Lately I've been wanting to focus on ways to give, thus my "Get to Giving" posts. Today, I gave in a very substantial way and it was absolutely free. In fact, it took about half an hour and I was rewarded with juice and cookies. If you haven't already guessed, I went to the Red Cross and gave blood today.
My BF is really good about donating. He gives platelets every two weeks, which takes a few hours. I am a little afraid of needles, so I'm going to have to work my way up to that. But, I finally went in and gave blood. I was told that giving once can save up to three lives, which made my slight squeamishness worth it.
I know a lot of you, dear readers, are in debt payoff mode and don't have a lot of extra funds to donate to charitable organizations. But, this is a way to give that is absolutely free! You can give every 56 days, and I encourage you to find your local Red Cross chapter and give. Click Here to find your local Red Cross Chapter.
I am also going to talk to my principal about doing a Blood Drive at my school before the year is over. Our students are too young, but we have a huge staff and I think it would be great to participate in that together. Click Here to see details about organizing a blood drive.
Showing posts with label Get to Giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Get to Giving. Show all posts
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Get to Giving-April, Part 1
This month I allocated my $100 of charitable giving to kids at the school where I teach. I had two opportunities to give at my school and I'm quite happy with both of my choices.
First, our AVID program went on a trip to UC Berkeley. AVID stands for Advancement via Individual Determination. It's a program to help kids who might not otherwise go to college get prepared for that goal. These aren't the honors students or the kids at the bottom; they are the kids in the middle who often get overlooked. Most of them would be the first person in their family to go to college. This is a great program, that teaches kids how to work hard and smart so they can have a better future. They go on lots of trips to local colleges, but this year the 8th grade teacher organized a trip to UC Berkeley for the kids. They went overnight, got to tour the school, go to a museum and stay in a hotel overnight. The kids did a lot of fundraising, but they were still short funds. The teacher sent out an email, saying that they still needed more donations; $82 would cover the cost to send one kid on the trip. I picked a kid that had been in my class a few years ago and sent a check down on her behalf.
The next day she ran into my room at nutrition with a huge smile on her face. She thanked me profusely and talked about how excited she was for the trip. It felt good to actually help someone I know with my money. I think this trip was a great opportunity for the kids, and hopefully it was another step in their college dreams!
I'll do a separate post on what I did with the other $20 of my giving money for April. It was for another kid I know, which made it even more meaningful!
First, our AVID program went on a trip to UC Berkeley. AVID stands for Advancement via Individual Determination. It's a program to help kids who might not otherwise go to college get prepared for that goal. These aren't the honors students or the kids at the bottom; they are the kids in the middle who often get overlooked. Most of them would be the first person in their family to go to college. This is a great program, that teaches kids how to work hard and smart so they can have a better future. They go on lots of trips to local colleges, but this year the 8th grade teacher organized a trip to UC Berkeley for the kids. They went overnight, got to tour the school, go to a museum and stay in a hotel overnight. The kids did a lot of fundraising, but they were still short funds. The teacher sent out an email, saying that they still needed more donations; $82 would cover the cost to send one kid on the trip. I picked a kid that had been in my class a few years ago and sent a check down on her behalf.
The next day she ran into my room at nutrition with a huge smile on her face. She thanked me profusely and talked about how excited she was for the trip. It felt good to actually help someone I know with my money. I think this trip was a great opportunity for the kids, and hopefully it was another step in their college dreams!
I'll do a separate post on what I did with the other $20 of my giving money for April. It was for another kid I know, which made it even more meaningful!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Get to Giving-Coinstar Edition
For a blog about money, I don't talk about giving enough. Actually, I don't do enough giving, so that's probably why I don't talk about it much. I think there is a tendency among the frugal world to focus on ways to scrimp and save in order to pay down debt or save for retirement, sometimes at the expense of helping others.
So, this is my first in a series of posts called Get to Giving. I am going to start giving $100 per month starting with my March paycheck. I'll post where I gave and give information about how you too can give, in case any of you are looking for ideas.
Today's idea falls into the relatively painless category. I am partly in charge of Pennies for Patients at my school, a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our school collects tons of change, and one of the options is to take it to a Coinstar machine (located in most grocery stores) and donate it directly to LLS.
I didn't know about this option, but there are many charities you can give to. It's really easy, they take out no fees, and you get a tax deductible receipt right there. I didn't budget for giving in February, so I took my spare change jar and added it to the kids amount for the week. I didn't have any plans for this money anyway, and it was a really simple way to donate.
I think a lot of us keep our spare change around the house, and cash it in eventually. I'd challenge you to take yours to Coinstar and see which charity you'd like to support. I'd recommend The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but there are quite a few to choose from. For more information, click here!
If any of you decide to go the Coinstar route, please comment and let me know! Also, I'd love to hear about any other giving ideas you have!
I know I can get caught up in thinking, "I'll give after I'm out of debt." And I certainly hope to give more, but generosity is a habit, and I think it's important to give something, even when you don't have a lot. Building the habit matters, and even a very small amount can make a difference.
So, this is my first in a series of posts called Get to Giving. I am going to start giving $100 per month starting with my March paycheck. I'll post where I gave and give information about how you too can give, in case any of you are looking for ideas.
Today's idea falls into the relatively painless category. I am partly in charge of Pennies for Patients at my school, a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Our school collects tons of change, and one of the options is to take it to a Coinstar machine (located in most grocery stores) and donate it directly to LLS.
I didn't know about this option, but there are many charities you can give to. It's really easy, they take out no fees, and you get a tax deductible receipt right there. I didn't budget for giving in February, so I took my spare change jar and added it to the kids amount for the week. I didn't have any plans for this money anyway, and it was a really simple way to donate.
I think a lot of us keep our spare change around the house, and cash it in eventually. I'd challenge you to take yours to Coinstar and see which charity you'd like to support. I'd recommend The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but there are quite a few to choose from. For more information, click here!
If any of you decide to go the Coinstar route, please comment and let me know! Also, I'd love to hear about any other giving ideas you have!
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