charity Archives - Page 2 of 14

Dental Charities Help Low-Income Families Struggling to Afford Dental Care

September 17, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Dental Charities Help Low-Income Families Struggling to Afford Dental Care

Ideally, everyone should have access to dentistry, especially children. When impoverished families can’t afford dental work, adults and children suffer. Oftentimes, people neglect to think of dentistry as a real necessity, like medical care, which is why it’s not covered under traditional insurance. Instead, people have to pay for a separate dental insurance, something that costs more than some families can afford.

Dentistry is important, because teeth are needed for chewing and a single oral infection can lead to death. Regular visits to a dentist can ensure there’s no long-term damage and nothing destroys the teeth and gums. Unfortunately, when a family can’t afford dental insurance, they don’t make preventative visits to the dentist. The result is neglected oral care, which can lead to tooth damage or worse.

For people who can’t afford dental care, dental charity events sometimes occur. CDA Cares provides once-yearly care to unemployed individuals and their families. If you’re in need of dental care, search online to see if similar events are available in your area.

CDA Cares

In San Jose, CA, a group of volunteer dentists got together and treated over 2,000 low-income people. The dentists who volunteered for the CDA Cares clinic made no profit for their efforts and no one, who was treated, was charged. It was an event truly designed to help those in need.

Dr. Mo Saleh, a leading dental professional and advocate for healthy smiles, offered his time to the clinic. He had this to say about the experience:

“The CDA Cares clinics are providing an important service, and the dentists who lend their time to this cause deserve praise and respect. Oral hygiene is an important part of a person’s overall well-being. If left untreated, tooth decay and gum disease can cause other complications within the body. Therefore, this medical attention becomes crucial to a person’s health. Receiving this treatment also helps a person to feel self-confident, thus allowing them to become a more motivated and productive individual. I lend my full support and praise to the program’s organizers and the dentists who are involved.”

Get Involved

With government funded dental programs being cut across the country, it’s more difficult than ever for families to find free or low-cost dental care. In California, low budgets have nearly eliminated the Denti-Cal program, a program that was responsible for the dental care of nearly three million people – including senior citizens and many disabled people.

Dentists are encouraged to donate their time and expertise to programs, like CDA Cares. Dr. Saleh donates his time, because he believes every person deserves a healthy smile. People struggling with no dental care may not be able to find a job and improve their situation. Believe it or not, but people judge others on the quality of their teeth each and every day.

Providing a healthy smile to someone seeking employment helps that person build a life and earn money for their family.

For regular folks, who don’t practice dentistry, getting involved may require a financial donation. If you can afford it, you’re encouraged to give what you can to programs, like the CDA foundation. Look for something local to your community and offer to make a contribution. Your donation will make the difference in a low-income family’s life, by improving their health and helping them achieve a bright and beautiful smile.

Kleenex Giving To Schools Box Tops & Sneeze Shield technology

August 13, 2013 by Momstart 1 Comment

We always have a stock of Kleenex lying around. It seems that whenever the kids are in school they have this perpetual runny nose for months, almost the entire school year. Therefore we purchase Kleenex in bulk, so when Kleenex offered to send me 10 boxes of Kleenex to donate to my school of course I said yes. I can’t stand knowing that teachers spend their own money to keep their classrooms supplied in these kinds of things so I know this is going to be a big help.

Last spring, Kleenex brand and TeachersLists.com launched a nationwide contest to educate teachers, school administrators and parent volunteers on the benefits of adding Kleenex brand tissues, the only facial tissue with Sneeze Shield technology, to school lists to keep kids and schools healthy.

Between April 17th and July 17th, participants were invited to visit TeacherLists.com and enter the Kleenex brand in the Classroom sweepstakes for a chance to win 250,000 eBoxTops for their school of choice. Three winners were selected at random from the more than 7,300 eligible entries.

“While we are so pleased to recognize our contest winners, we also want to remind parents that they can support schools year round by purchasing Kleenex Tissue with Box Tops for kids’ classrooms,” said Berit Morse, Box Tops for Education manager. “As the only facial tissue to participate in Box Tops for Education, Kleenex brand has contributed more than $13 million to schools nationwide and provided a simple way for parents to help fill gaps in school budgets.”

