Project 42: Commit to five random acts of kindness!

Today is Memorial Day, and we, along with everyone else in this country, pause to remember those who have served and sacrificed so much for our freedom.  To any veterans who happen to be reading this, a huge THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!  Memorial Day has extra significance for me because my dad, an Army veteran, passed away from cancer on Memorial Day eleven years ago.

In honor of Memorial Day, I really wanted to find some special “Memorial Day” project for us to do.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t really come up with anything overly significant that would work for a 4.5 year old.  Instead, I decided that we would make the day special by simply doing some random acts of kindness for others.

This morning, Abby, Jake and I made “Patriotic Popcorn.”  (Thanks, Pinterest!)

To make the Patriotic Popcorn, we popped microwave kettle corn and then melted white chocolate.  I poured the white chocolate over the kettle corn and stirred it up.  Then, Abby put patriotic sprinkles on top.   After chilling it, I divvied up the popcorn into bags and added red and blue M&Ms.  I added a cute tag to the bags that reads “Wishing you a Happy Summer With Love from The Draper Family!”  Then it goes on to suggest that the family pay it forward by doing five random acts of kindness for five of their friends or strangers.  Here is the finished product…

Abby picked out five families that she wanted to deliver the treats to.  So, we set off to make our deliveries.  Here she is at the first house…

This morning we made three deliveries, and when I’m done with this post, we’ll head out to deliver the other two.  If you’re looking for something fun and easy to do this Memorial Day – or any other day for that matter – commit to five random acts of kindness!

I already have next year’s Memorial Day project planned.  We will help put flags on the graves at the DFW National Cemetery, where my dad happens to be buried.  It got a lot of publicity this year, so they had almost a thousand volunteers.  Next year, that will be us!

Project 32 update: Delivered pop tabs to Ronald McDonald House

Today we finalized the longest project we have undertaken to date!  Back in January, I learned of the tragic passing of a high school friend’s little boy from leukemia.  His family had stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Worth while he received treatment at Cook Children’s Hospital.  In his honor, Abby and I decided to collect pop tabs to benefit Ronald McDonald House.  (Ronald McDonald House collects pop tabs for the pure aluminum, which is recycled for money that is used to support the daily operations of the House.)  You can read more background about the project on the original project page here.

Abby made tubs to collect pop tabs at her preschool.  Each day for several months, the preschool set the tubs out by each classroom for the children to put in their pop tabs.  And each day at the end of the day, Abby helped to put them away.  Many, many thanks to the director and staff at the preschool for allowing us to do this project!  And many, many thanks to all of the families at The Ark Preschool who helped make this project such a success!  It was so fun watching all the little kids bring in pop tabs every morning!

Even though this was our project and all of the pop tabs would ultimately end up at our house, Abby was adamant that she had to take all of the pop tabs we collected at home to the preschool.  She wanted her class – the Monkeys (aka the 3-4 year olds) – to collect the most.  A couple of classes (including the Monkeys, of course) managed to fill the tubs all the way to the top!

In addition to the preschool, several other friends and family members collected pop tabs to help us.  Friends from church, high school and my moms’ club all contributed pop tabs.  One friend’s mother even collected pop tabs at her office to add to our project, and Abby’s Gram (Rob’s mom) sent a couple of bags from Nebraska!  Look at all the pop tabs we collected!

Now, I’ll grant you, I do drink a lot of Diet Dr Pepper, but I never could have done this on my own!  This project is the perfect example of how individual contributions can really add up when you work together.

Today we finally had the opportunity to take the pop tabs to the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas.  I had never been there before and really had no idea what to expect.  Wow – that place is AMAZING!!!!  My mom went along with us, and we were both super impressed with everything they had there.  They really do make it a home away from home for all the people who stay there.  Here is Abby outside with the huge bag of pop tabs…

The people working there were very appreciative and offered to give us a tour of the place.  When we were done, we snapped a quick picture of Abby with Ronald McDonald himself…

Before we left, we asked about the other needs and volunteer opportunities.  There are some great opportunities if you are interested in helping this great cause!  (And there are Houses all over the country, so you do not need to be in Dallas to do this.)  Groups can sign up to come in and make a meal for the residents.  There is a huge kitchen with multiple ovens, microwaves, etc.  I think getting a group together to make a meal would be great – it’s on my list to try to find a group to do that soon!  They also have a “wish list” of items that they could use.  Examples of the items on the list include dvds, cleaning supplies and scrapbooking supplies.

