Gifts That Give Back #11

What do you give to someone who has everything? In Patrick McDonnell's Gift of Nothing, Mooch decides that the best gift for Earl, his friend who has everything, would be to give him nothing! He fills up a box with nothing, but then decides he deserves more then that...so he gets a bigger box!

While reading this book to the Alluem Kids, I realized how wonderful of a gift this would be for them. I hear about how these kids run from sport to sport, activity to activity non-stop after spending a day at school and before a night of homework. How wonderful would it be for them to do absolutely nothing even for a little bit this season.

When we were done reading the story, we took sheets of 9"x9" paper and folded little origami boxes...a gift for ourselves. What would we fill these boxes with? Nothing. The gift we would give to ourselves this season is nothing. I had the kids write a number between 1-20 at random on the outside of their boxes. I then told them this would indicate how many minutes a day I wanted them to spend doing nothing during their holiday break. If they were able to do that amount of time during the days of their break and if they enjoyed it, then I urged them to continue doing nothing for just a little bit each day - whether it's sitting up straight and still, practicing one of our mantras or mudras, or lying flat while relaxing the body. Slowing down is hard in this society especially when we're constantly going at such a fast pace trying to do it all. When we do that we forget to enjoy the little things, the simple things in life. Today I urge you to give back to yourself this holiday season. Give the gift of nothing. Enjoy nothing with someone you love. Then take a savasana.

Gifts That Give Back #10

Dolls were an essential part of my childhood. I had many that offered me hours of imaginative play. This Gift That Gives More™ supplies one doll each to children living in exile in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma and Indo-Burma borders. By purchasing dolls for children, you not only bring big smiles to small faces, but also help women artisans in the camps earn a living wage for themselves and their families.
"Women's Education for Advancement and Empowerment (WEAVE) is a non-profit organization established in 1990. With project centers in the ethnic Karen and Karenni refugee camps along the Thai-Burma and Indo-Burma borders, WEAVE works to improve the lives of marginalized indigenous women and children by improving education, health, and self-reliance."

These dolls can be purchased through the Greater Good Network. Last December they were able to distribute over 900 dolls in 19 nursery schools. There are over 9,000 pre-school children in the 9 refugee camps along the borders. Let's help give them even more dolls this year! 100% of the proceeds go to WEAVE as a grant through www.GreaterGood.org.

Gifts That Give Back #10

Bad News: You haven't sent out your holiday cards yet. No way they'll get there by Christmas now.

Good News: There is still time to send a City Harvest Holiday e-Card at Paperless Post and have it arrive in time for Christmas! For every virtual greeting purchased (23 cents), a pound of food will be donated to the hunger fighting NYC non-profits. Holiday greetings with snowflakes made out of utensils, soup cans with bows, and food delivery trucks that fly through the air like Santa's Sleigh. Cards sent and food donated! It's a win-win! Visit paperlesspost.com.

Gifts That Give Back #9

I can't say enough about Me to We. Every time I turn around they are doing something new, changing someone else's life, reaching out to children, families, communities in need. And to think, it all started with 12 yr old Craig Keilburger. Me to We is a social enterprise with a mission. They transform consumers into world changers one transition at a time. Half of Me to We's profits are donated to their charitable partner, Free the Children. Recently, I discovered their Buy a Book, Give a Book program. See the video below!

I highly recommend you read Me to We and if you are a parent, teacher, or work with children in any capacity I recommend The World Needs Your Kid. Such great books! There are so many other ways you can also give. I urge you to visit both the Me to We site and the Free the Children site and spend some time learning how you can "be the change that you want to see in the world"!

Gifts That Give Back #8

For over 30 years Mercy Corp has been helping millions of individuals, families, and communities turn crisis into opportunities for sustainable, positive change. They have over 30 programs through which they work from economic development and agriculture to education and youth empowerment. They work globally, including communities right here in the United States.
There are so many ways through which you can give to this organization...through feeding a child, outfitting a classroom, buying a goat for a family, vaccinations, buying a soccer ball, and so much more. The one I am most partial to naturally, is giving the gift of yoga to youth in need.