Box Tops coupons can be found on popular Kleenex brand facial tissue, including 160-count and 210-count everyday tissue and Kleenex brand 112-count Anti-Viral Tissue.

Kleenex brand is the only facial tissue that participates in Box Tops for Education, donating a total of $13MM to date. Parents can support their schools as well by purchasing Kleenex Tissue with Box Tops for the kid’s classroom.

· Most recently, Kleenex brand will donate 250,000 eBoxTops to three winning schools as part of the Teacherlists.com sweepstakes.

Kleenex brand tissues come in a variety of portable and convenient on-the-go packages, making it even easier to keep hands clean and dry.

The Slim Pack. It is thin and sleek, so you can always keep a tissue on hand. Their trendy design makes it the perfect accessory for hip tweens and teens, while their convenient size makes it easy to slide them into pockets, back packs and bags.

The Car Wedge. It fits perfectly in the car door or glove compartment – no need to lug around a box of tissue or fumble in a purse for a tissue while driving.

The Go Pack. Strong, soft and absorbent, Kleenex brand go packs have been there for happy tears and stuffy noses since 1924.

Be sure to buy an extra box, bundle or bulk package of Kleenex for your school.

Back-To-School Donation Drive Seattle Treehouse Foster Kids

July 27, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

BACK-TO-SCHOOL DONATION DRIVE FOR FOSTER KIDS

Treehouse Wearhouse helps foster kids dress for school success

WHAT: Are you looking for ways to teach your children to give back to others? You, your kids and your blog community are invited to help local youth in foster care have access to the items they need to feel confident, prepared, and ready to learn in school this coming year by hosting a back-to-school donation drive. By collecting essentials like clothing, backpacks and cash donations in support of the Treehouse Wearhouse, a free retail store for youth in foster care, you can help foster kids shine their first day of school. More than 800 foster youth and their caregivers will shop at the Treehouse Wearhouse during the back-to-school season stocking up on critical resources (more than 15,000 items!) that will enable them to feel good and fit in at school.

WHEN: Back-to-school drives are held by local families and organizations throughout July and August.

Back-to-school donations can be dropped off at the Treehouse Wearhouse during the following times:

Fri., Aug. 16 & 23, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Tues., Aug. 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sat., Aug. 24, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

WHERE: Treehouse Wearhouse

2100 24^th Avenue S. / Suite 200

Seattle, WA 98144-4643

WHY: For foster kids, being placed in foster care means losing everything-clothing, toys, family photos-and starting over from scratch. For foster parents, the state only covers about 60% of the costs of basic care, leaving foster parents facing a chronic financial gap. The Wearhouse serves more than 1,800 youth each year by ensuring they have access to the items they need to feel confident, prepared, and ready to learn at school. In 2012, foster youth shopping at the Wearhouse received nearly 100,000 items of clothing, toys and supplies valued at more than one million dollars.

LEGO “Make a Duck” kit: FIRST- An Educational Nonprofit @firstlegoleague

June 19, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

I’m really impressed with our are and all of the low cost camps that are available to my children and our community. Through the YMCA and our city of Bothell we have quite a few camps including LEGO camp. These camps would help prepare you for a program I want to draw your attention to; FIRST.

More than 300,000 students around the globe participate in FIRST- an educational nonprofit that uses fast-paced robotics tournaments to get kids pumped about engineering and science! FIRST offers four programs; each one gets more complex as students work together to design and build custom robots and solve challenges. Watch this short informational video on FIRST LEGO League and FIRST as a whole.

You’ll also find a program called Jr. FIRST LEGO League. Students in this program work in teams to design and construct a model using LEGO bricks and moving parts. I received a starter kit from First. While the BuildToExpress kit I received is an optional component of the program, it’s a great “extra” which nicely ties in the core concepts that students will learn as part of the Jr.FLL experience:

· Team building

· Independent brainstorming

· Sharing ideas

· Listening to ideas

· Reflection

· Presentation

The BuildToExpress process builds upon skills that are developed throughout the Jr.FLL program:

· Students are presented with a Challenge;

· students will build and think; and

· students will share and listen.