After we were done, we felt compelled to go to McDonald’s to support the company that has made such a difference with the Ronald McDonald House.  Here is Abby enjoying her ice cream at McD’s.  (For the record, I NEVER go to McDonald’s.  I can’t remember the last time I ate there.  It’s been years.  But, today we made a special exception to celebrate this project.)

All in all, this was a wonderful project.  Abby loved getting her friends at school involved, and I loved getting to do a project in honor of my friend’s son.  Who knows, maybe we’ll keep collecting our pop tabs to take them down again some day.

As an aside, Teaching to Give is now on Facebook!  Go “like” our page here and join the giving movement!

Summer Service Challenge!

It’s Memorial Day Weekend and you know what that means – summer is officially here!  If you’re like us and most other families I know, the kids are out for the summer and you’re trying to figure out how to keep them entertained and save your own sanity over the next 3 months.

What will your kids be doing this summer?  Summer camp?  (Check.)  Vacation Bible School?  (Check.)  Lots of trips to fun places like the zoo, the aquarium or the water park?  (Hopefully several checks.)  A vacation somewhere exciting?  (Check.)  We have a lot of fun activities planned for this summer at the Draper House, but I’m sure there will also be plenty of down time and plenty of “how are we going to make it to the end of August without going nuts?”

When you are planning out ways to keep your kids busy this summer, why not include service projects on your list of activities?  I challenge every family to make a list of at least ten service projects to complete this summer.  They don’t have to be involved or complicated – just make an effort to make a difference!  Abby and I have already completed 41 projects, so you can go to our Project List for some ideas.  (You can also get some great ideas here or here.)

There are so many great ways you and your children can make a difference this summer spending little to no money!  Plus, think how rewarding it will be for your children to have the experience of helping others this summer and learning to be givers.

One of the things I really love about this challenge is the idea that together we can make a really big difference this summer.  If 30 different families each commit to doing 10 different service projects, that is 300 service projects.  If 100 different families commit to doing 10 different service projects, that’s 1000 projects!  You get the idea.  Even little projects can really add up when you’re talking about numbers like that.  Let’s work together to make the world a better place and make a difference this summer.

Please share this challenge with your friends and family and help the movement grow.  Post it on your Facebook or Twitter account and help us grow!  If you’re going to participate in the challenge, please leave a comment so we can truly see the impact we are going to make!  My goal is to have at least 100 families participate in this challenge.  Are you up for it???  Also, watch for an update about a new Teaching To Give Facebook page – coming soon!  Through the page, everyone can share about the projects they do during the Summer Service Challenge!  So…. who is in?

Run with Team World Vision!

I am not labeling this one as a project, since I already had a “run for the cause” project back in the fall.  However, this one is a MUCH bigger deal to me, so I really wanted to share it with everyone!

I have never been a runner.  Not even anything closely resembling a runner.  In January of 2011, I set the lofty New Year’s Resolution for myself to run a half marathon that  December.  By about January 31 (or maybe it was more like January 15), I had already given up.  I couldn’t even run a mile, and it seemed hopeless.

When the fall rolled around, a friend of mine put a note on Facebook that she was starting some teams for a marathon relay.  I signed up and ended up loving it!  My leg was about 5 miles, which was a huge accomplishment for me at the time.  Running that race gave me the confidence to complete my first half marathon in March.  Who ever would have guessed?!  Certainly not me!  I imagine my 8th grade volleyball coach, who watched me struggle through two miles every week and threatened to kick me off the team if I couldn’t run better, would have a stroke if she knew!

At any rate, the friends I met through the marathon relay almost all started running together last summer as part of Team World Vision.  Their church formed a team, and along with other churches and other various organizations, they were part of hundreds of people who ran for Team World Vision in Dallas last fall.  Over the course of many months, we have run together and chatted about all kinds of things.  I heard many, many discussions about their experience running with Team World Vision.  No one ever pushed me to do join their team or start my own.  I just listened to the experience they had, and it inspired me!

At first I thought I would join their church’s team for the Team World Vision run this year.  But, after giving it some thought, I decided it might be a really great opportunity for our church.  I discussed it with the pastor, met with a representative from World Vision, and now we are officially on!

