This is an EASY ONE.
In just two steps, online, for free, you can make and send a special Valentine’s Day card for a child that may not be feeling all that special next Tuesday.
3,500 cards were distributed a year ago at Children’s National Medical Center to little ones stuck in the hospital. They’re doing it again this year with even bigger goals for more cards:
“After people choose their design and write a message, we literally produce printed cards to distribute at the hospital. I love it because it gives people an easy way to connect directly with children, and it combines email/social media with traditional paper cards. Anyone can send an email – but we’re allowing them to send a real card to a child who will really appreciate it.”- Mark Miller, Director, Philanthropic Communication, Children’s National Medical Center.
You can choose from card designs on the site, or create your own. Your card will be printed out at the hospital, and given directly to a child.
Won’t you join me and make Tuesday special for some little person that won’t be in their classroom that day when everyone else gets the bag of cards from their classmates?
Follow this link, craft your card- so much better than the candy or flowers you’re getting for someone else! Help them reach their goal of 5,000 cards this year!
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Meet Addi. She’s a Lab/Heinz 57 mix. Barely 2 months old and from the local Humane Society. You probably ought to meet her brother, Gabe, but, he’s sleeping.
In our household, we have a dog “limit”. That means our “permanent” dog count is two: a 15-year-old Fox Terrier, and a 7-year-old Pom Poo.
But, for good reason, we’ve decided to stretch that limit temporarily by becoming Foster Parents at the Humane Society.
The Humane Society is a no-kill shelter, so that means they need help to place pets in a good home. The fact is that many of the pets aren’t quite ready to be adopted when they come to the shelter. That’s where good foster parenting is needed.
Our current guests, Addi and Gabe, are with us for ten days while we help them get over their kennel cough. The best thing we can do for them is to get them ready for adoption. In the meantime, a little good lovin’, some time outside their crate….anything to make them more “marketable”.
The folks at the Humane Society are no Dummies….this is really just marketing with the cutest product available. Sooner or later, one of the foster kids will end up never going back to the shelter! (I know they’ll get us, and it will be a pleasure to be “gotten”).
How does it work? From the Greenville, SC, website
http://www.greenvillehumane.com/foster-program:
Animals are placed in foster care for a set period of time and later returned to the Greenville Humane Society for adoption. For the duration of foster care, the Greenville Humane Society provides food, any necessary medications, training for the volunteer, a collar (for dogs), a pet carrier (for cats) and leash (if needed). All the foster needs to provide are love, attention and proper care for the pet.
There are many reasons why the Greenville Humane Society must rely on foster care. A lack of available space in our shelter or minor health issues that the animal may have are a couple of those reasons. By opening up your home to these animals, you’re saving their life.
Addi would like to make one final comment. Oh wait..
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Here’s the national site:
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You don’t always get to pick vendors because they are interested in the right causes. It sure helps when they are.
PHOTO CREDIT: deems.wordpress.com
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This week we’re in Seattle with our preferred merchandise vendor, BDA (http://www.bdainc.com/) for what they call their “Supplier Alliance Fair”. (Read on, this is NOT about a trade show for SWAG).
BDA recently formed the BDA Cares Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to manage all of their philanthropic giving. The driving force behind the BDA Cares Foundation will be Susan’s Rock, named in honor of a longtime BDA family member, who unfortunately was a fatal victim of domestic violence.
I’ve got to hand it to BDA: faced with a huge tragedy (they are still privately held and promote a “family feel”)- they decided to do something about it. The message of Susan’s Rock is to be strong, to be there for someone and to save lives. Standing strong together against domestic violence is a cause BDA will be firmly committed to on an ongoing basis as a company.
PHOTO CREDIT: trailchatter.com
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So, as a show of strength, BDA is going to “Rock the Needle” the morning of Thursday, Jan. 19.
PHOTO CREDIT: pddnet.com
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Since we’re here, it’s a good week to be asking vendors and clients for donations. For me, it’s a good week to agree to do it. Here’s what Susan’s Rock will help with:
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It’s a good cause, and from a vendor that makes me feel good to buy from. Because they care. I’m sure they wouldn’t turn down a donation from you.
Winds are calm at our stadium. The seats are filling up…
Thought I’d let a week or so into 2012 lapse before I posted this.
It’s not:
IMAGE CREDIT: inspirationline.com
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There, did I pretty much cover everything else written that you really didn’t care to read? Well, I covered most of my list. Please feel free to add.
Fact is, today, and you, pretty much look like any other day. These changes that are only made with the convenience of a calendar change always seem to end badly.
