Feel Good Friday - New Year's Manifesto

With a busy holiday season, it’s time for another Feel Good Friday Flashback! Originally posted in 2016, the transition from one year to the next can be a great time to reflect on what’s important to you and set some intentions for the future. Check it out!

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Happy Feel Good Friday!

The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on the previous 12 months and to set goals for the future. Many people do this in the form of New Year's resolutions but I'm recommending writing a manifesto!

Wikipedia defines a manifesto as "a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government" and links to a ton of examples as only Wikipedia can.

January 1st is a great time to declare your intentions and it's easy to get started. This article from the Huffington Post gives details on what to consider when writing a manifesto and breaks it down to five simple steps:

1. Get inspired.
2. Make notes.
3. Write a rough draft.
4. Put it away, then proofread.
5. Live it.

If you're too busy at the gym to write an original manifesto, there are plenty already out there that can provide you with some inspiration. One of my favorites comes from a company called Holstee whose mission is "to help people live a reflective and intentional life". I've included the picture below and if you like it, you can order a poster.

Happy writing and happy new year!

Feel Good Friday - Family Promise

Winter weather can be challenging, especially for those who are experiencing homelessness. That’s the inspiration to highlight Family Promise, an organization working to end family homelessness across the United States.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, Family Promise “prevents and ends homelessness for families with children and helps them achieve sustainable independence through a community-based response.” 

Family Promise is the largest nonprofit addressing family homelessness in the nation and there is a great need for their services. According to information shared in videos and posts in 2023, 42.9 million households spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs and 21.5 million spent more than 50% of their income on housing. In addition, 3 million children in the United States experience homelessness every year. 

Family Promise has 200 Affiliates in 43 states, staffed by over 180,000 volunteers. Together they run a variety of shelter, prevention, and stabilization programs such as the examples below.

Prevention and diversion programs aim to keep families out of shelters by providing services such as temporary hotel stays, landlord mediation or rental assistance. Emergency shelter is offered on a rotational model which means mobilizing volunteers to help house families in community space. Stabilization programs focus on tenancy training, financial capability and other educational initiatives. Housing programs include master leasing, transitional in place programming, and housing choice vouchers. Finally, when needed local communities organize to provide services such as food pantries, furniture donation and holiday gift drives.

The results from using this holistic approach are impressive. 63,000 families were served in 2023 and over 80% of families in the Family Promise shelter program exit into stable housing.

If you’d like to get involved, look for an affiliate in your community and volunteer. You can also make a monetary donation and help amplify their work by spreading the word on social media. Follow Family Promise on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Feel Good Friday - Second Chance Toys

With the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays coming up and birthdays happening every year, toys are on my mind. What a great time to learn about Second Chance Toys.

Founded in 2006 by Sasha Lipton and headquartered in Springfield, New Jersey, Second Chance Toys (SCT) “keeps plastic toys out of the landfills by donating them to children in need.” Here’s why.

According to information on the SCT website, “toys can enhance a child’s development by helping promote socialization, creativity, emotional security, motor skills, and learning.” All that and they’re a lot of fun. However, with 11 million children in 2023 living in poverty in the United States, not every family can provide toys for their children. That’s where Second Chance Toys comes in.

Twice a year, SCT collects unwanted plastic toys and donates them to organizations that care for children in need. Because plastic toys often show little signs of wear, passing them on to other children diverts them from becoming waste in a landfill while also giving those children toys they might not otherwise have. This one-minute video gives a great overview: A Second Chance Toys Story.

The toy collections are held twice a year by SCT. First during April for Earth Week and then again in November and December for the holidays. Their demand for toys now exceeds 1,000,000 so let’s talk about ways you can help.

Donate any toys you no longer need. If you have toys that are plastic and clean with no small or missing parts, check this map for locations where you can drop them off. If you’d like to increase your impact, contact family, friends, or local businesses and schools to pool donations. Once you collect and prepare these toys, you can make arrangements with one of the eligible organizations to drop them off. If you really want to make a difference, get media coverage for your toy drive. Check out these resources such as flyers explaining what toys can be donated and posts for social media.

If you work at an organization that cares for children in need, or know someone who does, fill out this toy recipient registration form to find out if you’re eligible to receive some of the gently used toys from SCT.

Since they began, Second Chance Toys has collected and distributed 443,105 toys, which has kept over 1.5 million pounds of plastic out of landfills!

Finally, if you don’t have any toys to donate but still want to help, you can. Volunteer your time, make a monetary donation, and spread the word on social media. Like the Second Chance Toys Facebook page and follow them on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Feel Good Friday - Caitlin's Smiles

The upcoming holidays inspired me to search for groups that support children and that’s what led me to today’s featured organization, Caitlin’s Smiles.

Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Caitlin’s Smiles is “a non-profit organization that provides arts and crafts activities to children in medical facilities.”

The organization was founded in memory of Caitlin Hornung, a young girl who spent years in and out of hospitals undergoing surgeries and treatments as she battled cancer. During that time she kept a positive attitude by finding joy in creating art. Although she passed away in 2000, her spirit is kept alive through the work of Caitlin’s Smiles.

The mission of Caitlin’s Smiles is encouraging “children with serious health challenges to explore their uniquely creative talents by taking part in arts and crafts activities. While creating feelings of self-worth and instilling confidence in these children, the efforts ultimately put smiles on the faces of everyone involved.”

The organization is run by volunteers and they coordinate and create several types of gift bags to be delivered. Bags of Smiles include a volunteer-made greeting card, two craft kits, two jars of Play-Doh, a journal, coloring materials and a small toy or book. Coping Kits are mini Bags of Smiles geared for children in emergency room or out-patient surgery settings. Camp-in-a-Bag kits were born in 2020 when in-person summer medical camps for pediatric patients were canceled. Each kit contained five craft activities that campers did together during online meetings.

The impact of Caitlin’s Smiles is impressive. Gift bags are sent to children in hospitals, clinics, emergency departments, and other medical offices throughout Pennsylvania and the surrounding states of Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. In 2023, they delivered 13,085 Bags of Smiles, 19,874 Coping Kits and 113,374 Craft Kits!

If you want to get involved bringing smiles to the faces of children stuck in medical facilities this holiday season there are many ways to do so. Volunteer your time, create homemade cards, or donate cash or supplies. You can also amplify their message by spreading the word on social media. Like the Caitlin’s Smiles Facebook page, follow them on Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel.