The Special Olympics

“Let me win. But if I cannot  win, let me be brave in the attempt.”- The Special Olympics Athlete’s Oath

I think that quote is important to think of whenever you are competing in something. The Special Olympics is a non profit organization that was founded in 1968 and is held all over the world. They want to help kids and adults with intellectual disbilities to become healthier. I’ll be spending some time this year focusing on this because I was asked to go to Idaho this year, where the Special Olympics World Games are to attend the Global Youth Summit that  is linked to this organization.

One of the things I’ve learned a lot about over the last year is that some nonprofits really try to make a place for kids who want to make a difference. When they do this, it helps us feel more welcome and this way, we might want to help that group for a long time. The Special Olympics is like this, and I am really excited that Andrea Kahn called me and asked me if I would like to join the Global Youth Summit. I get to go there in February, and I plan to spend this much learning as much as I can about how I can serve this organization well. I plan to blog about what I learn here and about my experiences at the Global Youth Summit too.

I also plan to start sharing ideas for how kids can make a difference doing small things as often as I can. I’m learning a lot about this, and I hope that I can learn more but connecting to others who do the same thing.

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Thank You to Those Who Make a Difference!

Over the last few weeks, a lot of people have been doing things to make a difference for an organization that I care about a lot. It’s called Compass House. During my December challenge, Kate Ellis and Theresa Gray each pledged to make a difference for them, and I was really grateful when they told me they were making some great donations. Mrs. VanEtten’s seventh graders also did a HUGE clothing drive for them too, which was really impressive AND inspiring.

I know I haven’t been blogging a lot lately. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my blog and with my service work. I’m learning more about the different ways in which people use blogs, and I have some ideas about what I want to do here for the next year. I like the idea of trying to use my blog as a way to share ideas for how people could do small things to make a difference for ANY cause.

Next month, I will be going to Idaho to take part in the Special Olympics World Games. There are so many great things that kids and grown ups can do to make a difference for this organization. I plan to use this month to blog about what I am learning about the Special Olympics. I also want to share some ideas that anyone can use if they want to make a difference for a cause they care about.

An April Showers Giveaway!

This month I will be doing an April Showers Prize Bag Giveaway to support Compass House. I have a whole bunch of brand new items to give away that will help you and your family enjoy spring even more. I am planning to give them away by having a drawing on March 25th!

All that you have to do is make a five dollar donation to Compass House right here! If you donate more, your name will be entered once for every five dollars you donate.

Inside the canvas shopping bag (which is good for the environment) there is a kite, a Cirque Du Soliel golf umbrella donated by Sylvia Nadler from Compass House, a bag of 12 hyacinth bulbs, a bag of 36 daffodil bulbs, 8 designer greeting cards, spring colored cooking utensils, spring cookie cutters, a garden stone-making kit, a whole bunch of different flower seeds, and two great books. One is Bloomability by Sharon Creech and the other is Sleeping With a Sunflower: A Treasury of Old Time Gardening Lore by Louise Riotte. To enter, please make a five dollar (or more) donation to Compass House right here. Please forward a copy of your email receipt to me at twentyfivedays(at)gmail(dot)com.  You can also call or mail a donation. Please let them know that I sent you, and then email me or leave a comment too. Thanks! Everyone who donates will be entered to win. The drawing is on March 25th!

I’m also hoping people will support Compass House this month by doing any of these things. The people who make the most difference for Compass House this month by doing any of the things below will win a $20 donation to the charities they choose. One individual and one group will be selected.

• Raising awareness of Compass House by putting posters up in places where young people will see them. I also have a whole bunch of rubber wrist bracelets to give away too. If you would like a poster or some bracelets, please email me! This would be great!
• Raising funds for Compass House by doing a penny drive, a bake sale, or any other type of fundraising.
• Blogging about Compass House or your local safe place.
• Inviting someone from Compass House to speak where you work or where you teach.
• Donating clothing, food, or other needed things to Compass House
• Helping me support Cheerful Givers and Compass House by creating birthday gift bags. I would like to donate gift bags to Compass House so that the kids that come there and the young moms and dads who come there have birthday gifts that they couldn’t afford on their own. I will be writing more about this tomorrow and in the next week too. I have some ideas to help them.

If you do any of these things or have other ideas for helping, you will be entered to win my charitable donation this month. Please let me know what you are doing to help so that I know you are interested in winning!

Donations for Compass House, the Pajama Project, and Project Linus

This week, several people made donations to causes that I really care about, and they emailed me to let me know. So, I wanted to pass this along to all of you.