My son wants to be a LEGO master when he grows up so this activity kit is perfect to get him started on challenges. What we do is we sit at the table and he has 10 minutes to come up with something. When he gets a little faster we’ll move to this real challenge.

This Challenge allows Jr.FLL team members to get to know a little bit more about each other, and to improve their skills with using the bricks and models for sharing.

· Build: Think of a time where you were doing something with your friends or family – how did you feel during this activity? Build a model that you can use to tell your teammates about this experience and how it made you feel.

· Building time: 5 minutes.

· Share: Share your model with your team. Explain what the elements in your model mean.

Other challenges:

BuildToExpress Challenge 2: This is a basic, warm-up building Challenge.

· Build: How was your mood when you got up this morning? Build a model that shows your mood when you got up this morning.

· Building time: 3 minutes.

· Share: Share your model with a partner. Explain what the elements in your model mean.

BuildToExpress Challenge 3: In this Challenge, participants are asked to think about the current Jr.FLL Challenge. The 2012/2013 Jr.FLL Challenge is called Super Seniors^SM, and asks students how we can improve the quality of life for seniors.

· Build: Think about the Jr.FLL challenge. In your mind, what is most interesting about the challenge? Build a model that shows what about the challenge you find most interesting.

· Building time: 3 minutes.

· Share: Share you model with your team. Explain what the elements in your model mean.

BuildToExpress Challenge 4: This is a basic, warm-up building Challenge.

· Build: Imagine that you and your team are a team of scientists working on a top secret project. Now, choose 10-15 minutes of your bricks and build something you think you and your top secret scientist team would need in your top secret work.

· Building time: 3 minutes.

· Share: Share the story of your model with your team.

We’ve always found LEGOS to be a very creative way for our kids to exercise spacial awareness and imaginative play because once they build it then they have characters and tell stories all about it.

Sheraton Hacienda de Mar Los Cabos Repairs and Renovates Local School

May 1, 2013 by Momstart Leave a Comment

I’m so happy when I find out that a hotel that I love to stay at from time to time is doing something for their community. Or one of their communities that is. Check out this story about The Sheraton helping a school in Los Cabos.

The staff of the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, Los Cabos are sharing the resort’s passion for service to help make a positive difference for a local school in need.

“Beyond our commitment to corporate social responsibility, we love our community, look for ways to serve, and when we learned of the poor conditions at Cam San Lucas BCS special needs education center, we could not help but to reach out,” explained Sheraton Hacienda del Mar General Manager Renato Mendonca.

The center, which serves 54 special needs children, many who are disabled and or with multiple health issues, had been in a deteriorating state. With help from the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar’s specially dispatched Maintenance Staff, much-needed repairs are being made and cleaning products and assistance are being provided. Sheraton staff members recently collected and delivered donation items, such as carpeting, from the hotel for the center’s fundraising yard sale. Forthcoming TLC includes collections of needed school supplies and other paper products.

The Sheraton Hacienda del Mar has a soft spot for youth education causes and has served as a partner for several years to Casa Hogar, a local boys’ home that is responsible for the housing and education of 32 otherwise homeless youth. The Sheraton recently instituted an internship program to provide the graduating boys of Casa Hogar real world working experience in the safe environment that the resort provides. Additionally, the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar regularly collects and donates goods such as groceries, clothing, toiletries, school supplies and toys; The Cactus Spa staff make monthly visits to cut the boys’ hair; resort meeting group guests are also given the opportunity to get in on giving back by donating time, money or in-kind goods to the organization.

“While some guests who experience our world-class service might think that the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar staff is just extremely well-trained, I know it is much more than that; it is because they put their enormous hearts into what they do and really care about what they can do to brighten someone’s day,” Mendonca stated.

For more information, please call the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort 52-624-145-8000. Resort details are available online at www.sheratonloscabos.com.