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We’re not simply all shiny and new like the New Year’s Baby’s butt, with all of our concerns, crises, and challenges simply wiped clean. We’ll hold the Baby’s Butt analogy right there.
How many days make a Fad, how many days make a Habit of any resolution to change? What, we’re at the 10th Day of the Year and I have missed the gym all 10 of them?
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I have a great idea, and it’s not that hard. Might make for a great resolution to form a few days late. Definitely is a habit that it won’t hurt to pick up.
Starting NOW…..OK, at least by tomorrow….how about spending a few minutes each day just doing something nice for yourself? You KNOW there are precious few others who will do it for you.
A few minutes of solitude, your favorite music, positive reflection or projection.
Don’t over-eat, don’t over-sleep, don’t over-indulge. This is a positive declaration of moderation. Try it, you might like it.
There, I feel better already.
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Perhaps you have heard about this groundswell of goodwill. Folks walking into mass merchants- the most frequency seems to be at KMart- and anonymously paying off Layaway accounts.
Have to admit, I liked the idea so well, I did it myself yesterday.
I liked it even better AFTER I did it. In case you are considering it, here’s how smoothly it worked for me:
I went to a local Big KMart, and back to the Layaway Desk. I had actually thought about what I would need to explain to the clerk, just in case they weren’t aware of what was going on in Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan and elsewhere. No need for that- as soon as I said, “I want to pay off an account, I just don’t know which one…”, the clerk was on the phone to Security.
“I’ve got a Secret Santa”.
From there, it was easy. The security person relayed accounts about to default. Without disclosing the account holder’s names, the clerk and I looked at the account detail and selected ones with primarily toys, and at an amount I wanted to spend. KMart then calls the account holder with their “new” balance. EZ PZ.
I was frankly relieved that I didn’t have to explain what I wanted to do, and THAT turned out to be the best part- “Oh no, sir, LOTS of people are doing it”. Take that, Mr. Scrooge!
Now, I have heard the cynics suggesting that KMart is somehow gaining itself from all this generosity. A quick check of both the KMart layaway website (www.kmart.com/Holiday-2011) and their Twitter account, http://twitter.com/Kmart have no mention of Secret Santas. Probably a miss in the PR realm, but save that for another post.
There is, of course, the reality that any retailer offering layaway does stand to gain if the account defaults- merchandise is returned to stock and down payments and service fees are forfeited.
While perhaps a slightly unfortunate part of the retailer’ business plan, by being a Secret Santa, you can avoid that happening, too.
Double Bonus. Take my word for it. Double, at least.
How about you, it there a little “Secret Santa” in you somewhere?
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Sometimes the view from the office can be downright stunning!
You may have seen South Carolina native Melissa Kellerman and the beginning of her 15 minutes of fame during Thursday’s Cowboys-Dolphins game.
It was a harmless incident, and Kellerman, in her fourth year with the team, was a really good sport about it. TE Jason Witten was a gentleman in helping her up and making sure she was OK. A great opportunity for a feel-good Social Media opportunity was born. On Kellerman’s Twitter account Friday:
Harmless. All in good fun, and you would think “America’s Team” would have been all smiles for this great PR opportunity to drop in their lap. This is the team that allows a “reality show” on CMT with the cheerleaders. The “official” Facebook page refers to the cheerleaders as “America’s Sweethearts”. Great opportunity, right?
Yep. Great opportunity for the Cowboys… to TOTALLY BLOW IT.
According to reports in Yahoo! Sports, the Hollywood Reporter and FOX Sports Southwest, the NFL franchise has now kicked Kellerman off Twitter for her Tweets.
According to CNBC, the Cowboys will not allow Kellerman to speak to the media about the incident. Really?
For their part, the Cowpokes have released no statement on the incident. They clearly don’t approve of non-corporately approved cheerleader Twitter activity.
So now, with Social Media, the Cowboys have performed as they have many times on the field.
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
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UPDATE: Finally, an official response from the Cowboys. No comment on the opportunity, no positioning of the response. Just a simple denial of responsibility.
Following a request for comment from CNET, the team’s director of public relations, Rich Dalrymple, wrote in an email, “The organization doesn’t get [into] administering the Twitter accounts of players or cheerleaders. Melissa made her own decisions regarding her account over the weekend.”
Oh, and one other little twist to the story. Kellerman’s account is back on Twitter, but her tweets are now private. Her bio reads, “22-ish. Wears white cowboy boots and stars to work. Bridesmaid x2. Chapstick addict. Enjoys romantic walks to the fridge.”
Looks a little sanitized from the weekend to me.
The Cowboys. Still. Don’t. Get. It.
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PHOTO Credits: Getty Images, The Hollywood Reporter
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