charity Archives - MomStart

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea: SONIC’s Limeades for Learning

May 21, 2018 by Momstart 2 Comments

Sonic sent us a gift card for sharing this idea.

It’s getting close to the end of the school year and you might want to get your teacher a gift to show them appreciation. Teacher Appreciation week might have been a few weeks ago, but there is always a reason to appreciate the teachers and Sonic has been doing that all month with their Limeades for learning partnership.

“SONIC^® Drive-In (NASDAQ: SONC), a longtime supporter of public school teachers through its philanthropic initiative Limeades for Learning^®, today launches the third-annual #ThanksTeach social media campaign to recognize, celebrate and reward teachers throughout May in honor of Teacher Appreciation Month. All month, SONIC is sharing inspiring stories of real teachers making a difference in the classroom, and encourages others to join in and say thank you to important teachers in their lives by sharing the hashtag #ThanksTeach. To top it all off, SONIC is donating $1 million to public school teachers in SONIC markets from coast to coast. “

You can get in on the fun using the Smile to Say #ThanksTeach Facebook camera filter and sharing your photo with the hashtag #ThanksTeach.

Throughout the month of May, SONIC will celebrate these unsung heroes across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube by sharing the stories of real public school teachers using the hashtag #ThanksTeach and encouraging others to do the same. SONIC also invites Facebook fans to Smile to Say #ThanksTeach via a Facebook augmented reality (AR) application that springs to life when the user smiles into the camera on their mobile phone, creating a video or photo that can be easily shared.

Since 2009, SONIC has supported and celebrated public school teachers through Limeades for Learning in partnership with DonorsChoose.org to provide teachers with essential materials and supplies needed for their classrooms. To date, SONIC has donated more than $9.7 million in financial grants to public school teachers, funding more than 18,983 classroom projects and benefiting more than 569,490 students. This month, SONIC is donating $1 million to public school teachers in SONIC markets who have requested to be eligible for SONIC funding.

Our Teacher Appreciate Gift Idea is to give your teacher a gift card to Sonic. Or buy them a Limeade!

Roar For Change

May 4, 2018 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Today is May the Fourth, you know Star Wars Day. But I think every Friday should be Star Wars day until May 25th when Solo: A Star Wars Story comes to theaters. But why stop there? We could just keep it going as long as another Star Wars movie is on the horizon. Anyway, who’s excited about Solo: A Star Wars Story? Raise your hand I know you are…..

We are getting our tickets very soon. But for now we are participating in Roar For Change. What is Roar of Change you ask?

Roar For Change is a challenge from Chewbacca. Chewbacca is challenging everyone, fans and families to share their own version of Chewbacca’s iconic roar. For each public share on social media using the #RoarForChange hashtag between May 3 and May 25th 2018, Star Wars: Force for Change U.S. will donate $1 to UNICEF USA up to 1 million. That means, put on a mask, make your best Chewbacca roar and share it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and include the hashtag #RoarForChange.

So be sure to do your best it’s for charity and all!

If you happen to be in San Francisco today you can meet Chewbacca at the Disney Store and he will be happy to roar with you. Otherwise, if you go to a Disney Store near you between today May 4th and Sunday May 6th and Roar using the hashtag #RoarForChange you will receive 10% off your Star Wars purchase.

Partners from across the Star Wars galaxy have joined forces to celebrate the initiative. LEGO is taking to the streets of New York with the first-ever Brick Millennium Flacon pedicab to promote Roar for Change and give fans the chance to roar alongside Chewbacca in Bryant Park also today. So if you are in New York go look for him there. He’s pretty sneaky being in two places at once like that and all. Also, Hasbro and Funk each met to challenge Roar for Change and created celebratory videos to help unlock the donation to UNICEF.

Star Wars: Force for Change is a charitable initiative from Lucasfilm and Disney. It harnesses the strength of Star Wars to empower and improve the lives of children around the world. Since 2014 Star Wars: Force for Change has raised over $16 million to date for charitable causes around the world.

Share Why Your Dog is a Star & Purina Will Donate to Mutt-i-Grees! #BHDogShow

March 27, 2018 by Beeb Leave a Comment

We’re a proud Purina Partner and have received compensation for this post.

