because I knew I couldn’t on account of the challenge.  It was tough and I think I lasted (at most) two weeks.  And then I devoured some Tyson hot wings.

For November, I’m participating in the 30 Day Giving Challenge for the third year.  I love this challenge, but I’m not going to lie.  It’s hard, even when I plan out all my gifts for the month, because schedules change, kids gets sick and sometimes things just don’t always go according to plan.  I’ve done well though and I’ve given 15 gifts and then some in 15 days so far.

Speaking of gifts, my t-shirt giveaway didn’t attract as many people as other giveaways have in the past.  I tweeted, Facebooked, linked up at giveaway blog hops but still only 4 people entered the contest, including my SIL, Kirsten and my friend, Chrissy, who won as a result to all her entries.  Obviously, she had the best chance, which is what you hope for when hosting a giveaway.

Has anyone else noticed a drop in giveaway participants?

I had this whole 12 Days of Christmas giveaway plan in the works, but after this giveaway, I’m rethinking the idea.  It’s a lot of work and if it doesn’t generate a response, I’ll be disappointed.  Oh well.  But I’ve got other fun bloggie Christmas plans in the works, like a blogger ornament exchange and a virtual cookie recipe swap!  Stay tuned for more details!

This Sunday, as part of my giving challenge, I’m volunteering at the Women’s Half Marathon water stations with Suncoast Running.  I’m so excited to give back to a sport that has given me so much.  I’m looking forward to cheering and encouraging all the runners while handing them a cup of cold water with a smile.  It will mean the world to each participant, whether it’s their first half marathon or the fiftieth.

Do you remember that almost 21 miler I did a couple of weeks ago with little to no pain?  I even survived walking around Universal Studios the next day (minus a hamstring pull from 25 pound toddler squats all day).  Then, I didn’t run for two days to rest.  I ran about 3 miles on Tuesday and then on Wednesday, I ran almost 10 miles.  And that’s when it all went downhill.

I had some serious heel pain, like my heel was being stabbed with a knife.  I’ve never had this pain before, but I knew it wasn’t good.  I researched about heel pain and learned that I have heel spurs possibly as a result from increasing miles too quickly or running in old shoes (shoes without support). I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter because I’ve been pretty careful to not push myself too far too quickly.

As for healing my heel, everything I’ve read recommends taking a week off from running.  But, my marathon is in 12 days.  12 DAYS!  And I can’t run or even taper!

So now, I need new shoes.  But new shoes need to be broken in before I attempt to run 26.2 miles in them.  Plus, I don’t have any extra cash at the moment and I was really hoping Santa would bring me some new running shoes.  My friends over at Suncoast Running told me that they will have some great Black Friday specials. But I’m still nervous about running a marathon in new shoes.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a week since I last ran and it still hurts to walk or put any pressure on my right heel.  I tried some light hiking when we went camping over the holiday weekend and the pain would gradually increase.  I’ve read that I can do alternate work-outs like cycling or very low impact aerobics, but I don’t think my heel could handle any impact.  Plus, I’m still scared to get back on my bike.  So resting and yoga is the plan for a few more days until I get some new shoes.  It seems my running plans have become a footnote and I’m not liking it all.

Oh and there’s this other nagging other issue I keep forgetting to do.  I haven’t booked a hotel room for the race yet.  I know. I know.  What am I waiting for?  I was waiting until I registered, which was delayed until I knew I could come close to a marathon distance again post-baby number 3.  Well, I’m officially registered (as of October 22) for the Space Coast Marathon and now I can’t find an available room.  But it doesn’t matter really because it appears that I will have to buy shoes instead of a securing a hotel room.  Looks like I’ll be sleeping in my car the night before the marathon. Yay.

As you can see, lots of challenges lie ahead this month.

*Proudly submitted to Stacy Uncorked, because when I blog about my training, it’s usually pretty random.*

Stacy

You Down with OCP? Yeah, You Know Me.

