Trinity Kids - and the 8th Annual Heart & Soul Charity Auction! Help the kids of North Texas today (or in your local community through RFKC)!

The kids of North Texas need your help!  If you're looking for somewhere to donate, and just haven't found an organization that touched you, read more about Trinity Kids and donate now or plan on attending the live/silent auction in February!

Trinity Kids is a 100% volunteer organization (no paid staff), so the maximum amount of each donation goes to the kids. Trinity Kids relies mainly on fund raising and one of their largest fund raising events is coming up on Saturday, February 5, 2011. The 8th annual Heart and Soul Charity Auction will be held at the Bob Duncan Recreational Center in Arlington, Texas from 6 – 9 p.m. Trinity Kids is in need of items to be donated for the auction, as well as people to come to the auction and buy the items.

Did you know that Texas Child Protective Services investigated over 50,000 reported cases of child abuse and neglect in the DFW Metroplex in 2009, including 61 deaths. Now, more than ever, children in North Texas desperately need help to overcome the scars of abuse, neglect and abandonment so that they can more fully live their lives without fear!

The Heart & Soul Charity Auction helps to increase awareness and raise money for abused, neglected and abandonded children of North Texas. All proceeds go to Trinity Kids, an all volunteer, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to meeting the needs of abused children through one week summer camps.

On average, Trinity Kids takes approximately 60 – 70 kids to camp each year and try to take equal numbers of boys and girls. Trinity Kids is always in need of men to be volunteers and often times can’t take as many boys as we would like because of a shortage of men volunteers. Unlike traditional camps that average 8 – 10 children per guide, each guide only has 2 children, so the guides can focus lots of attention on their campers, which they rarely get. All of the children at camp are either in Child Protective Services custody or have been in custody, and unfortunately the majority have been sexually abused.

You can donate to Trinity Kids through their web page.  Donate your time or contact me if you'd like to donate goods or services to the Heart & Soul Charity Auction!  Tickets to the Heart & Soul Charity Auction are only $15 per person. The event includes a catered dinner by Mercado Juarez, live entertainment by the Crosswinds Jazz Band, a silent auction and a live auction managed by professional auctioneer, Shawn Hardin.



Interested in finding out how to help in your community?  You can read more about Royal Family Kids Camps, search for local camps and supporting organizations (like Trinity Kids), and donate today!

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RAZ reminds us to remember to give this holiday season! (Random Acts of Zhu)

Sometimes as a blogger I am given the opportunity to participate in some really amazing projects, and Random Acts of Zhu was definitely one of those amazing projects this year!  Cepia, LLC, the makers of Zhu Zhu Pets wanted to reach out to local communities in the most amazing way by distributing 10,000 Zhu Zhu and Kung Zhu pets nationwide this holiday season.  In order to reach the most deserving charities and kids in local communities, Cepia, LLC reached out to bloggers it had worked with in the past and sent them each 104 hamsters to share with their charity of choice!  Like I said, sometimes as a blogger, I get the most amazing opportunities, and giving back to the community is definitely the best!  It's always a great reminder to give to others this holiday season, so let me tell you a little bit more about my charity of choice in North Texas!

Trinity Kids touches the lives of abused, neglected and abandoned children of North Central Texas by providing FREE activities that are designed to provide fun, safe and positive memories.  Every summer, children ages 7-11 attend a week-long residence (overnight) camp for FREE and several times each year teenagers enjoy FREE one & two day events with caring adults. Local social service organizations and their appointed foster families refer children to Trinity Kids for each event.

Trinity Kids volunteers demonstrate Christian love and care, modeling non-violent, positive ways of life as an alternative to the negative and hurtful experiences of abused children.  I'll be writing more about Trinity Kids and their camp program and ways to donate and volunteer soon!  Here's what it takes to wrap 104 little hamsters for a holiday party for the kids of Trinity Kids!

Disclosure:  I did not receive anything personally for this post, only the ability to choose a deserving charity to distribute 104 Zhu Zhu pet hamsters to deserving kids this holiday season!

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Milk Bone's Bark It Furward & Canine Assistants (Comment to help others)

For every comment received on this post, Milk-Bone^® will donate $1 to Canine Assistants so please take the time to leave a meaningful comment about this program or this charity!  What an easy way to help those in need during this holiday season!

“It’s Good to Give…This Season!”  What better way to celebrate the holiday season then through Bark It Furward, a program created to raise awareness and funds for Canine Assistants, a non-profit organization that trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities and the Milk-Bone^® brand’s long-time charitable partner since 1997.  For nearly 20 years, Canine Assistants has provided 1,000 service dogs to people across the country, giving them the chance to have more independent lifestyles.

