Spring Cleaning. Time to #DonateStuffCreateJobs and #ShopGoodwill

This is a social good post for Goodwill Industries with Ad Council via Bloggin' Mamas.  No monetary compensation was given to post this and any opinions stated are mine.

Now I'm not near 115 years old, but I do remember seeing plenty of Goodwill stores in my day.  Seems like it was always the first place to go if you were looking for the unique and unusual.  As a parttime EBay seller, that's one of the first places I go to when I travel. Guess you can say that between my wife Babushka and myself, we've accumulated quite a lot. Matter of fact, haven't written on the blog much, doing some major Spring cleaning, so it seems perfect to post something about just that. Not only is Spring Cleaning good for one's soul- getting rid of excess and clearing space, now come to read it's good for one's community too. 

"Over the past several years, most of us have had a family member, friend, acquaintance struggle in this economy. Either they have lost a job or struggled to find employment. And if not someone you know personally, really, all you have to do is turn on the TV or pull up social media to see the struggle. It is real. Goodwill’s career centers, training programs and staffing operations give people the resources, skills and confidence that changes thousands of lives each year. So how can you help to be a part of this growth and effort in your own community? It’s easy! Donate to Goodwill = create jobs!"


"Thanks to the programs and support services made possible by donations of clothes and household items, Goodwill helped place more than 312,000 people in jobs in the United States and Canada in 2015 – that’s one person finding a job every 23 seconds of every business day.

Why donate? Because what you may not want or have use for may be perfect for someone else! If we have perfectly good items that can be loved by someone else, why not help our community? If you are not sure where your local Goodwill is, you can use the Goodwill Locator App available for Android and iOS devices and at http://www.goodwill.org/ (click “Explore Our Map” on the homepage). Simply input the items you’re donating to calculate the number of hours of career counseling, on-the-job training, résumé preparation, financial planning classes, and other services you’ve helped provide people facing challenges finding employment. When jobs thrive, communities thrive. Last year, nearly 2 million people engaged in face-to-face Goodwill services to advance in their careers. More than 35 million people accessed education, training, mentoring and online learning tools offered by Goodwill virtually to strengthen their skills and gain industry-recognized credentials. We have done our part! Now it is time for you to do yours! Tag us on your social media posts with a photo of your Goodwill donations using #DonateStuffCreateJobs."

Another cool thing I just found: "Calculate the Value of Your Clutter: Clean out your closet.You can even calculate how much your donation helps your local community by using Goodwill’s Donation Impact Calculator, a feature available within the Goodwill Locator App available for Android and iOS devices and at http://www.goodwill.org/ (click “Explore Our Map” on the homepage). Simply input the items you’re donating to calculate the number of hours of career counseling, on-the-job training, résumé preparation, financial planning classes, and other services you’ve helped provide people facing challenges finding employment. When jobs thrive, communities thrive. #DonateStuffCreateJobs"

So, I'm feeling good about cleaning, clearing and helping my community. Come join BB & me and let's see how much Good Will we can make!

Win a trip to #PuertoVallarta via @BlogginMamas & @VelasVallarta !!

Promo


Twitter chat is over but the giveaway is still going on. If you want to spend 4 days and 3 nights at beautiful Puerta Vallarta then keep reading.




 As the school-year draws to a close, and you begin prepping for your summertime family travel adventures, we wanted to provide you with some resources, information, tips, deals and more with the launch of I Love Family Travel's The Summer of Family Travel series. There will be posts throughout the summer, all focusing on family travel. To celebrate the launch, we've teamed up with the ILFT crew, Bloggin' Mamas and a whole bunch of traveling bloggers, to bring you a #FamilyTravelChat and a huge Giveaway!

#FamilyTravelChat 5/19

Join us on Twitter Thursday, 5/19/16 at 9p ET as we chat about summer vacation plans and deals, travel gear and more! One random chat participant will win some prizes from AquaVault® and our other sponsors. Be sure to follow the chat panelists: @ILvFamilyTravel @BlogginMamas @HeLoEnterprises @BBabushka @JenReyneri @sjblahblahblog @CluelessMomma @SarahInTheBurbs @just2sisters2 @ItsFreeAtLast @Playroomreport @LifeWithKathy @traveljenn @seejackierunn @girlrocksosu @acomptonblogs @bottlesbanter @xxplumcrazeexx @localmomscoop @rkthatsjustlife @denisermt @DittlesWorld To make it nice and easy for you to follow, here's the link to the twitter list with everyone: https://twitter.com/ILvFamilyTravel/lists/familytravelchatpanelists/membersbit.ly/summerftcrsvpAnd Now For The Giveaway! 5/17-6/7

