Archive for the ‘Inspire’ Category

I Spy, You Spy Young Readers!

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Happy International Children’s Book Day! What is so special about this day? Since 1967, this has been a day of celebrating children’s literature and inspiring a love of reading to all kids worldwide. From Dr. Seuss to the Bernstein Bears, we have all been touched by the magic of children’s literature. While there are many ways that you can celebrate, sharing your love of reading is a great way to get your kids involved!

Studies show that the more kids read, the more likely they will foster a love of reading. Volunteering to share the love of reading with a child will help positively promote this statistic. The list below will help you better your experience when helping kids learn to read and foster of love for books!

  1. Choose a book that matches the child’s hobbies or interests
  2. Leave books or other reading materials in places that will be easily seen or found by your kids
  3. Pay attention to what catches your child’s attention. Whether your child is interested in picture books or action novels, make sure you continuously offer things he or she will find entertaining.
  4. Read in your spare time, so that your child will model your behavior.
  5. Share the gift of the library with your kids. Allow them to explore the different resources so that they discover a new love within the materials!
  6. Identify reading a useful resource rather than a chore. Your child is more likely to continue to read, if they see it as a resource of learning.
  7. Encourage your older children to read to their younger siblings or younger neighborhood children.
  8. Play reading related games or watch television shows that encourage reading or share literature lessons.
  9. Set aside a reading time everyday in your household, when you and your kids can read a book for a set amount of time (or longer).
  10. Read aloud to your child or children that you volunteer with.
  11. Encourage your child to read their favorite book aloud or something they find interesting to their family.
  12. Donate books to your local school, shelter, or give books to your own kids or neighbors.
  13. Give your kids a bookmark; so that they know to read at their own pace, they do not need to finish a book in one sitting.
  14. Hang out with your family and read a comedy book. Show your kids that reading does not need to be a serious activity all the time.
  15. Reinforce positive reading experiences by following a good experience with an adventure. If your child enjoyed reading about American history, take them to your local history museum.
  16. Offer incentives to get your child reading more!
  17. Organize a book drive at your child’s school.
  18. Volunteer to be a parent reader in your child’s classroom.
  19. Limit the amount of time your child watches television, so that they can read more books.
  20. Encourage your child to read everyday things such a menus or traffic signs.

Today is a great day to foster a love of reading in your child, neighbors, students, etc. It is important to encourage children to read at every stage and every age. Follow these steps to get started!

For more information:

Learning to Give, the philanthropy education and service-learning program of generationOn, has numerous lessons and units to help teach literacy while combining the learning with service.  Each lesson is aligned to the academic standards of all fifty states as well as the Common Core Standards.  Start your search here: http://www.learningtogive.org/

How are you fostering a love of reading today?

5 Ways to Celebrate Kick Butts Day!

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Besides the second day of spring, did you know that March 21, 2012 is also Kick Butts day? Not familiar with Kick Butts Day? Well…

Kick Butts Day is a day for activism when thousands of youth in every state and around the world will stand out, speak up, and seize control against tobacco. If you are a teacher, a parent running a scout troop, or a youth leader, you can hold your own Kick Butts Day event as well.

Here are 5 ways you can kick butt on Kick Butts Day!

  1. Host a cigarette butt clean-up! Do you constantly see cigarette butts thrown on sidewalks, parks, beaches and other public property? Are you sick of this unnecessary litter? Well, this activity is just for you! You can organize a cigarette butt clean-up to raise awareness of the effects of discarded cigarette butts! Gather volunteers and Collect cigarette butts in garbage bags and count them along the way. Make sure everyone wears gloves!
  2. Remind your community of the cost of a carton of cigarettes! Find the average price of a pack of cigarettes in your community. Calculate the costs for a week, a month, a year, five years, etc. for a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. Display the financial cost of smoking. Be creative. You can put up posters, use fake dollar bills, or turn the activity into a worksheet to be completed in class.
  3. Do a door decorating contest! Get your entire school involved by challenging all of the classrooms to decorate their doors with a Kick Butts Day theme. At the end of the contest, select students or teachers to judge the doors. Award prizes to different categories, such as the most creative or the strongest message. The prizes can be anything you’d like, in order to incentivize involvement (as long as it’s approved by the school), such as a pizza party for the winning classroom.
  4. Restaurant placemats, table tents, and take-out stickers! Contact local restaurants to see if they would be willing to use placemats, table tents, or take-out stickers that can be placed on pizza boxes and take-out bags with your message on them. This can reach countless people and is an opportunity to form lasting relationships with community businesses.
  5. Kick butts with art! Host an anti-tobacco art contest. All entries should be related to the fight against tobacco, such as the harmful effects of tobacco products. You decide what types of art will be accepted, but it can be anything, including songs, photography, or poetry. Award prizes to the winners. If possible, put the winning pieces on display.

