Do Good

My resolution this year is to try to set a better example for my daughter. It’s little things, mainly, like flossing and trying to be better about recycling and expanding our diets beyond the 12 or so easy things I tend to make for dinner. And then a friend of mine put a bug in my brain about how truly fortunate we are, about how many kids there are out there suffering for so many different reasons. I decided to add one more thing to my list; I decided I would challenge myself to do at least one thing every single month to help a kid other than my own.

Truthfully, I’ve been meaning to do this for quite a while. I keep telling myself that I need to get into volunteering or give money to charity, but I never seem to do it. I don’t really have the time away from Mia I would need to volunteer and most of the extra money we have these days seems to go to new  shoes for Mia or her college fund or the entire new wardrobe she needs every three months. The fact is that my efforts would be very small, and that always stops me from getting started. I get embarrassed. I think I can’t possibly accomplish anything in an hour or two a month, that any donation I could make would be so small as to be pointless.

Then I had an idea. I realized I could ask all of you to do this with me. I realized that if I could take what I was able to do and add it to what you were able to do, it didn’t feel so futile anymore. In fact, it started to feel like, each in our own small ways, we could do something pretty big.

And so here I am, asking you all to please consider doing this with me. To consider making a commitment to do just one thing every month, however big or small, to help a kid who needs help. I’m hoping that by doing it together we can support and encourage each other, share ideas, keep each other committed, and be able be part of something just a little bit bigger than ourselves.

For my part, in addition to doing at least one thing every month to help kids, I will:

• Maintain a list on this site of everyone who has signed up to participate.  (It's over there on the left.  See it?)
• Maintain a list of links to organizations that benefit children to help you get started.  (Also on the left.)
• Throw out some ideas (my own and from you guys) of ways you can help.
• Bring us all together once a month, both here and on your own sites, if you want, to talk about what we are doing and what we have done that month.
• Give you a new Monthly Challenge every month for one small thing you can do to help kids.

There’s no pressure on this, I promise. If you want to join in, that’s great, and if you don’t want to, that’s great too. If you do sign up and then find you just can’t do it one month or just can’t do it at all, no biggie. Life intervenes; we all understand that.

Ok but really, I hope you guys will be interested and think this is a good idea. I’ve been trying hard not to get my hopes up, but I can’t help thinking that maybe, just maybe, this could be really fabulous.

If you want to participate, here’s how you do it.

• Leave me a comment or send me an email to playgroupdropout at gmail dot com and tell me how to identify you in the list. This can be your name and url or your name or nickname and some way to identify you, like “Beth at Playgroup Dropout” or “Walter by the Water” or “Long Tall Sally.” Whatever you want.
• Do one thing a month, anything at all, to benefit kids other than your own. Or, if you are already doing something, just keep right on doing it and take a little extra credit for it from   us. If you need ideas of what to do, keep reading for our first Monthly Challenge and also for some ideas from other people who have already agreed to join me.
• On the second Wednesday of every month (which is Valentine’s Day, February 14^th next month) come back here to read some highlights of what people have done, and leave a comment with what you have done. Or, post about it on your own site and leave me the link or a trackback so others can come read about your experiences.
• Help me come up with a name for this thing. Anyone? I need a name so I can make buttons and such for your blogs, and also so I don’t have to call it “That Thing Where We Do One Thing Every Month to Help Kids.” TTWWDOTEMTHK? Yeah, I don’t think so. 

And, that’s it. The whole deal. Not totally easy, but also not really all that hard, right? So if you are so inclined, go ahead and jump on board. I’ll get you started.

Monthly Challenge
(Thanks to Swistle for her help with this one.)

This month’s challenge is to send a get-well card to a sick kid. You can buy a card, make a card, sit your kids down with a pile of construction paper and crayons and glitter glue and put them to work, whatever. You can do this really easily through Make a Child Smile. Think you can do a little more? Send a gift instead of a card. Or, check out your local Children’s Hospital (you can search by state and get links to websites here) and find out if they take cards or gifts for the kids. In my area, Children’s National Medical Center has their toy donation guidelines online.

