Humanitarian Helpers

Recycle your Christmas Cards for Charity! - St. Jude's

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Send the front picture from your Christmas cards to St. Jude’s Ranch. They are a nonprofit home for youths that collect old holiday cards for reuse. Children at St. Jude’s earn money by creating new holiday cards from the old.

Mail them to:
St. Jude’s Card Recycling
100 St. Jude Street
P.O. Box 60100
Boulder City, NV 89005
1-800-492-3562 extension #4

In fact, St. Jude's Ranch is now accepting any all occasion recycled card front!

Thank you to a commentor who added this information in January 2012:
They take cards all year round and not just Christmas but also All Occasion card fronts. The cards cannot have any writing on the back of the front picture. They cannot accept American Greeting, Hallmark or Disney cards. The least expensive way to mail them is in a Standard Rate Box from the U.S. Postal Service.

Create a Care Package for our US Soldiers

2011-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

Go to http://booksforsoldiers.com/ to create your own care package for our US soldiers. They started out sending books, CD's and DVD's to our military men. What a welcome item a book would be to a solider especially who has had multiple deployments. On their site is a wish list of many other items you can send to our brave US soldiers. Thank them for their service by sending them a package.

This site was featured in People magazine, Heroes Among Us article. Here is a quote. "We find the books they want - Stephen King and Tom Clancy are favorites - write letters, throw in cookies, candy or pencils and create a care package. It doesn't cost much."

Grateful Troops - Army Reservist Cpt. Brandon Mace, 35, or Fort Rucker, Ala., read more than 100 books, sent during his deployment in Iraq in 2009 and 2010. "Knowing that someone would spend their own money and go buy books for me was so great," he says. "It was a reminder that someone is thinking about me, that someone cares."

(People magazine article by Emily Evans)

Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child

2011-11-17T06:59:00.000-08:00

What a great idea! Pack a shoebox (I saw that you could use clear, plastic shoe boxes around 88 cents each at Walmart) with gifts for a certain age male or female child. Print a shipping label from their site, attach to your box and drop off your shoe box at a donation site (find by zipcode on their website). Then, you can track online exactly where your package went!

Look at their website for details on how to pack a box. Samaritan's Purse

My Humanitarian Calling Has Come to a Close

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

As with all things, the only thing constant in life is change! I am no longer the humanitarian specialist in my LDS ward calling. I will continue to put ideas on this blog when I run across them, though.

I can tell you that my life is always sweeter when I am thinking how I can help others. So, keep up the good humanitarian efforts and it will benefit your life, I promise.

Humanitarian Helpers Hits Newsstands in Mormon Times!

2010-11-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Emily Jensen of Mormon Times (a division of Deseret News) for writing this great article about my humanitarian blog, Humanitarian Helpers! Mormon Times is distributed in Deseret News, Church News and
http://www.mormontimes.com/ Emily had contacted me about writing an article and I happily accepted.

(Click on the article to go to the Mormon Times online article.)

The article is also online. http://www.mormontimes.com/article/18350

The good word of humanitarian giving continues to spread! YEA!

Scarves for Military in Afghanistan

2010-11-06T07:28:00.000-07:00

http://scarf.suescrochet.com

Donate handmade scarves for our troops!

Must be made from 100% wool or cotton. NO ACRYLICS please! No fleece per military requirements.

Tropical Sore Bandages

2010-11-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Are you a tropical sore bandage expert? But, you are no longer making them because the LDS Humanitarian room is no longer accepting them?

Well, thanks to Bev in Logandale, NV you now have a place to donate your bandages. Thanks for the link, Bev!

http://bevscountrycottage.com/bandages.html

Charity Opportunities in Las Vegas, Nevada

2010-09-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

A very helpful post on humanitarian opportunities in the Las Vegas, Nevada area on this post: Las Vegas Volunteer Opportunities

The whole blog is helpful, as well. The Las Vegas Humanitarian Service Room

Dolls for Worldwide Humanitarian Donations

2010-09-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

Humanitarian Doll information at Dress a Girl Around the World.

