Helping Hearts, Blog of Anne Sanders

On this, the next to last day of 2011, I’m looking back as well as forward to see what I might do differently in 2012.   I heard on the radio yesterday that losing weight is not in the top three for resolutions any more.   Instead reading more, traveling more, and volunteering more are the new top resolutions. Well, since I’m halfway through writing my own book and just got a Kindle for Christmas, I’d have to agree with the first one.   I also love to travel and have visited nine other countries and gone around the world.   I’d love to add more to that total.   But I think I’d change the last resolution slightly. In 2011, I volunteered six hours a week for the American Cancer Society.   I ran in charity 5Ks.   I worked in a soup kitchen, sent items to soldiers and pajamas to orphans and donated to several charities. I helped lead an American Cancer Society Relay for Life team for my church and raised donations on my own.   I gave food and mone...

I’m fighting a cold today and definitely feeling under the weather so my blog will be shorter than usual.   I read somewhere once that people enjoy and remember experiences more than gifts.   It makes sense. I will have forgotten who gave me a scarf for Christmas three years ago, but I won’t forget when my husband and I went parasailing last summer. So I’m about to share a great place you can buy one of a kind experiences.   I couldn’t end the giving season of the year without mentioning CharityBuzz .   Now, you can give an exciting experience to your loved one that cannot be found in any store.   The great thing about it is that the money you spend on the experience will also go to a charity. What kind of experiences are available? Meet and greets with celebrities and sports figures, trips of a lifetime, concerts, cooking classes and   consultations with a professional life coach or famous designer are just a few of the items up for bid. It’s all done ...

Christmas is getting closer but it’s not too late to do something to make a difference this holiday.   The unique items below can be given with the best intentions—to help others.   You can also send the notice of the present by email or in many cases, you can print out your own card to hand to your friend or family member.   Sight for the Blind in Nepal from Alternative Gifts International - $110 pays for lens implant surgery for one person or $33 pays for equipment, training, or outreach for an eye care clinic. Soccer Ball for Needy Children from Compassion International - $13 pays for soccer balls and sport camps for kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to play.   A llama from Heifer International – A share is $20 while a whole llama is $150.   Heifer provides all kinds of animals from chicks to water buffalo to families that can use them to generate income and useful resources for the family. Crickets from Mercy Corps International – for $33, t...

I’m reading a book called Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.   It’s about women the world around being stolen, raped, trafficked and abused.   It’s also about their successes getting free from their captors, getting an education and turning their situations around. It’s a very inspiring book. The United Nations International Labour Organization reports that a t least 12.3 million people around the world are slaves.   Other nonprofit groups like Free the Slaves say that there are 27 million slaves in the world. Last Friday was the United Nations International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, marking the date in 1949 when the UN adopted a resolution for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. The UN explains the different types of slavery like this. “Forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery. The victims are the most vulnerable...

Because this blog comes out on Friday, I wasn’t able to write about World AIDS Day on the actual day, which was yesterday.   But fighting AIDS isn’t a one day event.   This is the 30 th year since AIDS was discovered. According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 34 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS, two million of which are children. Some of the organizations that fight AIDS on a daily basis are: Aids.org AIDS United America Social Health Association Avert Bailey House Elton John AIDS Foundation Gay Men’s Health Crisis Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics AIDS Foundation Keep A Child Alive Project Hope The theme for World AIDS Day this year is 'Getting to Zero.'   That stands for zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. If you want to be a part of doing that, y ou can do something tangible by donating to the 2015 AIDS quilt .   It includes more than 94,000 names of people who have ...

I write about a lot of volunteering days and another one is coming up December 5—International Volunteer Day.   This one has been sponsored by the United Nations since 1985 and 2011 is the ten year anniversary of the year of the volunteer in 2001.   The UN General Assembly will be discussing volunteerism between now and December 5 and you can listen to and chime in on their discussions here .   There’s also a photo contest to show how volunteering can help countries meet peace and development goals. November 19 was also National Family Volunteering Day. But none of these volunteering days means a thing if they are not celebrated in the spirit of volunteerism, by doing something to help others. So, on the Wednesday before National Family Volunteering Day, my son and I went shopping.   We bought sunscreen, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, razors, dental floss, candy canes, summer sausage logs and crackers for a group of 800 Army soldiers in Afghanistan. The unit ...

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up quickly, I thought I’d provide a few shopping resources for the conscientious charitable shopper. Here is a list of places you can buy gifts that give in more than one way.   These gifts make the receiver smile, help someone in need and give you a good feeling inside.   Gifts That Give to Charities A number of companies now give a set amount or percentage of the sale to a charity when you purchase goods from them.   It’s an easy way to get a product that you would normally buy while also giving to a good cause. Gifts.com – has put together a list of gifts which give a portion of the proceeds to different charities including products from Ralph Lauren, LaCoste and Clarins Gifts that Give – designer products you can buy where 20 percent of proceeds go to charity Gifts That Give More from the Hunger Site – buy a wide variety of items from around the world and food goes to the hungry Shop For Good – items from well kno...