Monday, March 4, 2013

Kindness, Week Nine

I hit a snag this week with my acts of kindness- one of them is sort of in limbo. I'm working on fixing the problem, though! This week I discovered some new opportunities for sharing kindness!

February 26: Lent an ear to someone who really  needed someone to just listen. How often do we try to turn conversations toward ourselves? This day, I encountered someone who really needed to talk- and not necessarily have me talk back.

February 27: Made an encouraging card for someone going through a rough time. That was my last stamp, too...since I'm stuck at home, a lot of my acts of kindness revolve around mailing things to people. I hope to get more stamps this week! : )

February 28: Took a survey for the city government. I think that voicing concerns about civic stuff is important, and it extends beyond just voting when we have a major election. I saw the link, and decided to help out. Hopefully my answers will help influence some people to make our city better!

March 1: Signed a petition to stop the ivory trade in Thailand. I signed a petition sent out by the WWF (whose emails I receive) regarding the ivory trade in Thailand. I am a firm believer that respecting God's creation is an act of worship (He made it, so we shouldn't trash it.) This petition was to be presented to a representative of the Prime Minister of Thailand. I was happy to see similar stories pop up on the news websites after I got this email, and yesterday, the New York Times reported that the PM has announced intentions to outlaw ivory trade in Thailand! Yay!

March 2: Tried to donate to a fundraiser for Compassion. OK, here's the story. I follow Lizzie, a blogger who writes a lot about Compassion and participates in Monday Mail Call. Lizzie posted earlier this week that she was participating in One Meal One Day, where people pledge to give up a meal to raise awareness about worldwide hunger, and fundraise to fight hunger (or donate the money they would have spent on that meal.) Lizzie set a goal to raise $85 for Compassion, so they can feed hungry kids in Ethiopia (the focus of this year's campaign.) Shortly after she posted about it, I tried to donate, but I'm having trouble with the website! I've tried to donate four times, and it won't go through! I emailed customer support for the website, though, and I'm waiting to hear back from them. Hopefully my issue will be resolved, soon! In the meantime, please check out Lizzie's blog and her fundraising page!

March 3: Sorted coupons for the troops. Last year, I signed up to "adopt" a military base overseas (the Army, Germany) and send them my sorted and clipped coupons. Military family members can use manufacturer's coupons up to six months after the printed expiration date. If you stock up on coupons, and then don't use them (like me), this is a really easy act of kindness! You can do a one-time donation by sending your coupons (sorted into "food" and "non-food") to a group that will collect and mail them overseas, or you can check out the website and "adopt" a base yourself!

March 4: Donated a "Cup of Joe for a Joe." This is a program put on by the Green Beans coffee company. They are based out of California, but they also have operations in several countries where US troops are stationed (the "Joes".) They are in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE. You can make a small donation ($2 for a single cup) and buy a cup of coffee for a service member! They also give you plenty of space to write a nice, encouraging note. You also have the option to share your email with the service member who gets the coffee you paid for. This is a really easy and inexpensive way to do something kind for our military!


1 comment:

  1. Thanks!! :)

    I definitely have to check out some of those things! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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