Understanding the harms of cigarette smoking is essential to youth as they mature. We hope that the positive activities will provide you with fun ways to spread the message about the effects of tobacco usage.

Random Acts of Kindness Week Feb. 13th – 20th Opens Doors to Kindness

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Today’s post comes from Marilyn Decalo, the Education Director for The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

Happy Random Acts of Kindness Week! The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is sharing ideas and stories from hundreds of people celebrating kindness and performing kind acts across the country this week, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! Friends, teachers, parents, children, co-workers and communities have taken kindness to heart by doing kind acts and inspiring us with their stories on the Random Acts of Kindness   and website.

One of the most inspiring stories we found is told in our Extreme Kindness Challenge winner’s video “Peach’s Neet Feet” produced by The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation and Storytellers for Good,.  Madison Steiner paints art in the form of footwear and donates them to children with long-term illness and cancer.  What an awesome act of kindness!

While Random Acts of Kindness Week is designed to celebrate the value of being kind to one another, we really don’t need a special day or week to do kind acts. Focusing a little more on the positive and treating others with kindness can happen everyday in simple ways like saying thank you or smiling at someone. Our kind acts can be as small as holding the door open for someone or as big as volunteering at the local food bank.  We don’t need to wait for a natural disaster to show kindness, and everyone from pre-school students to seniors can be kind.

Here’s how you can start practicing kindness.  As you look around in your community this week, whether that’s your school, workplace or city, notice where someone can use a little more kindness in their life.  Choose to make a difference by offering a little something of appreciation.  A note of thanks, helping with a chore, or just holding a door open for someone can make them feel appreciated and brighten your day. Commit to doing it again the next day. Pretty soon you’ll be doing kind-hearted acts everyday.

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation invites you to join the kindness movement and use our free resources to for teaching, sharing and doing kindness.  We’ve got ideas, quotes, lesson plans, activities and videos to inspire and empower everyone to be kind

Kindness can change our world; one joyful, selfless act at a time!

 

Kindly,

Marilyn Decalo, Education Director

The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation

Check out Peach’s Neet Feet the winner of the Extreme Kindness Challenge. This was originally posted on

Make Valentine’s Day Go Beyond February 14

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Tomorrow is the big day, Valentine’s Day (men don’t forget)! While you may be thinking, “why would I actually want to celebrate this day it is just another excuse to spend money?” This year you can get a little more out of your presents than just making your sweetheart swoon over your gift.

Why not choose a Valentine’s gift that gives back instead of just gives for a couple days. Whether it is fair-trade chocolate, flowers that fight causes, or a teddy bear for charity you are sure to make an impression with these gifts!

  1. Flowers are always a good choice when it comes to your Valentine. How about choosing flowers that not only look gorgeous on her work desk or dinner table, but also give back to her favorite charity. Companies such as organicbouquet.com do just that! You have the choice of choosing from a bouquet of flowers in their Flowers for Good program. You can choose flowers that will give back to organizations such as the American Lung Association, Women For Women, Amnesty International, or PETA. Your sweetheart is sure to be impressed with this gift from the heart!
  2. Looking to put your honey’s feet in style, why not try TOMS shoes? For every pair of shoes that you purchase, another pair is given to a child in need. This is great way to not only bring a smile to your significant other’s face, but also give a smile to a child in need!
  3. Does your lover have a sweet tooth? Fair-trade chocolate is the perfect gift to satisfy a sweet tooth! Companies such as TCHO Chocolates and Divine Chocolate donate a portion of their proceed to fair-trade practices or practice fair-trade practices.
  4. Is your Valentine not much of a chocolate fanatic? Cookies are always a great gift for any holiday! Cookies for Kid’s Cancer not only taste great they also donate 100 percent of profits to fund pediatric cancer research!
  5. Looking for date ideas? Volunteer together for your favorite cause. It is a great way to spend time together on something that you are both passionate about.
  6. Give cookies or valentines cards to those in need. You can make cookies for your local retirement home, make valentines cards for a homeless shelter, or visit a hospital.
  7. Perform a small act of kindness for someone in your neighborhood, work, or a complete stranger. Whether you are shoveling someone’s driveway or mowing his or her lawn. You can truly show someone the power of love just through a simple act of kindness.