Image captions:

Left — In honor of Children’s Day (El Día del Niño) in Mexico, celebrated annually on April 30, Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Pastry Chef Ignacio Palma puts finishing touches on a special fiesta cake for the children to enjoy at the school.

Above — In honor of Children’s Day (El Día del Niño) in Mexico, celebrated annually on April 30, Sheraton Hacienda del Mar General Manager’s Assistant Ana Gonzales

hand delivers a special cake baked by Pastry Chef Ignacio Palma for the children to enjoy at the school fiesta.

About Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, Los Cabos

Situated on 28 acres overlooking the Sea of Cortez, the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf & Spa Resort, with 270 guest rooms, each featuring the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, whirlpool tubs and private terraces, is impeccably reminiscent of an upscale seaside village. The sprawling, Hacienda-inspired resort is home to five restaurants and six bars, four infinity and cascading swimming pools, the acclaimed Cactus Spa and Fitness Center (part of the Starwood Spa Collection) and a broad selection of outdoor activities. Boasting Los Cabos’ largest meetings facility with more than 18,000 square feet of function space, Sheraton Hacienda del Mar welcomes meetings and special events of all sizes. A small chapel and beachfront locations are also available for weddings and the staff has extensive experience with multicultural wedding planning.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1025 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

Cute Crochet Flats Bobs By Sketchers Buy One Skechers Gives One

April 5, 2013 by Momstart 7 Comments

By Rachel

This time of year, I start thinking about how wonderful it will be when I no longer have to wear shoes all the time. The weather is getting warmer (a little) here in the Pacific Northwest and we are getting a few dry stretches (a few days) without rain, and I start getting antsy to ditch the sneakers and boots I’ve been wearing all winter and just go barefoot all the time. In my house, out to the mailbox, through the soft grass in the backyard… aaaaaaahhhhhh…. To just let my feet breathe.

My kids look forward to this as well, whether they think consciously about it or not. All summer long, my kids don’t wear shoes, for the most part. In fact, at home, they wear shoes so seldom that we frequently have trouble finding their shoes (or at least one of them) when we are trying to leave to go somewhere. Or they jumped into the car without their shoes on and I didn’t notice until we get where we’re going. Yes, I’ve had to carry my barefoot youngest into the grocery store on more than one occasion and heave him up into the cart because he forgot to put shoes on…

BUT, my kids have shoes. Whether or not they choose to wear them is my biggest problem. What if that wasn’t my biggest problem? What if I didn’t have any shoes to force my kids to wear in the summer-time. Or worse, in the winter, when it’s cold and wet out? What if they had to go to school, but they didn’t have any shoes to wear? Or if the shoes they did have were falling apart or too small for them?

It kind of makes me rethink the tragedy of not being able to find the second sandal when we’re trying to leave. I am very thankful that I’ve never had to deal with choosing between new shoes for my kids or food on the table.

This is where this great campaign comes in that Skechers shoes has going on. We all know Skechers. Super-cool sneakers and shoes for kids and adults. My daughter, especially, thinks Skechers are the greatest, and would love nothing more than about 10 different pairs the Twinkle Toes shoes! Right now, Skechers has another line of shoes called BOBS. These are a simple, cute, casual shoe that come in a variety of colors and fabrics.

Aside from the cute factor, the great thing about BOBS by Skechers is that for every pair of BOBS that are purchased, Skechers will donate a new pair of shoes to a child in need! New shoes for someone who really needs them! How awesome is that? So far, through the BOBS program, Skechers has donated more than 3 million pairs of new shoes to underprivileged children in the U.S. and around the world.

I was sent a couple pairs to try out, and I must admit, they are really cute. At first, I thought neither of them was really my style. I set them aside, in my ‘pile’ of stuff I need to take a closer look at, and just let them stare at me for a couple of days. Guess what, they grew on me. The green canvas ones are SO bright! I am usually very practical with my shoes, opting for neutral browns or blacks, so I won’t have to think too hard about whether they match my clothes. That said, I am a firm believer that a pop of color on your feet can be one of the best accessories to your outfit. The other pair is equally adventurous, with the oranges and the funky pattern, but I think I like them too. They’re even lined with cute fabric on the inside and my teenager approved of them! ::gasp::

Now that I’ve had them on my feet a couple of times, the only criticism I have is that they rub the backs of my ankles a little bit. I wore them barefoot, so I want to try them with a pair of those low-profile no-show socks, because I’m pretty sure that would solve the problem.

