Make A Child Smile

Make A Child Smile Organization (MACS) www.makeachildsmile.org December/08 Featured Kids Mail a card/gift to the children below TODAY to brighten their day!
Emerson 2 years old Unknown Metabolic Disorder		Olivia 9 years old Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Mailing address: Emerson W. P.O. Box 31366 Omaha, NE 68131 - U.S.A.		Mailing address: Olivia J. 3100 Waddell Ave West Palm Beach, FL 33411 - U.S.A.
Note: Mailing addresses may change! Addresses above are only guaranteed during the month of December! Please visit out website after December to check if the kids' addresses remain the same. Kids featured on MACS are NOT all terminally ill, they are chronically ill. Make sure you visit our website to check their health status prior to sending mail. Visit www.makeachildsmile.org to read the kids' stories and check their current health status. Copyright © 1998-2008 Make A Child Smile Organization All Rights Reserved

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Thank you to all of you who have supported this Blog and

a special thank you to all of the articles that you have submitted to Give Your Time.

From Our Family to Yours,

We Wish You a Very Merry Christmas

&

A Happy New Year

Leslie Prohaska & Family

Lambs Fold Center For Women and Children

Beth Randall of Plainfield, IL is a Certified Relocation and Transition Specialist she is the owner of Joe Organizer, LLC. Beth recently sent me some information on a place that she has been volunteering at for over 5 years with her family. Beth can be reached at: 815-436-1578


I volunteer at Lamb's Fold Center for Women and Children in downtown Joliet. Their web site is www.lambsfold.org. I volunteer monthly by teaching a class to the women that live there. My classes are to teach them life skills such as paper management, time management and money management. I am a member of the Quantum Leap Task Force within the National Association of Professional Organizers. During December I do not teach a class but rather go volunteer there with my three kids (15, 11, 9 years old). We will be wrapping presents and helping organize all of them. I have been volunteering there for 5 years and my kids have gone there for 4 years during December.

Lamb's Fold is always looking for volunteers throughout the year. If you don't have time to volunteer you can help by making a cash donation, food or clothing donation. There is a lot of great information on their web site including a 'Current Needs List'.


Lamb's Fold Center for Women and Children helps homeless women and children and victims of domestic violence transition to successful independence through educational enhancement, supportive services, and personalized recovery services.

Beth Randall


Thank you, Beth for sending us this wonderful information if there is anyone who would like to volunteer at this organization located in Joliet, IL feel free to either e-mail me at Leslie@LoveToPromote.com or go directly to their website.

SOS CHILDREN'S VILLAGES

Dena Furlow of Keller Williams is in desperate need of monetary donations for her wonderful cause - here is what she is doing for this holiday I ask that you all consider helping her out.

This year, for Christmas, I would like to bring joy to children's lives that may not have such a Merry Christmas this year. I have found SOS Children's Villages in Lockport and they need my help. You see, I don't want to help just one child, or 5, or 10, I want to help provide Christmas for all 70 children living at the Village, and I believe with your help, we CAN do it!

Contact me at 630-742-4374, 815-556-8734, or email me at furlow@kw.com. We have the children's Wish Lists. You and your family can help in the following ways:

* Help us by giving your time
* Help us by giving monetarily
* Help us by wrapping presents
* Help us by giving the gifts personally

I am truly blessed and honored to be a part of this project with SOS Children's Villages ~ I believe in the power of giving of ourselves, of our time, of our energy, and of our love. Join me in making dreams come true for some beautiful neighbors ~ I hope You See What I See! DENA FURLOW



This is a hard time financially for all of us however there are other ways to help as you see giving of your time is just as important. God Bless all of you and may 2009 bring you health and happiness to you and your families.

If you have a volunteer need or know someone who might need assistance this holiday please e-mail me at leslie@lovetopromote.com we would love to put your information on this blog so that others may be able to help.

Recent Newspaper Article

We were recently asked to submit some quotes for a wonderfully put together article for the Plainfield's Enterprise Newspaper.

Madhu Mayer of the Enterprise newspaper wrote a very nice piece on the volunteer blog and makes mention of how my neighbor Catherine Leturno inspired me to do this blog.

Here is a small version of what is posted on the newspaper.

Woman creates volunteer blog
By Madhu Mayer
Instead of giving a Christmas present someone may not like or appreciate, Leslie Prohaska of Plainfield wants everyone to consider a gift that keeps on giving beyond the holiday season.

We were very pleased to have this article in the newspaper the more people that see that young and old alike can contribute the better off we will all be.

Lindsay Interiors Event to Benefit Children's Memorial Hospital

Please help us make the holidays brighter for a child at Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital. Throughout the month of December, Lindsay Interiors will collect both toys and monetary donations to help the patients, family, and programs at Children’s Memorial. New, unwrapped toys as well as cash and check donations will be accepted. Checks should be made out to Children’s Memorial Hospital.


