READ: How to be Charitable Regardless of the Economy!

How to be Charitable Regardless of the Economy!

Today more than ever Charities need your help…but before you say, “I am almost a Charity Case Myself…How can I help?” ….read the following mind stretching idea’s that will help YOU give even more than you did before the media started to use the ‘R’ word! (You know the word the one with Recess in it!)

1. What if you exchange your service for a tax receipt…. so, if you have book keeping or accounting skills. Or if you have a legal background… or if you have mad chef skills…. Speak with the charity to see is they would be willing to exchange your service for a little piece of paper that saves you money in tax season.

2. Christmas Jars… (my family and I read a book several years ago by that name.) All year long, we through our change into a jar… then in December, we pick a person or family to give the jar to. We don’t tell them why or who we are…we simply put the jar on the step and run away.

3. Recycle … go through your closets, and shelves..tidy up the shed and the garage… and take that stuff into a shelter or Goodwill or Salvation Army. You’ll help families in need and in some cases..you will get a tax receipt ….or store credit that you can hand to the next person walking in the door!

4. Give Flowers, when we lived in the city, on our trips to Costco, I would buy a bouquet of roses. (crazy inexpensive) then on the way home we would give half of them away. Several times, we would stop at the local coffee shop and my children would walk up to a sweet older woman ..hand her the roses and say something like, “ the universe wanted you to have a special gift today..and here they are.” Hand her the flowers and walk away. She would either have tears streaming down her cheeks or a shocked look on her face…but it didn’t matter. Then the rest of the way home, my kids and I would make up stories about how the rest of the ladies day would go. (This is something that the giver gets so much more out of…than the receiver…try it to see what I mean)

5. Charity Credit Cards… did you know that some credit cards give a small percentage of the money that you spend to charities… for example the Bank of America’s World WildLife Fund Visa gives that charity $100 when you sign up plus .$0.25 for every $100 that you spend. If you are using plastic anyways… might as well give it to a good cause.

6. Speaking of Plastic… why not donate some Air Miles to a charity like Ronald McDonald house so that families can fly to be together with their children when they are having treatments.

7. If YOU work for a large corporation, they may already have a matching charity gift program in place…that way for every dollar that you give.. your place of employment will double the donation. It is worth looking into or encouraging your employer to start.

8. What about sponsoring a child or a family as a group? Have several friends or co-workers come together to sponsor a child… that way people get help..and you don’t have to do it alone. (A World Vision Sponsor is tripling any donation given to World Vision in the month of December.)

9. Most of the time, we really don’t need any more things to add to our already too big “Stuff” collection …so why not ask that the givers on your list..donate to your favorite charity instead of allowing your “Stuff” to take over your space.

10. If you are a business owner and have excess inventory… why not donate it? For examples, if you have a shoe store..donate last year’s shoes to the sports team at school. If you have a jersey store..why not do the same thing? Schools need things like art supplies, musical instruments ..music, craft supplies, games, sports equipment and soo much more. {Need a school / organization to donate to? Here is my favorite.. Team Genesis http://www.teamgenesis.org/ expanding on the core methods of mentoring athletes, academic success, and the overall attainment of personal goals… inspiring the students of today to be the Leaders of tomorrow. }

11. Bikes that your children have out grown..give them to a family that may not be able to afford one for their children. (write a note on it and leave it on their step.)

12. Lots of companies honor their employees that volunteer… some give awards that include a cash gift to the winners charity. If you have a criminal records check done.. you can volunteer as a coach or assistant in everything from cheerleader to basketball.

13. Turn your Christmas party into a fundraiser or food drive…

14. Encourage company management to sponsor the Operation Red-nose campaign …(or whatever you call it in your town.) Local University or College supply’s designated drivers to bring home party goers and their cars…so they don’t drink and drive. It is all donation ‘s to support the athletic department.

15. Christmas Baking… if you are doing it anyways..why not make double the batch and drop it off with a family that may not have the time or resources to bake their own.