This Valentine’s Day do more to spread the love. You are sure to impress that special someone, while you also spread the love to someone who may need it more with these simple Valentines tips.

We hope these suggestions get you out of the Valentines Day rut and help you celebrate the power of love. Have a happy Valentines Day and please share with us how you are celebrating, we would love to hear about it!

Carry Out That New Years Resolution!

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

You survived January 2012, now what? Did you make that New Years resolution stick through the chilling January temperatures? If Groundhog Day has taught us anything, it is that there is going to be another 6 weeks of winter (Yikes!).

So let’s not get discouraged, let’s get out and volunteer to keep that New Years resolution throughout the whole year! Statistics show that after the first month of trying to stick to a New Years resolution only 64% of people who set them will actually stick to them.

If you resolved to help others and your community in 2012, you do not need to be another statistic in this continuous cycle of failed resolutions. Helping others does not need to be a complete life change or turning away from a bad habit. It is just a positive addition to your life that will benefit you in so many ways (hey maybe with the positive feeling you get from volunteering you will be able to move to new goals like losing weight)

So why do people find it so hard to stick to resolutions such as volunteering?

  1. Many people believe that they do not have enough time to volunteer during their hectic schedule. Come on we have heard this excuse so many times, why do you think people don’t exercise?
  2. Some people do not know where to volunteer their time or what organizations need volunteers.
  3. Volunteers get intimidated by the many options available in the nonprofit world. There are a ton of action areas it can be difficult to choose just one!
  4. Some people do not see problems in their community, so they do not believe that their community needs volunteers.
  5. Others will get distracted by various plans. It can be difficult to volunteer on the weekends especially when you work all week.

Do these excuses sound like similar phrases that have come out of your mouth this past month? Well, it is good you are looking at today’s post. Let’s find solutions to these excuses. You do not have to be super volunteer to help your community. Make baby steps. No one completes their resolutions over night; if we did losing weight would be number one on our lists!

Excuse #1: You may be extremely busy, and volunteering just does not have a place on your schedule. Okay, so you cannot go out on a Saturday morning and volunteer physically to a soup kitchen or volunteer for a Habitat for Humanity build. But you can…

  • Donate canned goods to a food bank or soup kitchen
  • Donate gently used clothes or appliances to a shelter or donation center
  • Make decorations for a retirement home or hospital
  • Conserve water and energy
  • Recycle
  • Save your change and donate it to your favorite cause or charity

Excuse #2: There are so many charities and nonprofits in every city; it can become overwhelming when you are searching for a volunteer opportunity. There are many organizations that can help you find a volunteer opportunity that will guide you to the perfect match! Check out:

Excuse #3: Yes, we know there is an overwhelming amount of volunteering opportunities available. To make your volunteering choice less intimidating pick out something that you are truly interested in, so that you will want to continuously do it. Who wants to keep up with something they do not enjoy. Volunteering opportunities fall into a majority of these categories:

  • Animals
  • Elderly
  • Military
  • Youth
  • Environment
  • Disaster relief
  • Homelessness
  • Poverty
  • Women

Excuse #4: It is sometimes difficult to observe your community’s needs on a daily basis. The truth is every community needs and relies on volunteer work. Your contribution no matter how big or small will make a huge difference to your community and its members. Never believe that volunteering in your community will go unnoticed!

Excuse #5: It is normal to just want to relax during your time off. There are volunteering opportunities for every level of volunteer. You can volunteer from your couch, your kitchen, or your workplace. You can choose projects that are big or small just do something that you enjoy and it will not seem like work, because the benefits will outweigh the costs.

It is 2012; do not let yourself give up on another resolution. Make this year count! You will begin to see the rewards of your service quicker than you think. Just try it; what do you have to lose?

Are you volunteering in 2012? Share your ideas with us; we would love to hear them!

How We Celebrated Martin Luther King Day 2012

Friday, January 20th, 2012

For the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of service, Points of Light Institute and its affiliates mobilized over 250,000 volunteers to serve in their communities.

In the following video, our amazing community leaders, , and Points of Light CEO Michelle Nunn, reflect on their days of service and their commitment to living out Dr. King’s legacy of social justice for all.

 

The next video features Vice President Joe Biden speaking at Gerard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for this year Dr. King Day of service. Biden begins his speech by noting that sometimes we lose focus and, and begin to question social justice.  Next, he asks the audience where we have come since Dr. King’s movement for change. And how much more is in our power to continue to change society? Every person, regardless of race, age, gender, etc has the power to continue change in our society.

