Recently, I've been bitten by the volunteer bug. Last Friday, I donated five dollars to charitywater.org, an organization that allows people who live in developing countries to have access to clean drinking water. (Click here if you would also like to donate). This Wednesday, I will be making quilts with Quilting for Others - an organization that makes and donates quilts to underprivileged children. Next Saturday morning, my boyfriend and I volunteered to help serve breakfast to homeless people in Hollywood. How are you helping people in need???
Volunteering seems like a selfless act, but in volunteering you also receive something in return -- the gratification of knowing you made a difference in someone's life. Want to help, but don't know where to start??? Use google to find nonprofits that serve your community or, if you live near Los Angeles, visit Big Sunday to find ways to volunteer.
Even more ideas on helping others: become a Big Brother/Big Sister; walk dogs at a local animal shelter; visit seniors at a nursing home/care center; read to children at a local school or library; write letters/send care packages to our troops; donate canned foods to a food bank; give blood; volunteer at a local church; donate time or money to a cause you feel passionate about.
Spend one or two less hours in front of the television/computer and invest time in the lives of others. :)
Showing posts with label random acts of kindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random acts of kindness. Show all posts
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thursday, December 27, 2007
simply inspiring...
ohhh Oprah, you always have the most inspirational guests.
i'm watching her show right now (yes, at 2 am) and i am in awe of her guests today. they are all people who are actively making a difference in the world simply by following their true calling -- a deep-rooted desire to help others.
one woman, Genevieve Piturro, started the Pajama Project after she realized children in shelters sleep in their street clothes. fast forward five years later, she has collected and donated over 85,000 pairs of pajamas!!
thanks to Oprah and her generous audience, they gathered 32,046 pairs of pajamas for Genevieve's program as well as raised $20,000 for the Pajama Project!!
the next guest, John Wood left his eight-year-long career at microsoft (which earned him millions) after an eye-opening trip to Nepal. John saw 75-80 kids crammed into a small, one room school with dirt floors. after john saw the school's "library" only contained 20 books, most being backpacker cast-offs that were inappropriate for children, he vowed to make a difference. "One of the teachers said to me, 'Many people have told us they will come back, but nobody ever does.'" so John started Room to Read, a literacy organization that helps children in Nepal and Vietnam by donating books and building libraries and schools.
"I was feeling the pull," he says. "I thought, 'It's been a great eight years, but I'm making wealthy shareholders wealthier. Meanwhile, there are 800 million people in the developing world lacking basic literacy. … What kind of a man am I if I don't go face this challenge directly or devote my life to this? … [People thought] 'Oh, you're having a mid-life crisis, and i thought wouldn't it be a crisis if i didn't follow my heart and make a difference?" John said.
John hopes to achieve his goal of building 20,000 new libraries by the year 2020!!
the final guest, Barbara Franklin began clipping (and hoarding) coupons in order to collect food for local poverty-stricken families. with the help of local church members, Barbara was able to start collecting coupons in large quantities, saving her hundreds at the grocery store.
"[Once] my bill was $187, but when I finished [using coupons], I paid $3.02," she said.
Barbara's program started by helping 10 families, then grew to help 100 families and then 1,000. Now, Barbara runs a food pantry (and a program named Action Against Hunger) that feeds 1,500 families a month!!
In addition to running a food bank, Barbara also runs after-care center for children, a Section 8 program and a senior drop-off food program as well!! Barbara was one of the semifinalists of Volvo's Volvo for Life Awards, earning her recognition for her continual service to her community.
one thing the women had in common... a supportive spouse!! which makes me thankful i have such a supportive boyfriend (as well as an uber-supportive mother, grandmother and family).
something to keep in mind: if you want to SEE a difference, MAKE a difference. (you can quote me on that!!)
other great mantras to keep while starting your personal crusade to help others (which by the way, is a FANTASTIC new years resolution):
"The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all." ~Leo Rosten
"Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful." ~Author Unknown
"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can." ~Sydney Smith
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~Winston Churchill
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." ~Albert Pike
"Find a need and fill it." ~Ruth Stafford Peale
"If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart." ~Arabian Proverb
"The vicious count their years; virtuous, their acts." ~Samuel Johnson
"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker." ~Helen Keller
"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." ~Aldous Huxley, Time Must Have a Stop
and my new favorite:
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito." ~Betty Reese
now go out and help people by volunteering, donating or by committing to one random act of kindness per day... i garauntee you'll feel as uplifted as those who are receiving your generousity.
