charity | Sips of Jen and Tonic

Tag Archives: charity

Doing My Part

I think I’ve talked about this on my blog before, but because I’m such a fan of my own work I can’t remember.

I want to change the world.

When I was a kid I’d see those Sally Struthers commercials for the Christian Children Fund, and would cry. The idea that there were so many people suffering killed me, and even at a young age, I understood the magnitude of global hunger.

Children were starving to death, and there was nothing I could do about it.

My high school required all of its students to volunteer as part of their yearly academic requirements. They were trying to raise the future leaders of America, and believed that service to others makes you a better human being.

When I was a sophomore I volunteered at an armory which had been turned into a homeless shelter/soup kitchen. It was clear that the man who ran the program loved what he did, and that his enthusiasm was a bright spot in the day of the people he served. Continue reading →

Tags: activism, BlogHer, charity, giving back, helping other, NaBloPoMo, Nano Poblano, philanthropy, volunteer, Yeah Write

Comments 87 Comments
Categories Do Gooding, NaNoWriNo

Bloggers For Movember Giveaway

12 Nov

If you’ve never heard of it, Movember is an annual event which encourages people to grow mustaches to help raises funds and awareness for men’s health issues. Last year Le Clown set up a Bloggers for Movember campaign which rallied bloggers to support the cause. It was a huge success, and one that Becca from 25toFly is repeating this year.

I had so much fun with the campaign last year that I told Becca I most definitely wanted to be a part of it this year. Not only do I love supporting charities, but any excuse to grow out my facial hair is aces in my book.

mustache, movember, handlebar, men's health, bloggers for Movember, Movember women

You think this is photoshopped, but it’s not.

Continue reading →

Tags: bloggers for movember, BlogHer, charity, men's health, mo sister, movember, mustache, NaBloPoMo, Yeah Write

Comments 59 Comments
Categories Do Gooding, NaNoWriNo

My Loving Locks

22 Apr

“It’s just hair.”

I said that to a friend years ago after she got, in her mind, a terrible haircut. I’ve said it dozens of times over the years to people who hate their hair, are having bad hair days, or who have suffered at the hands of an inexperienced or overzealous hairdresser. It wasn’t until my grandmother was diagnosed with Lymphoma five years ago that I realized it wasn’t just hair for some people.

My grandma underwent treatment, and began to lose her hair as many cancer patients do. Alopecia (also known as hair loss) is a side effect of radiation therapy and chemotherapy as the treatments harm the cells which cause hair to grow. It was something that was unexpectedly emotional. For who? Perhaps for all of us in our ways, but especially for her. She hated not having hair so my aunt and I picked out a wig for her so she could feel “normal” while out and about. I’m happy to report that my grandma is in full remission, and has all of her own hair now.

There is a certain helplessness a person feels when their loved one struggles with a serious illness. It is not your own battle to fight, and you are not one of the medical practitioners aiding in the treatment process. You are both directly and indirectly involved, and it leaves you feeling like there should be something more you can do. You just want to help something or someone.

I took to the internet to find my something or someone, and stumbled across Locks of Love, an organization with which I was already familiar.

Credit: Locks of Love

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Tags: alopecia, cancer, charity, chemotherapy, donation, hair loss, haircut, locks of love, lymphoma, nonprofit

Comments 136 Comments
Categories All About Me, Do Gooding

12 Days of Christmas- Day 12

21 Dec

For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, you know I love giving back. I love charity. I love volunteering. I think acts of service towards our fellow (wo)man are the one thing we’re all capable of doing, and should be doing.

That was my inspiration behind the 12 Days of Christmas series. This year has been huge for me in terms of my writing, and by that I mean I’ve actually been doing it. I’ll elaborate on that in a yearly wrap up post I’ve been working on, but wanted to take this moment to say I’m incredibly thankful for the community here on Sips of Jen and Tonic.

This was my way of giving to you what I’ve been taking for the last year.

I must confess that, while I was excited for each day and what it would bring, I was most looking forward to today. I figured out that I wanted to do this on the second day of the series, and have been anxious to get to the end ever since. That may also be because I can finally take a break from assaulting your inboxes on a daily basis. Continue reading →