Hoping to make wishes come true...

At the beginning of December, I started the Second Annual Pennies for Wishes Campaign, in memory of a great little girl, Dana.

She was a phenomenally happy child despite a lot of medical issues.  I had the pleasure of knowing her for 1/2 her life, as she was taken at 6 years old.  Her death fundamentally changed my 'spirit'.  And because of her, I strive to do my part to pay it forward as best as I can, in the little ways I know how.  So Pennies for Wishes was born on the anniversary of her death in 2010 to celebrate life.

The object was simple.  Each classroom gets a container and fills it with the loose change they might find lying around.  But when every penny counts in each family's dynamic, especially in these rough economic times, I truly wasn't thinking we would raise more the an a hundred dollars for A Wish Come True, a Southern New England wish granting non-profit organization.  But what happened was amazing.  We raised over $620 that first year.

With the success of last year's endeavor, I felt it was important to keep the momentum going.  But not all of the students, let alone the staff, remembered Dana.  It didn't matter.  People still gave.  I even had a little preschooler come up to me with a bag of coins and a note saying she wanted to donate her money from her piggy bank to the Pennies for Wishes.  I wanted to cry, I was so touched.

So over vacation, I spent a good amount of time counting and rolling coins and dollars that were collected during the four weeks prior to winter break.  15,000 pennies and then some.  I was floored.  The generosity of the students, families and staff was overwhelming yet again.  Amazingly, everyone exceeded my expectations, and last year's amount by over $100.

With each wish granted averaging $5000, each penny counts.  Though I am sure we all have a few pennies lying around, it is when you put them together that you see the change- pun intended-.  And if we are able to help out children with life threatening disease and their families experience a little joy, then it was all worth while.

Instead of Black and Orange for Halloween, Think Green

It's not even September and I am already thinking Halloween.  If you are like me, you probably have a quite a few barely-worn costumes sitting in the basement or attic, just calling out to you to “Wear me please. Let me help you collect as much hyper energizing candy as humanly possible…”  But the kids have outgrown them and don't feel like using them for dress up.  What to do?

Well maybe you should host a Costume Swap.  The people at Green Halloween think you should too.  Green Halloween is a program of the EcoMom Alliance which works to empower moms to help do their part to be environmentally conscious.  It was established in the summer of 2007 to help cut down on the excess waste in the land fills from the discarded costumes.  And then the National Costume Swap Day (on October 8th), a partnership of Green Halloween, Swap.com and Kiwi magazine, launched in 2010, and was met with enthusiasm and over 70 registered swaps across the U.S. and in Canada, as well as a 1 minute, 38 second spot on Good Morning America.

If you think you might be interested in participating or hosting a swap, whether between friends, family or neighborhood, you can get some great tips on how to do so on their website including:

•                Asking consignment shops and thrift stores if they want to get involved.

•                Have a section for accessories; mismatched pieces of costumes that creative kids can use to put original get-ups together.

•                Stage a dressing-room area. Or, you may want to encourage parents to bring kids dressed in a leotard or swim suit to avoid having to undress.

•                Ask people to bring a shopping bag. Do not provide them.

•                State that costumes should be in good to excellent condition, no significant spots, holes etc. (unless they are supposed to be there!). You should note on written materials that you have the right to reject costumes based on whatever criteria you like.

It's a great way to reduce, reuse, recycle and save some cash too.

Getting Rid of Your Stuff

With yard sale season beginning its downhill decent and school is just around the corner, I just wanted to share a  great guest post from organizing guru, Bonnie Dewkett, The Joyful Organizer.

It seems as if we all have too much stuff and not enough space.  It doesn’t matter how much you make, or how big your house is, we all fight the battle of clutter day in and day out.  So its time to really think about what is taking up space in your home.  Do you love your possessions?  Do you use them?  Many times, knowing that someone will be able to use your items better than you can is enough to help you get rid of some of those under used or unwanted items.  Below you will find some ways to donate and even make some money from your old items.

