Helping Hearts, Blog of Anne Sanders

  The new year is here! If you’re making a resolution to be kinder this year, then do I have a couple resources for you! One is www.kindspring.com . They have a way to help you be kinder by doing a 21-day challenge.   I tried it in December and I really liked it. I got a daily email with an idea of something kind to do and also a short message to think about. Because I do this blog, I spend time researching kindness and charity, but sometimes, I have a hard time thinking of 21 things in a row to do. With this daily reminder, you don’t have to.   It’s done for you. Over the years, I’ve heard different “scientific” ways to make a habit. Doing it for a certain number of days seems to be the most popular answer to that question. Being consistent helps makes habits. But we all need some help with that when it’s something new we want to do. The 21-day challenge can help you by providing ideas, thoughts and a reminder, but I have another resource that is s...

Next Saturday is the day! The Great Kindness Challenge ! I am so excited because I already have an idea for something to do. You see, the church I have been attending is having a ladies’ brunch that day which I have been looking forward to because I am new at the church. I’m eager to meet some other ladies and find out what this church does for missions work. Since it’s the Great Kindness Challenge, I think I will stop beforehand and get a dozen roses and individually wrap them and give them out to random ladies at the brunch. What will you do for the Great Kindness Challenge? If you need some ideas, the Kids for Peace , who started the challenge, have a few ideas (25 to be specific) on their website . They range from things like smiling at people and making thank you cards, to cleaning up and planting a tree. Of course we want to do kind acts every day, but this is a day to help us remember that and give us a few hints on what kinds of things we can do. I had gotten in th...

I am ecstatic. My husband who has been in Kuwait for a year and in Birmingham the year before is BACK!   He’s been home for a little over a week. We went on a nearby base a couple of days ago and I stopped and got Slim Jims for the guys at the gate.   It’s something I started doing back during Random Acts of Kindness week in February. I bring them snacks since they’re on their feet outside for hours at a time.   He asked me why I did it and I said because I like to. Another great kindness event is coming up next Saturday, the Great Kindness Challenge .   It’s an event aimed at getting children involved in helping others, but it’s also a great day for everyone to do as many kind deeds as they can. If you’re having trouble thinking of some things your kids can do, the Great Kindness Challenge website has a list of 50 suggestions which you can print and check off as you do them.   They include things like leaving a flower on someone’s doorstep, reading a b...

What is summer really all about?   I think it’s about enjoying the good weather and spending time with those you love.   One way to do that is on summer vacations and I’ll write this month about Volunteer Vacations that you will be excited to try.   But another way to revel in long summer days and clear skies is do some playing around in your local parks. KaBOOM has made doing that even more pleasurable with the chance to win a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C .   But I’m not just writing about KaBOOM because of the contest. KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit that does lots of wonderful things in communities throughout the United States. KaBOOM provides grants for park equipment for playgrounds as well as tools for organization and fundraising for these playgrounds. It also sponsored an initiative to build playgrounds in hurricane ravaged areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita and built over 130 playgrounds on the Gulf Coast. It encourages imaginativ...