Biden recalls being a Congressman when the vote to make Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Day a national holiday was occurring. When fellow Congressmen were opposed to making MLK a national holiday, they were unaware of the impact. They were unaware that people throughout the country would be so motivated to take action and live out Dr. King’s legacy.

Biden reassured the audience that this day is not just “a small thing”. The biggest thing you can do for another human being is to show that you understand what they are going through and to engage in at least one act of kindness. On MLK Day, we gave meaning to King’s legacy, even if, for some people, it was only for a day.

Biden expressed that right now he is more optimistic about the potential of this country and our ability to lead the world than he has ever been because he’s old enough to remember what it used to be. To Biden, Dr. King was the epitome of optimism. Dr. King truly believed in social change and progression.

During the Civil Rights Movement, Biden quit his job with a top-paying law firm to become a public defender in East Delaware. Shortly after Dr. King’s assassination, Biden recalls the fires that erupted in the African American neighborhoods of East Delaware.  Ironically as Dr. King had dreamed, in 2008, President Obama drove through East Delaware to pick up Vice-President Biden to become sworn in as the first African American President of the United States.

We hope that you were inspired to make changes in your community. Share with us any inspirational stories that you may have in the COMMENTS section.

10 Ways to Fight Poverty in America

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

January is awesome! Why is January awesome?! Because January is Poverty in America Awareness Month. While poverty has plagued our society for decades, attention should be given to the poverty rate increase from 13.2% in 2008 to 14.3% in 2009-the biggest statistical increase since 2004. Similarly, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, between 2000 and 2008, the number of poor Americans grew by more than nine million. Now that you have been inspired to fight poverty in America, we have ten ways to fight poverty in your community and throughout America:

  1. Support a local or family-owned business. Small businesses keep communities together, while also pumping money back into the community and ultimately fighting poverty. These small businesses also often have interesting or unique items, which is always a bonus. 
  2. Plan a vacation around a learning or helping experience. Vacations are always fun; however, consider the communities around your vacation destination and the potential poverty within those neighborhoods. Take a few hours out of your day while you’re on vacation and volunteer.
  3. Donate to your local food bank. Hunger is a year-round issue, and forces people to choose between food and other expenses.
  4. Shop for good. Choose stores or services that support local groups. Buy local, it can be better for your health and wallet.
  5. Organize a food drive in your community. A food drive will provide a family food, while also bringing your community together and hopefully motivate other community to do more to fight poverty.
  6. Do a fundraiser! Plan a walk-a-thon, yard sale, lemonade stand, or benefit concert to raise money for a local organization. Why not have fun with your fundraiser while supporting a good cause?! These activities will surely be exciting and worthwhile!
  7. Research! Become aware of local policies and programs that affect low-income families. Find out where poverty is focused in your city, how widespread the poverty stricken areas are, and how you can help. 
  8. Share your research! Voice your concern and tell your community members that it’s Poverty in America Awareness Month so that they are also inspired to improve the community or will spread the word about this awesome month.
  9. Always show respect to people working at minimum wage. Be courteous and respectful of their efforts or just greet them with a simple smile. You never know how much a smile can improve their day.
  10. Use public transportation whenever possible. Your support helps to insure that public transportation remains available for us all.

We hope these tips have inspired you to support Poverty in America Awareness Month! Tell us what other community service activities you plan on doing to commemorate Poverty in America Awareness Month.

Serve for a Cause

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Anyone can be great because everybody can serve.” It can be easy for a volunteer to question the difference they can make. What can really change in an afternoon of volunteering? A lot.posed girl on ladder paints

Points of Light’s MLK Day of Service is just one example of how the community can change in one afternoon. On Monday, January 16th thousands of volunteers of all ages, races, ethnicity, religion and gender will band together to make one movement that will leave a huge impact on our nation. This year we have approximately 300 service projects that will cover a wide range of impact areas such as environment, education, homelessness and hunger, and disaster relief efforts.

US Poverty Rate ChartWith the declining economy and 46.2 million people living in poverty in the United States (according to the US Census Bureau, the need for volunteers is greater than ever. MLK Day of Service engages over 220,000 volunteers in just one day. One hour of volunteer labor is worth $21.36 in the United States (as estimated by The Independent Sector). This MLK Day of Service, volunteers will contribute approximately $14.1 million worth of service back to communities.

