Last month, Yahoo! shared about Ripples of Kindness, one of their cause-related activities. As part of Yahoo’s Mother Board, I was given $100 to start making a difference. I was already planning on buying a Kinect sensor for Ronald McDonald House New York, so this worked out perfectly. I took that $100 and my family – including the kids – added the rest. (I found one available for store pickup at Best Buy.)

Here’s the thing…I try to do acts of kindness as much as I can – not just during special campaigns. I write about some of those things here to help raise awareness/ inspire others to also give, but I don’t write/talk about the vast majority of things that I do. I really believe that the reward is in the giving. It’s fun to me. Projects like this are also fun though, because it illustrates the truth that all of us can do something – big or small!

Anyway, the reason that I chose Ronald McDonald House New York as my special charity for the year is because visiting there earlier this year for a cooking competition was one of the most emotional experiences of my year. You can read about it on my Ronald McDonald House New York post and see a short clip below:

I definitely want to encourage you to do something nice for someone this holiday season too. The sky is the limit. If you would like to share some of your kind acts in order to inspire others, you can share at http://kindness.yahoo.com. (I’m sure that you have done or will soon do something kind….that’s the kind of readers that you are!)

I am pretty sure that you have heard of Eggland’s Best (they are America’s #1 egg brand). I’m also pretty certain that you have heard of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization that is focused on eradicating breast cancer. (You might know them by their former name Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation). What you may not know is the link between the two. Eggland’s Best is a pink ribbon sponsor of Susan G. Komen. As such, they are donating $50,000 to Komen. As part of the campaign, an official pink ribbon stamp will be on specially marked packages of Eggland’s Best (as well as on each individual egg). The pink ribbon stamped eggs are being sold in grocery stores nationwide from September 1, 2010 – November 15, 2010. (For more information, you can visit http://www.egglandsbest.com/news/egglands-goes-pink.aspx.)

Where do I come in? Well, I’m happy that I was asked to become a digital ambassador for the effort. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and I will be helping to spread the word. I have never been diagnosed with breast cancer and although several family members and friends have battled various types of cancer, no one in my immediate family or close circle of friends has been diagnosed with breast cancer. That is not the norm. Somewhere in the world a woman dies of breast cancer every 69 seconds. Later this month, I will be hosting a small, intimate event in the NYC area – just a dozen women or so. It will either be a food-related or pampering event…perhaps a combination of the two. If you have any type of connection with breast cancer, let me know in the “Comments” section below. I would love to hear your stories. If you’re local (NYC area), please indicate that so that I can invite some of you to my little get-together when the details are set. Thanks!

FYI: I am being compensated by Eggland’s Best to participate in this campaign. However, the opinions are mine, because that’s how I roll

Photo By Cris Radice

On Monday night, I attended a special dinner at good, a restaurant down in Chelsea. Sponsored by Jacob’s Creek, the dinner served as an introduction to Share Our Strength. I had heard of the charity before, but it was good to learn more about its history along with some of its current initiatives. Added to the charitable mix was wonderful food and excellent conversations. Dawn and Elizabeth co-hosted the evening along with my dear friend Beth. Isabel (who is always so much fun to catch up with) was also there. (I always walk away from time spent with Beth and Isabel feeling encouraged and inspired. Last night was no exception!) In addition, I had the chance to meet Candace and Nicole. They were both very warm and friendly (not to mention hilarious in their descriptions of raising 3 year old girls). There were several other great people there too, but I didn’t get everyone’s information.

Anyway, let me get back to the driving force behind the dinner…Share our Strength. Founded in 1984, the organization makes grants to approximately one thousand organizations. One of their biggest initiatives is the annual “Taste of the Nation”, a series of 40 events that take place across the nation since 1988. So far, these tasting events have raised $273 million to combat hunger. They also partner with various companies (like Jacob’s Creek, the sponsor for the night’s event). Jacob’s Creek does a variety of programs with Share our Strength including donating $1 (up to $150,000) for every free “virtual” glass of wine raised on their Facebook page. FYI: Jacob Creeks chose the $150,000 because they are currently celebrating 150 years of winemaking.

We also discussed several other Share Our Strength programs. In “The Great American Dine Out”, which is taking place September 19th – 25th) over 4,000 restaurants have registered to take place in this dining program that is expected to raise over $1 million dollars. The Dine Out is taking place this week, so if you have plans to eat out this week, definitely check for participating restaurants first. A few more programs were mentioned, but you can always check the Share Our Strength website to get a comprehensive overview. Before leaving, we briefly spoke about an upcoming Kid Strength program that will launch in November. Share our Strength has a lofty (and impressive!) goal: to eradicate childhood hunger in 4.5 years. Can they do it? I sure hope so!

