Speaking of Winners...

I bet you thought I forgot to draw a winner for the October Give-Back Giveaway, but I didn't. I just made you wait in suspense for two extra days. I have just drawn a winner using the random generator on the sidebar, and am going to tell you who it is.

But first, I want to give you a few highlights of the incredible things some of my readers have done this month:

Assisted neighbors and elderly.
Gave diapers and baby food to a family in need.
Donated blood to the Red Cross.

And I know there were many, many other acts of kindness and giving, small and large. I just have one thing to say to that. Keep it up, people. That's all. I adore you for who you are and how you choose to give.

And this month's winner is...

Carolyn V. 

Clapclapclapclapcheerdancecheerclapdancearoundtheroomcheerclapclapclap.

Carolyn, I will get your information and mail your copy of Angela Morrison's Taken by Storm to you asap. Or see you soon and hand it to you. Something.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Stay tuned next month for two or three--or maybe more--awesome giveaways.

October Give Back Giveaway!

I know I just did this a couple weeks ago, but I can’t help it. I loved hearing the results for my last charity-related giveaway, and this month is extra great, because there are so many great causes from which to choose. You, my readers, should know me by now. I believe in karma, and paying it forward, and also I believe that my personal success is absolutely dependent on my willingness to give of myself to people or causes in need.

Also, I like to see others give as well, which is what started this experiment in the first place. So, yes, I’m giving away another prize. Before we get to the details, though, let me tell you a little about my charity of choice for this week.

Clear Horizons Academy is a private school for children with Autism. By private, it means not-publically funded, which means all the money for treating these kids has to come from other sources. Most of the families with children enrolled in Clear Horizons are middle class working families who struggle with expensive tuition payments. Every year they hold a dinner and auction in an attempt to help raise funds which go toward the education of these very special children.

I’ve donated items to and attended the auction for several years, and intend to continue doing so for years to come. This year’s auction falls on Saturday, October 15th and once again, I will be there. (If you’re my friend on Facebook, you’ll be seeing pictures.)

This is the charity I’ve chosen for October. However, it is one of many great causes, and among great competition for worthwhile charitable events. October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month as well as Down Syndrome Awareness month, and I know there are countless small and simple causes, needs, and people whose special needs can be taken care of with just a little effort on our part.

*climbs off the soapbox and clears throat*

For this week’s give back giveaway, I have a paperback copy of Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison, accompanied by a signed bookmark for Angela’s other book, Sing Me to Sleep. To enter, I only have three requirements:


1. If you aren’t already following this blog, hurry up and do that. Invite your friends, too, if you like. I won’t complain.

2. Donate to a charity of your choice (but if you donate to the same one as me, I will be ever-so-grateful). **Donations do not have to be financial. Service to a greater cause is also acceptable. (Run a 5k, paint your neighbor’s house, donate food to the food bank, etc.)

3. Leave a comment here in which you tell me about the charity to which you donated, why you chose that particular one, and if possible, share a link that I can pass on to my readers.

This will be an on-your-honor giveaway, because I trust you. But just so you know, if you lie, Karma will send cold and flu germs through your computer where they will jump onto your hands and face and give you a nasty, icky sick-bug that will last at least a week. And fairies will hide your car keys so you’re late to your next important appointment.

You don't want to bring Karma down on your head. Just sayin.

I’ll keep this giveaway open until midnight on Saturday, October 15, 2011, and announce a winner sometime the following week.

Go forth and give, my friends. Eventually, it will come back to you.

In Which My Readers Give, and Someone Wins

Last week I did a Give Back contest open to all people who took a minute (or several hours) to give of themselves. I posted this contest unsure of how well it would go over or who might enter. Not because I don’t think my readers are the giving type—on the contrary. I know they are. It’s just always hard to predict how a new idea will go over.

So I thought I’d share some of the charitable contributions made by my readers last week:

Donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Donated to the American Red Cross.
Organized fundraisers to purchase books for special Ed students.
Participated in food drive organizations.
Brought food / desserts / notebooks and other items to neighbors / friends in need. (The small acts of kindness we all need from time to time, and which mean so much.)
Gave free swim lessons to a needy family.
Organized fundraising efforts to help a neighbor family pay medical bills.
Raised money for the March of Dimes.
Organized a mass food drive in which the following organizations reaped benefits: The [local] food bank. The [local] veterans home, Aid for Friends, and the Bannock Youth foundation.

Guys. That was all in one week. LOOK at all that giving! *beams with pride*

YOU are my readers. You give. You love. You are all AMAZING.

I *heart* you all.

But I can only give away one prize for this contest. So I put all the names into the random generator (see sidebar). And the winner is…

Melissa Lemmon!

Congratulations! I will be emailing you for details this week.

My dear friends, I’m calling this experiment enormously successful. Because of that, I believe I shall make this a monthly thing. Or, if not monthly, often, so keep your eyes open for my next give back giveaway. My next choice of charity will be Clear Horizons Academy, a local school for children with Autism*.

In the meantime, keep on giving. We could all use a few extra Karma points.

*More details on this charity coming soon.

First Ever Give Back Giveaway

If you’ve been reading my blog for longer than, like, a month, you probably know I’ve always been an advocate of giving back. Karma, my friends. Such an important thing, in so many ways. In that vein, I think it’s been way too long since 1) blogged about a good cause and 2) gave away something fun.

SO. Today I’m going to do both.

I have a friend whose son, at age 5, was diagnosed with Type 1 juvenile diabetes. The diagnosis altered his life dramatically, as well as the lives of his family members. Three years later, with an insulin pump attached to him 24/7, his disease is what his mother calls, “under control.” But controlled is not a cure.

A cure would mean so much more freedom for children like him. Every year, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation holds a Walk to Cure Diabetes, during which they hope to raise money for diabetes research.

This is the cause for which I will be donating this week. But that’s not all. In an attempt to reward (in a small way) my readers for their efforts to give back, I’m going to host a giveaway.

One lucky winner will be given the choice between a hardcover signed copy of Matched, by Ally Condie—OR—a paperback copy of Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison. This book is not signed, but if this is your choice, I’ll include a Sing me to Sleep bookmark, which IS signed by Angela. (Both books are at the top of my list of favorites, just FYI.)

To enter is simple.

1. If you aren’t already following this blog, hurry up and do that. Invite your friends, too, if you like. I won’t complain.

2. Donate to a charity of your choice (but if you donate to the same one as me, I will be ever-so-grateful).   **Donations do not have to be financial. Service to a greater cause is also acceptable. (Food to the food bank, manual labor to Habitat for Humanity, volunteering at a soup kitchen or animal shelter, etc.)  

3. Leave a comment here in which you tell me about the charity to which you donated, why you chose that particular one, and if possible, share a link that I can pass on to my readers.

This will be an on-your-honor giveaway, because I trust you. But just so you know, if you lie, Karma will send computer gremlins to break into your hard drive and lay eggs in all your programs and eat your important documents, and my parking fairy will curse you to never get a good spot ever again.

You don't want to bring Karma down on your head. Just sayin.

I’ll keep this giveaway open until midnight on Saturday, September 24th, 2011, and announce a winner sometime the following week (but hopefully Monday the 26th).

Go forth and give, my friends. Eventually, it will come back to you.