To Express our gratitude for your generosity, Lindsay Interiors is offering $15.00 off Home Decorating Consultations and 20% off Drapery Orders in the months of January and February to those who donate.

Even the smallest gesture will bring a smile to a child’s face this Holiday Season!
Lindsay Interiors – 630-567-7474 Located in Plainfield IL call for more details.

What a Wonderful Time of Year!

 

As we approach Thanksgiving we are reminded of all that we have been blessed with.  A time for everyone to come together and celebrate.  Despite our color or creed we take this opportunity to share with others.  

As I continue with this Blog it is amazing to see how my eyes are now more open to seeing all of the wonderful volunteer opportunities there are.  It could be that this time of year is when people are especially generous.  To me it is just amazing how many wonderful volunteers we are surrounded by.

In the mail , at the health club, the local library, and even the grocery stores you can find barrels for food donations, boxes for gloves, flyers inviting you to volunteer, it is just wonderful to see so many helping hands and to see strangers come together for a common goal.  To Make Someone Smile :)  

Here are some of the ideas that others have shared with me:

SOS Children's Village- this is an organization that is located in Lockport, IL and it is the largest non-denominational children's care provider in the world!  This is where full-time, professionally trained Foster parents commit to living on the premises of the property.  There are 18 individual single family homes, 4 of which are vacant with up to 5 children in each home.  They try to keep siblings together to maintain some kind of stability, which they so lack in the real world.  The ages of the children range from 4 mos- 20 yrs old.  Today there are 450 villages in over 125 nations, housing more than 60,000 children.  They are looking for people to donate gifts for the families to give to their foster children or volunteer monetary donations, or give of your time.  For more information please go to their website www.SOSIllinois.org 

Holiday Mail for Heroes

From the front lines to the home front, the American Red Cross provides service members, their families and veterans with the care and assistance they need.
The Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes this holiday season for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. For the second year in a row, we’re collecting holiday cards to distribute to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. Pitney Bowes is generously donating technology, resources and postage to make this holiday card program possible.
Our goal is to collect and distribute one million holiday cards to spread holiday cheer and facilitate thanks to these brave individuals and families.
Please send cards to this address, following the guidelines listed below:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

For more information on other ways you can help visit their website at:

http://www.redcross.org/email/saf/

Pennies for Peace educates children about the world beyond their experience and shows them that they can make a positive impact on a global scale, one penny at a time.
Our best hope for a peaceful and prosperous world lies in the education of all the world’s children. Through cross-cultural understanding and a solution-oriented approach, Pennies for Peace encourages children, ultimately our future leaders, to be active participants in the creation of global peace.
To participate in the Pennies for Peace program, please start by going on their website and registering
http://www.penniesforpeace.org/home.html

What is the Power of a Penny?

The penny, 1% of a dollar, is symbolic of the '1% of Gross Domestic Product' goal set by the United Nations. The goal was for wealthy countries to give foreign aid to impoverished nations each year.
Pennies for Peace teaches children the rewards of sharing and working together to bring hope and educational opportunities to children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. A penny in the United States is virtually worthless, but in Pakistan and Afghanistan a penny buys a pencil and opens the door to literacy.
The mission of Central Asia Institute (CAI) focuses on community-based education, especially for girls. A 5th grade education for girls improves not only the basic indices of health for her and her family, she will also spread the value of education within her community. Literacy, for both boys and girls, provides better economic opportunities in the future and neutralizes the power of despot mullahs and other extremist leaders.

If you know of an organization in need of volunteers or donations feel free to contact me via e-mail at: Leslie@LoveToPromote.com and I will gladly add them to this Blog.

Please pass this Blog on so that we can get the word out...

Thank you,

Leslie Prohaska

Inspiring Children Work Together For A Good Cause

As mentioned earlier on in this Blog one of the main reasons I started this blog was partly due to my neighbors oldest daughter Catherine showing her true giving spirit she and a few of her friends from a Homeschool group named Girls Monkey Club worked together for a great cause -Club Advisor - Connie Leturno said that the coat drive successfully collected 100 coats for a local charity read more about this wonderful coat drive that was written about in the Suburban Chicago Newspaper.  CHARITY ARTICLE

If you have an inspiring story feel free to send them to Leslie@LoveToPromote.com we would love to feature them on this Blog!

How to Teach Your Children to Be Charitable

• Spending time with your child by going through their clothes from the previous year can be both fun and charitable. Make it fun with the little ones by playing a shopping game have them go through their clothes that you have pre-sorted and know that no longer fit your child and have them pretend to buy these clothing items for someone in need. Have play money handy and a shopping bag. You can have them count out a certain amount for each bag and designate which bag will go to Charity A, B, or C. Teach your child that though these clothes no longer fit they will fit another child that might need them.
  
  
• Go through the cabinets with your child and collect canned fruits and vegetables or other non-perishable items that can be donated to a local food bank or pantry. Again if you have younger children this is another opportunity to play a game and have them shop in your pantry for someone less fortunate. Letting your children know young or old that their are families that struggle to put food on the table and that by giving food from your pantry you will be feeding a family and making them feel loved and cared for.
  