Every dog owner knows that their furry friend is the real star of the family – which is why Purina is rolling out the red carpet to celebrate a star-studded event and raise money for a worthy cause! In honor of the Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina airing this Easter Sunday, Purina are inviting dog owners worldwide to do what they do best: Share a photo of your cute pooch! Through the “Every Dog is a Star” initiative, Purina is committing to donate $5 (up to $25,000) to Mutt-i-Grees when you share a photo or video of your dog star with the hashtag #BHDogShow. If you’re not already familiar, Mutt-i-Grees is a program by North Shore Animal League America that helps children build valuable life skills by interacting with shelter dogs. It’s easy to participate:

Share a photo or video between March 26th and April 8th showing why your dog is a star on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram tagging @Purina and using the hashtag #BHDogShow. For each original post, Purina will donate $5 (up to $25,000) to Mutt-i-Grees.

That’s it! These donations will help Mutt-i-Grees expand their program to more schools around the country to help teach empathy, kindness, and show the positive impact that pets have on our lives. An excuse to look at cute doggie photos AND raise money for a great cause, what more could you ask for?!

My dog is a star because he’s a survivor!

Our family Labrador, Bob, has been a true star this week. On Friday, he suddenly lost use of his paws and could barely walk. He was rushed to the vet and discovered that he had a compressed/bulging disc. Bob underwent surgery on his spine to repair it and, thankfully, will regain full use of his legs and make a total recovery. It’s been such a stressful ordeal – he had to travel 200 miles for treatment and spend all weekend at the vet after the surgery. He came home yesterday, and has four weeks of recovery ahead of him; he has strict orders to stay put in his bed, and is only supposed to go outside to potty 3 times a day. He can’t walk by himself yet, so he has to be carried out in a harness vest and take a plethora of medications three times a day. Through it all, Bob is still his sweet self despite everything he’s going through. He’s so happy to be at home again with his family and is taking everything in stride. We received a fun Hollywood-style gift bag in the mail today to get us ready for the Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina, and it’s perfect timing – this good boy deserves to be spoiled right now! He’ll be watching a lot of TV with Grammy while he’s laid up, so they can enjoy the first-ever Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina when it airs this Sunday, April 1st on USA at 6/5 p.m. ET/CT. There will be appearances by human and canine celebrities alike as they crown one special dog as its 2018 champion, so it’s sure to be a fun distraction after this long week! Perhaps the band Dogstar can come out of retirement and provide the music??

Don’t forget to share your pics with #BHDogShow – and feel free to link them in the comments so I can see all of your adorable dogs!

So Easy To Host a Coat Drive: One Warm Coat

December 22, 2017 by Momstart 14 Comments

This is a sponsored post.

Tis the season of giving and it’s so important to do so. We love to help out others and thanks to my blog, we’re able to use your platform to make a different in our community. It’s so much easier to help others when you have the resources to do so. But let’s say, you want to help someone but you feel you don’t have the resources to do so. You actually can make a big difference and you probably didn’t even no it. One Warm Coat is a resource you could use.

One Warm Coat is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing a free, warm coat to any person in need. And they make it extremely easy and fun for you to participate, or even do your own coat drive.

Imagine not having a coat to keep you warm as the temperatures begin to drop. Now you and your children can help!

How It Works: One Warm Coat provides the tools and resources needed to hold a successful coat drive in 6 easy steps! The organization’s website helps organizers (individuals, schools, community groups, church groups and businesses) plan, promote and implement a coat drive. Once a drive is registered, One Warm Coat will send Ambassadors all of the materials they need to host a coat drive, including a banner, box labels, stickers and more. Once coats are collected, they will be distributed within their community to any person in need, without charge, discrimination or obligation through the organization’s network of non-profit partners. To donate a coat, search the One Warm Coat drive locator to find an active coat drive near you.

Coat drives are easy to host and an ideal activity for:

•         Parents, teachers and students looking to make a positive impact on their community through a service project

•         People seeking to add a philanthropic component to an upcoming family gathering or party

•         Community members finding ways to give back during the winter months

•         Professionals who would like to engage their colleagues in a good cause

•         People who may be moving or looking for ways to recycle

•         Corporations and Brands who want to make a difference in the communities where their employees and customers work and live

So it’s actually fun because your kids can feel involved. They can decorate the box, they can use the provided stickers, they can donate a coat they no longer fit in. They can ask their friends. It can be a great bonding experience all while making a difference and helping One Warm Coat reach their goal of collecting 1 million coats this season.