While food, water, and medicine are crucial...knowing the power of yoga, giving them tools they can use in the present moment and for the rest of their lives is also crucial. Yoga classes can help young people recover from trauma and violence by increasing their confidence, focus, and sense of well being physically and mentally. The video below shows a class in Columbia where Mercy Corps incorporates yoga into its youth programs where decades of conflict have uprooted millions of people from the countryside to the urban neighborhoods.

Gifts That Give Back #7

Giving is good, Charlie Brown. Everyone needs a little security for the holidays. Project Linus is a non-profit organization that provides love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill or traumatized through the gifts of new handmade blankets and afghans.

Project Linus has donated more then 3 million blankets since 1995!

Feeling crafty? Find out how you can donate one of your own homemade creations. Not so crafty? Find out how you can help distribute these blankets through your local chapter.

This Linus Blanket is sold exclusively at Urban Outfitters.

Gifts That Give Back #6

"When it comes to kids, Kohl's cares." Kohl's has raised over 150 million dollars to support kids health and education initiative nationwide through the Kohls Cares cause merchandise initiative.

This Holiday Season Dr. Seuss is leading the way to helping local children! Each Dr. Seuss book or plush is only $5 and 100% of the net profit is donated back!

Where does the money go exactly? One way is through Hospital Partnerships. Kohl's supports 160 hospitals nationwide to help parents educate their kids in injury prevention, asthma, immunization, and more. Another is the Kohl's Kids Who Care Scholarship Program. Every year Kohl's rewards volunteers between the ages of 6-18 across the country for their amazing contributions to their communities. This year they recognized 2,100 kids with more than $410,000. TO find out more ways that Kohl's Cares visit their website!

Gifts That Give Back #5

"Got Your Back"...literally. The Shirt for Shirt Campaign is helping to change the lives of children all over the world. For each shirt you purchase, a child in need will be provided with a school uniform. Many children can not attend a public school without a school uniform. Those living in impoverished countries have no chance of getting an education with these requirements. Your purchase "helps create a sustainable change in struggling communities around the world by opening the doors for children to receive an education." This is huge.

Got Your Back is currently partnering with organizations in Kenya, Kentucky, and Haiti to assure that children get the education they deserve.

I urge you to check out their website and help out where you can!

Gifts That Give Back #2

Blake Mycoskie is an amazing soul (no pun intended). Blake is the founder of TOMS Shoes, a company that matches every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes given to a child in need. "One for One." The Toms mission transforms customers in to benefactors. As of September 2010, TOMs has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children in need through Giving Partners around the world. I have 2 pairs of TOMs and I LOVE them!!!!!
Check out the video below to learn more about this organization.

Gifts That Give Back #1

I first learned about the FEED Foundation when I was living the corporate life and it was my turn to bring coffee to Lauren Bush, the CEO of FEED Projects, LLC. Our company was working with her to design a tote bag that would benefit children of the world in the fight against hunger.
FEED Projects' mission is to create good products that help FEED the world. They do this through the sale of FEED bags, bears, t-shirts, and other accessories by building a set donation into the cost of each product. They take great pride in using environmentally-friendly and artisan-made materials, along with fair-labor production, in creating all FEED products.
"Plumpy®" the FEED 5 Bear is an adorable teddy bear made of 100% plush organic cotton and natural burlap and is approximately 16" tall. FEED Projects has partnered with Teddy Share, a charitable bear company, to create the FEED bears. Each FEED 5 Bear that is sold will provide Plumpy'Nut®, a high nutrient paste, to 5 children under the age of 5 years old through the non-profit organization Industrial Revelation. Taking "Plumpy®" home will allow you to support 5 children. Plumpy is available for purchase through the FEED website shop. I LOVE this organization!

12 Days to Give Back

Recently it seems I've been running into a lot of great organizations that are not only making great gifts, but that are giving back in the process. This is what the circle of life is all about. When you give, you get...not only in the material sense, but on an emotional level that just makes you feel good. Of course that is not the reason we give...people like to help and people should do their best to give when they can, if they can.

Over the next 12 days until Christmas, I'll be picking one organization a day and featuring one gift. Hopefully it will inspire others to purchase from companies that give back!

Twelve days til Christmas -12 Days to Give Back!!! 'Tis the season!