Tag Archives: giving

Children’s Day – Chiang Mai, Thailand

BBK

The only reason I knew about this celebration today was because Brian and I had some trouble getting transportation to my husband’s nursing home, and the GRAB cars had to reroute going and coming to avoid as much of the crowds and celebration as possible. 🥳

Children’s Day is celebrated the 2nd Saturday in January in Chiang Mai, and I think all around Thailand. In researching this, I was overwhelmed by all of the events and activities!

There is something going on sponsored by government agencies, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, children’s groups, and more.

Chiang Mai Kids – Ladiivploy

SOME of the activities I found are –

Dino Maze

Crafts & ice cream

Free foam party, donut decorating workshop

Bouncing Castle

World of Crazy Inventor Endoo – ‘playful town full of stories, tinkering, and adventure.

Immersive musical theatre, hands-on workshops, interactive experience,

Talent show, painting workshop. Bead craft.

Popcorn, cotton candy free gifts.

Water park…

I think you get the idea.

I liked the idea of many of the activities and events stressing mindfulness, gratitude, giving to others, learning new skills, and more.

Beautiful idea! 

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Filed under Seasons/Holidays in Chiang Mai, Thailanf

“Invisibility of Poverty” Art

Kevin Lee, Haohui Zhou, and Bin Liu combined their body painting and photography efforts to create an incredibly creative way to bring attention to homeless children and raise money for Unicef. They called their collaboration the “Invisibility of Poverty”, showing the problem was right in front of us, but faded into the background.

I found this in an article by Arnesia Young of MyModernMet.com

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A Gift

Jo Wessels

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A “Proper” Birthday Celebration

My sister-in-law told me this morning that she and her Mah Jongg group helped their friend John celebrate his 80th birthday. She said, “He dressed up with a walker and shawl and scarf to get in the spirit of the moment. Lots of good chatter and neighbors honking as they passed. We think we gave him a “proper” 80th birthday.”

This is a beautiful example of the goodness of people even in the midst of the horrible pandemic, and I’m proud to be on the same planet. John’s wife was in the group originally. She passed away and her husband John was inducted into the group by this caring bunch of people. What a happy way to show John he is valued!

May we add our “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN!” to the celebration.

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Give – Keep

Zig Ziglar – http://www.healthyspirituality.org

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Best Exercise for the Heart

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December 10, 2020 · 11:25 am

Gift

Maya Angelou – keepinspiring.me

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Tuesday

Inspirationfeed

In a few minutes I will drive down to get our mail and put out our trash. When I get back, I’ll spend some time on the elliptical trainer in the garage. I’m HOPING to do 20 minutes today, but I’ll do what I can and call it a win for the day. My motivation is high today. I was planning to do the elliptical MWF this week, but I’ll see what happens. :0)

My husband wanted to eat some of the South Beach pancakes this morning. The last time was a disaster, so we decided that the NEXT time we tried them, “I” would be the one who caused it. I mixed up the two packages (one for him and one for me) according to the directions. The batter was too thick. I added 2 more tablespoons. The end result was good. We used a little butter and some sugar-free syrup. It was a nice way to start the day.

I will check the garden and also see if we have ripe tomatoes to gather. It has been so hot that I have spent the minimum amount of time outside as possible. We have a 50% chance of rain today – particularly this afternoon – so I’m hopeful for a bit of a reprieve.

I am trying to choose something in the house that needs ‘healing’ (cleaning out, reorganizing, cleaning) each day. I’m not sure what today’s project will be yet. So MUCH to choose from! I’m working on large leaf bag #3 of things to donate to the Disabled Vets.

I’m re-reading book # 47 (out of 49) of the J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) “In Death” series. #50 in the series has been ordered and will arrive soon!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

 

 

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Filed under DIET!, exercise, Gardening, giving, Housekeeping - Maintenance, I'm a slob, Lewis projects, Organizing/DeCluttering, Square Foot Gardening - Raised Beds, Thoughts on a ________

Three Things

Henry James – SayingImages.com

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Giving

Boynton via Penny Yaffe Krakow

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Happy March 2020!