Aren't these adorable?!

Tiny Blankets Needed for Fetal or Newborn Demise Donations

2010-09-07T07:20:00.000-07:00

There is a blog called Greyson's Gift. The mother of Greyson has organized an effort for families dealing with fetal or newborn demise. She says:

"I am looking for your help. Hospitals all across the country are in need of small, very small, baby blankets. In cases of fetal demise, babies are so tiny, even the smallest nursery blanket is much too big to wrap around their tiny bodies. I know how parents feel when they are presented with their tiny baby, for the first and last time. Having to deal with a large blanket that doesn't fit, is a distraction. And, unnecessary. If you can sew or crotchet/knit, would you please help me to supply blankets for these mothers?"

What they need:
12" x 12" and 24" x 24" flannel receiving blankets, in small pink, baby blue, white, and yellow prints. Use your best judgement, we don't want the prints of the blankets to detract from very small babies.

The blankets also need to be double layered.

Where to send:
Meryntha Haro
4603 Oakview Dr.
Mansfield, Texas 76063

Continued good luck to you, Meryntha, on your quest to keep Greyson's memory alive with this noble cause.

Dress a Girl or a Boy Around the World

2010-09-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Patterns and information to dress a girl or a boy around the world! Also a pattern for a cute humanitarian doll.

Link: Dress a Girl Around the World

Pillowcase Dresses for Africa

2010-09-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

All information is at the following link:
Little Dresses for Africa

Project Linus - Blankets for Children in Need

2010-03-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Project Linus...what a great organization. This is a national organization that provides new, handmade, washable blankets to be given as gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0 to 18. They accept handmade blankets of all sizes from smoke-free environments. All blanket styles are welcome, including quilts, tied comforters, fleece blankets, crocheted or knitted afghans and receiving blankets in child-friendly colors.

So, you can see that "the sky is the limit" on your creativity in giving to Project Linus! Please check out their website for many patterns and ideas. They also sell a "skip-stitch" blade for a rotary cutter. This enables you to cut holes to crochet around the edge of a blanket.

Click on the 2nd tab from the left "Chapter Listings" to find the chapter nearest you to drop off your blanket donations. (If you are in the Las Vegas, NV area - the drop off for blankets is at TGI Flowers at Green Valley and Warm Springs. Debbie owns the shop and is the chapter head for the Clark County area.)

Keep this in mind for children, youth and adults to participate in. Anyone can finish off a blanket to donate to Project Linus!

Goodie Two Shoes - Local Las Vegas, NV Charity

2010-03-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

Want to donate new shoes to children that may have never had new shoes? Contact Goodie Two Shoes. They literally bring a truck to a school in need and children and their parents can choose a new pair of shoes!

President Monson's Talk -- What Have I Done for Someone Today?

2010-03-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a great link to a talk by the prophet of the LDS church, Thomas S. Monson.

LDS.org - Ensign Article - What Have I Done for Someone Today?

Local Charities for the Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada Area

2009-08-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of local charities and their needs in the Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada area.

It is a very helpful resource to help your group or family help others in need in our area.

List for Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada Charities - August 2009

Enrichment Night Idea - Humanitarian Service Night

2009-05-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

This would be a great idea not only for Relief Society Enrichment Night, but for Young Women, as well.

A Night of Sisters of Service
We had four stations for the sisters to rotate through that evening. We offered a table of refreshments that were finger foods. (Veggies and dips. Fruits and finger treats.) It made it easy for the sisters to come and go to the refreshment table throughout the evening.

Missionary Letters
A table was organized with everything needed for each sister to write to as many missionaries as they could. We took the responsibility of addressing the large envelope and mailing them to the missionaries.

Quilts
We had four child size quilts set up for the sisters to help tie. The quilts were part of an eagle project and were to be delivered to Primary Children's Hospital.

Cards for Care Centers
Several tables were organized with everything one would need to make an amazing home-made greeting card. You can imagine how the "scrapbookers' got into this. The cards were beautiful. The sisters were very creative. These cards were given to care centers for the residents to use.

