Tue, 18 November 2008  Host a holiday party and ask all your friends to bring toys as presents for underprivileged kids! You can donate the toys to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program. To request that Marines come to your party or to find a Toys for Tots drop-off location near you, visit www.toysfortots.org. |
Fri, 14 November 2008 If you're over 17 years old, you weigh more than 110 pounds, and you're in good health, you are probably eligible to give blood. Yet only 5% of Americans who can give blood decide to donate. You can save up to three lives by giving blood. Visit www.givelife.org today to find a blood drive near you. |
Wed, 5 November 2008 Share your leftover Halloween candy and costumes with others! You can give your candy to a food bank, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter, and you can donate costumes to battered women's shelters and children's hospitals. You can also mail leftover candy to Operation Gratitude to be included in care packages for U.S. troops. For more information, visit www.opgratitude.com/atlas_ib/590t.jpg. |
Thu, 30 October 2008 Learn about the issues before you cast your ballot. Check out these websites for lots of information about the candidates' opinions: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032553/#scroll_debates Be sure to vote on Tuesday! |
Fri, 24 October 2008 If you have a cell phone that you no longer use, even one that doesn't work, you can donate it to charity. Send your old phone to the Secure the Call Foundation (www.donatemycellphone.org) to have your phone turned into a 911-use only device for senior citizens and potential victims of abuse. If you donate your phone to Cell Phones for Soldiers (www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com), it will be sold to pay for calling cards for American troops. You can also send your phone to Recycling for Charities (www.recyclingforcharities.com), which will sell it to be recycled and donate the proceeds to the cause of your choice. |
Fri, 17 October 2008 By using the websites featured in this episode, you can shop online from a wide variety of stores just as you normally would, and part of the proceeds will be donated to charity! The five websites described in this episode are: |
Wed, 8 October 2008 You can collect donations for UNICEF or the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network instead of collecting candy this Halloween. Visit these organizations' websites now to order a collection box in time for Halloween: |
Fri, 3 October 2008 October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Think pink this month by visiting these three free websites, which allow you to fight breast cancer just by clicking a button or taking a simple quiz: |
Fri, 26 September 2008 If you have an old bicycle that you're planning to throw away or one that's sitting in your garage that you're not using, donate it to charity instead! You can give your bike to a homeless person or to one of these organizations: |
Thu, 18 September 2008 Sunday, September 21 is National Neighborhood Day. On this day or on any day of the year, plan a neighborhood gathering in order to get to know your neighbors -- close-knit neighborhoods have lower crime rates, and neighborhood get-togethers can be lots of fun! You can also include a charity project in your neighborhood party! Visit the National Neighborhood Day website at www.neighborhoodday.org. |
Fri, 12 September 2008 There are many applications that you can add to your Facebook profile which benefit charity! The applications mentioned in this episode are Greenbook, Save the Earth, (Lil) Green Patch, FreeCause.com's Pink Ribbon, Give Rice, More Rice, and Save the Rainforest. |
Fri, 5 September 2008 You can give your partially used, unwanted, or expired gift cards to charity! The Salvation Army, battered women's shelters, and homeless shelters can use gift cards to buy supplies for people in need. Here are the websites of other charities mentioned in this episode that you can donate gift cards to: www.thethankyoufoundation.org/contribute.php |
Sun, 31 August 2008 Express your opinion about any issue that matters to you by calling, writing, emailing, or visiting your elected officials! You can look up current bills at www.thomas.loc.gov. To find contact information for your members of Congress, visit www.senate.gov and www.house.gov. You can also call your representatives by dialing the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121. |
Wed, 20 August 2008 August 21 is National Senior Citizen Day. Visit a senior citizen in your neighborhood, or check out www.friendlyvisiting.org to find a program in your area that connects volunteers with elderly people living alone. You can also visit www.mealcall.org to find a Meals on Wheels or similar program near you. |
Wed, 13 August 2008 By incorporating charity into your party, you can make your birthday special. You might choose to ask for charitable donations rather than presents. You could also plan a charitable event for your party, such as making cards or care packages for the needy. One great organization that you can send cards or donated birthday gifts to is America's Littlest Heroes. Visit their website at www.alheroes.org. |
Fri, 8 August 2008 You can get a free email account that donates to charity every time you send an email! These are the charitable email providers mentioned in this episode: You can also register a new or existing Hotmail or Windows Live Messenger account to donate to the cause of your choice when you send emails or IMs at www.im.live.com. |