I have to tell you that, since I bought a calendar that is supposed to help support the firefighters in Australia, my year has been considerably brighter. Of course, I made the donation out of the goodness of my heart – NOT because there are gorgeous guys with puppies looking out at me each month…. :0)

2020 is shaping up to be a beautiful year. Let’s review –

This is Nathan and George – They were on the cover of the calendar.  I keep trying to read the words across his gorgeous chest – Nathan’s, not George’s…..

 

January was Ben and Nullah.

 

February has been Tuva and Milo.

 

 

And today we start March 2020 with Lloyd and Ollie.

My husband has remarked a couple of times about these men. I continue to point out that buying the calendar helped the firefighters. He KNOWS I love dogs, and the gorgeous guys are just an extra…..

Happy March!

*If you want your own calendar, this year or next year, the URL is http://www.australianfirefigherscalendar.com 

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New Mantra

Joshua Becker via becomingminimalist

Two years ago now, I made a donation to the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith at least once a month, every month, in an effort to declutter our home. I made a lot of progress, but I’m trying to get started again.

This month so far we have made one donation – a whole bunch of glasses – glass and plastic – that were cluttering up our kitchen cabinets and pantry. I was truly amazed when my husband brought a 5 foot long box in from the shop to use. I was amazed when we filled it almost to overflowing!  We added a trash bag with an old crock pot and an old juicer, and that it was the first donation.

I’m going to continue in the kitchen/pantry/dining area for now. Since we are eating keto now, I’ve changed the way I’m cooking. I’m going to reorganize, so that the things I use the most often are in the prime storage spaces – or, at least, that’s the PLAN. :0)

It feels good to gather things others can use and donate them.

This year I’m not going to try for any particular number of donations. I just want to make steady progress in my effort to only have things around that I use and enjoy.

 

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Christmas 2019

Alex Howitt

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Giving

Lisa Bearnes Richey

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Repost From BoredPanda.com of Wonderful Idea by a 9-Year-old Boy

This 9-Year-Old Russian Boy ‘Sells’ His Custom Pet Paintings For Food And Supplies For Shelter Animals

Not all heroes wear capes but their good deeds speak for themselves. This is yet another story to prove that even the smallest of us are capable of changing the world for the better and restore the faith in younger generations. Children come up with the most brilliant ways to solve problems that adults often fail at.

How to combine a love for art and help for stray animals? A kind-hearted 9-year-old Russian boy Pavel Abramov has the perfect answer to this question. The young artist from a small city of Arzamas in Nizhny Novgorod has been painting beautiful portraits of pets and not to make money for his toys or a new phone, as you would expect. He exchanges his lovely portraits for animal food and supplies and donates it to a local shelter. Everyone can help in their own way.

More info: vk.com | Instagram

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Pavel and his mother Ekaterina Bolshakova started this project called “Kind paintbrush” about a year ago. This idea originated in Pavel’s brilliant mind when the loss of a four-legged friend hit the family and he could no longer ignore stray animals wandering the streets of the city. He needed to take part in making a change in memory of his dear Barsik and he definitely did; in the most creative and generous way.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

 

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

But this wasn’t the start of their volunteering journey of helping animals in need. The duo has been managing a group on Russian social media site, VK, called “What a little volunteer is capable of?” which has been proving time after time that a little human being can bring a positive change and the others will follow. The young altruist doesn’t have a helping hand from funds and organizations; he doesn’t have managers and employees– but he has a huge heart and an undeniable talent.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Pavel paints real pets of owners who are ready to sign a deal to provide kilograms of porridge, meat, and supplies in exchange for a portrait of their beloved animal. He knows each of his models by name and often meets them when the painting is finished. He paints based on pets’ photos and is always interested in how owners met their furry family members. Pavel is deeply touched by the heartwarming stories of pets rescued from the cold streets and this is probably what makes up for all his efforts.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