Soups to Freeze
Weeks ahead of time we invited our sisters to sign up to bring a homemade soup and the written recipe with them that evening. Each soup was placed in a double ziploc freezer bag labeled with ingredients and recipe. These soups are in our compassionate service leader's freezer. She can use them at any time of need. We usually ask a visiting teacher to add bread, salad and desert. This has been so helpful.

Source: I received this handout from a Relief Stake leadership meeting.

January 2009 Humanitarian Efforts

2009-02-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

There are too many to post! So please click on our February 2009 Humanitarian Helpers Newsletter to read all about our January efforts!

You are more than welcome to use this newsletter or any of the ideas in it for your humanitarian efforts.

Challenge #1 - Stake Challenge - January 2009

2009-01-07T10:45:00.000-08:00

January 2009 Challenge -

Our Stake will be having a Women's Conference commemorating the 20th year of the Las Vegas temple. Each ward has been asked to participate in a humanitarian project that will be turned in at this conference.

We will be contributing hygiene kits to donate to the LDS Humanitarian Center. I am asking each family to make at least one hygiene kit. The guidelines are very specific and need to be followed exactly. Here is the link for the contents: LDS Hygiene Kit Directions
Due Date: Thursday, January 29th

This is a great opportunity for you and your children to participate in a service project together. Consider taking them with you to the store to purchase the items. Then, put this project together for FHE! You will plant seeds of service that will grow as your child grows!

I would also encourage the medical students to get together on this project and have a hygiene kit party. Each family could be assigned something to bring and then you pool your resources and make a few hygiene kits!

If you would like to go online to get your hygiene kit items, there is a company called Mandalay International that sells the items for the hygiene kits.

2009 Humanitarian Donation Challenge Calendar

2009-01-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

The stake leadership in my church organization has asked for 4 projects a year for humanitarian service. These are to be ongoing projects.

So, we have chosen 2 local charities that need our help for our ongoing projects and we will focus on them for 2009. We have chosen Child Haven and Spread the Word literacy charity. We will focus on donations of time and goods that we already have for the 3rd project.

The stake projects for humanitarian service will be our 4th ongoing project. These projects will be going to LDS Humanitarian Services.

Due dates will typically be the last Thursday of the month.

Challenge #1 - January 2009
Stake Project - Each family in our ward put together at least 1 hygiene kit for LDS Humanitarian Services. The SOS Enrichment group will quilt one single sized quilt for LDS Humanitarian Services.
Due Date: Thursday, January 29th

Challenge #2 - March 2009
Deseret Industries donations - Please look around your homes and donate your unused items to Deseret Industries. (Please drop these donations off at Deseret Industries - 4655 E Flamingo Rd)

Challenge #3 - May 2009
Child Haven donations - Please donate at least one package of children's or teen underwear or socks.
Due Date: Thursday, May 28th

Challenge #4 - June 2009
Service donation - Donate at least 1 hour of your time to someone you know or a local charity in need of your help.

Challenge #5 - August 2009
Child Haven donations - Please purchase some back to school supplies to donate to the Child Haven school. (Wal-Mart and other stores have GREAT sales in August on school supplies!)
Due Date: Thursday, August 27th

Challenge #6 - September 2009
Stake Donation Project OR Book donation drive - Clean out your children's bookshelves and donate to Spread the Word literacy charity.
Due Date: Project Pending

Challenge #7 - November 2009
Deseret Industries donations - Please look around your homes and donate your unused items to Deseret Industries. (Please drop these donations off at Deseret Industries - 4655 E Flamingo Rd)

Challenge #8 - December 2009
Child Haven donations - Please donate at least 1 knit hat OR at least 1 inexpensive board game to Child Haven.
Due Date: Thursday, December 17th

Xerox is Doing Something Cool for our Military! - Write a Thank You Letter Online to Our Soldiers

2008-12-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it for you. Then, it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq .

You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a few mintues of your time to say thank you to our brave soldiers.

