Apr 172013
 

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of State Farm and I received a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

When I was in college I had the opportunity to serve as the Community Service Chairperson for our Student Government Association.  I helped to arrange community service involvement and participation for our student body with a number of local and national organizations.  Some of them were walks, some were hands-on activities like building houses, some were collecting food or supplies.

One of my favorite projects we participated in, however, was building a playground from scratch.  There was a neighborhood within walking distance of the college that had a large population of kids, but there was no place nearby for them to play safely.  So they polled the kids to find out what elements they would like to have in a new playground.  Funds were collected and then we spent 48 hours straight – even through the night – and built them a brand new play space.  It was exciting to see how much something simple could transform both a neighborhood and the people living in it. Continue reading »

Sep 062012
 

Hold a Big Help Book Drive and provide books for kids.

I have always felt really lucky that I had two parents who made sure I fell in love with books and reading practically from birth.  Some of my earliest memories are of being read to, or of flipping through books on my own.  I had a pretty expansive library even as a toddler, and as I got older I was encouraged to pick out new books at book fairs and through those monthly fliers from Scholastic that were sent home from school.  I’m confident that the foundation in literacy that my parents built for me directly influenced my decision to make English one of my college majors.

What I didn’t know at the time was that wasn’t the case for every child.  61% of low-income families have no books for children in their homes, and more than 80% of the preschool and after-school programs serving at-risk children have no books at all.  If you remember from the Champions For Kids Bag It Forward project I participated in last month, the teacher who received my donations said they sent books home with the kids at night so they would have things to read.

Nickelodeon books, like SpongeBob SquarePants available at Walmart

There are books available at Walmart that are based on Nickelodeon TV shows, like these SpongeBob ones. A lot of them come in these six packs, which are a great savings!

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