Wed, 30 July 2008 There are several ways that you can make a difference by baking. You can bake cookies or brownies for the residents of a nursing home or anyone else who might enjoy some sweets. You can also hold a bake sale to raise money for charity. Visit http://gabs.strength.org to register for Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale. |
Fri, 25 July 2008 At www.EZgreetings.org, you can order cheerful singing grams for all occasions, delivered via email, for your friends and family. Each singing gram costs $5 and represents a donation to food allergy research. |
Fri, 18 July 2008 Getting trained in CPR or first aid this summer can prepare you to save a life in the event of an emergency. The American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) and the American Heart Association (www.americanheart.org) offer courses in CPR, first aid, and other other valuable lifesaving skills. The American Heart Association also sells CPR Anytime, a kit that can teach you CPR in 22 minutes. |
Fri, 11 July 2008 Take a few moments to think of anyone you know who might be lonely, and remember to call these people or send them a card to let them know that you are thinking of them. You can also visit a nursing home to bring cheer to the residents. |
Wed, 2 July 2008 On Independence Day, remember those who are serving our country overseas. You can send cards as well as items such as food and toiletries requested by the troops to any of the following organizations: Have a fantastic Fourth of July! |
Fri, 27 June 2008 There are many websites which donate to charity every time you simply press a button! It's quick, easy, and free to click on these sites every day. Here are the ten click-to-donate sites featured on this episode: www.craigresearchlabs.com/cancer.html |
Fri, 20 June 2008 Garage sales are a fun summer activity! You can donate part of the proceeds from a garage sale to your favorite cause, and you can also give the leftover items to charity. |
Fri, 13 June 2008 There are more than one billion people in the world who do not have shoes. You can donate your old shoes to any of the following charities which provide people in need with used shoes: One World Running, www.oneworldrunning.com The Shoe Bank, www.shoebank.org Heart and Sole, www.com.msu.edu/pub-rel/heartandsole/ Sole Responsibility, www.soleresponsibility.org Share Your Soles, www.shareyoursoles.org You can also donate your shoes to Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe program, which turns old sneakers into sports surfaces for underprivileged communities. Visit www.letmeplay.com/reuseashoe/ for more information. |
Thu, 5 June 2008 When you play these free, fun, and educational online games, money will be donated to provide food and water to impoverished people around the world. The websites described in this episode are: |
Fri, 30 May 2008 The jewel cases that most CDs come in are made of PVC, a plastic that can cause environmental and health problems. To prevent these issues, you can donate your old jewel cases to your local library, use them for fun art projects, or give them to GreenDisk (www.greendisk.org), a company that will recycle them. |
Thu, 22 May 2008 You can read books out loud right in your own home to provide audiobooks for the visually impaired. One great organization that welcomes volunteers to record books is Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic (www.rfbd.org). |
Fri, 16 May 2008 You can plan a scavenger hunt in your local mall or grocery store and donate the items that you collect to charity! This activity is fun for people of all ages and makes a fantastic party! |
Tue, 6 May 2008 Donate food to the hungry in your community this Saturday through the National Association of Letter Carriers' food drive! All you need to do is put a plastic bag full of non-perishable foods next to your mailbox before the mail is delivered on Saturday, May 10. To sign up for a reminder email or send an email to your friends about this event, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com. |
Thu, 1 May 2008 You can brighten someone else's day and enjoy the excitement of receiving letters yourself by becoming a pen friend! Nowadays, it's easy to be a pen pal: you can correspond with your new friend online! To find a pen pal in a nursing or assisted living home, visit www.bridgeofhopefoundation.org/pen_pal.htm or www.elderswithoutwalls.com/Assisted%20Living/adoptagrandparent.htm. At www.zambian.com/bethel/pen-pals-for-kids-bethel-children/html/write-pen-pal-child.html, you can become a pen friend of a child living in an orphanage in Zambia. Through the In2Books organization, you can be a pen pal mentor and help an underprivileged elementary-schooler learn to read and write. Visit www.in2books.com/school/penpals.html for more information. Happy writing! |
Fri, 25 April 2008 You can bid in online auctions and donate to charity at the same time! Visit www.ebay.com/givingworks to view all eBay auctions which will donate a portion of their proceeds to charity. You can also find charitable online auctions of items donated by celebrities and businesses at www.charityfolks.com. If you'd like to sell your own items and donate part of the proceeds to charity, visit www.missionfish.com. |