That’s it. Easy, inexpensive, even fun. If that doesn’t speak to you, do something else instead. If you need some ideas, here are some from the people who have already agreed to do this with me.

• Jodi is mom to almost 2 year old Michael and is planning his birthday bash (to which she is inviting Mia, because Mia and Michael are in loooove). Jodi says Michael already has more toys than he can possibly appreciate, so the invitations to his party are going to include a request to make a donation to charity instead of bringing a gift.
• Edge already gives his time and money through his church. Samantha (expecting her first, whee!) is involved with her church and plans to look into ways her church is working with kids. Your church, synagogue, mosque, coven, whatever is probably a great place to start, with the added bonus that you may get to work together with people you already know.
• Airwick is donating his design skills to help a local parenting group that works with low-income families on parenting training and other things they need.
• Swistle inspired this month’s challenge, and also donates to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Now jump in, people. The water is fine.

Comments

[Autumn]

Beth this is awesome. I'm actually planning a big project of my own this year, and it's great to see you planning to accomplish stuff to!

Go girl!

[Stephanie]

Wow Beth- this is really something!! Great idea, b/c its something everyone thinks about doing, but all too often don't actually follow through on.... I am going out to buy my card at lunch!!
Many warm fuzzies to you for this inspirational idea!!

[ktjrdn]

You know, I started reading and thought, I don't really have time for this. but, I have time to make cards for kids definitely. Ally loves to make cards. I'm getting ready to start her on her second batch of thank you cards for Christmas. They're usually stamped, stickered, and glittered to death but kids enjoy that kind of thing, so I can add the hospital to my list for the next round. Thanks for the idea

(oh, and my mom works for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It's really easy to get involved there, and not very much of a time-committment. You might want to add them to your list? http://www.bbbs.org/)

[ktjrdn]

oops. the ) got added to that link above on accident. It's http://www.bbbs.org/

[Kris]

I think you're right Beth. This could be fabulous! You can add "Kris at Wonder Mom."

[Dawn]

This is a fantastic idea! Can I play, even though I don't have any kids?

[Alissa]

Great idea, Beth. My boys and I will send some cards.

Something else that's always a need everywhere, and is so easy for people with kids:

My husband is a police officer. Almost all police officers everywhere like to keep stuffed animals in the trunks of their cruisers to give to children that have been involved in car accidents, or that have to be removed from their homes for some reason, or that have been involved in hostage situations, etc... If you have stuffed toys (and don't we all?) that you don't need any more, instead of giving them to the salvation army (to be resold for 50 cents) or throwing them out, please consider donating them to your local police department for this use. I purchase animals for my husbands cruiser every month--he uses at least 10 teddy bears that often.

[Mr. Big Dubya]

Beth --

This is a great idea and I applaud you for trying to encourage others to do more. I work for an organization that provides care, education and residential services to children, adolescents and adults with a wide-range of developmental disabilities. Would you mind adding us to your list of organizations? I'd really appreciate it.

www.devereux.org

[Amy]

Yes! I'm so in! Wonderful post, and wonderful idea. I already am associated with a tutoring company so, when the need arises, I tutor students in all things English, writing, study skills, SAT prep, etc. And over the holidays we donated, in Sweetie's name, some of her practically new toys and stuffed animals to children less fortunate. So sign me up, baby! You can list me as Sweetie's Mom on your participant list, and link my site: http://spinabifidamoms.blogspot.com

Thanks for all this hard work, lots of thought and great mojo you're sending out. Yay you! And Yay everyone else!

Amy :)

[Leah]

What a cool idea! Yep, I'd like to join in.

