Give Better in 2017

          What are your resolutions for the New Year? Any of them involve giving more to charity? They might tie in better than you think; 

• •  If you are trying to save money, 

    

    volunteering may be your best choice.  Also, you can use websites like GoodSearch and iGive to give back-

    
    

    • If you are trying to lose weight, 

      

      a charity run, walk or dance may do the job. In addition, these would be a great way to get some family time; in preparation and during the event. 

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Local Charities Need Some Holiday Love

• Two local charities could use your donations before the end of 2016.

  

   

   

   

  • Woodmore Fund for families of the victims of the Woodmore Schoolbus Crash
  • Smoky Mountain Wildfires-  over 10 people died last month in a wildfire at the edge of Gatlinburg,TN. Many residents lost their homes. However, Dolly Parton has started a fund with her Dollywood Foundation.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Bloghop

Time to Go Back to School!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/elliotstokes/6124932974/

       Summer is nearly over and here comes the time that some students and teachers dread- "Back To School" time.  Here are some ways to be prepared for school and to be charitable, as well. (If you like this post, please comment and share).

• Before you or your kids head to school on the first day, brush up on your vocabulary at FreeRice.com while earning grains of rice for the poor.
• If you want to buy clothes or school supplies online, a charity of your choice can earn a percentage of your bill when you use GoodSearch or iGive 
• Some cities, such as Chattanooga, TN, have "Stuff the Bus" events where you can donate supplies to teachers for them to give to students in need.  Other places have clothing drives or pack a backpack drives. 
• There are programs such as Donors Choose where you can help fund classroom projects in your area or another area. 
• If you use Microsoft's Bing search regularly, you can donate points earned toward Teach For America . The site also has a program called Bing in the Classroom, where teachers can find lesson plans based on Bing's homepage.  In the past, you could donate Bing points toward a computer for your school.
• Some acts of kindness for school are;  eat lunch with someone new, bring a treat or thank you note for a bus driver, and put up positive quotes or messages on the bathroom mirrors. These were found on a Pinterest pin by the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.  Another idea is when you pack a special treat in a child's lunch, give them 2 with a note to give the second treat to a friend. 
• Check to see if your school or classroom is participating in programs like BoxTop(s For Education  or  Campbell's Labels For Education (The site has this note: "As of August 1, 2016, only UPCs with the Labels for Education logo will be accepted and redeemed for points into registered schools’ bank account. We have begun the process of removing the logo and expect there will be a limited number of products that contain these labels in stores through August 1, 2017. Once all Labels for Education logos have been removed from the products, UPCs will no longer be accepted. The banked points schools have accumulated will not be affected. ")
• Now, you and your child should be ready for school and feel good about yourselves if you tried at least one of these things.

Start with 1: Giving On A Shoestring Budget

        

Swagbucks for Good (update)

You Can Get Free Gift Cards For Shopping, Searching and Discovering What's Online at Swagbucks.com

             If you haven't tried Swagbucks, now is a good time to join. Swagbucks is a site where you can shop, search the web, play games and more to earn Swagbucks. After you earn so many, you can redeem them for donations to such causes as; American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, UNICEF ,  and

charity:water. These are just a few of the causes listed there. You can also redeem Swagbucks for gift cards for yourself or to give to friends and family, but that's another story. 

 

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Celebrity Spotlight: Taylor Swift

                   You may or may not know this, but Taylor Swift

is one of the most charitable celebrities. 

From Wikipedia

•   Taylor visits sick children in the hospital (and surprises fans at their homes) .                                  

•    Taylor uses a trading  website called Charity Barter           

•   The singer also is involved with the Ryan Seacrest Studio at Vanderbilt Hospital. 

  •  In 2012, Swift was given an award by DoSomething.org for her charity work.

•   To find out more about Taylor Swift's charitable endeavors, visit Look To The Stars .

 

 

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12 Ways to Support US Troops and Veterans

              Our US Troops and Veterans need to be honored, remembered, and supported on certain days of the year-like Veterans' Day, Memorial Day, and  Independence Day- but throughout the year. Here are 12 ways to help(you can pick 1 per month or more often);

• * Greet them and Thank them for their service. If you know a servicemember, offer support for them and their family. 
• * Put a flag up to show your support . If you know a local group of soldiers are coming home, welcome them with banners.
• Donate or volunteer. *
•  Send letters and packages  via       Thank a Veteran    and                AnySoldier.com   
•  Hire a Vet 
•  Volunteer at a VA hospital 
• Pray for them.
• * Research common issues that veterans face such as housing and PTSD and share facts via social media.
• Get in touch with your local armory and ask if there are ways you can help and ask to adopt a troop and his/her family.
• If you are crafty, sew or make crafts for our troops.
• Send treats like jerky and Kool Aid packets to our 
• troops.  You can find requests via AnySoldier.com .
• If you are a pet lover and are able, offer to foster a serviceman's or servicewoman's pet while they are away from home.

* sources; unless linked  HomeFirstTM Certified   Military.com Oprah.com





 

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West Virginia Floods 2016: How You Can Help

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Interesting Charity Videos

English: EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Bindi Irwin visit Edwards on Sept. 6 to film a segment for their television show "Bindi the Jungle Girl." The program airs on the Discovery Kids channel. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Health Benefits of Volunteering and Charity Work

2. Scott Harrison, Charity Water & Running a Nonprofit | #AskGaryVee Episode 210

3. ABC News: Bindi Irwin Creates Wildlife Charity in Honor of Her Dad

ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos

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