First of all, I want to thank Leslie for running her Haiku contest this month online. I offered a $15 donation to one of the winners of her contest, and when the winner was announced, she donated this money to Compass House, in addition to two other donations! So, because of Leslie, Compass House received a $45 donation already, and it isn’t even March yet!

I also received a great email from someone who asked that they not be recognized on my blog. This person donated $50 to the Pajama Project! This is the same person who sent me the anonymous tip about the Pajama Program way back in December, which is why I chose to help this cause. Thank you!!!!!

And I have a lot of bottles in my garage right now. My neighbor, Mr. Jung, also has bottle receipts for me too. All of my bottle return money will be donated to Project Linus this month. I will be updating the total amount earned this weekend, after I return all of those bottles. I have to count them yet!

Announcing the Winners of the February 25 Day Challenge

This month, I helped the Pajama Project and Project Linus! There were a lot of surprises during this month’s challenge, but one of the nicest surprises was hearing from Erin from West Seneca! Erin is a teacher, and she collected some pajamas with her students! I just found out about this last week, and it made me really happy.

Erin is the individual winner of this month’s challenge! She will be able to pick any charity or cause, and we will be making a twenty dollar donation to it! Just let us know where you would like your donation to go, Erin.

Lindbergh Elementary School won the group prize for this month. I am going to talk with my principal, Mrs. Parsons, about where this twenty dollar donation can be sent. I want to say thank you to all of my friends and the teachers at school for helping with this. I also want to thank Mrs. Parsons, too. It was fun doing a pajama drive!

My mom has spoken with Mrs. Cardena from the Pajama Program about collecting the pjs and books. And I actually got to meet and work with Christene Lewandowski from Project Linus. What was REALLY cool was visiting Compass House this month and SEEING all of the blankets there that Project Linus has donated in the past! That was really neat.

In March, I am going to be supporting Compass House and Cheerful Givers. I am really excited about doing all of this. I have some ideas for new contests too and some neat prizes this month, so please keep reading. A new month is starting!

Getting Ready to Help Compass House and National Safe Places

A few days ago I went to Compass House to learn more about it before I support it next month. There I talked to Sylvia Nadler, Ellie Bocchino, Michelle Moore, and many other nice people! Compass House is a shelter for homeless kids or kids in crisis. Compass House believes that every kid deserves to have people in their lives who love, care and support them.

When a troubled kid goes to Compass house, they are assigned a case manager who handles their case without judging anything about what happened in the past. They are focused on their futures. The goal with Compass House is to make sure that every kid is safe at home and provide them with a Safe Place to stay when they need it. Compass House has an Emengency Shelter that is open 24/7. The Emergency Shelter is like a house and the average stay is 3-9 days. Compass House also has a Recource Center and that offers a lot of help to those who are ages 16-20. There is an emergency food pantry there and they keep all of the donations they get there too. Young people who are on their own can get food, furniture, clothes, and household items there.

If you are a young person and having trouble at home, are in danger, or are homeless, you can go to Compass House! The people there are all really nice. It is easy to get a ride there too. Just go to any TOPS or MARTINS market and tell someone you need a safe place. They will get you there safely. See the yellow sign at the top of this post? That is the symbol for National Safe Places! When you see it, you know you can go there for help.

You can also get on any Metro bus in our area and tell them you need a safe place. They will take you to Compass House too.

The most important thing to remember is that Compass House works with families to keep kids safe. Parents are always informed when their child shows up at Compass House and help is provided to make sure the child can return to a safe home. Children who are abused DO NOT have to return to homes that are not safe, though. Compass House does not tell any kid what to do. The kind people there help them make good choices that will keep them safe and help them live happier lives.

Thank you Sylvia, Ellie, Michelle, Scott, and everyone else who I met there last week. I had a great visit, and I am excited about helping you throughout March and the rest of the year too.  

Chaught Making a Difference (and much much more)

Laura R. is from Australia but lives in Japan. She works at an international pre-school and she has also been reading my blog too. This week Laura sent me a big box of things including notebooks for my sister and I, two pencils, origami paper and a whole lot of card making supplies like stamps and paper and stickers. I was really surprised! The label on the delivery box was really cool, too, because it was written in Japanese.

These card making supplies are going to be put to good use too! On Monday, I had a short meeting with our friend Kristen and one of the great ladies who runs Suneel’s Light. Her name is Cheryl. They are planning a huge card-making event and a lot of kids are going to be taking part in it, including me! We will be making cards to send as thank you gifts to those who make donations to Suneel’s Light. I am really excited that they asked me to help out. I am planning to donate a lot of what Laura sent to use at this event.