16. Coats… if you have winter clothing or blankets that are gently used, drop them off at the shelter to keep other people warm.

17. Gift Books to the school Library. You can add a tag that say’s this book was donated by “insert child’s name and year.” Then as your kids grow, they can she how many children get to check out the book that they donated.

18. Babysit… for a neighbor (unless you live in the UK where it is not legal,) so that they can finish up their shopping without packing the kids to the mall.

19. Helping Hands …Carl Van Haght and some other Earth Angels of HelloHello.net is mentoring people with their ‘online’ skills to help give a hand up rather than a hand out. HelloHello.Net is: A Social Networking Portal where you can upload your profile, search for friends, become friends, upload pictures and videos, chat, blog, email, use Twitter & Facebook on the site, check profiles, update your online status, start groups, post a poll, add an event, and much, much more. Compared to all other similar concepts that make billions of dollars per portal per year and don’t share this revenue with their members, HelloHello.Net pays 60% of all income from different advertising sources on HelloHello.Net back to all members. HelloHello.Net also has a strong mission regarding charity and fundraising that is why helping hands is so successful! 60% of all income from advertising and other ventures will be paid back to the members. 38% of all income will go to HelloHello.Net (administration). 2% will be given to well established and reputable charity organizations. 50 cents will go to charity each time a transaction is made via PinPay (Merchant). Check out http://bit.ly/2ceZFs to Social Network for $$$’s for Charity and YOU!

20. Never underestimate the gift of a smile, holding a door open, or helping someone carry some packages.

21. Shovel a neighbors drive way.

22. Clean your child’s room (if you don’t normally do it.)

23. Visit people in an old folk’s home. Adopt a grandparent!

24. Give as you earn Payroll giving is a simple, tax-efficient way of donating through your salary. Because your donation is taken from your salary before tax is deducted, it costs you less you get the tax credits.

25. Give More..Get More! Want your donation dollars to have the greatest impact possible? Make your contributions to GlobalGiving projects around the globe go further with $250,000 of available matching funds! http://www.globalgiving.org/

26. Give the world & YOUrself the Gift of Peace… by making a conscious choice to Stand for Peace. Download your own unique Peace Certificate at http://www.peaceinourlifetime.org/ all you do is add your name and country…no email… and you can post your own peace certificate proudly anywhere you choose.

So there YOU have it… my little list of how YOU can really make a great impact no matter what your resources look like. Plus…as an added bonus… every time YOU decide to make a difference for someone else, YOU are making a deposit into your Karmic Bank Account… and it never hurts to have some Karmic Cash laying around for the times that you need it. Remember that “Givers, Gain!” No matter how small the amount may be… every little bit of service that you offer, makes a difference for all parties involved. The cool thing about the list above…is that it really doesn’t matter what time of year it is… YOU can still be of service… be charitable with your time, skills, love, and friendship. I promise you that when your heart is in the right place… you are aligning yourself in the flow of abundance. Allow it to flow to you and through you, to create a cycle of giving and receiving.

Wishing YOU a Day filled with Service & Understanding.
Humbly Yours,
Marcia

P.S. Those are 3 of my Boys in the picture…

VividLife.me Contributor

Blog http://www.eaupening.blogspot.com/
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P.S. I am about to hit the Facebook Friend Limit of 5000 friends. It would be great to connect & learn more about YOU so I invite you link with me here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marcia-Johnson/108904942429 on my facebook page. I have created about 30 groups, pages & applications so I have a lot to share with you, I will do my very best to Inspire and Motivate YOU to live your full potential. Thank YOU… Feel free to share with me, more about YOU!

Technorati Tags: Charity, Donate, Give, Inspire, Marcia Johnson, Serve

What do the Maya really say about 2012? Celebrating the Peace TOGETHER

Our Great friends at Peace Jam have just created this outstanding Movie, “2012: The True Mayan Prophecy”.