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Recently, I stumbled upon a coupon program for military families living on bases overseas.  Through OCP, you “adopt” a military base and send them your coupons.  Donated coupons can be two months past their expiration date because retailers allow military families to redeem expired coupons up to 6 months past their expiration date.

With the knowledge of this coupon program, I organized a collection for my moms group.  Once again my moms pulled through and I was overwhelmed by the response.

I wish I knew the monetary value of all these coupons.  The OCP states on their website that “the average Sunday newspaper contains approximately $125 worth of coupons.”  Based on that and a rough estimate, I’d say there about $4000 worth of coupons in this pile.  Amazing.

I’m so proud of my mamas!  It feels so good to be able to help military families, especially so close to Patriot Day (September 11).

A Tangled Mess No More!

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When my girls are due for a trim, Allana always begs me to take her to Sweet & Sassy for her haircut.  I adore the whole Sweet & Sassy glittery pampering experience as much as my girls, but on a tight SAHMom-on-the-run race budget, princess haircuts at Sweet & Sassy simply are not financially feasible for two girls even with discounts or specials.

 

But when I got wind of Sweet & Sassy’s Tangled haircut promotion for the release of the Tangled DVD, I rushed the girls right into the salon.  Any girl who donated 10” of hair to Locks of Love would receive a free haircut and style.   BUT, would my girls be willing to donate 10” of their beautiful curls for a good cause and a free haircut?

 

Even if my girls weren’t willing to donate their hair, I decided to still bring them into the salon to take advantage of the “buy one haircut, get a second haircut 50% off” deal and all the Tangled fun Sweet & Sassy was offering.

 

So when I picked them up from school and informed the girls about Sweet & Sassy’s Tangled event, Allana agreed to do it.  Her exact words were, “Sure.  I’ll do it. Wait.  How short will my hair be?”  Emmalynn wasn’t quite so willing at first.

 

Using a tape measure, I showed the girls the length of 10”of hair and approximately how much hair would be left after the cut.  Allana still agreed to do it.  Once Emmalynn saw the length in the mirror, she was ready to do it.  Her exact words were, “Oh!  That will look so cute!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And boy did those girls ever look so cute with their new dos!  Later that evening, Allana told me she donated her hair in memory of Aunt June.  Her unexpected, unprompted gesture caught me off guard and really choked me up.

 

 

 

I am so proud of my beautiful girls and their generosity.

 

 

The Gallery: Every WednesdayPhotoStory Friday

 

End Hunger This Holiday Season

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Did you know that in 2008, 49.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 32.4 million adults and 16.7 million children? (Statics borrowed from Feeding America)

 

Many people are of the mindset “If I don’t see it, then it doesn’t exist”, but the horrifying reality is the hungry are your neighbors.  They’re real people with real stories of hardships and hard times.  Impoverished children sit next to your child in school.  Starving seniors live on your street.

 

From Feeding America:

In 2008, the prevalence of household food insecurity in suburban areas was 12.7 percent (6.1 million households), and the prevalence of very low food security was 5.1 percent (2.5 million households).

 

 

Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.

 

During the holidays, feeding the hungry is a constant reminder.  Churches and schools host canned good drives.  Supermarkets have collection bins at the front of the store.  However, the hungry go hungry all year round and it’s even worse for children during the summer months.  Low-income children are subsided meals through school provided breakfasts and lunches, but during the summer months, the meals stop due to lack of funding.

 

As stated on Feeding America:

In many ways, America is the land of plenty. But for 1 in 6 Americans, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different.  Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. We all know and are in contact with people affected by hunger, even though we might not be aware of it.  These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days. Most of us simply have no idea. It’s time to educate ourselves about the causes of hunger in America.

 

More staggering statics from Feeding America:

Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.