So, cute shoes that do good by making sure kids have shoes to wear to school or out to play? Sounds like a winner to me.

About Rachel

Rachel is also a MOMS club member. She is thankful for the blessing of staying home to raise her three crazy, wonderful kids. In addition to scrapbooking, she likes knitting, gardening, reading, blogging and otherwise avoiding the housework she should be doing. You can read about her adventures and disasters at rachel’s ramblings.

We Day: Free The Children Sponsored By Microsoft, Amway North America Star Studded Performers

March 20, 2013 by Momstart 2 Comments

The international charity Free The Children, in partnership with Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft and Amway North America, announced the lineup of Grammy® award winners, world-renowned activists and sports icons set to inspire 15,000 youth and supporters from nearly 400 middle and high schools at the first ever We Day Seattle on Wednesday, March 27, in the KeyArena at Seattle Center.

We Day makes it cool to care. Bringing together some of the most influential leaders of our time, We Day allows speakers and performers to address pressing world issues and ignite students’ passion to be a part of the solution. Leading the electric crowd at We Day Seattle will be hosts Munro Chambers and Melinda Shankar from the hit television series DEGRASSI and international activists and co-founders of Free The Children, Craig and Marc Kielburger. The star-studded list of performers and speakers set to hit the We Day stage – with more still to be announced – include:

· Jennifer Hudson – Academy® and Grammy® award-winning actress and musician

· Magic Johnson – NBA legend, two-time hall of famer and philanthropist

· Pete Carroll – Seattle Seahawks Head Coach and co-chair of We Day Seattle

· Seattle Seahawks players – Russell Wilson (#3, Quarterback), Richard Sherman (#25, Cornerback), John Moffitt (#74, Offensive Guard), Russell Okung (#76, Offensive Tackle)

· Martin Sheen – Emmy® and Golden Globe® winning actor and activist

· Mia Farrow – Award-winning actress, activist and United Nations ambassador

· Martin Luther King III – Civil rights activist and oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

· Gary Payton – Nine-time NBA All-Star and former player for the Seattle SuperSonics

· J.R. Martinez – Actor, motivational speaker, bestselling author and former U.S. Army soldier

· Nelly Furtado – Grammy award-winning musician and Free The Children ambassador

· The Tenors – Multi-platinum vocal group

· Kid President – Nine-year-old Robby Novak, YouTube sensation

· MC Hammer – Grammy and Diamond Award Winner, businessman and tech entrepreneur

· Hedley – Multi-platinum, JUNO and MMVA award winning musicians and Free The Children ambassadors

· Liz Murray – Author of the New York Times Bestselling memoir Breaking Night: My Journey from Homeless to Harvard

· Munro Chambers and Melinda Shankar – Cast members from the hit TeenNick television series DEGRASSI and We Day Seattle hosts

· Craig and Marc Kielburger – Co-founders, Free The Children

· Spencer West – Me to We motivational speaker who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands in 2012

· Molly Burke – Visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker

· Washington State Governor Jay Inslee

· Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn

Also supporting youth in their actions and taking the We Day stage are Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, Co-Title Sponsor of We Day Seattle, and a representative from Amway North America, Co-Title Sponsor of We Day Seattle.

“I truly believe that to be successful in the pursuit of any dream you must surround yourself with a strong, positive and like-minded support network,” said Jennifer Hudson. “We Day gives youth the platform to build that and see that they are not alone in their desire to make a difference in the world, but are surrounded by thousands of others just like them who want a change.”