Craig’s List

Craig’s List is a free website that allows you to list items for sale and for free.  Each city and state has their own site so do a search to find the one closest to you.  We have all heard that you should use caution when using Craig’s List and that’s true.  Don’t give out personal information such as your address to strangers.  Protect yourself first and foremost.  However, because Craig’s List is a high traffic site, you will be able to sell or give away items very quickly and easily.

  

Free Cycle

Like Craig’s List, Freecycle.org is area specific.  Items on this site are completely free.  The purpose of the site is to keep items out of the landfill and keep them in use by someone.  You will be shocked as to what someone may want.  On Freecycle its very true that what is trash to one person, is treasure to another.  For example, broken china may be trash to you, but a wonderful find for an artist. 

Recycle

We all know its great to recycle, but not many of us know where we can recycle items such as light bulbs, batteries and computers.  Earth911 (http://earth911.com/) can answer all of those questions for you.  Use the search option on the site to search for item specific recycling centers in your geographic area.

eBay

Everyone has heard of eBay.  Many of us have made purchases on it.  However, it’s a great way to get rid of your unwanted items.  Do a quick search for the item you want to sell to see what it, or like items, are selling for on the site.  You will want to price your items accordingly.  All you need to do to get started is take a few photos, make sure you have a clear description and determine what value you want from your item.  Remember, if its being unused in your home, getting ANYTHING from it is more than you have now.

Shelters

While everyone has heard of The Salvation Army and Goodwill, there are lots of organizations that reply on donations to survive.  Close to my home, I have a women’s shelter that assists women going through difficult times in their life.  Call around and find your local shelters and ask what they will take.  Many shelters are always in need of toiletry items.  Clean out your travel sizes and donate them!

eBay Stores

If you think your items may have value but you don’t want to take the time to sell them yourself, find a local eBay store.  These stores will accept your items and will sell them on your behalf.  My local store will photograph the item, manage the auction and ship it when the auction ends.  They do take a percentage, but that is well worth the time I have saved my clients. 

Find a Charity

If none of the above options appeal to you, use Charity Navigator to find a charity to accept your donations.  The site, (http://www.charitynavigator.org/) will help you find a charity in your area that accepts your items.  This is a great solution if you have a hard time parting with items.  Search for a charity that is meaningful to you and donating your items will seem much easier.

Remember, there isn’t a one size fits all donation location.  It will take a little time and effort.  However, knowing that your possessions are being used and loved by others will make it all worthwhile. If you need a little assistance, contact a professional organizer. 

Resource Box:  Bonnie Joy Dewkett is the owner and operator of The Joyful Organizer.  She offers professional organization services to help you organize your home and your life.  Email The Joyful Organizer at bonnie@thejoyfulorganizer.com for your free home organization guide or to schedule your free organizational consultation.

The beauty of Donors Choose

If you work in the school system then chances are you know about Donors Choose. Perhaps you may have even submitted or donated to a project. This year was my first experience with it. And I recently received my first donation, for which I am very grateful. So I wanted to share the story behind this wonderful community asset and maybe inspire some more random acts of kindness.

DonorsChoose.org grew out of a Bronx high school where teachers experienced first-hand the scarcity of learning materials in our public schools. Charles Best, then a social studies teacher, sensed that many people would like to help distressed public schools, but were frustrated by a lack of influence over their donations. He created DonorsChoose.org in 2000 so that individuals could connect directly with classrooms in need. So DonorsChoose.org engages the public in public schools by giving people a simple, accountable and personal way to address educational inequity. And hope for a nation where children in every community have the tools and experiences needed for an excellent education.

So as the school year comes down to an end, thank the teachers, assistants, therapists, and PTO, check out donorschoose.org and think about how you can make a difference in so many people's lives with just a click of a mouse.

And if you want to donate to my project you can find it under providence, RI, bring my kids to life