  • That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.
  • Feeding America’s nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.
  • Thirty-six percent of the households we serve have at least one person working.
  • More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.
  • The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

 

This week, I encourage you to sift through your pantry and donate items to your local food banks.  Make a monetary donation to Feeding America.  Host a canned good drive in your neighborhood. Drop at least one can in the collection bin at your supermarket to show you care.

 

One small act of generosity can make a huge difference this holiday season.

 

The least that you can do is CARE.

 

30-Day Giving Challenge

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30-Day Giving ChallengeToday begins Day 1 of the 30 Day Giving Challenge.  My family and I participated last November and we are thrilled and excited to be participating in this challenge again this season.

 

Like last year, the girls and I will be making our cornucopia placemats so that they can record, admire and treasure their gifts of giving for years to come.  And also like year, I will share our gifts by tweeting and posting them on Facebook.  I believe it inspired many of my friends and followers to take on the challenge as well.

 

However, this year I’ve decided to have Allana and Emmalynn help plan our 30 Days of Giving to make the experience more meaningful for them.  Using the calendar on the 30 Day Giving Challenge website, I’ll ask the girls what they would like to give and record their ideas on the calendar.

 

For Day 1, the girls have chosen to bring their Halloween candy to our dentist, who will donate candy to the troops through Operation Gratitude.

 

Where some might view this challenge too extreme or too difficult, I found we gave more than 30 gifts by the end of the challenge.  It’s such a rewarding experience and I encourage you to take on the challenge with my family and me.  Keep it simple and you’ll see how simple it is to give.  If you need some “gift ideas”, read through my list here for some suggestions.

Race to Click for a Cure

Posted on by Run DMT
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When my blogger buddy, Running Betty, created my Music Monday avatar, she asked for one small favor in return: Spread the word about the wonderful, charitable event happening over at allplussizebras.com.

 

In honor of the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Event, allplussizebras.com will donate $250 to the participant with the most votes.

 

Here are the details:

Please help us get the word out by letting your friends, “tweeps”, and blog readers know that voting is now open at allplussizebras.com for a $250 donation to one walker in an upcoming Susan G. Komen 3 Day For the Cure event. Walkers registered for the contest at allplussizebras.com during the month of August. After nearly two days of deliberations, the staff at allplussizebras.com have named their ten finalists. Now, it’s up to the public to vote for the favorite finalist.

 

The Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure Reach Your Goal Contest attracted walkers from all over the country, but the following ten ladies have been named finalists:

 

Abby Clark
Amanda Kent
Cathy Youngling
Cedar Bennet
Kristen Marrs
Laurie Brosius
Monica Ng
Mylynka Cordona
Robyn Gornicki-Davis
Tammy Klueger.

 

Votes will be tallied at http://www.allplussizebras.com/vote and the polls will remain open until 9 am EDT on September 30, 2010. The walker receiving the most votes will be declared the winner and a $250 donation will be made to her fund raising page at the3day.org. In addition to voting, visitors to allplussizebras.com can read more about the finalists and contribute to one or more walkers if they choose.

 

When more people visit the page to vote, more donations to the Susan G. Komen foundation will be made through these dedicated ladies, so please tell everyone you can. Thanks!

 

For more information, contact Brian Darrow: brian@breastalliance.org

 

So, that’s it.  It’s that simple.  Just click on the link and vote for one walker before September 30.  Just visiting the site is a win-win situation in the race for a cure.

Medals 4 Mettle

Posted on by Run DMT
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I’m fairly new to exhilarating world of running, but even as a fairly new competitor I can appreciate one thing: THE BLING.

 

Some races ring a medal around each runner’s neck as the athletes cross the finish line.  Then, there are races where I actually qualify in my age division and I am awarded for my efforts with a shiny new bit of bling.  But whether I get a medal for just being there or one for being my best, the bling all means the same to me.  I trained for it, therefore I earned.

 

After a race, I have been seen around town wearing my medal proudly at the supermarket or at the local pub while downing a pint with friends.  After all, you can only wear your medal for so long before you look like a wannabe Flo-Jo.

