Archive for the ‘ Causes ’ Category

Mad about Mom!

Author: Holland Saltsman

May 1

Below are some great finds that would make any Mother’s, Grandmother’s or Godmother’s Day more special – even mine. (Hint! Hint!)

Does your mom fancy flowers? Surprise her with a pastel tin bouquet that will last a lifetime from uncommongoods.

Does your mom fancy sweets? Dive into these hand-made delicious pie pops from Cakewalk Desserts.

Does your mom fancy health & wellness? Apply any of these therapeutic grade essential oils, exotic in origin, ancient in derivation, and proven in application from Unica Home.

Does your mom fancy her footwear? Slip into these original hand-painted clogs from The Swanx.

Does your mom fancy gardening? Gift her with this great collection of plantable cards that are printed in full color directly on seeded paper from Bloomin.

Finally, for the gift that keeps on giving, send her a gift certificate from Kiva that provides a loan that can change a life and empower someone across the world.

“Mother’s love is peace.  It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved”.  ~Erich Fromm

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Do the (good) deed!

Author: Holland Saltsman

Feb 11

timeisloveblog.com photo

February 14-20 is national Random Acts of Kindness Week. Not that we all shouldn’t be looking for ways to be kind on a daily basis but next week in particular encourages us to ramp it up a bit. There are thousands of ways to perform a random act of kindness (at home, work, running errands, etc) and these sites make it really easy to start.

So put your kindness cap on & plan out warm, fun, inventive and creative ways that you can bring some light into someone’s life next week!

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Happy Heart Day!

Author: Holland Saltsman

Feb 5

No matter to who or how you plan to say I Love You this Valentine’s, I’ve got some suggestions to hopefully make it your best yet.

For the tea/tea party lover, pick up a set of these beautiful ‘inside out heart’ cups from nordstrom.com.

For a dapper fella who’s always in a suit, gift these ‘suggestive’ collar stays which will keep him grinning throughout those long meetings.

For the book lover, a copy of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.

Locally, take your special someone on a Valentine’s Night Hike at Shaw Nature Reserve.

For the person who’s all business, this great Lifestyle File Tote is practical and with every purchase 25% will be donated to the American Heart Association.

Uncommongoods provides a fantastic Love Meter so that you are able to gauge your own “commitment level” and shop accordingly.

Last, but not least, consider the give of life and contact your local Red Cross to make a blood donation or head to organdonor.gov and register to be an organ donor.

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1/11/11 – A date that can change a life

Author: Holland Saltsman

Jan 10

Tuesday, January 11 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Across the country, anti-trafficking organizations are hosting activities, from film screenings to training on community response efforts. Locally, The Covering House will be part of a panel discussion at St. Louis University tomorrow night at 5pm.  The discussion will follow the movie Very Young Girls.  This is a good opportunity to learn more about the child prostitution and trafficking crisis in the US and it will be good way to meet those in the St. Louis area who are trying to help. Current statistics site:

  • Human trafficking generates an estimated $9.5 billion in annual revenue in the United States. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
  • There are reportedly up to 300,000 child prostitutes in the United States. And that number is growing daily. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
  • The average age of entry into prostitution for a child victim in the United States is 13 years old. (The U.S. Department of Justice) Read the rest of this entry
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Green Friday

Author: Holland Saltsman

Nov 19

I’m (un)officially going to declare today, “Green Friday”. As opposed to crazy long lines, insane hours and people physically harming one another to get great deals on Black Friday, I’m going to suggest shifting your focus to others on Green Friday. Mind you, it’s still about the shopping but how about looking at gifts that can give back? I’ve chosen green as it symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and has been known to have great healing power.

The most comprehensive site I’ve found is thehungersite.com. The same site where, in a click of a mouse, you can give free food also has hundreds of gifts to give, all of which give back in some way. From one site, I am managing to get all of my shopping done (see below) and today if you enter GOBBLE at checkout, you get $10 off $40 order, Also $4.95 US shipping every day.

(Every purchase funds at least 25 cups of food, many 50 cups!)

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30 Day Giving Challenge

Author: Holland Saltsman

Nov 1

In my newsfeed today, I found this “call” to participate in the 30 Day Giving Challenge  from Mandi who blogs at Motherhoodyourway. Earlier this morning I had been perusing my “drafts” to see what shortcut, suggestion or solution I could offer to simplify lives on this first day of November but hadn’t zeroed in on one. This challenge really excited me so I spent some time thinking how I wanted to participate. (Free book giveaways – see more details below)

From Mandi – “The idea behind the challenge is simple. Each day in November, we will intentionally look for a way to give. It doesn’t mean you have to donate money all 30 days — or even at all. It doesn’t mean you need to spend hours volunteering each and every day this month — or even at all. Giving will look different for each and every person . The goal is just that giving is a mindset that doesn’t have to be limited by your available resources.