[Sam]

Yippee! Here we go! I'm so excited and will definitely spread the word on my blog. I love the idea of sending a card (or even a Valentine at the end of the month) to a sick kiddo - I recently learned that all the kids in my community with cancer have to travel two or more hours to get treatment. That totally blew my mind.

[Swistle]

Really good idea. I especially like your point about how when we combine our efforts, we have a much larger impact. I, too, can get bogged in that feeling of "What good does my $x do if the organization needs millions and millions of dollars?" But of course a whole bunch of $xs add up.

[Swistle]

I kind of like the name of the column to be the name of the project: "Do Good." It's simple, direct, general enough to allow for interpretation based on abilities.

[Kristine]

I'd like to join too. I'm a Girl Scout leader for my niece's troop, and one of the things we're doing this month is selling cookies (not yet, sale starts later this month) and we have a Cookie Share program. We've decided to donate the cookies that people buy for the Cookie Share to various foster care group homes. So when a girl comes to your door, you can ask them about buying cookies that they will donate. This is a double whammy of goodness, because your order helps the troop raise money AND you give cookies to a charity.

[Kristine]

I should also mention that - each troop decides on their own who to donate the cookies to, so ask whoever you're buying the cookies from who they will be donating them to.

[That Girl]

I do some stuff for the Children's Hospital already but now you can keep me on the straight and narrow by making sure it's once a month. Sign me up.

[Tammy]

I'm impressed that when listing different churches, you also included covens. Very impressed. Count me in ... it's something I've always wanted to do and have never found the time. I can find the time to make a card, at the very least!

[jodifur]

I'm so honored to be included.

In all fairness to Mia, Michael is in love w/ Mia. Like all pretty girls, Mia is weighing her options.

[Kellie]

Beth, this is an awesome thing to do - and thank you for it!

I am a demonstrator for a rubber stamping company (Stampin` Up!) that does a great deal of work for the Ronald McDonald House every year. Before I moved south, I would make and donate cards to the local house in my area so families staying there had something to send out if the wanted or needed to. Since I've moved, unfortunately, I've not taken the time to do such a thing.

So, thanks for the challenge - count me in! (And I'll be linking this to my own blog so other folks can see what you're up to)

[Much More Than A Mom]

I'm in. I'm a teacher in real life and we do things like this ALL the time in my classroom. (At 8 months, Rylan's a little small to make a card, but I'll sign his name!)

You can list me as Much More Than a Mom at the link above.

Great idea!

[b.]

i'm in. high five.

[ann adams]

Ann at Roc Rebel Granny

We're (local PFLAG chapter)been helping form a Gay Straight Alliance (first ever) at the local high school.

We contribute to the food bank and clothes closet at my church too.

Does raising 3 kids not my own count?

[Shelly]

Count me in! Great idea - thanks for making the effort to get me off my butt to do more.

Shelly from Scenic Overlook

[Diane]

Add me too. What a fabulous idea.

I'm a stay at home mom of an 11 year old. My primary focus is volunteering at an elementary school that my son attended through last year.

I tutor students and work in the school library every week.

You'd be surprised at what you could accomplish volunteering at a school in an hour.

Elementary schools, food banks, wish lists of charities, and Ronald McDonald Houses are easy places to start. Elementary schools can use used clothes and often household goods (struggling families) and the library can always use children's books that your kids outgrew. All it takes is calling and asking what you can do BEFORE dropping things off.

The Ronald McDonald House in Denver is one of my favorite places to give. My son and I will be making candy bags for families for Valentine's Day.

We donate extra tickets to them every chance we get. Link for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

http://www.rmhc.com/rmhc/index.html

[Steff]

Here's one for the week, the great grandmother of my son's friend passed away Sunday. In lieu of flowers a group of neighbors are going to donate to Make a Child Smile. My son has also chosen to use his allowance for the week, which is $10. Thanks Beth, I was struggling with which charity to choose, unfortunately we have so many to pick from. I clicked over here today, and immediately knew which one was a perfect fit!