Thanks, Xerox, for this wonderful program!

Recycle Your All Occasion Cards for Charity

2008-12-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

Send the front picture from your all occasion cards to St. Jude’s Ranch.

They are a nonprofit home for youths that collect recycled cards for reuse. Children at St. Jude’s earn money by creating new cards from the old.

Mail them to:
St. Jude’s Card Recycling
100 St. Jude Street
P.O. Box 60100
Boulder City, NV 89006

LDS Supplies to Order for the Humanitarian Calling

2008-11-23T07:45:00.000-08:00

Here are the helps from the LDS church for the humanitarian calling. Anyone can order these to help you in your service needs.

I am going to put the pamphlets in my humanitarian donation box and encourage people to take them. They are free!

I have also ordered 2 "In the Service of Your God" DVD's and will also put those in the donation box to loan out. (I am going to put a sticker on them to remind people to return them back to the donation box in 2 weeks.) This DVD will be great to watch for Family Home Evening.

Here is the sign for the inside of your donation box!

LDS Church web site for ordering supplies: http://www.ldscatalog.com/

Pure Religion Pamphlet (free) - Item number: 35510000

In the Service of Your God DVD - ($4.50 each or $1.50 each if you order 50) - Item number 54645000

Pure Religion: The Story of Welfare Since 1930 Book - ($19.75) - Item number 35247000

Magical Forest at Opportunity Village

2008-11-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

Click on this link to learn all about this annual Christmastime event. All proceeds go to help Opportunity Village.

Magical Forest at Opportunity Village

Monthly Mini Challenge - December 2008

2008-11-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

Our mini monthly challenge for December 2008 is to purchase at least 1 inexpensive board game.

These will be donated to Child Haven. (This is one of three local charities that we have chosen to focus on in our ward for 2009.) Child Haven helps children staying in their facility and children in foster care. They service the needs of children from newborn to 17 years old.

Wal-Mart, Target & K-Mart always have inexpensive board games such as Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie, UNO etc. during this holiday time!

Target has Memory, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land & UNO for $5.00.

Walmart has Memory, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, UNO, Don't Spill the Beans, Ants in the Pants for $5.00.

Child Haven lets the children give these as gifts to their families or Child Haven gives them to the children as gifts. They also have a big birthday party each month for the children and can give the games to them as birthday gifts. They will be used as Christmas gifts for the children, as well.

Do not wrap the games. (That makes it easy, huh!) Please deliver them to my porch, or at church, by Tuesday, December 16th.

If you live out of state, still take the December 2008 challenge! Deliver your unwrapped game(s) to a Toys for Tots donation box. (They are at ToysRUs and BabiesRUs, as well as other locations.) They will deliver your toys to children in your area that are in need.

Any questions? Please e-mail me at bridget@meridius.net

Winter Hat Drive a Success!

2008-11-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Our November 2008 mini donation challenge was a success! We collected and delivered 103 winter hats, 5 pair of mittens and 2 scarves to Child Haven.

Look how deep the pile is! Great job!

Deliver Your Letter to Santa at Macy's...

2008-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

At every Macy's department store across the country, there is a mailbox to collect letters for Santa Claus. Bring your STAMPED letter to Macy's addressed to Santa at the North Pole and drop it into Santa's special letterbox. Macy's will deliver it to the post office for you. Macy's will count them up, and for each letter received, they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish foundation up to $1,000,000!

This is a win-win situation! It will be so fun for our kids to drop off their letters to Santa and we get a donation made on our behalf, as well.

Thanks, Macy's!

Humanitarian Service Sheet

2008-11-12T15:11:00.001-08:00

Humanitarian Service Sheet is a list (in a Word document) that lists current service project ideas divided into the following topics.

Acts of Kindness Projects
Donation Projects
Events for Charity
Handmade Projects
LDS Humanitarian Projects
Recycling Projects
Service Projects - Local Community (Las Vegas, NV)
Volunteering Projects

It is a really easy way to see what projects interest you and your group for humanitarian projects. Some ideas are local, but most are for anyone in the world to participate in.