Thank you SO MUCH Laura! I was really surprised by your generosity. I want you to know that I plan to pay it forward too!

I also heard from a teacher named Erin this week. She teaches in West Seneca, and she has been collecting pajamas for the Pajama Project this month! I was so excited to hear about this. I plan to write a lot  more about this as soon as I talk with her and find out more about the work that she has done!

There are only a few more days left of this 25 Day Challenge! If you have done ANYTHING to make a difference for The Pajama Project or Project Linus this month, please let me know. Those who make the most difference this month can win a donation to the charity of their own choice!

Your Turn to Make a Difference: Win the February 25 Days to Make a Difference Contest!

This month, I am helping to support our local chapters of The Pajama Project and Project Linus! There is a lot that you can do to support your local chapters as well!

If you live in my area, you can organize a pajama and book drive, or fundraise and donate money directly to their organizations, or even simply SPREAD AWARENESS! Mrs. Cardena said that because her chapter of the Pajama Project is so new and the demand for pajamas is so high, she really needs to get the word out in our area about what she is trying to do! This is a great service project for groups, families, and even just one person!

If you don’t live in my area, there are local chapters of the Pajama Project just about everywhere! You can help your local chapter out too and still be entered to win a prize in my challenge.

This works the same way with Project Linus! You can help our local chapter by making and donating handmade blankets for babies, children, and teenagers. You can also make a donation directly to their organization! And there are chapters of Project Linus all over the USA!

The individual who makes the most difference for one of these organizations in February will win a $20 donation to any charity of your choice!

The group that makes the most difference for one of these organizations will also win an additional $20 donation to a charity of their choice!

I will also link to you on my site and list you on my sidebar too, so everyone who visits this page can see how you are making a difference too!

If you want to join in this 25 day challenge, please email me or leave a comment on this site so I know this!

To Kick Off A New Month

This month I am supporting the Pajama Program and Project Linus!!!!! The Pajama Program donates pajamas and books to local homeless shelters and other organizations that care for children in need. Our local Pajama Program is run by a woman named Ann Cardena. She just started our local chapter in OCTOBER OF 2007! She would really like help spreading awareness of the Pajama Program too! Even though Mrs. Cardena started out helping just four area organizations in need, she told me that in order to keep up, they need about 850 pair of pajamas per month!

Those who run Project Linus make blankets to donate to children who are very sick, homeless, or who have been abused. We have been talking with Christene Lewandowski from our local chapter, and she has given me some ideas for helping to support them!

I am supporting the Pajama Program at school by holding a pajama drive and asking everyone in my school to donate NEW pajamas that will fit babies, children, and teenagers. They can also donate NEW BOOKS. My principal, Mrs. Parsons, has been a really big help to me as I get ready to do this. Thank you, Mrs. Parsons!

Also, my daddy is supporting  the Pajama Program by also holding a pajama drive at his office too!! I am supporting Project Linus by going to Make a Blanket Day at a local firehall to make tied blankets all day on February 16. I AM REALLY PUMPED UP ABOUT THIS!!! I will also be holding another bottle drive this month and will be donating the money to the Pajama Project and Project Linus. SO PLEASE CONTINUE TO DONATE YOUR BOTTLES TO ME!

REMEMBER, I am holding a  contest this month for you to win handmade, blank Valentine cards. The contest is about spreading awareness of my blog, because when I get more readers, the charities I am trying to help get more support too! If you link to my blog, blog about my blog, put my badge on your blog, Twitter about me, or vote for me in the Blogger’s Choice Awards, you will be entered to win my handmade cards on February 7th! You can also do my MEME below. Just answer the questions here or on your own blog (and link back to me, please)! Make sure to leave me a comment or email me to let me know how you are spreading awareness of my blog, and you can win!

1. Did you have a special blanket when you were a kid (or now if you are a kid)? Explain what you liked about it.

A: Yes, I do have a special blanket. I call it Blankie ( it’s capitalized because that’s it’s name) and I’ve had it since I was a baby. I still sleep with it and love it very much!

2. What is your favorite pair of pajamas like?

A. My favorite pair of pajamas have colorful, fuzzy and striped bottoms and a light blue top. I like them because they keep me warm and they are comfy.

3. What is your favorite book(s)?

A. I would have to say Esperenza Rising and The Paper Bag Princess. Both of these books are filled with adventure and they both have strong characters who are girls! I like this!

Now, copy the questions and answer them below. Or answer them in your own blog! That’s all you have to do to be in the drawing to win the cards I’ve made!