 

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

This brave social initiative has already spread beyond Arzamas city. Animal lovers from all over Russia and even abroad want to have the portraits of their pets made while taking part in a charitable mission. Artwork made by Pavel’s kind paintbrush has traveled to Spain, Germany and more to come.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Pavel is the youngest volunteer of the only animal shelter in Arzamas that currently houses over 100 dogs. In exchange for his paintings, he asks for food, household supplies, accessories, depending on what the shelter needs at that particular moment.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Chuck’s portrait went to the customer in exchange for 5 kg of buckwheat, 10 cans of canned dog food, and skin medicine.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Charming Ksyusha’s portrait was exchanged for 6 kg of buckwheat, canned dog food, bandages and medicine.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Timofey’s portrait has been exchanged for a set of medicines and dog collars.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Jesse’s portrait was exchanged for 7 kg of offal and 3 kg of buckwheat.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Cheerful hamsters were presented to an owner in exchange for 4 kg of canned dog food, 2.5 kg of dry food, a leash, and a toy.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Portrait of cute Onyx for 3 kg of canned dog food, 2.5 kg of oatmeal, 4 kg of pearl barley, treats for dogs and household supplies.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

A portrait of these three girls in exchange for 15 kg of beef trimmings.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

Exchanged for 15 kg of selected beef delicacies for the shelter.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

The portrait of Rex, Tuzik, Keks and Lusya exchanged for 5 cans of canned beef, 1 liter of milk, 3 kg of cereal, a pack of dry food, and 5 kg of trimmings.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

The portrait of handsome Basi went to Natalia in exchange for 10 kg of buckwheat and 10 kg of pearl barley.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

10 kg beef bones for this portrait of lovely Sonya.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

This portrait of Mr. Puzan was exchanged for 15 kg of beef bones and trimmings.

Image credits: Что может маленький волонтёр?

“Our family is proud of his wonderful project. His days are scheduled to minutes, he wants to do absolutely everything, there is just not enough time,” the boy’s mother Ekaterina told Bored Panda. Pavel dreams of becoming an architect and building a big shelter in the future, and for now – he will contribute as much as he can with his art and humane initiatives.

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Goodness

The Age of Enlightenment via Janet Melendez – LinkedIn

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Been There…

The Literacy Site via Cathy Ruggiero

As we were getting ready to leave the bowling alley last night, a man came up to us. He apologized for bothering us, but asked if we knew anywhere he could get money. I won’t go into all the details, but as we all listened, he told us if he didn’t get to Houston by 8 am this morning, his daughter would go into foster care. He was desperate. He needed gas for his truck and didn’t have the money to fill up his tank and then get back again.

He told us he worked in Fort Smith. At first I thought it was a scam, but noticed he WAS wearing the shirt of a local business.  We asked how much he needed. He said it was a loan and he would pay us back, asking how he could find us. We just told him we would probably be at the bowling alley next Monday evening and he could pay us back then.

We have been in similar positions, needing and not finding help. When we needed money, there weren’t ATM’s and the local banks were closed, of course. Now we have credit cards where we could pay now and then worry about how to pay later – but he only had a debit card and it was all used up. He would get his paycheck today at noon – too late. We’ve been in the position of needing surgery and not having health insurance. Of needing medicine and not finding a pharmacy open or having cash to pay for it. Of not only trying to live paycheck to paycheck, but having to choose which bills to pay with what we had. We’ve been without jobs, selling whatever we had to make enough money to keep our home.

It made us feel good, though, that if he was telling us the truth, we were in a position to able to help him at least a little bit. I’m hoping, as I type this, he and his daughter are together now, on their way back to Fort Smith. I hope he can pick up his paycheck tomorrow at work – not in trouble for having to miss.

We don’t expect to see him again, but it would be really nice – restoring my faith in people – if we do.

