Helping Hearts, Blog of Anne Sanders

It’s time to turn off the computer. Walk outside. Get in your car and go back to nature. I mean it. After you finish reading this blog, you will know the best time to get out there. Haven’t you missed feeling a real breeze on your arms instead of air conditioning? Or the way the trees look against the sky? September is a month of loving the outdoors. Summer starts to cool down and you can get outside. Believe it or not, you can do this for free and help a charity at the same time. Here’s your chance. Next Saturday, September 29 th , is National Public Lands Day . The National Park Service , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have all declared it as a fee-free day. You can check the links above to find a wildlife refuge, park or other recreation area you want to visit and make sure it is included. As part of Serve Outside September (S.O.S.) this month the Children and Nature Network (C&NN) will get a buck for ev...

Next Wednesday, June 20 th , is The Longest Day fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association in celebration of the dedication and strength is takes to live with and care for people with Alzheimer’s every day. In honor of the Alzheimer’s Association and The Longest Day, I am interviewing Volunteer Services Manager Keelea LeJeune of Alzheimer’s Family Services, Inc and Covenant Hospice . If you want to work with older people, you can contact your local hospice or Area Agency on Aging by visiting www.eldercare.gov or calling 1-800-677-1116 to find ongoing opportunities to celebrate and support older Americans.   1. Alzheimer's Family Services, Inc. (AFS) provides support to families coping with Alzheimer's disease. Tell us a little about yourself and what services AFS provides. My name is Keelea LeJeune and I am the Volunteer Services Manager for both Covenant Hospice and Alzheimer’s Family Services in Pensacola, Florida, an agency that provides support to families d...

This is National Volunteer Week, a week for recognition of volunteers in America.   I wasn’t going to say anything about it because I don’t believe volunteers do what they do for rewards and I have a bunch of ideas for blogs that I need to get written before summer comes. But then I found out about some cool programs for volunteers that you, my readers, might be interested in knowing about. The first is from the Points of Light Institute . Through Sunday, they have a contest for volunteers to tell their stories for the chance to win a cruise to Alaska . Called Celebrating People in Action, it’s a wonderful way to share a volunteering story and win a prize for a fabulous volunteer, either yourself or someone you know.   With L’Oreal Paris, Points of Light is also sponsoring the Women of Worth program , giving $10,000 to ten female honorees to donate to their charity of choice.   All honorees will go to New York City in December to be recognized and one will receive ...

As of yesterday I have been volunteering for the American Cancer Society (ACS) for one year.   It has been a great experience.   The people I volunteer for are so appreciative of my work.   I’ve had the chance to brush up on my clerical skills.   I enjoy getting out of the house, meeting new people and being involved in an organization that’s making a difference in the world.   The kicker is that because I have volunteered more than 40 hours in the past year (other studies say 100 hours), I also am in better health than if I hadn’t volunteered. You read that right, volunteering more than 40 hours a year makes you healthier. At least that’s true according to the Corporation for National and Community Service which reviewed two decades of research on the benefits of volunteering.   Here are a few of the results: ·          Volunteering enhances a person's social networks to buffer stress and reduce disease ...

Natural disasters.   If it seems to you like we’ve heard about more of them in the last year than ever before, you’d be right.   In fact, President Obama issued a record 99 major disaster declarations in 2011, compared to the annual average of just 37 for the past 50 years. Looking at the recent string of tornadoes that tore through 10 states, killing dozens of people and flattening neighborhoods, 2012 may not be any better. Who deals with tragedies like natural disasters every day?   The American Red Cross . It reports that it responds to nearly 70,000 disasters a year worldwide, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. Red Cross Blood Services also collects and distributes more than 40 percent of America’s blood supply. And, more than 9 million people across the United States receive American Red Cross training in first aid, water safety and other skills every year. Once a year in March the president proclaims it ...

During this time of new year’s resolutions, people look inward to discover what it is they would like to change about themselves and their lives. It’s a wonderfully revolutionary time that can mean goal setting and real change throughout a new year. Unfortunately, often people don’t have resources to support their goals which causes them to falter and fall away from their lofty intentions.   For those of you that want to do more to change the world in the new year, I’m going to provide support for you. Throughout the year, I’ll give you ways to help nonprofits, find volunteering opportunities and take small actions that can make a big difference. In that spirit, I’m going to provide four great sites for getting more involved in 2012.   These sites have lots of resources for making a difference and are also organized to help you find the best cause for you. They also have something in common. They all offer petitions that you can support or places that you can start yo...