Learning About Internet Communities

Coco was the adult grand prize winner of my December challenge! Today, she let me know that she has committed to an entire year of making a difference too, and what is even better is that she started a blog about making a difference, just like me! This is really great, and I am so excited about this. I hope other people will do the same thing.

Coco’s site is a safe site, like mine. She is moderating comments, and she also put a sitemeter up as well. I’ve added Coco to my blogroll too.

If you have a safe site that is focused on positive ways to make a difference in the world, please let me know! I will add you to my blogroll too. I think it would be really interesting if I could meet some more kids to link to as well. I am learning about internet networks and communities right now. Coco and I have two little “houses” in the same neighborhood now. This is like a community. And we will visit each other!

My mom also showed me an article today that Mr. Will Richardson wrote about sites like mine. Mr. Richardson is leading a big project with schools where I live, and he is also an author. I was really surprised and happy that he wrote about my site. His article sent me some visitors today. Thank you Mr. Richardson!!!!

Caught Making a Difference

Today, Mrs. Strong, my gym teacher, showed a lot of trust in my friends and me by telling us that we could use heart rate monitors whenever we are in the gym. I really like using the heart rate monitors, and they are really ixpensive. You have to wear a watch that tells you how many minutes you have been working and how fast your heart is going. One watch by itself costs around $250.00, and she said that if it falls on concrete it will break. I know we are lucky to be able to use them.

Mrs.Strong is a very pretty gym teacher who also coaches a volleyball team. She cares a lot about us and the sports we play. Also, she really trusts my friends and me. Trust means a lot to me. I think that it’s great that she trusts my classmates and me.

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An Update on Supporting my Cause of the Month: Ski4E!

Yesterday, I got an email message from Ethan Glaser’s grandmother. She told me some great things about Ethan! He sounds like an inspiring boy.

As I mentioned yesterday, Ethan needed to have a liver transplant when he was little! That sounds really kind of scary, but it hasn’t slowed him down at all. Ethan likes to ski and ice skate, and his grandma says that he has a really great sense of humor! Ethan calls his grandma “granny”, and I like that. My friends Sam and Kate call their grandma “granny” too. It’s a pretty name.

Today, I have begun collecting change so that I can make a donation to Ski4E at the end of this month! I also plan to return bottles and go on another penny hunt this month too. And don’t forget to PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR DASH’S CASH REGISTER RECEIPTS! These can really help the Children’s Organ Transplant Association.

I really want to say a big THANK YOU to my teacher, Mrs. Nabozny, at Lindbergh Elementary School! She gives me time to talk about my project in class, and she lets me encourage my classmates to participate. My classmates are great!

Please remember to support Ski4E and the Children’s Organ Transplant Association this month! Let me know what you do to make a difference, and you could win a prize from me at the end of this month and the opportunity to be named as a donor at the end of the month, along with me!

I’ve started saving for Ski4E! You can donate here! Let me know if you do!

Please Help Me Support The Children’s Organ Transplant Association!

Piper Walnicki is a baby who was born at South Buffalo Mercy Hospital last year. This is the same hospital that I was born in! Isn’t she beautiful? I love babies. I can’t wait to babysit someday. Right now, I get to practice by helping my neighbor take care of her granddaughter, AJ! AJ is a little older than Piper.

Piper is this year’s COTA child, sponsored by Ski4e. She has Biliary Artresia, which requires her to have a liver transplant very soon. I am going to spend this month doing some service work for Piper and for Ski4e. I am also going to try to raise some funds too!

Ski4e is an organization that helps to fund the Children’s Organ Transplant Assocation. It was founded in the name of Chad and Debbie Glaser’s son. His name is Ethan. Etthan had Biliary Atresia when he was born, like Piper, and his dad donated part of his liver to Ethan to save his life. Now, the Glaser’s work to help children like Piper.

I am going to do several things this month to try help the Glasers. First, I am going to collect Dash’s Markets register tapes, because 5% of of the total bill amount will be donated to help kids like Piper. If you are a friend or family member of mine will you please help me by collecting these too? Please give them to me at school, give them to my mom or dad, or mail them to my house even! If you live in Western New York and shop at Dash’s you can also send your tapes right to the Glasers!

Here is the address:

Ski4E

P.O. Box 14, East Amherst, N.Y. 14051

You can also organize a dress down day or become a corporate sponsor of Ski4E too! If you are interested in doing this, please take a look at the documents below. These might help you!

new-corp-sponsorship-letter.pdf

ski4e-2008-corporate-sponsor-levels.pdf

dress-down-day-new-letter.pdf

Please remember to let me know if you decide to do any of these things!! I am planning to give a small prize to those readers who make the most difference for COTA and Ski4E during this month! I would like to keep track of how you are making a difference! And if you are chosen, I will also name YOU as a donor with me at the end of this month, when I make my individual donation!!!!