“Through our work with A Better Seattle and A Better LA, we’ve been deeply dedicated to getting youth off the streets and out of gangs, but when you pull them out of that lifestyle, you have to push them towards something different, something positive, and We Day is one of those powerful outlets,” said Pete Carroll, Head Coach of the Seattle Seahawks. “We Day creates a space for recognizing the world is bigger than yourself, that people all around the world face adversity, and that you can be part of the great movement towards making the world a better place.”

A stadium-sized educational event and the world’s largest youth empowerment event of its kind, We Day makes its official debut in the United States starting with Seattle on March 27 and followed up by Minnesota on October 8. Students can’t buy a ticket to We Day; they earn it through service by making a commitment to take action on one local and one global initiative throughout the school year, as part of the We Act program. We Act supports students and educators with free educational resources, student-led campaigns, and support materials to help turn the event’s inspiration into sustained activation. Together, We Day and We Act provide a blueprint for raising a generation of active global citizens.

We Day has taken the world by storm with 3.3 million fans, making it one of the world’s largest causes on Facebook. In Canada We Day touches every major city coast to coast, bringing together hundreds of thousands of young people in their commitment to taking action for a better world.

“Since We Day was born five years ago, we’ve seen an incredible commitment from young people across Canada who have raised $26 million for 900 local and global causes, volunteered 5.1 million hours and collected 2.8 million lbs of food for local food banks,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children. “We know how committed youth in Washington State already are to service learning initiatives and can’t wait to see what actions We Day will spark in this passionate community.”

We Day Seattle is free of charge to the thousands of students and educators in attendance thanks to the generous support of Co-Title Sponsors Microsoft and Amway North America, along with key Seattle-based supporters including The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and Ballmer Family Giving, and partners the Seattle Seahawks and A Better Seattle.

Why We Do A Holiday Gift Guide

December 21, 2012 by Momstart 7 Comments

We do a holiday gift guide for charity, plain and simple. I’m not sure if those of you who read blogs understand how much work and time really goes into a review guide. Some bloggers sell the items they receive, and I could do that but I don’t need to. I’ve been blessed by God, I have a healthy family and my husband has a secure job. So I use all my energy doing a gift guide of this magnitude to benefit others. I just really get a kick out of making a difference for someone else. Take this photo for instance.

This is a photo of a student that is learning to speak English on a tablet that I gave to my church, and they handed to a teacher they knew that was using tablet devices to teach students. I usually participate in the Tweet Drive in Seattle every year but instead this year, I donated all my toys to the YMCA. They are going to spread the toys out amongst their tree wish list and use some of them throughout the community in different projects they have going on next year. Our family picked one of the families on the tree and we had Zoe and Miles help pick out things to give to the children while my husband and I found things for the adults. It was a great project that helped encourage our children to give. Ashley also donated all the toys she received in our holiday gift guide.

We also love surprising people with gift baskets and door drops. We hope as the year goes on and into next year to continue to surprise families with gifts. It’s so exciting to see the gift of giving grow as more and more people to decide to share what they have with others. I have a friend who received pumpkins for pumpkin pie. She made two pies and gave one of the pies to someone else. It’s a gift that keeps on going. We hope as a family that we encourage others to have that attitude of giving.

If you’re looking for a way to teach this lesson to your children I just recently came across a really cute book. It’s the The Sparkle Box: A Gift with the Power to Change Christmas. The boy in the book, Sam, really wanted to open the sparkle box to see what was in it. And I laughed because as soon as we put our box together Zoe wanted to open it and find out what was in it. Like most young children, Sam is so excited about Christmas. He’s busy thinking about his Christmas list, anticipating holiday parties and puzzling over the sparkly box sitting on the mantel above the fireplace. Throughout the Christmas season, Sam and his family participate in various acts of kindness and service to others. On Christmas morning, Sam finally gets to open the Sparkle Box, where he finds slips of paper recording the family’s good deeds during the holiday season. Sam’s parents explain that the things that they’ve been doing for others are, in fact, a gift for God. This uplifting story will inspire readers to adopt this new tradition in their homes. It was a great lesson and we were able to write things down as a family to put in our sparkly box.

We did receive a copy of the book to review.