The Las Vegas Great Santa Run - December 6, 2008

2008-11-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in 5K races, this would be a fun opportunity for you. The Las Vegas Great Santa Run is an annual event to benefit Opportunity Village.

In 2007, 7,269 Santas made history as they gathered in downtown LAS VEGAS to help Opportunity Village break the World Record for the Largest Santa Gathering and at the same time, raised much needed funds and awareness for Opportunity Village.

Opportunity Village was founded in 1954 by a small group of local families seeking to improve the lives of their children with intellectual disabilities. Since then, Opportunity Village has grown to become Nevada’s largest private, not-for-profit community rehabilitation program, serving more than 3,000 people annually through vocational training, community job placement, advocacy, and social recreation programs.

More than just a charity, Opportunity Village operates two work center campuses and one thrift store in Southern Nevada. It also operates a vehicle donation program, trains and places hundreds of disabled adults in jobs throughout the community, and hosts some of the most popular special events in all of Las Vegas, including the annual Magical Forest.

The race this year is on Saturday, December 6th at 10 a.m. sharp. Your race fee includes a new 5 piece Santa suit (yours to keep) and a ticket to the Magical Forest for this holiday season.

Salvation Army Bucket - Teach Your Children to Give

2008-11-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a really easy and simple idea for encouraging your children or grandchildren to become "Humanitarian Helpers".

During the holidays, I get a $10 roll of quarters for each of my children and keep it in my purse. When we are out running errands, my children get to put a few quarters into the Salvation Army buckets coming and going out of the store. I give them the money while we are in the car, so it feels like they are giving it all on their own.

This is a great way to teach giving to a child. There is lots of excitement in this giving because of the bell ringing and the thank yous from the Salvation Army volunteer. It is a rewarded effort every time they give. That good feeling of giving will stick with them throughout their whole life. It did for me!

Volunteering Opportunities - Where to Start?

2008-11-10T23:24:00.001-08:00

If you want to volunteer your service, but are not really sure where, here are some links to get you on your way!

1-800-volunteer.org - is a national database of volunteer opportunities. Put in your zip code and the number of miles you're willing to travel. Narrow your search based on the programs that interest you.

http://www.volunteerabroad.com/ - Choose a country and limit your search based on the type or work and length of job. Some projects require registration fees that can range from $200 to over $2,000.

http://www.seniorcorps.gov/ - Offers volunteer opportunities for people 55 and over.

http://www.americorps.org/ - This organization will connect you to long-term service projects, from disaster relief to homelessness. Create a user profile and apply for opportunities that interest you.

www.charityguide.org/ - Charity Guide presents service projects that are entirely flexible and immediately actionable. You can volunteer whenever you want, from wherever you want, in as few as 15 minutes.

Beanie Babies - Recycling Idea

2008-11-10T23:05:00.000-08:00

Beanie Babies! No kidding! A really good excuse to get rid of those things (don't buy new ones, collect them from your house and ask your friends)!! Send them to Beanies for Baghdad and they will deliver them for you.

They are really easy for the Soldiers to carry with them and give to the local kids who love them. These are better then small plastic toys which will break easily and are not as easy to carry in a pack. There is NO more effective ambassador for our country than a Soldier helping the local folks. This is done far more often then the press shows, and quite probably the most important thing a Soldier will ever do.

You can send your Beanie Babies to:

Beanies for Baghdad INC
Attn: Donna Ward
6401 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47715

info@beaniesforbaghdad.com

Donna will put your beanie babies in care packages for the soldiers to deliver. They also have a list on their site of other items that you can send for care packages to our US military.

Here is a link to some videos of the soldiers handing out the Beanie Babies.

Cell Phones for Soldiers - Recycling Idea

2008-11-10T22:49:00.000-08:00

Have old cell phones lying around your house? You can donate these to Cell Phones for Soldiers. This organization sells them to a recycling company. The money that they receive goes to buying phone cards for the soldiers.