About One Warm Coat:

The organization began in 1992 with its first coat drive on a Thanksgiving weekend in San Francisco. Since its inception, One Warm Coat has grown as a national organization collecting more than 5 million coats and supporting 3,500 coat drives each year. In dedicating the last 25 years to providing a warm coat to anyone in need, free of charge, One Warm Coat’s efforts have been recognized with a number of awards, accolades and rankings including Top-Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits and Gold Star Nonprofit by Guidestar. The organization has collaborated with top companies such as J.Crew, Coca-Cola, Delta and Brooks Brothers among many others to give warmth to those in need. To learn more about One Warm Coat, visit https://www.onewarmcoat.org/

Enjoy a 5-Course Dinner to Benefit Mexico Earthquake Relief

October 18, 2017 by Beeb Leave a Comment

If you’re planning a night out this weekend, consider heading to Hudson’s Bar and Grill at The Heathman Lodge in Vancouver and enjoy a 5-course dinner to benefit relief efforts for the devastating earthquake that hit Mexico back in September. This special dining event will take place on Sunday, October 22nd, with 100% of the proceeds from this wonderful dinner being donated to rebuilding efforts in the community of Santa Cruz Cuautomatitla. Here are all the details:

To help rebuild infrastructure damaged by the Mexico earthquake in September, Hudson’s Bar and Grill along with Heathman Helping Hands, the company’s non-profit community fundraising organization, is hosting a 5-course charity dinner from 4:00pm – 8:00pm on Sunday, October 22, 2017.

“As soon as I heard about the devastation, I knew I had to help,” said Hudson’s Executive Chef, Ray Delgado, who grew up in the outskirts of Mexico City. Delgado organized the event efforts, working with vendors to donate product and staff to donate their time, so that 100% of sales for the dinner can be donated directly to construction efforts in the community of Santa Cruz Cuautomatitla.

The community of Santa Cruz Cuautomatitla, suffered heavy damage during the earthquake including the loss of the community’s school, church and over 250 homes. There is currently no shelter available for those affected during the quake, leaving many families homeless during the country’s rainy winter season.

The five course menu crafted by Chef Ray includes roasted turnip soup with black beluga caviar and toasted pine nuts, butter basted large scallops and seared foie gras with apple-fennel relish, forest mushroom stuffed pheasant, double RR ranch filet mignon and chocolate espresso cake, all paired with top regional wine selections.

To learn more, sign up for the dinner or to make a donation for the Mexico earthquake relief, please contact Marketing Manager Leah Sarkkinen at (360) 816-6138 or leah.sarkkinen@cohoserv.com.

Celebrating Nurses with Gifts: Pampers Thank You Nurses

May 10, 2017 by Momstart 35 Comments

This is a sponsored post with Pampers. Momstart is a Pampers Baby Board Member

Thank you so much guys for helping us nominate nurses for the Pampers Thank You Nurses program. Remember back in January when I shared my daughter’s birth story, we also asked all of you to nominate a nurse to be recognized by Pampers? In collaboration with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), Pampers selected three nurses for the second annual Pampers Swaddlers Thank You Nurses Awards out of more than 3000 Labor & Delivery nurses, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurses and Postpartum nurse nominations from around the country. The nominations were heartwarming, beautiful, and inspiring. It was a difficult decision, but the panel has chosen a winner for each of the three categories: Laurie Milliken (Labor & Delivery), Elizabeth Giambrone (NICU), and Billie Warren (Postpartum).

I’m really excited because I also get to brighten the day of nurses in my community. Nurses play an essential role in facilitation relationships between newborns and their parents and I’m grateful to the nurses that helped me. I’m really fond of NICU nurses because my nephew was born two months ago and he was over a month early. I know the nurses were there for him and my sister.

Pampers gave me a stipend to celebrate the nurses at a hospital of my choice. I chose the same hospital where my children were born. Now I had no idea how many nurses work at my hospital. I called the NICU and asked how many nurses work just in the NICU and they have 87 nurses that rotate and they have 12 nurses on each shift. WOW!

I wanted to do something for each and every one of them so I purchased a TON of chocolate.

My daughter and I went to a local chocolate store and we bought boxes and boxes of different chocolate. We purchased sugar free, nut free and one of almost everything in the store. We also purchased some drinks, and crackers in case there are a few that don’t like chocolate. I was told that many times that people do something nice for the nurses they only do one shift and often times the night shift is forgotten. My daughter and I created some thank you gifts that I think they will really like. We’re stealing from a friend of mine (Summer, she also contributes here at MomStart). She is running off the Unicorn Frappachino craze. We made these.