Many people in need of a service dog depend on Canine Assistants to pay for the lifelong care of the dog.  Without the help of any government funding, Canine Assistants relies on the generosity and private donations made by philanthropic partners, like Milk-Bone^®, to help pay for the training of these special needs dogs.  In an effort to help care for and train more assistance dogs for recipients across the country, Milk-Bone^® is asking you to rally around Canine Assistants.

  

Bark It Furward was created by Milk-Bone^® brand to educate others about the inspiring work being conducted by Canine Assistants.  By joining the Bark It Furward movement, you can help raise awareness and much needed funds to provide assistance dogs for people with disabilities.

About Canine Assistants

Canine Assistants® is a non-profit organization, founded in 1991, which trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs.  In addition to physically assisting those with disabilities, Canine Assistants service dogs are instrumental in removing many of the barriers faced by the disabled in today's society.

Service Dogs:

Canine Assistants service dogs assist children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs in a variety of ways. Some of the tasks the dogs perform include turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pulling wheelchairs, retrieving dropped objects, summoning help and providing secure companionship.  While all of these functions are vitally important in helping a person obtain greater freedom, perhaps the most impressive gift the dogs provide is social, rather than physical, in nature.  The dogs eliminate feelings of fear, isolation and loneliness felt by their companions. One Canine Assistants recipient made the value of this gift quite clear when asked by a reporter what she liked most about her service dog.  Immediately, she responded, "My dog makes my wheelchair disappear."

Most Canine Assistants service dogs are born, raised and trained at the Milton, Georgia facility, while some are occasionally adopted from local organizations or breeders.  The majority of the service dogs are retrievers, including both Golden Retrievers and Labradors.

Companion Dogs:

Like service dogs, companion dogs also serve to assist children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs.  Companion dogs work primarily in a recipient's home, assisting with tasks around the house and more importantly, contributing to the emotional well being of the person.

Seizure Response Dogs:

In addition to service dogs and companion dogs, Canine Assistants also trains and provides seizure response dogs for certain recipients.  As with some of the service dogs, these dogs are adopted from various organizations and selectively screened for personality, temperament and general health.  Following general training, seizure response dogs are trained to perform one of the following behaviors, depending on the recipient's need: remain next to the person during the course of a seizure, summon help in a controlled environment or retrieve a phone prior to the seizure when indicated by the recipient.  Certain dogs may even develop the ability to predict and react in advance to an oncoming seizure once they are placed with their recipient.

For every comment received on this post, Milk-Bone^® will donate $1 to Canine Assistants so please take the time to leave a meaningful comment about this program or this charity!  What an easy way to help those in need during this holiday season!

Disclosure:  No compensation was received to blog about this program!  If this blog post receives the most comments, then I'll be given the opportunity to interview Jennifer Arnold, the founder of Canine Assistants.  I'm more interested in helping the program through this post, so please leave your comments for that reason alone!

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Help Kraft donate meals to Feeding America by sending free e-cards now through Dec. 31!

Help Kraft donate 1 million meals to the hungry this holiday season. Simply send FREE holiday e-cards from American Greetings to your friends and family. For each card sent, Kraft Foods will donate 10 meals to Feeding America. When you send the e-card, your friends and family will get a simple holiday greeting that includes some great holiday recipes and also lets them know that by sending the same e-card on to their friends and family, Kraft will donate meals to the hungry this holiday season.

Visit http://www.KraftRecipeForJoy.com and send a FREE holiday e-card today and every day through December 31, 2009!

For more information about Feeding America, visit www.FeedingAmerica.org.

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Pledge to Spend Time with Your Kids & Enter to Win a Frigidaire Professional Double Wall Oven

For more than 75 years, Save the Children has been helping children survive and thrive by focusing on early childhood education, literacy and physical activity and nutrition programs.

Save the Children created the CHANGE program (Creating Healthy, Active, and Nurturing Growing-up Environments) to promote healthier lifestyles for children living in poverty by providing nutritious snacks and regular opportunities for children to be physically active.

Now, you can help. Raise your hand today to reveal your pledge to make time for your child, and Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children's U.S. Programs through the Make Time for Change Program. Also thanks to Frigidaire and their collection of appliances designed with time-saving features for busy Moms, every day you pledge your time, you'll be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven. Click HERE to make your pledge.

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Text-a-thon for Ovarian Cancer Research with Kelly Ripa and Electrolux! Win a new washer/dryer!

Sorry, this one got lost in my e-mail, but before September is over, I wanted to let you know about another great opportunity to do something for others! During September, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, Electrolux and Kelly are holding a "Text-a-Thon for a Cause" to help raise support for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund whose mission is to fund research to find a method of early detection and ultimately a cure for ovarian cancer. You can view Kelly's PSA here!