Does a nice all-inclusive resort stay in sunny Mexico sound good to you? Well, thanks to our sponsor Velas Vallarta, we are giving away a 4 day/ 3 night all-inclusive stay for a family of 4 at their resort in beautiful Puerto Vallarta, valued at $2400!!!!! Prize: 4 days/3 nights for a family of four in a Family Suite Accommodations in a 2 Bedroom Family Suite - http://www.velasvallarta.com/suites/rooms.aspx

 All-Inclusive: All-inclusive rates include suite accommodations, a la carte gourmet meals at a variety of specialty restaurants, premium branded beverages, 24-hour in-suite service, fitness center, taxes, gratuity and more. http://www.velasvallarta.com/services.aspx ARV – $2400 This is open to US residents, age 18 and older. Entries must be received by June 7th, 2016 at 11:59pm ET. Sponsor responsible for prize fulfillment. Transportation not included. Refer to rafflecopter for terms & conditions.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway


Dis­clo­sure: Blog­gin’ Mamas is being com­pen­sated for man­ag­ing this give­away, but is not respon­si­ble for prize ful­fill­ment or ship­ment, nei­ther are any of the blog­gers involved in this give­away. This give­away is in no way affil­i­ated, endorsed, or asso­ci­ated with Face­book, Twit­ter, Pin­ter­est, Insta­gram, or any other social media out­let.

Good luck and don't forget to enter daily.

Help your child be Understood

My wife Babushka brought this to my attention. This is a social good campaign her blogging network Bloggin' Mamas is doing.  I think it's a great cause and I'm happy to help spread the word.  Here's their message.

"The new school year is on the horizon, or maybe your kids have already started, either way it can be a fun but trying time for parents and kids alike. That can be especially true if you have a child who struggles with school, attention, and focus, amongst other behavioral challenges. It’s never easy getting kids transitioned into a new school setting. Been there, done that! Understanding and advocating for our children is so important.

One in five children struggle with issues related to reading, math, writing, focus, and organization, yet many children with learning and attention issues do not have a diagnosis. The adults in their lives often have a hard time understanding their issues due to misconceptions and a lack of information and resources. As a result, children with learning and attention issues often face both academic and social challenges. Sometimes returning to school after a long summer break can bring out some pretty tough emotions for kids. If you are sitting there reading this, stressed out and feeling alone, don’t be. You are definitely not alone. There are so many others who have been sitting right where you are. Understood is an organization that was created by a coalition of 15 nonprofits, and its content and tools were informed by a survey of more than 2,200 parents of children with learning and attention issues. Understood offers free daily access to experts through chats and webinars, a safe online community that encourages parents to reach out to and learn from each other and a suite of specially designed, first-of-their-kind tools that will help you prepare your child for back to school and cope with everything that comes along with it.

  Understood provides parents with clear explanations about learning and attention issues. The resources they provide will give you advice on how to help your child cope with those issues when returning to school and throughout the school year. It offers practical advice for parents on everything from how to partner with their child’s teachers, Back to School preparation, and help with homework to how to cope with the anxiety that comes with back to school. Here are some of the tools that you can utilize to discover what Understood has to offer:

• Back to School Preparedness Countdown - Start the new school year off right! There’s a lot going on—and a lot to keep track of. Download this one-month planner, which has daily tips to get your child with learning and attention issues ready for going back to school.
• General School and Learning Section - Read through each section to see what we have to offer. Complete your profile and let us show you how we can help.
• How to Help a Child Cope with School Anxiety - My son is anxious about going back to school, and the closer we get to the first day back, the worse it gets. He’s been acting out and throwing tantrums, saying he refuses to go. What can I do?
• Working With Your Child's School - Parents often don’t want to bother teachers in September and October. But talking early in the school year can set the stage for strong communication throughout the year. Here are topics that can get the dialogue going.
• How to be an Effective Advocate for Your Child - As a parent, you are your child’s best education advocate—until he’s old enough and informed enough to speak up for himself. You know your child’s strengths and challenges, and you can help identify and push for the resources your child needs to succeed. Here are some tips to help you advocate for your child at school.

Maybe you are a parent of a struggling child, or even a friend or family member who is watching the struggle from afar. Understood has resources for everyone to learn how to help these kiddos face these challenges together. The You & Your Family section helps families with practical solutions and advice for social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. This may give you more opportunity to prepare them for the coming school year, as well as engaging in fun family activities. Children, family and education are such an important part of life. Sometimes you have to take the hard with the easy, the bad with the good. If you know someone who is struggling, be it a parent or a child; encourage them to check out Understood. They may find exactly the help and inspiration that they need!"

Disclosure: I am sharing this as part of a Bloggin' Mamas Social Good Campaign conducted in conjunction with Element Associates. I was not compensated for this post and all opinions are my own.