It's February, that means it's Girl Scout cookie and Campfire candy time! Nathan barricades the door from the neighbor kids, and I carry small bills in cash to buy mints at the grocery store! Ordinarily I'm too cheap to imagine spending $5 on cookies or candy, but as a top seller (and fortunate daughter of a top consumer!) I feel for those girls standing out at their little table! Several of the people on the blog stood out there next to me!
I think peddling mints taught me alot of valuable lessons. First was working hard, putting in hours in February to earn credit toward summer camp. Second was salesmanship; we always managed to get the bookings at the bank on payday (can't use the excuse of having no cash!), the hardware store on Sunday afternoon (husbands out on their honey-do list can't say no to little girls selling candy!) and the ferry line on Saturday (captive audience for 30 minutes at a time!).
I always buy from the girls at the store, because signing up on an order form at work doesn't teach the kids to work hard, appeal to people, and conduct transactions, valuable skills for later life. Thanks to my mom & dad for instilling the values of hard work, my girlfriends for standing at that table with me in the cold, and the Campfire and Girl Scouts organizations for providing the opportunity for kids to learn these values! Enjoy the mints this month!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
MLK Day of Service
Happy MLK Jr. Day of Service, "a day ON, not a day off"! http://mlkday.gov/ I think this is a fantastic idea to transform a holiday to catalyze community service, and a reminder that and community opportunities abound throughout the year, with resources to match any interest.
I congratulate my sister, a teacher who is attending a United Way organized event today right up her alley - a bake-off at a Senior Center - and has found very interesting volunteer opportunities ranging from making sack lunches for a homeless shelter, to a fundraiser for the animal shelter with pet Santa pictures through http://www.seattle.onebrick.org/; http://www.volunteermatch.org; and another great local resource http://www.seattleworks.org.
With so many choices, it's easy to have decision paralysis, but I got started volunteering with a cause very close to me, beach restoration at the beach where Nathan and I spent sunsets during high school, through People for Puget Sound. http://www.pugetsound.org. Being involved with like minded volunteers also connected me to other opportunities, one of my new favorites is http://www.idealnetwork.com; essentially Groupon with proceeds shared with non-profits.
Charity doesn't always have to involve monetary donations; sometimes in-kind donations or volunteering are more personal and valuable. As we are remodeling our kitchen, I have been able to donate unused household goods to the YWCA womens shelter, https://www.ywcaworks.org/, giving back to a resource that was available to my aunt 25 years ago when she left an abusive husband with my cousins, then toddlers, one of my earliest memories.
As MLK Jr. Day of Service calls to attention community involvement and volunteerism, please share your experience of interesting resources that you have found to share the love!
I congratulate my sister, a teacher who is attending a United Way organized event today right up her alley - a bake-off at a Senior Center - and has found very interesting volunteer opportunities ranging from making sack lunches for a homeless shelter, to a fundraiser for the animal shelter with pet Santa pictures through http://www.seattle.onebrick.org/; http://www.volunteermatch.org; and another great local resource http://www.seattleworks.org.
With so many choices, it's easy to have decision paralysis, but I got started volunteering with a cause very close to me, beach restoration at the beach where Nathan and I spent sunsets during high school, through People for Puget Sound. http://www.pugetsound.org. Being involved with like minded volunteers also connected me to other opportunities, one of my new favorites is http://www.idealnetwork.com; essentially Groupon with proceeds shared with non-profits.
Charity doesn't always have to involve monetary donations; sometimes in-kind donations or volunteering are more personal and valuable. As we are remodeling our kitchen, I have been able to donate unused household goods to the YWCA womens shelter, https://www.ywcaworks.org/, giving back to a resource that was available to my aunt 25 years ago when she left an abusive husband with my cousins, then toddlers, one of my earliest memories.
As MLK Jr. Day of Service calls to attention community involvement and volunteerism, please share your experience of interesting resources that you have found to share the love!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year's Resolution
I'd like to share my New Year's Resolution with the people who have inspired me to make this commitment for the coming year and perhaps perpetuity. I have resolved to "Pay it Forward" in the form of charitable donations where the opportunity arises, and in the aspect of perpetuating this charity, to present to those who might be likewise inspired. It is not my intention to solicit donations, but rather to explore opportunities and organizations that may be compelling. Good intentions had previously been arrested by 'decision paralysis' of too many worthy causes to decide among. But along came Christmas with all the obligatory gift giving, and I found each individual identified with an intriguing cause, and so did nearly all of my Christmas gifting in the form of donations. (with the happy side effect of staying away from malls among last minute shoppers!)