You can pay to ship your phones to them (they only need the cell phones, not the batteries or accessories) or you can print a postage FREE shipping label.

They also direct you to this site. The Cell Phone Data Eraser gives you the tools you need to remove personal information from your cell phone. So, you can donate your phones worry-free.

Toys for Tots

2008-11-10T22:43:00.000-08:00

Toys for Tots

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.

National toy drop locations are at Babies R Us and Toys R Us. (At our Babies R Us, the drop box was by the exit door.)

Locks Of Love

2008-11-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

If you decide to get 10 inches cut from your hair, you can donate your hair to Locks of Love. (I just did this during this summer and it was something that I had always wanted to do.) Here is the "How to donate" information from Locks of Love.

I took my donation to Great Clips (hair cutting salon across the US). They had me fill out a donation sheet and they sent my ponytail in for me. It was a wonderfully rewarding experience, complete with a thank you letter a few weeks later.

Write a Thank You Letter to A Person in Our US Military

2008-11-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

Ever wanted to give a million thanks to the men and women in our US armed forces? Well, now you can!

A Million Thanks is an organization that sends your heartfelt thank yous to our US soldiers. Here is the information from their site:

"We are asking individuals, schools, churches, and businesses around the U.S. to participate by having their students, congregations, and customers write letters, cards, email messages, or prayer messages. We will forward your appreciation message to a service man or women either active duty or retired through our many contacts. Your messages will also be delivered to many USO’s and Veteran’s Hospitals for distribution."

Mail the letters to:
A Million Thanks
17853 Santiago Blvd. #107-355
Villa Park, CA 92861

IMPORTANT BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR LETTERS!! Click here and be sure to read & follow our RULES AND GUIDELINES to avoid disqualification of your letter(s).

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Recycling Idea - Save Your Soda Pop Can Tabs!

2008-11-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

The Ronald McDonald House gladly accepts your pop tabs! They are a charitable organization all over the country. They have a living facility for families to stay in that have children in a nearby hospital. The stay is only $10 per night, but they will never turn a family in need away.

Here is what the Las Vegas, NV Ronald McDonald House says about their collections: "The little, seemingly insignificant tab you pull to open your aluminum cans is like gold to the Ronald McDonald House. We collect these pop tabs, recycle them, and the proceeds go directly to Ronald McDonald House families. When family needs assistance with travel costs, clothing and hygiene items, or the costs associated with the death of a child, our Pop Tab funds are there to help."

1.) Pull the tab off any aluminum can.
2.) Collect the tabs.
3.) Drop the tabs off or mail them to:

The Ronald McDonald House
2323 Potosi St.
Las Vegas, NV 89146

Office Hours: 9 AM – 9 PM everyday
Office Phone: (702) 252-4663

Here is a flyer for you to print if you would like to collect tabs in your local school, church or community group. Pop Tab Flyer

Anyone can lead or participate in this easy and rewarding service project! Cheers!

Humanitarian Leaders - Make Donating Items Easy

2008-11-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here is one key to a successful donation drive. Make donating items very easy for the participants. In my group, I keep a donation box on my porch. Everyone knows that they can leave any donations at any time. It just hides behind a pillar on my porch. I weight it down with a brick inside, so nothing will blow away. I also used containers that have lids that snap shut.

I also take a donation box to my church every week. It goes in our Relief Society room for all three of our meetings. Again, everyone knows that it will be there every week.

We have donation challenges, so we have donations coming in all of the time. These two drop off locations create predictability and organization for everyone involved. It makes giving really easy!

I have two sizes of donation boxes. A smaller one for compact donations (such as winter hats) and a bigger one for bulkier donations (such as games).

Click here for the donation box label. It is yours to modify and use.

Monthly Mini Donation Challenges - November 2008

2008-11-06T16:18:00.000-08:00

November 2008 Challenge –

Purchase at least 2 knit beanie hats! These are sold in the men’s department at Wal-Mart for $1.00.

They come in a variety of colors. They also have a knit cuffed hat for $1.00. Either the knit beanie hat or the knit cuffed hat, is just fine to donate. These will work for men, women and children.