As I left, I thought of practical ways that we all can help. Everyone can do something. If finances are tight, you can raise a virtual glass of wine in order to donate a dollar. If you have a little more money, you can add to that by dining out this week at a restaurant that is participating in the Dine Out program. For more ways that you can help combat hunger, visit Share Our Strength’s website.

By the way, if you happen to raise a virtual glass of wine or participate in any of the other Share Our Strength initiatives, please let me know in the “Comments” section below by the end of the month. I will give one of you respondents a bottle of Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Merlot that I received last night. (I only like “sweet” wines, so my favorite drink of the night was the Moscato.) Cheers!

Photo by Jacob’s Creek

My family was invited to a wonderful program called Citi Field Kids that is sponsored by Citifield and the Mets. I really like when companies give back to the community in ways that are creative and natural fits. Citifield Kids meets both of those qualifications. Six times a year, Citi invites 200 – 300 middle and high school students from the five boroughs of NYC that live in United Neighborhood Housing to attend this program that ends with the kids watching a Mets game. They break the kids up into different groups and I was inspired as I tagged along with one of them.

As the day begins, the kids get t-shirts and a snack, before meeting up with their tour guide, a Jackie Robinson Foundation scholar. I think that it’s really smart that they use Jackie Robinson scholars, because the kids can relate to them. I was with the group that was led by Simone Williams. I had a few minutes to speak with her before she spoke later in the day. Her personal story was such a good example. Basically, she had become involved with the Jackie Robinson Scholars program when she was looking for a college scholarship. (Her family couldn’t afford to send three kids to college all at the same time.) Besides money, the program provided her with life, career and leadership training through their annual conferences and close relationships. After graduating from Penn State, Simone has remained active with the program and serves on the executive board of their alumni association. It was apparent from speaking with Simone, who is currently a media buyer at an advertising agency in NYC, that the Jackie Robinson Scholars program had a profound influence on her life. I could hear it as she spoke of how supportive and encouraging the Scholars program is in helping those who don’t have financial resources reach their goals. As she said, “It’s all about developing people…helping them to reach for the stars.” Her story reminded me of my younger life. My family definitely didn’t have the money to send me to Columbia. I remember calling Jack Greenberg (who was the dean of Columbia College at the time) and telling him that I needed to be there. We worked out a plan and the rest is a part of my personal history. Although I wasn’t a Jackie Robinson Scholar, the different scholarships and financial aid packages definitely helped to make my college dream a reality.

Anyway, Simone took our group on a tour of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. While there, she shared about Robinson’s life and the nine principles that he sought to live by. (I’m assuming that everyone knows that Jackie Robinson was the first African-American player in major-league baseball.) My personal favorite was Integrity: A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.. Then, we visited the adjacent Mets Hall of Fame and Museum.

Later, we met up with all of the other groups for a short program in the auditorium before seeing the game. Steve Silverman of Citi welcomed the kids. SNY anchor Michelle Yu emceed. Raised in the Bronx, Michelle became the first female Asian sportscaster despite many naysayers. Her challenge to the kids was to “Go ahead and get your dream. You can!” Then, Simone spoke to the kids and the other Jackie Robinson Scholars/guides shared a bit about their lives. Next, the kids heard from Mets Hall of Famer Mookie Wilson. Mookie shared how he never intended to be a professional baseball player. He just tried to be the best at whatever he did like his parents taught him. He encouraged the kids to “not let their limitations limit their success”. One of the kids was surprised to learn that he would be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the game to Mookie…so sweet. All of the kids went wild when Mr. Met came in for photos and they received their giftbags which included a book about Jackie Robinson and various Mets items including Mets bucks for lunch.

Last of all, the kids saw the Mets game of the day from a section of (really good!) seats that were reserved just for them. I’m pretty confident that those kids won’t forget the day for a while. It also helps that the Mets beat the Cardinals. Go Mets!

(On a total side note, the food offerings at Citi Field are amazing. It’s definitely not just your standard ballpark fare. They have a Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, a sushi place, etc.)

Disclosure: Thanks to Citi for having my family participate in the day/receive everything that the Citi Field kids did (game, gift bag, & lunch).

Earlier this week, I wrote about how I was going to be participating in 77kids Do Good Day. Today was the special day…and the rain did not put a damper on our enthusiasm. In fact, the rain stopped at just the right time in order for the NYC team to give out flowers (and dollars!) to pleasantly surprised New Yorkers.