i'm watching her show right now (yes, at 2 am) and i am in awe of her guests today. they are all people who are actively making a difference in the world simply by following their true calling -- a deep-rooted desire to help others.
one woman, Genevieve Piturro, started the Pajama Project after she realized children in shelters sleep in their street clothes. fast forward five years later, she has collected and donated over 85,000 pairs of pajamas!!
thanks to Oprah and her generous audience, they gathered 32,046 pairs of pajamas for Genevieve's program as well as raised $20,000 for the Pajama Project!!
the next guest, John Wood left his eight-year-long career at microsoft (which earned him millions) after an eye-opening trip to Nepal. John saw 75-80 kids crammed into a small, one room school with dirt floors. after john saw the school's "library" only contained 20 books, most being backpacker cast-offs that were inappropriate for children, he vowed to make a difference. "One of the teachers said to me, 'Many people have told us they will come back, but nobody ever does.'" so John started Room to Read, a literacy organization that helps children in Nepal and Vietnam by donating books and building libraries and schools.
"I was feeling the pull," he says. "I thought, 'It's been a great eight years, but I'm making wealthy shareholders wealthier. Meanwhile, there are 800 million people in the developing world lacking basic literacy. … What kind of a man am I if I don't go face this challenge directly or devote my life to this? … [People thought] 'Oh, you're having a mid-life crisis, and i thought wouldn't it be a crisis if i didn't follow my heart and make a difference?" John said.
John hopes to achieve his goal of building 20,000 new libraries by the year 2020!!
the final guest, Barbara Franklin began clipping (and hoarding) coupons in order to collect food for local poverty-stricken families. with the help of local church members, Barbara was able to start collecting coupons in large quantities, saving her hundreds at the grocery store.
"[Once] my bill was $187, but when I finished [using coupons], I paid $3.02," she said.
Barbara's program started by helping 10 families, then grew to help 100 families and then 1,000. Now, Barbara runs a food pantry (and a program named Action Against Hunger) that feeds 1,500 families a month!!
In addition to running a food bank, Barbara also runs after-care center for children, a Section 8 program and a senior drop-off food program as well!! Barbara was one of the semifinalists of Volvo's Volvo for Life Awards, earning her recognition for her continual service to her community.
one thing the women had in common... a supportive spouse!! which makes me thankful i have such a supportive boyfriend (as well as an uber-supportive mother, grandmother and family).
something to keep in mind: if you want to SEE a difference, MAKE a difference. (you can quote me on that!!)
other great mantras to keep while starting your personal crusade to help others (which by the way, is a FANTASTIC new years resolution):
"The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all." ~Leo Rosten
"Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful." ~Author Unknown
"It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can." ~Sydney Smith
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." ~Winston Churchill
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal." ~Albert Pike
"Find a need and fill it." ~Ruth Stafford Peale
"If you have much, give of your wealth; if you have little, give of your heart." ~Arabian Proverb
"The vicious count their years; virtuous, their acts." ~Samuel Johnson
"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve.... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker." ~Helen Keller
"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." ~Aldous Huxley, Time Must Have a Stop
and my new favorite:
"If you think you are too small to be effective, you have never been in bed with a mosquito." ~Betty Reese
now go out and help people by volunteering, donating or by committing to one random act of kindness per day... i garauntee you'll feel as uplifted as those who are receiving your generousity.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
pleasant and not-so-pleasant finds.
friday night i burnt our steamer pot again, for the third time now. i had just washed the dishes and prepped all the veges before rick called on his way home from work. i was all proud of myself for having everything started before he got home so we could actually eat dinner before 7 or 8 pm. after i threw some chicken into the oven, i turned on the stove. i heard some clicking noises but just assumed it was oven warming up. when i got up to stir the vegetables (10 minutes later), i noticed the smell of burnt steamer pot. Mmmm!! turns out i forgot to add water in the bottom pot. (i know, i deserve a "duh"). and so i ruined all the vegetables. :( but i did beat rick in scrabble later that night. :)
so saturday night rolls around and rick and i are hungry. the burnt pot is still sitting outside, full of water, on the balcony. we decide to check out a new thai restaurant for dinner that just opened by our apartment. on our way to the car, i collect the mail that we've neglected to get this afternoon. by the light of the car interior, i sort through it... there are two bills, the daily assortment of supermarket flyers and an envelop addressed to me with no return address, just "Court Leve" which threw me off because it was dark out and I only saw the word Court, but then I made the connection... it was from Dave's friend. inside the envelop was a check for $100 and a note:
my jaw literally dropped. first of all, this man did not have to send me a check. he didn't hire me to model. he wasn't even expecting a model!! Dave hired me because he thought it'd be more fun and he knows i need money and he knows i appreciate getting the work. that said, Dave paid me that day before i left. so this pleasant surprise is above and beyond the realms of generosity, WAY beyond. and so a HUGE thank-you to Court whose awesome work can be seen here!! :)
ohhh yeah... earlier today, rick and i checked out that guest house we were hoping to rent. the owners were super nice but the place was TINY. the bedroom looked like it would barely fit our bed!! there was a small bathroom and one kitchen/living room/dining room area. the deal breaker for me was the positioning of the house... it was attached to the backside of their garage making it constantly shaded. add in the small heater and tiled floors and we'd be freezing our butts off all winter long. and it was so far out in the middle of the woods that neither of our cell phones got service. :( and so the apartment hunt continues...