Our team from King of Glory will be part of the larger Team World Vision that is running the 13.1 Dallas on October 27.  We will be having an informational meeting at the church on June 3 at 7:00.  If you have any interest in joining us, please come check it out!  (Just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail and I will be sure you have all the info about the meeting and/or the race.)  I have no clue how many people will join the team.  Right now I have had about 6-7 people express interest, but that is just from the small circle of friends I asked.  I am really hoping for a lot more!  You don’t have to be a member of our church to run with us.  The more, the merrier!  Bring your friends along for the life-changing ride, too!

Team World Vision provides guidance and a training program.  There is a Texas TWV Facebook page, and I’ll create one for our smaller group as well.  Teams from all over the area will gather for group runs on Saturday mornings for 18 weeks leading up to the race.  You don’t have to do the group runs, but they are sure to be fun and motivating!

I am so excited about tackling this new challenge.  If you want to join our team (or donate to our team or any of the runners on our team), you can check out our team page here.  I have set a lofty goal of having our team raise $25,000.  I have no clue if that is an attainable goal or not, but I am going to give it my best!  The more runners we have, the better our chance of reaching that goal.  You do NOT have to be a runner to do this.  I repeat – you do NOT have to be a runner to do this!  You will accomplish something you never dreamed possible, get into better shape, and help provide clean water in Africa, and it will all be worth it!

Project 41: Donate hair to Beautiful Lengths (or Locks of Love)

Abby has been begging me for as long as I can remember to get her hair cut short.  I loved her long hair.  It was beautiful.  Long, silky, blonde.  I loved everything about it.  I especially loved that I could french braid it, put it in a pony tail, or style it pretty much any other way imaginable.  Here is just one example of why I loved her long hair…

I loved that cute ponytail!  Several months ago, I told Abby that if she really wanted to cut it short, she should wait until it was long enough to donate so that someone without hair could enjoy her beautiful hair, too.  She agreed, which bought me some more time with her long hair.  We researched the different options for donation.  Locks of Love, which makes wigs for children with cancer, requires 10 inches.  Beautiful Lengths, which makes wigs for women with cancer, only requires 8 inches.

For months, Abby has had me get out the tape measure to see if her hair is long enough to donate.  About two months ago, I realized it was long enough to donate.  So much for that delay tactic!  My next delay tactic was to tell Abby that she had to wait until after her dance recital was over before she could cut her hair.  The dance recital rules said hair had to be in a low ponytail.  Although I’m sure they wouldn’t have kicked her out for hair that was too short to go in a ponytail, I convinced Abby that she should leave her hair long through the dance recital.  Well, yesterday was the dance recital.

Without any more reasonable excuses to delay the inevitable, I finally agreed to let Abby get her hair cut.  She has told absolutely everyone we have seen for weeks that as soon as the dance recital was over, she was getting her hair cut.  This morning she was up bright and early, and she bounced off the walls with excitement all day.

Here are a few before pictures…

We put the ponytail holders into her hair and measured to be sure there was eight inches.  (We probably could have done ten, but I was afraid it would end up way too short, so we stuck with eight.)  Then the stylist took the scissors to it.  AHHHHH!!!!!!

No turning back now….

To donate the hair, you have to put it in a ponytail, chop it off just above the ponytail holder, put it into a plastic bag and mail it off.  Ours is all ready to go!

She relished the whole process.  I don’t think she had any doubts about wanting short hair.

When all was said and done, her little haircut turned out adorable…

I confess.  I pretty much started to cry when it was done.  But, the more I look at it, the more I love it.  Abby absolutely loves it.  She ran around telling anyone who would listen about how she was donating her bag of hair.  I am proud of her for doing it – and proud of myself for letting her!

Month Nine Wrap-Up

Well, we are officially three-quarters of the way through our year of service!  After a pretty lazy month of March, Abby and I stepped up our game in April and completed four projects.

Our first project stemmed from the tornadoes that ravaged North Texas early in the month.  When tornadoes struck other parts of the country earlier in the year, I looked for tangible ways we could help but never found anything.  Unfortunately, the tornadoes in our own area gave us the opportunity to dive in to a tornado relief project.  Abby and I purchased items needed for the relief effort and dropped them off at a church in Forney that was collecting items.  After dropping off our donations, I took Abby over to the area affected by the tornadoes so she could truly understand why our donations were needed.  What we saw was shocking and life-changing for me.  I don’t think I will ever forget this project.