The NYC team’s day started off at the American Eagle Design Studio. We had a video conference with Betsy Schumacher, the Senior VP of Merchandising at American Eagle Outfitters. Three things stood out to me as I listened to this mom (of triplets!) speak:

1. She really wants kids to feel confident when they wear the 77kids clothing.

2. The stores have a unique design – fun and adventurous.

And

3. American Eagle really wants to do good things for the community with the 77kids brand. That is shown in part by the fact that they didn’t pay a celebrity to do the promotional work for the brand. Rather, they hired real moms (like me!) to spread the word and to “do good” in a variety of cities.

After the teleconference, we had a chance to speak with Sarah Hough, the VP of Design at 77kids (and a mom of twins) in the New York office. We also had a chance to look at some of the current and future designs. They were really wonderful. (I’m not just saying that because I was a part of this project either.) Rather, the fabrics and detail were exceptional in the baby, toddler and older kids (5-14) line. I liked that the girls’ clothing was current but kid-appropriate. (I really don’t like seeing young girls dressed like twenty year old women!) I was especially pleased with the clothing for the boys, because it can be hard to find something “different” in boys’ clothing. You can see the detail and variety for yourself below:

The only thing that I wasn’t happy about was that there are no plans to open a NYC 77kids store in the near future. Their first store will be opening tomorrow. Then, one to two stores will be opened a week until a total of five stores are opened. If all goes well, twenty to fifty new stores will be opened next year. I saw some of the design plans for the stores and it is obvious that moms were involved in the planning process. The stores have room to get around (a “nod” to the triple stroller wielding VP) comfortably. Sara’s “thing” was that she wanted all of the denim in one spot, so that it will be easy for parents to pick the style(s) that they like all at once. That inspired the “Denim Canyon”. Lastly, moms know that the more fun an experience is for the kids, the better for the mom! That is why the stores will have these interactive screens with several features (music that the kids can choose; a photo booth where the kids can customize their Polaroid-styled prints and a feature where the kids can strike a pose in key fashion looks of the season…like mannequins). How cool is that? I want one of those screens! Oh well…there will be a store opening in Danbury, CT next week and we can buy everything online at 77kids by american eagle.

After eating lunch at the studio, we hit the streets to do good. It was a fun little venture. My fellow team member Emily had picked up some gorgeous flowers (gerbera daisies, sunflowers, etc.) from Stone Kelly that we handed out near Grand Central. At first, people averted their eyes and walked quickly by us. They thought that we were trying to sell them something! In a short while though, people started to stop and talk along with accepting the flowers (and dollars!). Several people mentioned how we had made their day. The thing about doing good though is that you usually get more than you give. My morning had started out a little stressful, but all of that melted away as I talked, laughed and interacted with everyone. Smiles are contagious!

In any event, I was able to hand out all of my flowers and 76 dollars in a short period of time along with my other team members. (I saved the last one for Michael…he has a thing about “dollars” and charity begins at home!) Later tonight, I discussed my day with the boys. “Can we do that with you the next time?” Michael asked. “I want to hand out dollars to poor people!” I thought to myself, “If I went along with all of your “do good” ideas, we will be the poor people!” I said, “Sure honey. That sounds like a great idea.” It does.

In any event, I received several 15% off coupons for 77kids by american eagle as part of my “do good” package. If you leave me a comment in the section below sharing how you plan to “do good” this summer, I will send you one. Enjoy doing good!

*Disclosure: As I mentioned in my former post, I was compensated monetarily to be a part of this special day. The smiles from the recipients were just my “bonus”.

“I’m nervous.” (Michael, my 6 year old son)

“I don’t know. I just am.” (Michael)

That is a part of the conversation that I had with Michael last Monday. If you recall, it was a hot (100+ degrees) day in New York City. We had just picked up a box of popsicles on the way home from playing in the sprinkler at the local playground. We had passed by our doorman on the way into our building and he looked overheated (like everyone else!). After we spoke and walked past him, it occurred to me that he might like a popsicle to help him cool off. That is why I asked Michael to go and give him one. That is when the whole little “nervous” conversation came up.

I asked Michael if he thought the doorman might like something cool. He did. Once I reassured him that I would go with him, he went back to the doorman and asked if he would like a popsicle. He did and Michael was so pleased with himself that he had overcome his fear and done a “good deed”. He was a little too pleased. When we got to our apartment, he asked if we could get another box of popsicles the next day and the day after to give to other hot people. I hated to curb his enthusiasm, but I let him know that I wasn’t a popsicle factory. Rather, we would give them to people as we bought new boxes. It was a great idea that he had though!