  
• Take your child to the local toy store and have them pick out an item for a less fortunate child. Many programs that work with children, including shelters and mental health centers, accept new toys year-round. Or donate a toy that you have purchased to Toys for Tots for more information about this organization click on this link. www.toysfortots.org
  

Talking to your children about charities and let them decide which one they are most interested in some charities help other children, and some help animals though each one is different the common denominator is that they are volunteers helping other people.

Small Things Matter!

Quite often people think they have to devote tons of time, or tons of money to make a difference or to qualify as a volunteer.  Here are a few ideas for those of you who can not commit to a ton of time or a ton of money but still want to do something that can make a difference.

GO GREEN- adopt a park and commit to keeping your park clean

Play Bingo - with your local Senior Citizens at a nearby retirement home

Start a Shoe drive and donate them to Soles4Soules(TM) Inc.,

Donate School Supplies to a local school

Donate blankets and food to a local humane society

Be a mentor

Call your local church and ask how you can help the community

Start a Can Food Drive and donate the food to a local food bank

Pass this Blog on so others can be inspired and send us your ideas

Leslie@lovetopromote.com

Good deeds never go unnoticed

Volunteerism

Volunteerism is the willingness of people to work on behalf of others without being motivate by financial or material gain. Volunteers may have special training as rescuers, guides, assistants, teachers, missionaries, amateur radio operators, writers, and in other positions. But the majorities work on an imprompt basis, recognizing a need and filling it, whether it be the dramatic search for a lost child or the everyday giving of directions to a lost visitor.

Ideas From - The Volunteer Family Organization

• Make pillows, cards, games, or stuffed toys for children who are sick in the hospital
• Make booboo bunnies for children to receive at a health clinic or at school
• Collect items to make baby bags for poor mothers who recently had a baby -- can contain diapers, baby bottles, pacifiers, burp rags, formula, baby food, etc.
• Plan and share craft projects with other children
• Plan a special event outing or field trip for kids in a low-income preschool
• Bake and decorate cookies with children
• Read with children at a local hospital or wellness center
• Help children at an after-school program develop their talents -- have rehearsal time and hold a talent show
• Hold a drive to collect sunscreen/flip flops/healthy snacks/school supplies for children
• Teach children a special skill or recipe
• Hold clothing drives and donate clothes that are in good condition to those in need
• Re-paint or rebuild playground equipment
• Teach music lessons to children in need
• Lead a craft project with children that will help elderly in a nursing home
• Have a birthday supply drive to give a child in need the party supplies necessary for a birthday party
• Make, buy, or donate toys for children in orphanages or shelters
• Sort through clothing, toys or books others have donated for children in need
• Play basketball or other sports with children in need
• Write letters to local and governmental leaders about the need to protect children from abuse and neglect
• Donate your hair for children with cancer or other medical conditions
• Read books to a sick child
• Befriend a disadvantaged child
• Put together a baby layette for new moms
• Help new mothers with the first 12 weeks postpartum
• Make a first-day-of-school package with school supplies
• Conduct a fundraiser to help send a child to summer camp
• Make care packages (i.e. sunscreen, stationery, stamps) for children at camp
• Talk as a family - and with other families and children - about what it means to be “safe kids”
• Write letters to or for sick children
• Organize a teddy bear drive
• Draw pictures for Save the Children
• Donate and sort books, clothes and party supplies for disadvantaged children
• Select and wrap gifts for the holidays
• Teach computer skills to children
• Donate your favorite (healthy!) snack to give to children in need

This information was borrowed from www.TheVolunteerFamily.org
Find this and many other wonderful voluteer sites under our Links section.

How This Blog Got Started

I was given a letter by a neighbors child - Coat Collection for the homeless.  I was excited I ran through the house looking for coats then I started realizing each year we do something with the kids around the holidays and I wanted to see if there were any can food drives going on like when we were young or any volunteer opportunities locally.

So, I went online and finding myself somewhat computer literate did a Google search and found nothing locally going on except two things.  Well then I went to church the following Sunday and wouldn't you know the sermon that Sunday was on Serving!  I tried to listen intently and what I got out of it is that we are all capable of making the world a better place we don't have to be perfect or rich or even in a high leadership position to make a difference. 

So why the blog?
I became frustrated with my Google search so I figured why don't I simplify it for others as well as myself create one place where people could go to get fresh ideas on how to teach our families how to volunteer, where to volunteer and what is needed locally.  What a way to serve!!

Join me in my mission to spread the word about volunteering...

Share your ideas about how you and your family like to serve or what you would like to do this year to make a difference.  Remember it's not only the big things you do in life that count - from one seed a whole tree of opportunities can grow. 

Keep coming back to this Blog as it too will continue to flourish with ideas and through those ideas we can make things happen!!