Tue, 15 April 2008 Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day! To protect our planet, you can help prevent junk mail and reduce your consumption of plastic shopping bags. Visit www.charityguide.org/volunteer/fifteen/junk-mail.htm for more ideas about reducing junk mail and specific information about the ideas mentioned in this podcast. Visit www.reusablebags.com for more information about reducing the use of plastic shopping bags. To find Earth Day events in your area and more about this holiday, visit www.earthday.net. Happy Earth Day! |
Thu, 10 April 2008 You can collect the pull tabs from soda cans and donate them to charity. These organizations might be able to use your tabs to earn money to support their efforts: Ronald McDonald House Charities: www.rmhc.org/giving/ways-to-help#soda Lions Club: www.lionsclubs.org Shriners Hospitals for Children: http://shrinershq.org/Hospitals/_Hospitals_for_Children/ |
Mon, 31 March 2008 You can compete for your favorite charities when you go bowling! There are many creative ways that you can donate to charity within the context of a bowling game! You can also participate in a Bowl for the Cure event to fight breast cancer when you bowl. To search for one in your area, visit www.bowl.com/cure. |
Thu, 27 March 2008 Spring has arrived! This is the perfect time to plant a vegetable garden. You can donate the fresh foods you grow to a soup kitchen. |
Sat, 15 March 2008 You can donate your used books, magazines, videos, and DVDs to people in need of entertainment. Drop off magazines at a home for the elderly, or give them to a hospital waiting room. Visit www.booksforafrica.org for information about donating your old books to children in Africa, or check out www.booksforsoldiers.com to meet the book requests of American soldiers. You can donate videos to children's hospitals, or send DVDs to soldiers through Operation DVD (www.operationdvd.net). |
Fri, 14 March 2008 Everyone loves cuddly, cute, friendly teddy bears! You can make a teddy bear for charity or give one of your teddy bears to a child in need. |
Sun, 2 March 2008 Do you sing, dance, juggle, do magic, write stories, play an instrument, act, or yodel? You can use your unique talent, whatever it is, to entertain those in need! |
Wed, 27 February 2008 It's Canned Food Month! Listen to some creative ways to collect canned goods, then see if you can come up with any of your own. To learn about the Cut Out Hunger project and read more about saving money with grocery coupons, visit www.couponmom.com. To find a Nothing But Noodles restaurant near you where you can receive a 10% discount for bringing a canned good, visit www.nothingbutnoodles.com. To see pictures of the Canstruction project, visit www.canstruction.com. |
Sat, 16 February 2008 Did you know that February 20 is Love Your Pet Day? This week, we discuss visiting the elderly with your pet! For other great opportunities to connect with the elderly, visit www.dorotusa.org. |
Sun, 10 February 2008 You can bring Valentine's Day cheer to those in need by making cards for sick children or soldiers or by purchasing charitable greeting cards. To send cards to seriously ill children, visit www.makeachildsmile.org or www.postpals.co.uk. For an extensive list of organizations that send mail to American troops, visit www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/letters_messages.html. To buy greeting cards that support your favorite charities, visit www.justgive.org/html/ways/holidaycards.html or www.cardsforcauses.com. Happy Valentine's Day! |
Mon, 4 February 2008 The groundhog has predicted six more weeks of winter! Use your craftiness to knit, crochet, or sew items to keep those in need warm during the cold weeks ahead. Here are the websites of the organizations featured on this week's show: www.lionbrand.com/charityConnection.html
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Tue, 29 January 2008 You can help the hungry at your Super Bowl party! Ask your guests to bring a canned good, hold a pool for charity, or participate in a project with The Souper Bowl of Caring. Visit www.souperbowl.org for information. Enjoy the game! |
Mon, 21 January 2008 This week, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by talking about real ways to help the homeless: by collecting and giving fast food coupons, saving and distributing sample-size toiletries, and treating homeless men and women with respect. |
Mon, 14 January 2008 "A penny saved is a penny earned." As Ben Franklin said, saving pennies can really add up. In this week's episode, we'll talk about how this simple habit can help change the world! |
Sun, 6 January 2008 Welcome to "52 Ways to Change the World!� On this first episode, I'll tell you about charitable search engines that give money to your favorite causes every time you search the web, without costing you anything! Here are the ten search engines I feature on this week's show; click on these links to visit them: 10. www.blackle.com Thanks for listening, and please e-mail me at juliemz@comcast.net with your ideas! ~ Julie |
52 Ways to Change the World!
Each episode of this podcast features a quick and easy way to make a difference and change the world! From bowling to birthday parties to just searching the web, charity and community service can become a fun, easy, and rewarding part of your everyday life! Listen for a few minutes every week and help make the world a better place!