If this request depletes the supply at our Wal-Mart on Marks & Sunset, be sure to check the Wal-Mart on Lake Mead Blvd. & Boulder Hwy. They had lots!

Please deliver them by Tuesday, November 18th. These donations will be taken to Safe House and/or Child Haven for the children and families that they help. Cold weather is coming for the next few months and this small donation will help out immensely!

Muslin Dolls - Easy Handmade Donations

2008-11-02T13:08:00.000-08:00

The largest pediatric hospital in Las Vegas, NV, Sunrise Hospital, is in need of handmade muslin dolls. They use these dolls for medical play with the children. They can express their feelings, explain physical pain and learn about procedures to be done on them with these donated dolls. All children that are admitted to the hospital have the opportunity to use the muslin dolls.

1. The directions are on the pattern. Click on the following link for the pattern: Muslin Doll Pattern
2. They do not want anything on the dolls, so the children can be creative with them.
3. They need all different skin colors for the dolls.

If you live out of state, these would be very easy and lightweight to ship. The contact information is as follows:

Contact: Jody Bardoun -- Child Life Specialist, Sunrise Hospital
E-mail: Jody.Bardoun@hcahealthcare.com
Phone: 731-8961
Work Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Address: Sunrise Children’s Hospital
Child Life Department
3186 S. Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Drop Off Items: You can drop of the items anytime in the Children’s Hospital Lobby. Just mark the items for “Child Life”. The ladies at the information desk can pass them along to the Child Life department.

This would be a great project to teach your children to sew these simple dolls and to give service to another child.

Warm & Cozy Tied Blankets are Needed

2008-11-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Sunrise Hospital Children’s Care is also in need of tied blankets!

Jody said: “If you have anyone interested in making tied blankets we are in need of warm and fuzzy blankets for children of all ages.”

Contact: Jody Bardoun -- Child Life Specialist, Sunrise Hospital
E-mail: Jody.Bardoun@hcahealthcare.com
Phone: 731-8961
Work Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Address: Sunrise Children’s Hospital
Child Life Department
3186 S. Maryland Pkwy
Las Vegas, NV 89109

Drop Off Items: You can drop of the items anytime in the Children’s Hospital Lobby. Just mark the items for “Child Life”. The ladies at the information desk can pass them along to the Child Life department.

Recycling Humanitarian Opportunities

2008-11-02T00:35:00.000-07:00

We certainly do not have to purchase or make something to further our humanitarian efforts. Sometimes we can just look around our home! Here are some ideas for you or the group that you are working with.

1. Donate your old prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses: http://www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/eyeglasses-donation.htm

2. Collect unused toiletries from vacations or business trips. Use these to make hygiene kits for local shelters that are in need.

3. Donate your used books to the library. Did you know that you can donate your used books to the library and it is tax-deductible? They will give you a receipt for your items at the circulation desk when you give them your books. If it is a new or popular book, they will put them on their bookshelves! (They were so happy when I gave them my Twilight series, because they are in such demand!) If they don't put the books in circulation, they sell them for library funds.

There are many other posts on this blog about recycling projects for humanitarian opportunities.

"Spread the Word" - Literacy Organization in Henderson, NV

2008-10-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

Spread the Word

Spread the Word is a literacy charitable organization operated out of Henderson. I spoke with Lisa, the director, and enjoyed her passion for her job and the children that they serve. They have been operating 8 years. They take 2 new schools on each year and now have 16 low income schools. They give a canvas bag to each child in that school with 5 books in it to start their “home library”. Then, they get a new book each month. A lot of these books go into homes that do not speak English by the parents. So, it is a literacy campaign, as well as an English language campaign.

How Your Organization Can Help:
They need new or gently used books for elementary aged children. They just gave away their 1.5 millionth book!