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Giving

Jeff Jett – LinkedIn

I absolutely LOVE this photo – especially the bird sitting on the man’s head. :0)

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Take What You Need

Christina L Paul – LinkedIn

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Comfort and Strength

Smile and Shine via Cindy Basnett Thurman

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Donation

dohanews.co

Yesterday I finished (more or less) cleaning out my closet.

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to try to make donations to the Veterans Thrift Store in Fort Smith and our local library once a month.

Today was donation #9 for the year to the Veterans Thrift Store, so I’m a bit ahead on my goal!  I’m not doing as well on donations to the local library. I’ve only done 4 this year, so will have to step up my efforts.

It feels good to be going through our things, purging what we’re not using, seeing that other people have access to what they might enjoy, and having less ‘STUFF.’

I have some fine tuning on my closet, but I’m almost there. :0)

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Giving

3xM-International

Sharing what you have makes you feel good.

Years ago my husband and I gave monthly donations to two organizations. Sadly, we discovered that WAAAAAY too much of the money being donated went to the top leadership and other administrative costs, rather than to the people who needed the donations. We became cynical.

Lately I’ve found some tools that allow you to check out charities, illuminating their worth either by grades, by accreditation, or by stars. You can find out what percentage of the money received goes to the actual people for which the charity was founded, as opposed to salary for the leader of the organization and other administrative costs. I found three of these services on the net: Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, and BBB Wise Giving Alliance. I personally found Charity Navigator the easiest to use, providing a list of 4 Star Charities. Charity Watch was second. It looked like you had to join the site at first, but after looking around, I found a list that provided ‘grades’ for many of the charities I was researching. BBB Wise Giving Alliance ranked third, as far as I’m concerned. I only found one of the charities I was interested in that was ‘accredited.’ Mostly, they said that the charity hadn’t filled out the paperwork to be listed.

If you try to choose charities by name, you’re likely to be disappointed, as we were years ago, by the money not being used wisely, or being used to line someone’s pocket, or even an actual scam. If the charity is considered good by two of the three services, you can be sure that your money is going to the people you’d like to help.

I spent some time researching this morning, coming up with 5 charities I thought deserved our money. I took the list and talked them over with my husband. He chose two, and I arranged for monthly donations to each of them.  Locally we do what we can to help our local library and the Veterans Thrift Store – formally called Disabled Veterans Town. We love to choose a child each year from the Salvation Army Christmas Tree, taking their list and buying as many things from it as we can, imagining a sweet, delighted child on Christmas morning. :0)  We contribute on a sporadic basis to political organizations and candidates, but mainly give them a piece of our minds….

You Tube

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Reaching Out

My husband saw a piece in GUNS magazine about the various branches of the service needing basic things to make their service in Iraq and Afghanistan a bit more comfortable. Since we were heading to the grocery store this morning, we included a list of things listed by some Marines.

http://www.fanpop.com-Photo by Lance Cpl. Monty Burton)(Released)

The pitch in the magazine was for Christmas, and we’ll probably do that, too, but we wanted to get a package in the mail tomorrow. The group handling this is called AnySoldier.com, with branches under it, such as AnyMarine.com. You can see a list of what they would appreciate most.

We shopped for

  • electronic chargers
  • earphones
  • small speakers
  • snacks
  • hygiene needs, such as baby wipes
  • tweezers
  • clippers, plus
  • sudoku, crosswords, wordsearches.
  • we also included mechanical pencils, markers, tootbrushes and toothpaste, etc.

We personally decided to stay away from food or things that might leak, not knowing in what condition packages arrived. Maybe we can find out more for the next package, including how to pack liquids and snacks so they arrive in good condition.

My husband included an extremely short note in the package, telling them that his weapon when he was in the Marines was a stone axe, but that he appreciated their circumstances and hoped the things we sent would make their time there a bit easier.

We’re hoping that a lot of others are answering the call and that lots of service men and women will get things from the packages that will give them a bit of  a boost.

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Giving

Life Lessons by AwePost

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