The impact that our volunteers will make on Monday will mean more than just money. It will mean a warm meal in an empty stomach, a more beautiful park for our children to enjoy, smiling senior citizens at a retirement home, a new home for a family that dreamed of one, a day of fun for children, and communities joining together to help one another.Martin Luther King, Jr.

That is exactly what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meant when he said anybody can be great. It is easy to look at an afternoon of volunteering as just one afternoon, but that one afternoon could mean the world to someone in need.

How will you celebrate that contribution this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day? Let us know in the comments below!

January 16: A Day On, Not Off

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

So with all this talk about Martin Luther King Day being next Monday (January 16) you may be asking yourself “What exactly should I focus my service project on?” That is a perfectly reasonable question with all of the service options available during this time.

There is no specific cause that should be honored on this national day of service. King envisioned a community where members helped their fellow man out with their successes and their struggles.

His vision is inspiring to all who want to make a difference in their community. King’s love for a strong community should guide your service decisions during this time. The following are a few service areas that were important to King and can be honored during MLK Day.

  • Poverty: “The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty.” Poverty is a horrible reality within all communities with 46.2 million people in the United States living in poverty. You can do something about this:
    • Donate food to a your local food bank or soup kitchen
    • Hold a clothing drive for your local shelter
  • Education: “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” Only 39% of the United States population completes college within four years. The education system within the United States has received harsh criticism over the last few years. There are many things you can do to help:
    • Organize a school supply drive
    • Tutor
    • Volunteer to clean up your local school
    • Mentor a child
  • Community: An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” Dr. King highly emphasized the importance of community bonds and service to the community. The current volunteering rate in the United States is 26.3 percent. It is important that individuals not only give back to the community in which they live, but also learn about their surroundings.
    • Learn about your community’s history
    • Identify cultural and religious groups in your community that may be neglected and discuss how their needs can be met.
    • Host a Sunday Supper
  • Youth: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Dr. believed in the importance of building up the nation’s youth because they are the future. Our mistakes will only be replicated by them if we do not teach them otherwise. 21 percent of all American children live at or below the set poverty level.
    • Organize a toy drive
    • Volunteer at a women’s or family shelter
  • Military/ Veterans: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” It is important that our communities across the nation honor the work that our military voluntarily performs to ensure our safety.
    • Assemble care packages for military members overseas
    • Write letters
    • Help a military family in need by babysitting or cooking a meal

The above facts are just a few reasons why we should make Martin Luther King Day a “day on, not a day off.” Not only does this day of service honor the memory of Dr. King, but it also strengthens our nation’s communities.

How will you make Dr. King’s dream a reality January 16?

Dr. King’s Challenge: What Are You Doing for Others?

Friday, January 6th, 2012

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a civil rights leader whose actions sparked a national movement. The 13 years he dedicated to civil rights activities ignited concern and conscience within our country’s citizens. His courage and selfless devotion were undeniable, and for this his legacy continues to inspire Points of Light and volunteers around the world.

Just four days after the assassination of the civil rights icon, legislation was proposed to make his birthday an official holiday. It took nearly 20 years and countless politicians to gather enough public support to receive Congressional support, and the day was first officially observed in 1986.

Martin Luther King, Jr. SpeechDuring his lifetime Dr. King worked tirelessly toward a dream of equality. He believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community service that helps solve problems. MLK Day programs meet tangible needs, such as revitalizing schools and feeding the homeless; but also build a sense of community and mutual responsibility by spurring conversation. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through volunteering and unite to strengthen communities, empower individuals, and bridge barriers.

There are many ways to celebrate MLK Day in your community, whether you’re leading a local nonprofit, organizing an event with your family or an elementary school student looking to make a difference.

Inspired by the legacy of Dr. King, America’s Sunday Supper invites people from diverse backgrounds to come together and share a meal, discuss issues that affect their community and highlight the power each one of us has to make a difference. These family and community suppers unite individuals for dinner and dialogue in the restaurants, coffee shops, community centers, faith-based organizations, and homes across the country. Leading up to MLK Day, individuals will participate in a community-by-community, nationwide conversation about our country’s most pressing social issues related to hunger, homelessness, and poverty.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

When individuals reach across differences in economic, ethnic, racial, and religious identities, meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships with neighbors can occur. A sense of community is gained by neighbors working together on projects, resulting in stronger civic engagement and bringing us all closer to Dr. King’s legacy.

How will you honor Dr. King with your service this upcoming MLK Day? Let us know in the comments below!