Throughout September, you can donate $5 to the cause by texting "KELLY" to 85944 from your mobile phones (standard text messaging rates apply) - or logging on to
www.kelly-confidential.com. Also, every time you log on to the Web site, you'll be entered for a chance to win an amazing contribution to your home - a luxury front load washer and dryer from Electrolux in Turquoise Sky, the color inspired by the teal ribbon of ovarian cancer awareness.

Also during September, visitors to Kelly Confidential can help spread awareness for this important cause by sending a virtual T-shirt to a friend. For every virtual t-shirt sent, Electrolux will donate $1 to the OCRF. Fashion-forward Moms can also purchase a limited edition T-shirt designed by Ripa; 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts will go to OCRF.

Thanks for MomSelect for letting me know about this great opportunity to help others!

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Pledge your time to a child and Frigidaire will donate to Save the Children!

Jennifer Garner and Frigidaire are proud to kick off the "Make Time for CHANGE" campaign to support Save the Children's U.S. Programs, dedicated to making a difference for the smallest and most vulnerable Americans - children.

Frigidaire's new line of appliances, the largest launch in the brand's history, is designed with time-saving features for busy moms. While it's only September, we're asking Moms - and everyone who believes in the power of Moms - to think ahead to November 1st - the day all of us change the clocks and get an extra hour - and pledge to use that time to make CHANGE for children.

Starting today, for everyone who goes to Frigidaire.com and raises their hand with a pledge to make time for a child, Frigidaire will donate $1 to support the CHANGE program and Save the Children's work to help children in need in the U.S. And in addition to that fuzzy feeling you get from doing something good, everyone who pledges their time will be entered for a chance to win a new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven! Those in the market for top-notch new appliances should also know that, for every new Frigidaire Professional double wall oven sold, Frigidaire will donate $100 to Save the Children's U.S Programs as part of their $250,000 commitment to this worthy cause.



Thanks to MomSelect for letting me know about this program!

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Land's End Feel Good Story - Buy a sweater and help those in need!

The Land's End Feel Good program is a terrific way to shop and feel good about giving to homeless individuals and families across the country. For every Lands' End FeelGood sweater purchased, the company will donate signature FeelGood yarn to One Heart Foundation's Warming Families, a nationwide knitting charity. Lands' End expects to donate thousands of pounds of yarn to the charity where volunteers plan to knit up to 25,000hats and other items to warm the homeless and displaced. It's a simple way to help! Please help distribute more information on this program by linking to this post or sending a copy to your friends and family.

If you have a knack for knitting, visit this page to find out more about donating hats in your community! There are also patterns available!

Thanks to MomSelect for letting me know about this great program!

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Magazines.com - Support our troops with a gift subscription today!

For just $10 you can donate a magazine subscription to a member of the armed forces stationed overseas. Magazines.com will match a subscription request once you donate! All donated subscriptions are only $10, so celebrate the 4th by helping out those who are serving our nation! Show your support to our troops today!

Subscriptions for Soldiers: Donate a gift subscription today at Magazines.com!

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Visit Wendy's for a Frosty on Father's Day and Support a Great Cause!

It's amazing all the little ways that you can give back to you community and others just by doing something you would likely do anyway, so this Sunday, visit any Wendy's location and purchase a frosty! Wendy’s restaurants will be donating 50 cents for every Frosty product purchased over the Father’s Day weekend (June 20-21) to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s initiatives. Customers can also stop by Wendy’s and donate by purchasing a Frosty pin-up for $1 each.

This year, Wendy’s started a new tradition for Father’s Day. Kids can go to FrostyCard to create a free custom Father’s Day eCard and Wendy’s will donate an additional 25¢ to the Foundation for every Frosty Card sent. Kids choose from a variety of scenes and objects, from sandcastles on the beach to baseball in the backyard, or they can give Dad a taste of Hollywood by selecting a pre-designed card created by a celebrity.

Last year’s efforts raised more than $1.5 million, so let's make this year even greater! This campaign assists children in finding their forever homes!

Thanks to MomCentral for giving me the heads up on this campaign!

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Kraft - Donate a box of Mac & Cheese to the hungry!

Okay, I went to print a coupon for Kraft Mac & Cheese and noticed that there was a box at the bottom of the page that said click here and we'll donate a box of Mac & Cheese to the hungry! I just helped Kraft donate a FREE box of KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese to Feeding America just by clicking that link. . They're working to donate up to 1,000,000 boxes. You can help too by visiting here. It's quick, easy and for a great cause.

Remember, every box counts!

Thanks! And while you're at the site, print yourself a coupon to save $1.50 off two boxes of Kraft Mac & Cheese!

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