You can drop off gently used book to help fight illiteracy at any Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Henderson, NV or Las Vegas, NV

They also need volunteer groups to have book cleaning parties. (They will bring the books to your church group.) You check the books to see if all of the pages are there, repair books and clean book covers. Any group can help Spread the Word. Since I am working with an LDS group, this would be an activity for any organization in an LDS ward – pack meetings, cub scouts, primary activity days, YM/YW, Elders or HP service project, RS enrichment night, ward activity night etc. etc. – They do need adults to help with this project, so the kids could not be the only ones doing the work!

They also need volunteers to serve breakfast each month at different schools.
They need volunteer readers to read one on one with the children at the schools.
If you are interested in learning more about Spread the Word, how you can help with a cleaning party, or anything else please contact info@spreadthewordnevada.org I spoke with Lisa, the director, at 702-564-7809. They are a WONDERFUL organization with very kind and organized leadership.

Want to Donate a Service Project to LDS Humanitarian Services?

2008-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

If you want to MAKE a project, pick a project on the LDS Humanitarian Project List:
http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/humanitarian-pattern.html

If you want to ASSEMBLE A KIT or GIVE ITEMS TO ASSEMBLE A KIT, pick a project from the LDS Humanitarian Service Guidelines List:
http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/patterns/service-project-guidelines.pdf

Kits that you can assemble and are listed in the above link are:

Hygiene Kits

Newborn Kits

School Kits

Supplies that you can purchase and send in individually and are listed in the above link are for:
Orphanage Module
Medical Module

Be sure to follow the directions EXACTLY! Your projects can be turned away and not used if the guidelines are not followed!

All donations can be taken to your local Deseret Industries and sent for FREE to LDS Humanitarian Services.

1. Box them up and seal the box

2. Mark the box to be sent to:
Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center
1665 South Bennett Road
SLC, UT 84104

(Click here to print a mailing label)

It is that easy!

Click on the following link for LDS Humanitarian Service Project Guidelines: http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/patterns/service-project-guidelines.pdf

Buy Supplies Online for LDS School, Newborn & Hygiene Kits

2008-10-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

LDS kits are very specific in nature. You have to follow their very detailed instructions to complete a kit.

Mandalay International sells the items for the LDS school, newborn & hygiene kits online.

Enjoy the help of this site!

File Folder Games for Humanitarian Service

2008-10-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

File folder games are needed for donations to LDS Humanitarian Services!

Click on this link for the LDS guidelines for making the file folder games:

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/patterns/file-folder-games.pdf

Click on the following link for free file folder games online: http://www.preschoolprintables.com/filefolder/filefolder.shtml

Tips for file folder games:
The easiest games to put together on the above site are the flower game, watermelon game and pizza game. These all require the least amount of cutting and gluing.

Here are the directions:
1. The games to choose from are in the yellow side bar box on the left side of the page. Pick a game that is about colors, shapes, numbers, matching or telling time. They do not want any game with letters, religious or military symbols.

2. You can print them out in color, or print them in black and white and color them yourself. Don't forget to include the directions.

3. Attach an envelope to hold loose pieces (see above lds.org guideline link for info. on that)

4. Everything needs to be laminated, including the file folder.
Laminate them first and then cut the items out to save time.

5. Attach the game pieces with self-stick Velcro. (I have found clear Velcro packs in the craft area at Wal-Mart)

For more tips on file folder games go to: http://readingwithhannah.blogspot.com/2008/09/preschool-printables-dot-com.html

All donations can be taken to your local Deseret Industries and sent for FREE to LDS Humanitarian Services.

1. Box them up and seal the box

2. Mark the box to be sent to:

Latter-day Saint Humanitarian Center

1665 South Bennett Road

SLC, UT 84104

(Click here for a mailing label.)

It is that easy!

Click on the following link for LDS Humanitarian Service Project Guidelines:

http://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/humanitarian-services/patterns/service-project-guidelines.pdf

LDS Humanitarian Services Address Labels

2008-10-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Want to send a box of donations to LDS Humanitarian Services? It is free to send your boxes by taking them to your local Deseret Industries. Pretty cool, huh!

Click here for your LDS Humanitarian Services Address Labels. (This will open up in a Word document for you to print.)