***update: even IF we wanted the guest house, the owners went with someone else, but we were "a close second."
so saturday night rolls around and rick and i are hungry. the burnt pot is still sitting outside, full of water, on the balcony. we decide to check out a new thai restaurant for dinner that just opened by our apartment. on our way to the car, i collect the mail that we've neglected to get this afternoon. by the light of the car interior, i sort through it... there are two bills, the daily assortment of supermarket flyers and an envelop addressed to me with no return address, just "Court Leve" which threw me off because it was dark out and I only saw the word Court, but then I made the connection... it was from Dave's friend. inside the envelop was a check for $100 and a note:
Jena-
Thanks for your modeling help a few weeks back at Nagel's - I really appreciate you spending the time with us.
All the best
-Court
P.S. Send me some neat images to look at sometime.
my jaw literally dropped. first of all, this man did not have to send me a check. he didn't hire me to model. he wasn't even expecting a model!! Dave hired me because he thought it'd be more fun and he knows i need money and he knows i appreciate getting the work. that said, Dave paid me that day before i left. so this pleasant surprise is above and beyond the realms of generosity, WAY beyond. and so a HUGE thank-you to Court whose awesome work can be seen here!! :)
ohhh yeah... earlier today, rick and i checked out that guest house we were hoping to rent. the owners were super nice but the place was TINY. the bedroom looked like it would barely fit our bed!! there was a small bathroom and one kitchen/living room/dining room area. the deal breaker for me was the positioning of the house... it was attached to the backside of their garage making it constantly shaded. add in the small heater and tiled floors and we'd be freezing our butts off all winter long. and it was so far out in the middle of the woods that neither of our cell phones got service. :( and so the apartment hunt continues...
***update: even IF we wanted the guest house, the owners went with someone else, but we were "a close second."
Saturday, May 5, 2007
my good deed of the month.
our apartment complex has been chopping down all of its trees. every day. early in the morning. so far, they cut over 80 trees total. there are three trees right by our bedroom windows marked with orange dots, waiting to be cut. so naturally i got all hot and bothered over it.
#1 because if those trees are taken down, we gain a lovely view of the parking lot and our neighbors' apartments. likewise, our neighbors gain clearer views into both bedrooms.
#2 because it's unnecessary... i was told the trees are being removed because the pine needles kill the grass. we are talking three measly pine trees on a SMALL area of grass between the sidewalks. my mother's house has TONS of pine trees, to the point where all you see is orange pine needles covering the lawn, yet we still have grass.
#3 another reason for cutting down the trees: "because they don't correspond with the new landscaping plan." they cut five or six trees down across from our apartment to clear out a space to build a small putting green. HOW STUPID and (again) UNNECESSARY.
so after rick and i chiseled away the orange dots off the trees by our apartment, i wrote a petition/letter and went door to door collecting signatures. a few pansies were concerned that signing the petition would lead to the apartment complex raising their rents, but regardless, i got a lot of praise and signatures. :) hopefully my petition will spare the remaining trees... if not, at least i tried.
what was your good deed of the month???
#1 because if those trees are taken down, we gain a lovely view of the parking lot and our neighbors' apartments. likewise, our neighbors gain clearer views into both bedrooms.
#2 because it's unnecessary... i was told the trees are being removed because the pine needles kill the grass. we are talking three measly pine trees on a SMALL area of grass between the sidewalks. my mother's house has TONS of pine trees, to the point where all you see is orange pine needles covering the lawn, yet we still have grass.