Looking for something to hold on to in these crazy, rapidly changing times? Then you will love PeaceJam’s new film, ’2012: The True Mayan Prophecy’. Rigoberta Menchu, The Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu and others tell you what you DON’T need to worry about, and the five things we all need to be doing right now in order to best survive this change in time.

Download Movie here:  http://www.westword.com/mayan2012prophecy

This movie has been created to dispel the Fear about our future and help to share the Peace that we are creating everyday. What do the Maya really say about 2012? Is the world going to end on December 21, 2012? Learn more from the most famous Maya in the world, 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchu Tum of Guatemala, and her Mayan elders. Filmed over a period of five years, this 50 minute documentary film takes you deep into the Guatemalan highlands, where a small group of elders have preserved the traditions of the ancient Mayas, passing this deep knowledge down from generation to generation in an unbroken lineage of over 2,000 years.

Today is the day that PeaceJam together with Peace in OUR Lifetime invite YOU to watch this movie with us.

Download Movie here:  http://www.westword.com/mayan2012prophecy

We would be honored to hear your thoughts after watching the video … https://www.facebook.com/pages/PEACE-in-OUR-Lifetime-Im-a-Dreamer-AND-Were-Creating-it-NOW/27735287269?ref=ts

Humbly Yours,

Marcia & Lynne

Technorati Tags: 2012 prophecy, 2012 The True Mayan Prophecy, Dalai Lama, Dawn Engle, Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize, Peace in Our Lifetime, Peace Jam

Impact

What have you done to make an impact today? Did you let the people around you know that you love and appreciate them? Today you can make the conscious choice to shine your light a little brighter, smile and choose to be positive.

Tell your kids that you think they are great, let your Boss know that you are grateful for your job. (If you are not, start looking for one that you can be passionate about and excited to get out of bed to get to each morning.)

If this was your last day on earth, who would you want to talk to and what would you want them to always remember when they think about you? Why not share that with them now?

What can you do today that lightens the load of another person? What can you do to lend a hand or help out? It is a wonderful feeling to know that today, I made a difference. I listened to a friend when they needed to be heard. Or that I shared a story or experience that helped someone not feel so alone.

I want to remind you encase you may have forgotten, You are Amazing! You will never know the real impact that your ripple effect can make on another person’s life. Big or little, make an effort… You may even save a life by simply looking into someone in the eyes… Because they feel seen! It may seem too easy but I know it to be true!

Over the years, I have shared my heart, my life, my bloopers, my experiences, and my love with people around the globe… And more often than not, I receive tear stained emails, expressing their gratitude for Being here for them, for the motivation + encouragement that I continue to share. Not all of the stories or thoughts will be “one size fits all.” However, the simple act of sharing… Can be exactly what the reader or viewer needed at exactly that moment.

So, don’t be scared… Pay it forward and make someone else’s day by expressing your gratitude for them and who they are in your life.

Remember that Every action that you take, every decision that you make, Everything that you do matters. You matter! You are only on this earth for a limited number of days; don’t let another one pass you by without making the conscious decision to express your gratitude… Everyday.

I Love YOU!

Humbly,

Marcia

Email: Marciajk@hotmail.com

Twitter:  @Marciajk

Facebook : Marcia Johnson

Technorati Tags: help, Impact, love, Marcia Johnson, Pay It Forward

Changing Education Paradigms

Divergent Thinking (The Ability to see multiple ways to solve a problem.)…. this is an outstanding idea that really speaks to possibility and the solutions that are needed to step out of the old Paradigm in Education! The Sooner the Better (See video link below)

Not to long ago, I was the chair of my Children’s School Council as well as the chair of District School Council and on the board of the Provincial Home & School Council.  For many years I was consumed in these positions and completely dedicated to supporting the Principals & Teachers in my province.