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Speaking of making a difference, I “caught” someone making a difference for my family and for me today! Miss Pat and Mr. Gerry take really good care of me and Nina. Today, Miss Pat made me and Nina hot cocoa, and because she knows I like to cook, she watched Food Network with me and helped me pick out a recipe for onion rings that I would like to try. She also told me that she would save register tapes with me, and this means a lot to me.

I love you, Miss Pat! You are awesome!

A New Year of Making a Difference

Today, I’m going to begin a whole year’s worth of 25 day challenges! Doing this for a whole year is exciting. My mom asked me some questions, to help me think about what I want to tell you about the year ahead and how you can participate. Read on to learn more!

1. Why did you decide to devote a full year to this?

Because I really wanted to keep blogging all year round in order to make a difference. Even if I didn’t have a lot of people reading, I would still want to do this. But having a lot of readers has made me want to keep writing about service every day because blogging really does get more people involved in trying to do good things! I want to use my blog throughout the year to focus more on what other people are doing to make a difference too. If you read all of my comments, you can really get inspired.

2. How will the 25 day challenges work all year long?

This year, I am supporting a different cause each month. During each month, I will be serving the cause I have chosen in different ways. For instance, I might donate items, raise funds, or do some volunteer work for that cause.

I am also going to blog about it, and since the causes I have chosen have chapters in many places and websites too, my readers will be able to make a difference too! I am going to challenge my readers to support the cause I have selected, and I will remind them to leave a comment or send me an email at twentyfivedays(at)gmail(dot)com to let me know that I should keep track of them and how they are making a difference all month long.

Each month, the adult, the child, and any classroom who makes the most difference in supporting my cause will win a small gift box from me (which I will send via snail mail), permanent recognition on my blog (including a link to appropriate websites), and when I make my personal monthly donation, I will name the winners as donors along with myself.

3. Which causes are you supporting?

This year, I am really excited about helping Ski4e, Suneel’s Light, Our Local National Safe Place–Compass House, Project Snuggle, The SPCA, My School, The Pajama Program, Our Local Down’s Syndrome Parent’s Group, Project Linus, Children to Children, The Erie County Library, and World Vision.

More information about what I will be doing with these different causes will follow. I have been in contact with many of the directors of these organizations to see how I can help.

4. Why did you pick these causes?

I picked these causes because they mean a lot to me. They are all causes that help children or animals. Most of these causes are smaller, and they may not get as much attention as causes that are more well-known. My grandpa would have liked this. I also tried to pick causes that have local chapters all over the country and world, so a lot of people who are reading can also participate in their own communities.

5. What if people can’t participate for all 25 Days?

People do not have to participate in the whole 25 Day Challenge in order to make a difference in the world. I like to hear from other people who are doing little things to make a difference every day. Other readers like to hear these stories too. This is why I am going to focus every daily entry on someone else who has made a difference. I am going to call these entries Caught Making a Difference. I will share your stories about others and mine as well. So please send them along!

If you can’t participate in supporting my cause all month long, there are many other things that you can do to help. Visit my Please Help page to see what might interest you!

6. How does blogging help you make a difference?

Blogging helps me make a difference because nobody would have known about my challenge unless I blogged about it. Because I blogged about it, several important people who devote their lives to making a difference used their understanding of web 2.0 tools to spread the word about making a difference. I didn’t know anything about what web 2.0 tools were when I started doing this, but now my mom and I both know a little more about things like Twitter and Technorati and Digg and Stumble Upon because a lot of my readers have used those things to make people aware of my site. So, then more people do more good things! The things I do are really little, but my blog helps me spread the word and build a COMMUNITY of people who want to do good things too. I have learned that my blog can be like one little house inside a bigger neighborhood in this way. And all of us can make a difference. This makes me feel really excited because I don’t feel like one little kid who is alone in trying to make a difference.

7. How can people join the challenge for this month?

Email me or leave me a comment to let me know that you would like to be a participant in this month’s challenge. I am supporting Ski4E. More information can be found here, and I am also going to be speaking more with Ethan’s grandmother soon about how I can help! Look for a longer entry about this tomorrow!!

If you are a participant, please email me regularly to let me know how you are supporting Ski4E this month. Or you can BLOG ABOUT IT, which would be even better! I will link to your blog on my site if you do. Adults, children, and classrooms are welcome to participate! I will be announcing the winners of this month’s challenge on Januwary 25th! Please email me if you have any questions!

Happy New Year!