Bunch, the Stephen Lewis Foundation and kids in Africa need your kids’ drawings!
Happy 2012! We’re kicking off the new year not with a resolution but with a dare: Starting on Monday, January 16th, we dare your kids to draw a picture a day for 30 days. And we dare you to support their dare by pledging $1 per drawing to the Stephen Lewis Foundation to help turn the tide of HIV/AIDS in Africa. This project is called Dare to Draw and it’s something we are doing in partnership with a whole bunch of amazing sites not just to raise money to support families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa but to support your interest in raising a generation of kids who are empowered to care.
Tag Archive for 'charity'
Dare to Draw
News and Culture Five
What we’re reading today:
1. Suri Cruise had a meltdown in a toy store. Well, what do you expect from a 5-year-old who’s actually anticipating a pony from Santa? (Actually, these photos are super cute and it’s hard to stay mad at Suri, especially when she’s delighted by random city baby.)
2. And in a nice balance to Suri’s excessive lifestyle, read this story about some KMart good Samaritans paying off other people’s layaway accounts. Make sure you have some Kleenex handy before you read it.
3. Does your family have any holiday traditions that they do just because it’s tradition even though you’re not really enjoying them anymore? Here’s how to break them.
4. What do we all think of Lego for girls? Wasn’t Lego always for girls (and boys)?
5. We’re pretty in love with these gay dads who find out their about to be grandpas.
Mini Movember
What have our Mini Movember ambassadors been up to?
So far Nici and Amelie have taken their mo’s to the movies, Ikea, raking leaves and even out to a pumpkin parade. They’re posting a new image for every day of Movember and we think that’s pretty great. Apparently we’re not the only ones who think they’re great, as their Movember fundraising is up to $224. See for yourself:
Remember, fake moustaches are a lot of fun, but Amelie and Nici are doing it to raise money for prostate cancer research. You can donate to them and the whole Mini Movember team here! Better yet, join us!
Photos via Nici Shipway
Give
Sweet acts of kindness and charity families can participate in together
We know you Bunchlanders are good eggs all year round. But around the holidays, we think everyone’s looking for inspiration on how to be extra sweet and help out other folks who don’t have it as good as we do. So when it came time to round up ideas, we went straight to our wonderful readers, asking you to share the ways your family gives back. Here are the stories and suggestions that made us melt and got us motivated to do some good deeds of our own before the year is over.
1. Organize a charity bake sale or lemonade stand.
Serving up yummy treats in exchange for donations is usually a no-brainer. Susana and her friends raised $12,000 with their Cupcakes for Haiti bake sale, held earlier this year, and by following her pointers your own could be just as lucrative.
Give
Susana Molinolo shares tips on producing a bake sale that makes lots of dough for your favourite charity
1. Have a variety of products for sale. In order to give a bake sale zing, ensure that you will have, at minimum, baked goods donations from at least 30 bakers. Also, see if you can get donations from professional bake shops or private bakeries so that there are items people would be willing to pay any price for. Plus, offer a variety of beverages like juice boxes, hot chocolate, apple cider and lemonade.
Tip: If you plan ahead, many local coffee shops are able to donate beans or coffee urns and more to your event!
2. Varying price points are worth their weight in gold. You’ll get a variety of customers, and many of them will be kids, so you’ll want to offer items starting at 25 cents. At the other extreme, there are many big pocket/big heart generous souls who don’t balk at donating 10 or more dollars for a designer cupcake.
postcards from bunchland
Anyone organizing a toy drive around this time of year? This is one of the most impressive toy donations mountains we’ve ever seen.
This Postcard from Bunchland comes from Glench via Flickr.
Do you have a Postcard from Bunchland? Send photos of family fun to meghan@bunchfamily.ca or join our group on Flickr.
The Bunchbrary
The Toronto Public Library‘s Bunchbrary
We asked the Toronto Public Library to share their favourite books about charity for parents and kids. A couple of these titles may not make for ideal bedtime-story reading, but they contain ideas you can totally impart on your kids. And what better time to do it than the holiday season, when helping others just makes you feel that extra bit warm and fuzzy?
1. Year of Living Generously: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Philanthropy by Lawrence Scanlan (2010)
The author spent a month in 12 different charities for a year, volunteering to build homes after Katrina and working at a women’s radio station in West Africa, and this book is about his observations and what he learned.
2. The Little Hummingbird by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (2010)
