Written by Janice “The Gingerbread Lady Mineer (who built an eight-foot tall gingerbread house for her local Ronald McDonald House), and illustrated by Misty Danyo, a graduate of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, it’s a wonderfully written and illustrated storybook.A portion of proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Montana.
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This is a wonderful children’s book about a loveable monster with big piggy mitts who’s just arrived on this planet from (where else?) Planet Tickle! He tickles everyone who comes across his path. The book is interactive, so throughout it you’ll be inducing squirming and giggling as you read it. It’s a great gift for your child, not just buying the book but also reading it and sharing wonderful memories and laughter together.
A portion of the book’s proceeds will go to Art With Heart, a Seattle-based nonprofit who aims to empower crisis youth through therapeutic books and programs that foster self-expression.
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These Rockport Limited Edition DresSports Shoes
were specially produced for the New York City Marathon. The Rockport team ran the entire marathon in these shoes. It was a clever way to tout the comfort of their walking shoes, but it wasn’t entirely self-serving; some proceeds from sales of these shoes go to benefit the “Run For Something Better” fund which helps fight childhood obesity by funding free school-based running fitness programs.
Only 500 were made, and supplies are dwindling (in fact, it looks like only size 9 is left at FogDog). Get yours while you can!
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In 2009, Disney was giving away a free day at Disney Parks to people on their birthday. If you think about it, it was a clever marketing gimmick on Disney’s part. If one family member has a birthday, everyone else in the family would tag along and of course pay for their admission.
In 2010, Disney is being much more altruistic. With their “Give a Day, Get a Day” program, you can sign up for a volunteer project at a participating organization. Volunteer for a day, and Disney will send you a voucher for a Disney theme park ticket once they’ve verified that you’ve completed the service.
Note that you must register through Disney’s site and opportunities are limited, so sign up quickly. Best thing about it is that you can sign up to eight people, so you can do volunteer work together as a family, and then enjoy Disney World or Disneyland together afterwards.
Great move by Disney to get help for needy causes at a time when they need it most. For more details, see here:
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Happy New Year 2010! What, you haven’t gotten a wall calendar yet? Never fear, Calendars.Com has a bunch of great calendars to select from where a portion of proceeds goes to a worthy cause.
Charity calendars are always great, because not only are calendars something you need plenty of around the house and around the office, they’re also a way to give to a charity in need, and also to remind yourself, your family members, and others who see the calendar of the important cause they’re supporting (and in turn, support it themselves).
No matter what cause you support, chances are there’s a charity calendar you can buy to help it. Here’s just a sampling:
1. Sierra Club Wall Calendar: The Sierra Club calendar is one of the quintessential calendars to get every year. It’s always one of the most popular charity calendars available because of the Sierra Club’s reknowned photography, some of the most beautiful nature imagery you’ll see anywhere. This year’s calendar is no different, with a different exquisite image of a North American landscape each month. Part of the proceeds of each purchase goes to the Sierra Club’s conservation efforts.
2. National Geographic Pandas Wall Calendar: National Geographic photographers, of course, are among the best in the world at capturing wildlife. This year, they have a series of calendars focusing on a whole range of animals. My personal favorite is this collection of Giant Panda photos, taken in the mountains of China. The photos are brilliant, and the calendar is printed with soy ink on FSC-certified paper. Proceeds go to help National Geographic’s research and conservation projects.
3. American Heroes Wall Calendar: This is a classy and respectful calendar focusing on the brave men and women serving in the military. It features photos of soldiers of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, showing them at their finest. A portion of proceeds from this calendar will benefit the Fisher House Foundation, which provides military families with homes near military bases and VA hospitals so loved ones can stay together.
4. Camouflage Pin-Up Wall Calendar: No charity calendar collection is complete without the requisite pin-up calendar. This one features photographs of 12 beautiful models in classic poses similar to the famous pin-up girls from the 40’s and 50’s. The outfits are painted onto the models using body paint. 50% of the proceeds of sales from this calendar go to help the Warrior Foundation, helping wounded veterans and their familes.
5. New York City Firefighters Wall Calendar: In the interest of equal time, while the previous calendar featured pictures that could be displayed and appreciated in all-male environments, this calendar can certainly be displayed and appreciated in all-female environments. It features actual firefighters from New York City and Westchester County. Some of the proceeds from this one will be donated to The Staten Island University Hospital Burn Center.