Each cup has tissue paper representing the fun colors of unicorns. Then there is a cookie straw, with a gift card and a little note saying how much we appreciate how the nurses are daily using their gifts to make a difference.

We made 25 of these, 12 for the first shift, 12 for the second shift and one for the nurse manager.

I’m so thankful to Pampers for making it possible for us to work in our community and bring extra smiles to these NICU nurses!

Get Ready—Red Nose Day Returns May 25

April 17, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Red Nose Day USA, the non-profit fundraiser that’s working to end child poverty in the U.S. and abroad is getting ready for their return on May 25th. They have been working in the U.S. since 2015 and Red Nose Day has raised over $60 million. This money is granted to nonprofit partners running programs across the country that keep children and young people safe, healthy, and educated.

The festivities kick off today (Noses On!) and people across the country can visit their local Walgreens and Duane Reade to purchase an iconic Red Nose or take on an entertaining initiative of their own to support the campaign’s mission. This year, Red Nose Day will occur on May 25^th and NBC will air a primetime special dedicated to the cause, including an exclusive mini-sequel to the family favorite Love Actually!!

The Red Nose Day site has some great examples of how you can get involved. They have an amazing group of partners to aid in their cause to end child poverty. Below are just a few examples:

Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Fund 850 10-week summer camp programs to combat learning and nutrition loss among low-income youth.
Feeding America: Support child hunger initiatives at all of Feeding America’s 200 member food banks, serving every state and county in the US – and providing more than 10M meals to children at risk of hunger.
Children’s Health Fund: Deliver essential health services to thousands of vulnerable children in 14 states and DC who lack access to high-quality primary and preventive care.
Save The Children: Improve education outcomes for young children through impactful early childhood development programs in four key US states. (Early Head Start, Head Start, Early Steps to School Success.)

Have A School Fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese

January 25, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Plan your Fundraisers and Fundraising Events @ Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Chuck E. Cheese’s Fundraising is extremely an turn-key option for raising money for your children’s school.
Kids LOVE Chuck E. Cheese’s. Fundraisers at Chuck E. Cheese’s won’t feel like the average “fundraiser” because the whole family will be having a blast at Chuck E. Cheese’s!
Chuck E. Cheese’s has donated over $14 million to schools and non-profits through fundraisers.
Register today to learn how your school can host a Chuck E. Cheese’s Fundraising event!

Giving The Gift of Sleep to a Deserving Foster Family #PeaceonEarth

December 19, 2016 by Beeb 32 Comments

Thank you to Pampers for generously donating a gift card to provide the gift of sleep! MomStart is a Pampers Baby Board member, and all opinions are our own.

The holiday season is a time of good cheer, sharing, and giving; a time to tell people what their presence means to us. That’s why every year, Pampers enlists the members of its Baby Board to become “Pampers Elves”, providing a gift card to pay it forward to a deserving family. I’ve participated in this project once before, and I was privileged to have the opportunity to do it again this year.

Pampers provided me with a $500 American Express gift card to give the gift of peaceful sleep to someone with a baby in need – be it a family, charity, or other community organization that helps infants. It was up to me who I chose and how I spent it, and I knew instantly the perfect recipient: My cousin, Shelby. Not only are she and her husband Luke active in their church community and busy parents of their 3-year-old son Judah, but this year, they also decided to become a foster family. I’ve been so impressed with how they’ve opened their home and hearts to foster children, and couldn’t think of a better place to put this gift to use!

Did you know that in Oregon alone, 11,238 children spent at least one day in some kind of foster care in 2015? Although there are a variety of complex factors as to why this happens, the top reasons for entering foster care include neglect and parental drug abuse. For kids in stable homes, the Christmas season means getting excited for gifts, Santa, and family fun; but sadly, there are many children in our community who do not even have their basic needs provided to them.

To answer this need, Shelby and Luke became foster parents and started providing emergency respite care. When children are removed from a situation that is immediately dangerous – for example, abuse is occurring, or a parent is arrested – emergency respite care is arranged for a day or two while the state assesses the situation and determines placement. Respite care is also used as babysitting for families who need a break. There is an extreme lack of respite care options in Oregon at the moment, which has resulted in children spending the night in DHS offices or even in hotels. Shelby’s family is doing what they can to help these kids and provide some sense of safety and comfort in an unfathomably tumultuous situation.

In addition to providing a temporary safe haven for children through respite care, Shelby’s family also takes in longer-term placements. Earlier this summer, they took care of a child for many months who was then successfully reunited with their mother. 56.1% of children leaving foster care were reunited with their families in 2015, so the idea is to show compassion and give hope to, ideally, fix the issues in the home to make it safe for the child to return.