The provincial perspective offered me the ability to observe and appreciate how well our local schools were run verses some others in the province.  However, as I was thinking about running for Trustee, I began to wake up to the idea that perhaps there were many better ways of creating solutions for our nations youth rather than sticking to the old ways of thinking simply because it worked for our parents and our parents parents.  My views expanded to include and understand that we need to stop treating our kids like they all have the same needs at the same time. Our Students are on an assembly line to become “Employees” rather than functioning People and creative, contributing members of society. Instead of creating cookie cutter molds of what each teacher thinks that the government tests require our children to learn.  We live in a system where we are more concerned about the Provincial Exam results are because those numbers will effect funding.

Don’t get me wrong…. I LOVE Teachers who Love what they do! Who serve with Passion, Dedication and Inspire Creativity. The Teachers who are leading by example and who are LIFE long Learners themselves. However, I think where the big big road block is… is those Teachers who are in it for simply the pay check. Working to live instead of Living to Work.

After multiple years of service, I stepped down from all of those positions because, I started to think that Perhaps …. there is a better way…

Please take a moment to watch this video:

“This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA’s Benjamin Franklin award.”

I think that young people are going through a creativity holocaust perpetrated by teachers especially ones who hate their jobs.

For more information on Sir Ken’s work visit: http://www.sirkenrobinson.com/

I found that my voice is much more powerful as a Parent … rather than a Chair.  Instead of banging my head against a broken system that is stuck in the same cycle of conveyor belt students, I have found my actions much more effective by spending more time with my kids rather than being stuck in so many meetings talking about the same issues (some times for years).

The reason that I really wanted to share these two videos with you today is to inspire YOU to use your voice. Parents need to start speaking up and expressing their Cheers & Concerns about their children’s education. Parents need to SUPPORT Great Teachers who LOVE what they do. Parents need to back Schools in creating Solutions, Parents need to share their ideas and then be willing to do the work necessary to get all of our kids out of the cookie cutter system.

Even more so… School Districts need to be HONEST in their news releases about class sizes,  (and stop averaging all classes including non-core classes in those numbers. Example: averaging Shop classes with 15 students in with the 33 student class rooms of English class . ) We must be TRANSPARENT in painting the real picture of what is happening in Classrooms so that the voting population (Seniors with no students) feel that changes are necessary. Unless this changes, Councils across the nation will continue in the same cycle of not being as effective as they truly want to be.

Together, we CAN make a real difference in our Children’s Futures… but the work starts now.

Humbly,

Marcia

http://www.twitter.com/Marciajk

Technorati Tags: Change, education, Honesty, Marcia Johnson, parent, School, Student, transparency

Conscious Music

For some time now, there has been an on going conversation about a blossoming genre of music that seems to penetrate to the core of the listener with it’s outstanding healing qualities. After much discussion, the great people at Uniting Creatives decided it was time to put into words what this movement of music was. The following is what Shawn Gallaway created it to be:

Conscious Music:
Includes all genres of music that raises awareness, inspiring life-enhancing action, and through its vibrational frequency activates the heart with love, honor, and healing for all life.

At a Uniting Creatives event last week, I had the pleasure of hearing Shawn Gallaway speak about how in the 60′s and 70′s the music was what brought people together in the celebration of Peace, Love, Unity and Understanding. Shawn’s call to action is to UNITE both Musicians and Global Change Leaders synthetically on the same stage, to share the enlightenedmessage of working TOGETHER to create the world that we want to see. Not only will the listener hear the message of awakening to who we were meant to BE; but also BE Shifted at a cellular level.

The following are some great examples of songs & musicians who have created “ConsciousMusic.” The true list of Conscious MusicCreators is to long to share all at once, however, the next time that you find yourself singing along with the radio, ask yourself if the music that you are listening to “raises awareness, inspires life-enhancing action, and through its vibrational frequency activates the heart with love, honor, and respect for all life.”

Wishing YOU Inspired Action, Conscious Music & Abundance.
Humbly,
Marcia

Twitter @Marciajk
Facebook http://amplify.com/u/efjf
Peace In OUR Lifetime
Uniting Creatives

Technorati Tags: Conscious Music, Marcia Johnson, Music, Nashville, Shawn Gallaway

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