6. Leafprints Plant-A-Tree Wall Calendar: For each Plant-A-Tree calendar sold, American Forests will be able to plant a tree to help reforest America, thanks to Avalanche Publishing donating part of the proceeds from this calendar. The calendar, of course, is printed on recycled paper which is 30% post-consumer waste paper, printed in the U.S.A. using soy-based ink,
7. Baby Animals WWF Engagement Calendar: Back to family-friendly fare, this adorable collection of 26 full-color photos of baby animals is sure to bring a smile each day you look at them. The calendar comes complete with space to write your notes for each day, a list of World Time Zones, International Telephone dialing codes, and something I use a lot, weights and measures conversion. Proceeds will go towards a donation of $90,000.
Keep visiting Calendars.Com for more 2010 calendars that donate to charity.
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To get yours, head over to Macys.com and type “Aflac” into the search box. But hurry! If the past few years are any indication, this limited-edition toy is going to sell out or be pulled from the shelves very quickly.
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From now until December 31, visit http://www.trialpay.com/ada/ to purchase “The Big Bundle”.
This is a great idea where for only $20, you can purchase goods and services totalling over $400 from major retailers around the country. No gimmicks, no catch. Here are some of the things you’ll get:
* 1-800-Flowers.com: $20 Gift Card
* 23andMe: $50 Off the Full Edition
* Collectorz: Movie Collector – Standard Edition
* Corel: Photo Album 7
* CyberLink: MediaShow 5
* Dropbox: 3 Months of Dropbox Pro (50GB)
* Foxit: PDF Creator
* Gap: $20 off $100 purchase at Gap.com* ImTOO/Xilisoft: 3GP Video Converter
* Nordstrom: $20 Rebate with a $100 Purchase
* Picnik: 6 Months of Picnik Premium
* Playfirst: Diner Dash
* Restaurant.com: $25 Gift Certificate
* Shoebuy: $10 Gift Certificate
* Skype: 1 Month Unlimited* US & Canada Calling
* Snapfish: Free 16×20 poster of any Photos
* Trend Micro: AntiVirus plus AntiSpyware 2010
* ZAGAT: 3 Month Subscription to ZAGAT.com
As a bonus, use promotion code ADAPROMO (all caps) to get 50% off, meaning you’ll pay only $10 for all of this. And all of that $10 will go to the American Diabetes Association.
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Need to send a quick Christmas e-card, and tired of sending and receiving the same free e-card from Hallmark or Blue Mountain for the umpteenth-and-a-half time? Here are some truly unique Christmas e-cards which help a great cause: support for the arts in schools.
It’s no secret that in these tough economic times, often the first casualties within schools are arts programs. Playing an instrument is a wonderful way to teach kids things that can’t be taught in a classroom, things like teamwork and creativity, the value of art, and a feeling of self-esteem and accomplishment.
This is what makes initiatives like Fidelity Futurestage so important. This is a charitable program run by Fidelity which helps bring arts education to underprivileged middle and high school kids. The program funds in-school classes, helps expose the kids to professional artists, theater productions, concert performances, and students’ own performances.
These e-cards are simple holiday cards but what’s neat about them when your recipient opens them, they’ll hear classical music pieces from the Boston Pops, Chicago Symphony, Houston Symphony, LA Philharmonic, or the North Carolina Symphony. Better still, for each card you send, Fidelity will donate $1 to needy schools.
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So you’ve done it again. You got presents for everyone on your list, but lo and behold you get something from someone you’d totally forgotten about.
You could do the scramble to the local Starbucks and pick up that last gift card, the gift that says “I thought about you AND I have a Starbucks near me that was open on Christmas”. Or, you could choose a professionally designed flower arrangement, poinsettia, or centerpiece delivered to their door, even if you order today (I would recommend placing your order for arrival on 12/24; anything past that may not get delivered before Christmas because florist shops may be closing).
When you buy a gift from the Toys for Tots collection at 1-800-Flowers and use promotion code TOYS, 10% of proceeds will go to help Toys for Tots. So when you’re remembering not to forget whom you forgot, you sould also remember not to forget the forgotten.
Ho ho ho! 🙂
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In regions around the world torn by conflict, war and poverty, women are often the hardest hit. When the men in their families disappear or are lost, they are suddenly left not only to raise their families, but to support them. And worse, educational opportunities are often limited. And this feeds an endless cycle of poverty and despair.
The Women’s Peace Collection is an amazing organization which supports women in regions of conflict and post-conflict. It allows women to support themselves and their families through meaningful enterprise. This accomplishes many amazing things. They can support their families, and perhaps just as important, it gives them hope and lets them feel confidence and self-worth, and hope that they can transform their world.
The silk scarf shown above comes from Afghanistan. A woman named Nasima started a small enterprise after her husband was killed by the Taliban, bringing together the finest silk weavers in the area to revive this ancient Afghan tradition. Today, her business is thriving, and she is helping other woman in Afghanistan. Hers is just one of many amazing stories.
To view other gifts from around the world, visit the collection at http://womenspeacecollection.com/
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