When I reached out to Shelby to tell her about my project, she told me that it was perfect timing because they had just gotten a new foster baby the day before – talk about serendipity! Their family had just moved into a new home over the summer, so I told her to make a list of some things they might need around the house to rest easier, and we made a date to go shopping together so she could pick out exactly what she needed.

We had a fun family day out planned to grab lunch, hang out, and do some shopping. I piled in the car with Shelby, Judah, and her newborn foster baby, a sweet little girl. We were joined by Shelby’s stepmom, brother, and his girlfriend, and it was so much fun! This was the first time I’d seen Shelby’s new home, so we took a look around and brainstormed some ideas for what to get at the store.

Shopping with Shelby! Photo by Kim.

First, we stopped at the local Grocery Outlet to pick up a mattress topper to make Shelby’s bed more comfortable. We also picked up a set of cube organizer shelves, so that Judah would have a nightstand in his bedroom.

Judah helps us shop!

Next up, we went to Target to do some serious shopping! First, we stocked up on Pampers diapers and wipes – as you can imagine, the family goes through a lot of those, and Shelby told me she loved Pampers because she finds they never leak. That definitely helps the whole family rest easier!

Our next pick was a Baby Brezza Formula Pro. I would liken this machine to a Keurig for infants, because it automatically mixes and heats a perfect bottle every time. In Shelby’s home, the crib is next to her bed upstairs, so when she and her husband get up in the night to feed the baby, they have to walk down a long set of stairs and wind through the house to the kitchen. Inevitably, they end up making this trek several times a night to re-heat water for the bottles. She is going to put this Formula Pro in their bedroom to eliminate walking all over the house and fumbling with bottles in the dark. This is going to help everyone sleep better!

Another item we picked up to help with those nighttime feedings was an adjustable lamp to put by their bed. We picked out a lamp with three bulbs that can be aimed to provide soft, unobtrusive light. This way, they can see what they’re doing in the night without blasting everyone with the overhead light and making it harder to go to sleep. Shelby also mentioned that many of the foster children that have come to her home actually prefer to sleep with lights on, so a soft lamp can provide some peace of mind and make it easier to rest.

Picking out lamps in Target

Shelby is used to focusing all her shopping and attention on the kids, so I insisted that she pick up some cozy pajama pants and slippers for herself. She said she felt almost guilty getting all of these things, since she’s not used to “Splurging” on herself – which is exactly why she deserves it so much!

Once we got home, we set the items under the tree and thanked Pampers for the wonderful holiday gift they had enabled by providing this shopping trip!

Photo by Chara Renee Photography

Then we unpacked the shopping haul and got the new furniture set up!

Cozy new bedroom with soft lamp, mattress topper and jammies!

Judah’s room – the crates will be replaced now that he has a new nightstand!

Judah puts away the diapers

Our whole family is so grateful to Pampers for their generosity in this project. Getting the chance to be a “Pampers Elf” and take Shelby shopping with the gift card they provided was the most fun Christmas memory for all of us! Everything we picked out will be a incredible help to help everyone get a better night’s sleep – from cozy and practical items to help these busy foster parents sleep a little more easily, to diapers to keep their children drier overnight, to lamps and formula makers to help give their foster children comfort and peace during their moment of need. People like Shelby and Luke make the world a better place for children, and I truly thank Pampers for helping them in their important mission!

Shelby and the kids

Click here for more resources and information on foster care in Oregon. If you’d like to help a foster child but don’t know any foster families personally, you can create a Welcome Box for a foster child to be distributed by Embrace Oregon. Thank you again to Pampers for supporting this important cause!

Support St. Jude With The Giving Hat #GivingTuesday

November 29, 2016 by Beeb Leave a Comment

Hats gifted to me as a surprise to spread the word and pay forward!

This Giving Tuesday, pick up The Giving Hat as a fun holiday stocking stuffer for just $5, and support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at the same time! This hat is part of a wonderful line of items created as a partnership between Kmart and St. Jude. For every hat sold through December 31st, $1 will be donated to St. Jude with a minimum guaranteed donation of $50,000.

Touring St. Jude in person was an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and I am proud to be a supporter of this incredible organization. I can’t wait to give these wonderful beanies as Christmas gifts, they are so cute and bear a great message in support of St. Jude! Get yours today at Kmart.