#3 another reason for cutting down the trees: "because they don't correspond with the new landscaping plan." they cut five or six trees down across from our apartment to clear out a space to build a small putting green. HOW STUPID and (again) UNNECESSARY.
so after rick and i chiseled away the orange dots off the trees by our apartment, i wrote a petition/letter and went door to door collecting signatures. a few pansies were concerned that signing the petition would lead to the apartment complex raising their rents, but regardless, i got a lot of praise and signatures. :) hopefully my petition will spare the remaining trees... if not, at least i tried.
what was your good deed of the month???
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
i have the BEST friends. (thanks lindsay!! XO)
last week i got two packages from one of my best friends lindsay...
the packages were covered with ladybugs!! hehe.
i had no idea what could be inside...
to my surprise lindsay and her mom sent me and rick A CUPCAKE KIT!!!! complete with sprinkles and frosting!!
MmMmMmmm... naked cupcakes!!
rick started eating his even before he was finished decorating it...
my cupcake:
tim and aldrin stopped by and made some cupcakes too. here's aldrin licking icing off the knife...
and here's tim. (notice the b-day decorations that have been up since rick's bday...)
the other box contained a stuffed monkey (we have an ongoing monkey-joke-turned-gift-theme that started in 7th grade). there was also a cute pomeranian magnet and sign.
here's the magnet:
I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS!! THANK YOU LINDSAY AND MRS. F!! we loved the cupcakes and surprisingly we have a couple left!! ...but not for long!! hehe.
the packages were covered with ladybugs!! hehe.
i had no idea what could be inside...
to my surprise lindsay and her mom sent me and rick A CUPCAKE KIT!!!! complete with sprinkles and frosting!!
MmMmMmmm... naked cupcakes!!
rick started eating his even before he was finished decorating it...
my cupcake:
tim and aldrin stopped by and made some cupcakes too. here's aldrin licking icing off the knife...
and here's tim. (notice the b-day decorations that have been up since rick's bday...)
the other box contained a stuffed monkey (we have an ongoing monkey-joke-turned-gift-theme that started in 7th grade). there was also a cute pomeranian magnet and sign.
here's the magnet:
I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS!! THANK YOU LINDSAY AND MRS. F!! we loved the cupcakes and surprisingly we have a couple left!! ...but not for long!! hehe.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
WORLD'S GREATEST MOM. (that's my mom!!)
around noon, i received an unexpected visitor. there i was, sitting on the couch with my lap top, still in my pajamas and i had thee most hideous bed-head. it was an older man wearing an orange polo. being the semi-cautious person that i am, i didn't open the door. however, the persistent knocking made me a bit curious.
i studied the stranger through the keyhole and noticed he was wearing a name badge. upon closer inspection, i noticed he was holding a balloon. i figured my mom got a balloon delivered to me and that the man worked for my apartment complex, so i opened the door. there stood the man, holding five grocery bags. i was a bit baffled. i don't even remember what he said, i just remember him asking me where i wanted the groceries. i just took them from him, laughing, finally understanding the situation.
he worked for Albertson's. the groceries were from my mom; she ordered them online and had them delivered to my apartment. (yes, my mom is the best mom ever!!) the bags contained the following items: two mangoes, a carton of strawberries, grapes, two containers of blueberries, mushrooms, carrots, 2 lbs of boneless chicken breast, broccoli, two cans of olives, a pack of dial soap and a heart-shaped 'i love you' balloon.
(soap not pictured. and as you can tell, i started eating the strawberries before i took the photo, hehe).
what a pleasant surprise!! THANKS MOM!! <3
i studied the stranger through the keyhole and noticed he was wearing a name badge. upon closer inspection, i noticed he was holding a balloon. i figured my mom got a balloon delivered to me and that the man worked for my apartment complex, so i opened the door. there stood the man, holding five grocery bags. i was a bit baffled. i don't even remember what he said, i just remember him asking me where i wanted the groceries. i just took them from him, laughing, finally understanding the situation.
he worked for Albertson's. the groceries were from my mom; she ordered them online and had them delivered to my apartment. (yes, my mom is the best mom ever!!) the bags contained the following items: two mangoes, a carton of strawberries, grapes, two containers of blueberries, mushrooms, carrots, 2 lbs of boneless chicken breast, broccoli, two cans of olives, a pack of dial soap and a heart-shaped 'i love you' balloon.
(soap not pictured. and as you can tell, i started eating the strawberries before i took the photo, hehe).
what a pleasant surprise!! THANKS MOM!! <3
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