 

As proud as I am of all my achievements and my medals, my bibs and bling are stuffed into drawer in my nightstand, however, I have been toying with the idea of displaying my bling on a curtain rod like MJ of Runner with a Knitting Problem.

 

 

Then, while visiting another runner blog (Mile By Mile), I stumbled upon her post asking what other runners did with all their medals.  She mentioned Medals 4 Mettle, a non-profit organization that collects medals from athletes and redistributes the medals by awarding them to people who face greater challenges in their lives, such as debilitating disease or disability.

 

Taken from the Medals 4 Mettle website:

 

Its mission is to celebrate and reward the individual and collective courage of all human beings by facilitating the gifting of marathon finisher’s medals from marathoners to people who have demonstrated similar mettle, or courage. The recipients can be any age and might have exhibited such mettle by dealing with disease, handicaps or any similar challenge. Marathon runners around the world, and others who have won medals, give their medals to Medals4Mettle. Then our nationwide network of physicians and others award these medals to those who might not be able to run a marathon, but are in their own marathon to continue to live their life. As marathoners run through the streets, large crowds cheer the runners for their effort. Medals4Mettle lets these runners, healthy enough to compete in such an event, to return the cheers to those who have supported them.

 

So, as I stuff my small achievements into a sock drawer, it seems I don’t truly appreciate my medals as much as I should.  Medals 4 Mettle reminds us that others have huge hurdles yet to overcome and I can share my accomplishments with others who have survived and lived to tell about their HUGE ACHEIVEMENTS.

 

In the spirit of selfless acts and 30 Gifts in 30 Days, Medals 4 Mettle offers just one more to give.  Now I pose the same question:

 

What will you do with all your medals?

 

If you would like to donate to Medals 4 Mettle, visit their contacts page to find a chapter near you.


***A special THANK YOU to MJ of Runner with a Knitting Problem for the use of her photo.  Thanks, Sweetie!*** :-)

Shoeboxes Filled with Love and Lessons

Posted on by Run DMT
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PhotobucketAny girl with a shoe fetish will tell you, you never throw away the boxes.  These stylish ladies save the boxes and neatly line their closet shelves with rows of shoeboxes.

 

As for runners, there’s a never ending supply of shoeboxes or at least a new shoebox every three months or so.  

 

During my life as a running SAHM, my shoes consisting mostly of running shoes, Crocs and flip-flops which I wear too often to keep neatly stored in rows of boxes, but rather piled in heaps on the bottom of my closet.

 

Although I don’t save the shoeboxes to store my shoes anymore, I do save the boxes for a charity first brought to my attention by my friend, Lori.  I credit Lori for introducing me to two things: running and Operation Christmas Child.  Under her direction, our moms group, Moms on the Go, began an Operation Christmas Child drive every November. 

 

 OOC

 

Throughout the year, my daughters save the toys from their fast food kid’s meals specifically for this charity.  Naturally, they each prefer to fill a box for a girl and I fill a box for a boy.  If our boxes seem a bit empty, I take the girls to the dollar aisle at Target and have them pick a few more items to add to their shoeboxes.  This year, my girls will include drawings, photos and a letter telling a little about themselves.

 

For the first time last year, I pre-paid the postage for our shoeboxes on-line.  After our boxes were delivered, I received an e-mail from Samaritan’s Purse naming the destination of packages.  The e-mail included a link which highlighted the destination on the map and from that same link, my girls and I viewed images of children in Guyana holding their small treasure chests.  My girls found the photos gratifying and I appreciated the brief geography lesson it offered.  Most importantly, I truly appreciated the larger lesson Operation Christmas Child has taught my girls year after year:  Our small boxes of joy have a huge impact on another child.

 

Thanks to Lori, my girls and I look forward to Operation Christmas Child every November.  It brings us such pleasure to fill another child’s life with joy and love.

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