Donation Made: Crazy Bloggin' Canuck donates to Ralston House in Colorado

I'm so excited about this donation story because I feel like I had a very small part in it. I asked Amber from Crazy Bloggin Canuck and Mile High Mamas if she wanted to donate a dollhouse as part of the Project Dollhouse program I had organized for Caring Corners. She accepted my offer, and not only did she donate the Mrs. Goodbee interactive dollhouse
to a family in need, she donated another wonderful product to a charity.



The World Discovery Box is a collection box for kids that encourages scientific discovery by providing them a place to put all the goodies they find on hikes and exploratory adventures. (Looks like a great gift for my four year-old son, in fact!) Amber remembered reading about The Ralston House and set up the donation.

She wrote:

This non-profit agency provides services for sexually, physically or emotionally abused children and their families. This safe haven is a place where they can share their stories and begin to heal. I would donate the box to them.

World Discovery Box’s owner John Skowland was thrilled with the idea and we contacted Ralston House.
discovery box
John personally delivered the World Discovery Box from Durango and I got the tour of my life at the Ralston House. As I listened to the services and stories of the many battered children who are helped during this fragile time in their life, I was so moved.

What would be more appropriate by showing these precious children the world of The Discovery Box when so many of their worlds are crumbling?

And you know what? These simple gestures have made me that much more mindful of all that I have to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. Football games and all.

My challenge to you this Thanksgiving? Don’t just express your gratitude, show it. Whether it is extra time spent in meaningful activities with your children or if you are in a position to help someone in need.

Thanks Amber and John for making this donation happen, and thanks to the Ralston House in Durango, Colorado for offering services to children who need them.

Donation Made: GearHead Mom Gives Back in Oakland

Missy, the publisher of GearHead Mom, reviews trendy baby and kid products. She took her almost-four-year old daughter with her to donate a Caring Corners Dollhouse to Bananas, Inc in Oakland.

We walked in and Sy literally started to dance in the halls; she was so excited to give the dollhouse away. She shouted to the employees that she was there to give this toy to a child who didn’t have any toys. The woman at the desk was kind enough to explain to her what was going to happen and Sy was just completely geeked out. She talked about it all day. I told her that going forward we’ll take all of her old clothes and toys there, so that she can always give back to the city we live in. She thought that was a fine idea, although she balked at the idea of going home and cleaning out her toys (baby steps, right?).

This was just another reminder of how much a three year old understands. We take things to Goodwill all the time, but I think this was the first time Sy felt connected to what we were donating. It was a much more tangible event since we actually saw people picking things up, as opposed to the vortex of a Goodwill truck. I like giving back to the community with Sy along for the ride; opportunities like this remind me how easy it is to teach my kiddos to be pint-sized social justice warriors.

Many thanks to Caring Corners for allowing us to donate a generous toy and helping my daughter learn something new about her growing world.

Well done, Missy!

Another good link I saw today:
Glow Mama shares ideas for charitable giving that don't involve money

Gerber helps me give back

As part of an effort to accomplish more philanthropically for our household, I am currently hosting a food drive. I have been a supporter of The Alameda County Food Bank for many years, but this year I thought I should do even more. Maybe I was inspired by Obama or maybe I just didn't want to let another year slip away and hear my husband say that we are just so lucky and we don't do enough for other people who aren't.

Anyhow, it couldn't be easier, so I want to encourage other people to do it. Simply contact the Alameda County Food Bank through their web site and arrange to have a canister dropped off at your house or work place. Then, spread the word.

I have already emailed my neighborhood list, and I need to now work on my preschool community and my Moms Group.

Gerber has donated baby food for me. And, it's from their line of foods with DHA added, so it's extra healthy. Yay!

This is a wonderful lesson for children around Thanksgiving. Teaching social responsibility is a big job, but we are all signed up for it. Please let me know how you'll be teaching social responsibility at your house this year.

Donation made: Little Window Shoppe gives Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

I'm so thrilled to share the story of Emily Norton donating her Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse to Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. She did a fantastic job of spreading the word about her donation. And, the sweetest part of her idea: she created a card so that visitors to her site could "sign" the donation card, enabling more than 125 people to feel like they were a part of this donation.



Read more about Emily's experience. She did a fabulous write-up with lots of pictures.

Thanks again to Caring Corners for providing Emily this opportunity! Here's a picture she posted on her blog:

Donation made: Marketing Mommy gives Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse to Hephzibah House

Read about Marketing Mommy taking her daughter Z to donate the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse to a six-year old girl who lives in a group home for neglected and abused children.

Caring Corners, the makers of Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse made this possible by providing the dollhouse to Marketing Mommy's family. The new homeowner lives in The Hephzibah House in the Oak Park area of Chicago. Awesome!