Bake cookies for a neighbor. Send flowers to an old friend. Mail a thank you note to your pediatrician. Give up your weekly (daily?) latte and donate that money to a cause. Go through your basement and pass items on to someone who could use it. Pick up trash in your neighborhood. Visit the local senior center. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Really, the possibilities are endless, and there’s no right or wrong way to participate.” Read the rest of this entry

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Think Pink!

Author: Holland Saltsman

Oct 4

It’s October and everywhere you turn is information and opportunities regarding Breast Cancer Awareness. There are a variety of companies and stores that are doing their part to donate proceeds to a plethora of organizations. These are a few of my favorites:

Women's Bean necklaceAt Women’s Bean Project, proceeds from the sale of their beautiful Metamorphosis  necklace will benefit Sense of Security, which provides a sense of security from financial hardship and enhance the quality of life for breast cancer patients in treatment. 10% of the proceeds from Vera Bradley’s “Twirly Birds Pink” pattern benefit the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. More significantly is that they will donate 25% of net proceeds from purchases made in Vera Bradley stores and verabradley.com on October 9th.

Sip and support from this fabulous Pink Ribbon Martini Glass which donates a portion of the proceeds of each sale to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure. 10% of the sale from any of these pink items from Broadway Panhandlermixer(hand mixer, pie dish, Santoku knife, etc) goes to the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition. As seen in In Style, Vanity Fair, Lucky  & Vogue, proceeds from this beautiful Elisa Ilana bracelet support cancer research and awareness.

Finally, if you need to buy in bulk for an event this month, check out these great hats & apparel from Century Novelty where 5% of all breast cancer awareness sales are donated to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Do your part to help save the Ta Ta’s this month!

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“There is no way to peace, peace is the way”.

Author: Holland Saltsman

Sep 21

peaceSince today is International Day of Peace, I was thinking of what peace means and how many interpretations there are in regards to peace. This title quote by A.J. Muste is one of many I found on top of the hundreds of organizations that are, in their own way, trying to spread peace across this world of ours. I thought I’d share a few…

Potters for Peace is a U.S. based nonprofit  network of potters, educators, technicians, supporters, and volunteers. Founded in Nicaragua in 1986,  they work with clay artisans in Central America and worldwide on ceramic water purification projects. Potters for Peace offers assistance to  fellow craftspeople in the developing world, with the goal of bettering their livelihoods. This is done in the belief that international peace and justice can be fostered through respectful friendships and equity in economic relationships.potter

Mercy Corps helps people in the world’s toughest places turn the crises of natural disaster, poverty and conflict into opportunities for progress. Driven by local needs and market conditions, our programs provide communities with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Our worldwide team of 3,700 professionals is improving the lives of 16.7 million people in more than 40 countries.

Operation Gratitude seeks to lift morale and put smiles on faces by sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed in harm’s way. Operation Gratitude care packages contain Read the rest of this entry

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What CAN You Do?

Author: Holland Saltsman

Jul 16

Did you know that for as little as $3, you can support a variety of causes chicken_thumbnailthrough Changing the Present such as providing a poor child with a chick and the feed needed to raise it which will enable him/her to produce eggs for the family diet and a way to earn cash that can be used to buy medicine and other basic necessities.

Did you know that for only $10 to Nothing But Nets, you can provide one net to a child in Africa which will create a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when the vast majority of malaria transmissions occur.

For a $20 donation to FirstBook you can provide 10 books to help a young reader from a low-income family have access to books and develop basic literacy.

You can also choose to donate $20 to the National Wildlife Federation which will assist with efforts on-the-ground to confront the impacts of the oil spill, as well as support the extensive network of volunteers that will support wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts and restore damaged coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico.

$30 to Heifer  Read the rest of this entry

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The Tortoise & The Hare

Author: Holland Saltsman

Jul 1

So apparently June 21 was the International Day of Slow but I missed it because I was too busy running around.  Obviously the irony is not lost on me. I’ve been trying to make a concerted effort to slow down ever since I read In Praise Of Slowness by Carl Honore a couple of months ago.  The coverauthor explains that he decided to write the book when he found himself considering the purchase of a book called One-Minute Bedtime Stories and decided that his priorities may be a bit out of whack. Um, I own that book so needless to say I felt guilty and compelled to read his book.

In Praise of Slowness questions why we are all in such a rush and then breaks down all the different areas of our life where we can slow down. He covers everything from Food, Cities, Mind/Body, Medicine, Sex, etc. and explains how it can all be so much more enjoyable if we simply stop rushing from one thing to another. He argues that the Slow movement is not about doing everything at a snail’s pace, on the contrary, it’s for people who want to live better in a face-paced modern world. In one word-balance.

While all the chapters have something worthy, I spent a considerable amount of time in the food chapter. I’m “culinary challenged” so reading about the Slow Food networks throughout the world really struck a chord with me. ” Slow Food Read the rest of this entry

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