How We Are Giving……Kohl’s Cares Merchandise & Kohl’s Pay It Forward Shopping Haul

December 12, 2012 by Momstart 11 Comments

Kohl’s gave me a gift card and set me free in their store to buy for someone in need in my community.

My assignment:

Given Kohl’s long-standing commitment to children’s health and education programs, we’re hopeful your purchases will ultimately benefit deserving kids. You’re welcome to spend the $250 as you see fit – whether it be on one person, one family or several people who could use some cheer. From those struck by natural disaster, unemployment or health issues, we’re certain you can find a way to “Pay it Forward.” All we ask is that you share this Kohl’s experience with your readers before Dec. 20, encouraging others to “Pay it Forward.”

I picked a card off the Christmas tree at the YMCA and went crazy buying clothes for all the children on the list. Just watch my Kohl’s Pay It Forward Shopping Haul video.

Two More Ways Kohl’s is Giving This Holiday

1) Kohl’s will give up to $500,000 to Toys for Tots. For every new person who “Likes” Kohl’s Facebook page from this Nov. 23 – Dec. 24, Kohl’s will donate $1 to Toys for Tots, up to $500,000. We’d of course love it, if you’d help us get the word out.

2) Gifts that Give Back. This holiday, Kohl’s offers exclusive hardcover books featuring American classic stories such as The Wizard of Oz, The Night Before Christmas and The Velveteen Rabbit along with coordinating plush toys for just $5 each through the Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program. Also for $5, Kohl’s Cares merchandise brings shoppers a Good Housekeeping cookbook, a holiday CD of greatest hits and seasonal notecards. Under this program, Kohl’s donates 100 percent of the net profit to children’s health and education initiatives nationwide. Since 2000, it has raised more than $208 million for children’s health and education programs in local communities across the country.

Better Homes and Gardens and Walmart – Photo Contest for Charity – Get Cozy

November 28, 2012 by Momstart 1 Comment

Enjoying These Snuggly Moments While They’re Still Here with Better Homes and Gardens and Walmart – Photo Contest for Charity

By: Ashley

This time of year, one of my favorite things to do is snuggle up on a cold night and watch Christmas movies. You can get nice and cozy under a good soft blanket and just relax. I try not to let Atticus watch too much TV, but once or twice a week, I’ve been letting him watch a Christmas movie before bed. I think it’s just as much of a treat for me as it is for him! I know these nights of cuddling and snuggling with my little guy won’t last forever, so I’m going to enjoy them while they’re here!

My love of snuggling was really what got me interested in the Get Cozy and Give Back program that Better Homes and Gardens blankets at Wal-Mart is doing. After liking the BHG Live Better Facebook page, I saw some of the cozy cuddling pictures that other BHG fans are entering into the contest. What kind of picture do you need to enter? Any picture of you snuggling… with your kitty, your dog, your baby… as long as your cozy. Fill out the entry form and upload your photo BEFORE 12/18/2012 and share away.

Every photo entered helps make a charitable contribution to Children’s Miracle Network ($500 for every 250 photos submitted, max of $2k). On top of that, each week, Better Homes and Gardens chooses 1 fan to be featured on BHG Live Better Facebook page – that fan gets 15 blankets donated to their local children’s hospital on their behalf!

I’m really excited about this photo contest, and I hope you are too. So, what do you need to do to enter?

1. ‘Like’ BHG Live Better Facebook page

2. Fill out entry form & upload your photo between 11/13 & 12/18

3. Each photo submission helps make charitable contribution to Children’s Miracle Network ($500 for every 250 photos submitted, max of $2k)

4. Share your photo submission to friends & family via FB, Twitter & email

5. You can go back to FB app and search photos or scroll through to vote for favorites

6. Each week BHG chooses 1 fan to be featured on BHG Live Better Facebook page and have blankets donated to their local children’s hospital.

So there you have it. Now it’s time to go get cozy!

About Ashley (Managing Editor at MomStart): Ashley is a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and former teacher working to navigate through the mysterious world of Mommyia. Read more about her adventures at Momicles and follow her @Momicles2010

Disclosure – I received a WalMart gift card to provide a blanket for this post.

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