I invite the recipients of those Christmas gifts to join along in this blog, and if you too wish to Pay It Forward, maybe pass along to another person who might likewise find inspiration. I will try to post new content monthly, and welcome participation from anyone who is interested. I will try to explore topics of seasonal interest, such as inspiring books, non-profit selection, and tax implications in the Spring; volunteer opportunities and environmental causes in the Summer, childrens programs and fundraising in the Fall, and holiday causes and giving in the winter.
Of course everyone may not be able to give monetarily, but there are so many opportunities to volunteer your time with a cause you identify with. MLK Day [http://mlkday.gov/] on January 17 is a national day of service with many local opportunities sponsored by United Way. [http://liveunited.org]
Finally, I'd like to recognize the individuals who inspired me, and the organization identified with them, which I will highlight individually throughout the year. Thank you all for inspiring me, and helping to Pay It Forward in 2011!
Campfire [http://www.campfireusasnohomish.org/] - Linda Howerton
Boys and Girls Clubs [http://www.bgca.org/] - Tom Howerton
Susan G. Komen for the Cure [http://www.komen.org/] - Janelle Howerton, Breanne Matejka
Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund [http://www.redcross.org] - Breanne Matejka
People For Puget Sound [http://www.pugetsound.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Vanassa Lundheim
Heifer International [http://www.heifer.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Allison Donnelly
Camp Korey [http://www.campkorey.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Eileen Hudak
KIVA [http://www.kiva.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Eileen Hudak, Brooke Fitterer, Michelle Pauley
Soroptimist International [http://www.soroptimist.org/] - Brooke Fitterer
Kindering Center [http://www.kindering.org/] - Brooke Fitterer
UNICEF [http://www.unicef.org] - Stephanie Buetow, Karen Bertram
Sno-Isle Libraries 'Books for Babies' [http://www.sno-isle.org/] - Kristin Page
Tacoma Humane Society [http://thehumanesociety.org/] - Shirley Muntz, Rufus Muntz
Snohomish Dog Off Leash Group [http://snodog.org/] - Rufus Muntz
I invite the recipients of those Christmas gifts to join along in this blog, and if you too wish to Pay It Forward, maybe pass along to another person who might likewise find inspiration. I will try to post new content monthly, and welcome participation from anyone who is interested. I will try to explore topics of seasonal interest, such as inspiring books, non-profit selection, and tax implications in the Spring; volunteer opportunities and environmental causes in the Summer, childrens programs and fundraising in the Fall, and holiday causes and giving in the winter.
Of course everyone may not be able to give monetarily, but there are so many opportunities to volunteer your time with a cause you identify with. MLK Day [http://mlkday.gov/] on January 17 is a national day of service with many local opportunities sponsored by United Way. [http://liveunited.org]
Finally, I'd like to recognize the individuals who inspired me, and the organization identified with them, which I will highlight individually throughout the year. Thank you all for inspiring me, and helping to Pay It Forward in 2011!
Campfire [http://www.campfireusasnohomish.org/] - Linda Howerton
Boys and Girls Clubs [http://www.bgca.org/] - Tom Howerton
Susan G. Komen for the Cure [http://www.komen.org/] - Janelle Howerton, Breanne Matejka
Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund [http://www.redcross.org] - Breanne Matejka
People For Puget Sound [http://www.pugetsound.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Vanassa Lundheim
Heifer International [http://www.heifer.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Allison Donnelly
Camp Korey [http://www.campkorey.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Eileen Hudak
KIVA [http://www.kiva.org/] - Leslie Muntz, Eileen Hudak, Brooke Fitterer, Michelle Pauley
Soroptimist International [http://www.soroptimist.org/] - Brooke Fitterer
Kindering Center [http://www.kindering.org/] - Brooke Fitterer
UNICEF [http://www.unicef.org] - Stephanie Buetow, Karen Bertram
Sno-Isle Libraries 'Books for Babies' [http://www.sno-isle.org/] - Kristin Page
Tacoma Humane Society [http://thehumanesociety.org/] - Shirley Muntz, Rufus Muntz
Snohomish Dog Off Leash Group [http://snodog.org/] - Rufus Muntz
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