If you are a regular reader here, you will know that I am working with Champions For Kids to make kids lives better in my area. At Christmas time, I worked with them to create a stocking full of Disney products. Now, I am working with them and Abbott Nutrition to help those who don’t have enough foods.

The charity I choose to donate a Snack Pack to was the Catholic Charities here in Chicago.  The food pantries in the southwest suburbs of Chicago serve approximately 2,800 people a month (and this is 2010 – 2011 statistic. I can guarantee that it is much worse now.) The supper programs that Catholic Charities serve gave away more than 9,000 hot meals in the southwest suburbs. The Catholic Charities summer lunch program provided 282,000 meals to children that summer.  Since the economy tanked, the need for this food pantry didn’t double – it tripled!  It just makes me ill that there are people in my own community that are food poor.

Here is my shop for this campaign and what we were able to buy and donate to Catholic Charities:

As you can see, we were able to put together a pretty good assortment of snacks to donate. Catholic Charities was also very grateful for our donation (Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any pictures of them. They just allowed me take a picture of their food pantry). I just wish I could have done more. What are you doing for your community?

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias

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As our kids head back to school this month, we find ourselves shopping for new school supplies.  I luck out that I can order them directly from Madison’s school, so I’ve actually had Madison’s supplies since May.  That being said, not everybody can afford to get their kids the school supplies they need.  A lot of school’s list require you to spend a lot of money, and in this economy, not everybody has that (especially if you have more than one kid).  That is why I am both happy and proud to be part of the Bag It Forward with Elmer’s.  All you have to do is pick up an extra bag of school supplies and donate it locally in your community.  Yes, it is that easy.  This is the shopping trip I took:

The charity we choose is the Apple Tree Program. It is run by the Worth Township, and these supplies go to kids who live in my township. The second reason we choose this program is that my kids go to camp, and Madison went to preschool here. I know the women who run the program, and it really helps kids in my area.  You can pick any program or just give some supplies to a child you know needs them.  You can upload photos of the items they Bagged Forward on http://www.bagitforward.org and see what others have donated.  We donated two bags — one for each of my kids.

Also, from July 25 through Sept. 1, for each “like” on the Elmer’s Facebook page, the company will donate a product to the Kids in Need Foundation’s national network of free stores, where teachers from disadvantaged schools can “shop” for free for school supplies. Products to be donated include a variety of glues, foam board, project supplies and pencil sharpeners. If you already like the page, they’ll make a contribution on your behalf, but you can donate again by watching a video on the Elmer’s Kids In Need Facebook tab and sharing it with your friends and family.

Elmer’s is also a Upromise partner and that every time you purchase an Elmer’s or Krazy Glue product with your registered drug or grocery card, a percentage of your purchase will be put into your Upromise account.  We picked up an Elmer’s Glue Pen, Elmer’s Disappearing Purple Glue Sticks, and School Glue.

Join us in the #BagItForward movement and give someone you know a bag of school supplies! Together we can make a difference.

This project has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Elmer’s #BagItForward #collectivebias.  All opinions are my own.

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Sometimes companies really do get it right, and Macy’s certainly has this year.  They have teamed up with Santa and the Make-A-Wish Foundation this Christmas.  At all Macy’s stores, there will be a special mailbox for your kids to drop off their letters to Santa.  For every letter collected, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish Foundation up to $1 million dollars.  My cousin was given a wish from the Make-A-Wish, so I truly do understand what a difference this charity can make in someones life.  This is such a good cause that I hope you all write letters this year, so such a good charity can benefit!

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Do you ever find yourself frustrated that the charities that you give to keep a huge portion of your donation to themselves to cover “overhead” costs?  I know I feel that way a lot, so when I come across a charity that gives 100% of your donation to the kids, I want to scream about it from the rooftops.

This is where the Child Foundation Charity comes in.  They are foundation that helps children with physical birth defects get the surgeries they need to look normal again.  They help children from all over the world.  Each one of these surgeries costs around $30,000, and some children need multiple surgeries to fix their birth defects.  As a mother of two little ones, my heart certainly goes out to these children. I remember how cruel children can be to one another and even how society can be towards you if you look different.

Now, I said that 100% of your donation goes to the kids.  It does.  They have a donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, who covers the operating costs of this charity.  Every cent you donate goes towards these kids surgeries’.  For me, that is huge.  You can directly help a child.  Granted, most of us do not have the $30,000 to help with the surgery, but a little here and there can definitely add up.  You can even see some of the kids they have helped and those still waiting for surgeries.  When you read their stories and look at their pictures, I can’t help but tear up.  This could very easily be one of my children needing this.  I am just happy that there are charities out there willing to help these children.  If their stories touch your heart, you can even send these kids an e-card to help brighten their spirits. Now, if you know some one who is in need of this, please send them their way.  Their motto is “giving children worldwide the quality of life every child deserves”.

The Child Foundation Charity was founded in January of 2007.  Up until now, they have been able to help 6 children live a normal life.  Their goal?  They would love to be able to help 10 – 15 kids a year!  However, they need help from you to be able to do this.  If you would like to donate, they have a page set up to walk you through the process (you can even use Paypal!).  Another way you can help is to post about this charity and get the word out.  The more people who know about this, the better!  A third way you can help is if you are in the Miami area.  They are having an inaugural fundraising event on September 27, 2008 at The Rusty Pelican in Key Biscayne, Florida. It starts at 7 pm and includes complimentary cocktails provided by Bacardi. Afterwards, you will enjoy the house specialty of filet mignon and lobster, followed by a night of dancing to a live band, and a silent and live auction.  The ticket prices are $125 per person or $1,000 for a table of 10. Lastly, you help by donating to the above event by donating items to be used for the live and silent auctions, by purchasing an ad in the Event Program for the night, and donating promotional or sample items from your company to be included in the gift bags for our guests. As you can see, there are so many things you can do to help!

I know this ended up being a really long post, but there were so many important things to tell you.  Let me sum it all up for you.  If you want to help kids with physical birth defects live a normal life and have 100% of your donation go towards their surgeries, then the Child Foundation Charity is for you!

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Would you give your birthday presents up? Ryan Skarnulis did, and he is only 9 years old. Instead of the normal over-the-top birthday party, he wanted a charity party. He set out to collect 3,285 books to donate to Reach Out and Read. I know you are all wondering why 3,285 books. According to him, “When I turn 9, that’s how many days I have been living, so that’s what I wanted to do. One book per every day of my life”. Since he made this statement to a local paper here in Illinois, he has inspired the donation of over 6,000 books.

His birthday party yielded 1,200 books in 2 hours. Banks, churches, and schools held book drives and sent the books to Ryan. Strangers left books on his doorstep. People order books from online bookstores and sent them to their house.

To quote their site:

Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national non-profit organization that promotes early literacy by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud in pediatric exam rooms across the nation.

This is a great cause, and I would love for this little boy to be able to collect even more books. You can donate either books or money to help. If you do donate to them, please let them know that Ryan Skarnulis and I sent you.

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