 

Our next project was one dreamed up solely by Abby.  She came up with the idea to make gifts for the church nursery workers to take on Easter Sunday.  She had me contact the head of the nursery so we would be sure how many we needed, and she wasn’t about to let me leave the house without those gifts on Easter morning!  Here are the goodies we made…

Next, Abby and I selected a child to sponsor through World Vision.  Abby picked out an adorable four-year-old girl from the Congo named Belinda.  Abby has been so sweet in remembering Belinda.  Several times she’s come up to me and said, “We can’t forget about Belinda!”  and then she’ll rush to color a picture or something like that for Belinda.  When we cleaned out our playroom the other day, Abby wanted to give so many things she found to Belinda.  (Unfortunately, the Congo won’t allow us to send anything other than a 9×6 envelope, so we’re limited in the goodies we can send her.)  Abby is begging me to take her to buy colored pencils (using her giving bank money) to send to Belinda.  Hopefully this weekend we’ll have a chance to do that.  I look forward to when the packet from World Vision arrives so we can put a picture of Belinda up in our house (most likely on Abby’s bulletin board) as a constant reminder.

Our final project for the month (and project number 40 overall!) was to volunteer with Buddy League, a baseball program for special needs children started by a family friend.  Abby volunteered as a “buddy.”  The program pairs “buddies” with special needs children to help them play the game.   I will admit that Abby was probably too young for this project, so she wasn’t particularly helpful (or helpful at all!) as a buddy.  But, it’s never too early to introduce kids to this type of activity.  It will probably be a few more years before Abby can truly participate as a buddy, but we will certainly have her do that in the future.

 

Overall, I’d say April was a great month of service for us!

Project 40: Volunteer with Buddy League

My husband, Rob, is a high school choir director.  When he started his current job about seven years ago, we first met the Miller family.  Three of the Millers’ four boys have been in Rob’s choirs.  The fourth has special needs.  Heather Miller, the boys’ mother, started Buddy League in 2002 because she wanted to provide recreational activities for children with special needs.

Over the years, we have fallen in love with Buddy League and what it does both for children with special needs and the “buddies” who help them.  Rob’s students have routinely served as “buddies” who help the kids play the game.  (Each special needs child is paired with a “buddy” who helps him or her play the game.)  We have always said that some day we really wanted Abby to be a buddy for Buddy League.

Today was the first day of the season for Buddy League.  When Rob told me that his pop group was going to sing the National Anthem at the games, I thought it was a great opportunity for a project.  I figured Abby was way too young to be a buddy, but maybe we could take drinks for the players or something like that.  So, Rob called Heather to find out what we could do to help.  Much to my surprise, Heather said that Abby could participate as a “buddy.”

So, bright and early this morning, Abby and Rob headed over to the field to prepare for the game.  Jake and I came to watch.  Here are Abby and Rob at the game…

I do think that Abby was a little too young to really participate as a buddy today.  To top it off, we went to the Rangers’ game last night, so she was up late, very tired, and pretty cranky.  But, it was still a great experience.  I love all the hoopla and fanfare they have for the games.  They have a public address system and announce each kid that comes up to bat, they give out pom-poms and signs, and most of the fans have Buddy League shirts to match the teams.  They don’t keep score (at least I didn’t see it if they did).  It’s all about allowing everyone to participate and have a good time.  Here’s Jake cheering on the teams with his pom-pom…

 A handful of Rob’s students sang the national anthem (beautifully, of course) and Rob got to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.  I happened to bump into someone I knew from law school years ago, and his child was participating in Buddy League for the first time.  It was great to hear he and his wife talk about how excited they are for their son to participate and how wonderful they think Buddy League is.

We absolutely love Buddy League at our house, and we plan to make helping with Buddy League a staple in the Draper household in the years to come.  I’m not sure exactly when Abby will be old enough to truly “get” being a buddy, but it certainly won’t hurt exposing her to this at an early age.  It’s never too early to teach children about tolerance, helping those who need it, and acting loving towards all people, special needs or not.  If you live in or near Garland and want a heart-warming way to spend a Saturday morning, you should go cheer on the kids at Buddy League.  You can view the schedule and details on their website here.