That is why I was so excited when I was asked to be part of 77kids Do Good Day NYC team by my friend Emily of The Motherhood. Here’s the scoop: On July 14th, 77kids by American Eagle is hosting 77kids Do Good Day in 11 cities around the country with 7 bloggers from each city. The are doing this to celebrate the five locations in which they will be opening new 77kids by American Eagle stores and to create a way to “spread goodness” in other locations too. Meet the rest of the 77kids Team NYC:

-Ellen Schmidt, Baby Meets City

-Suzanne Chan, Mom Confessionals

Because it was so hot, we wanted to hand out popsicles to hot New Yorkers in the Times Square area (yes, I wanted to “borrow” Michael’s idea). Because of the melting factor, we decided on cold water instead with labels mentioning our favorite NYC based kid-focused charities. Alas, we needed to change our idea due to logistics. So, now we will be giving out flowers to random New Yorkers in the Library/Bryant Park area. Do you know what else we will be giving out? DOLLARS. That’s right, each team member is being given 77 singles to give out to random people. They can go and get their own popsicle.

So, if you happen to be in the library/Bryant Park area on Wednesday around 12:30ish, keep a look out for me and the rest of the team. (We will be the obvious people with the flowers and free-flowing dollars!) Come on by because I would love to do a little “good” for you. Even better, do something good – alone or with your kids – that day. It doesn’t have to be anything big and grandiose. Every little bit of goodness helps! Meanwhile, even though my team won’t be doing the labels highlighting our charities, I’ll place my label on this blog post:

Please consider donating your time, energy and/or monetary funds to bring fun to my favorite NYC-based Kids’ Charity:Ronald McDonald House of New York, Inc.

Thank you!

Disclosure: I was paid a monetary stipend by The Motherhood on behalf of 77kids by American Eagle for participating in this project. I’m getting paid to do good. How cool is that?

Congrats to the winner: Lisa

I love charities. The only challenge is that there are so many of them that it is hard for me to pick just one. Earlier this year, I attended an amazing luncheon for RBaby Foundation. While there, I was challenged to align my work with a charity that I really believed in. Since then, I have been trying to decide which charity I would choose. After much deliberation, I picked the obvious choice…HOPE Worldwide. I have given volunteer time and energy in addition to financial contributions to this particular charity for over 15 years. They have a variety of great programs, but my favorite is “The Saturday Academy” where they teach a variety of fun classes in needy communities primarily for kids, but sometimes for parents. (Years ago, I taught a parenting class and was so inspired by my adult “students”.)

Several of my friends are also involved with a variety of charities which I will highlight from time to time. (One of their charities might appeal to you more than mines. They are all good and worthy causes.) Here are a few that are on my radar at the moment. Please stop by and check them out. If you want to (and can afford to), please donate to any of them that tug at your heartstrings.

1. R Baby Foundation: I attended a luncheon sponsored by R Baby a while ago. (That is what set me on the search for “my” charity.) I was so inspired by Phyllis, who started the foundation with her husband after their baby daughter passed away after being misdiagnosed as having a common cold. The charity focuses on helping newborn babies suffering from viral infections and other infectious diseases, receive the proper care. Phyllis and Andrew really want to spare other parents the pain that they experienced. They are holding a Run/Walk on Mother’s Day (May 9th) to raise fund. Some of my friends are participating and you can support them

2. The Bread Art Project: Recently, my friend Jennifer invited me to an event for this project. It was wonderful to hear how the Grain Foods Foundation had partnered with Share Our Strength to help increase awareness of the growing hunger problem in the US. I am so grateful that my kids have no idea what hunger truly is and I hope that they never will. For every piece of art created at The Bread Art Project, $1 will be donated to Share Our Strength (up to $50,000). Here’s a piece that I created, “Yummy Times” (my kids were especially yummy at the time of the photo):

3. Help A Mother Out: HAMO’s mission is “to help improve the lives of mothers, children, and families in need one diaper at a time.” Diapers can be expensive. I can’t imagine not being able to afford to provide clean ones for my kids when they needed them. My friend Carole invited me to one of their events next Monday “NYC: Mother’s Day Diaper Drive Cocktail Party”. You can come too. Learn the details here.

And

4. March of Dimes: The mission of March of Dimes is “to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.” My friend Christine is doing a 3 mile walk in Boston. You can support her “Team Boston Mamas & Friends” here.

Okay. That’s enough charities for today…five (including HOPE). Please visit any/all of them. As an incentive, I will be giving away the Nintendo DSi XL that I recently reviewed to a commenter. Simply leave a note in the “Comments” section below saying which of the above charities you visited and/or supported. (Even if you don’t have funds, you can visit the Bread Art Project and have someone else contribute a $1 to feed hungry children!) You can leave a comment for each charity that you visited/supported. I will choose a winner at the end of May.

December 22 Startup. What’s a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?

This is a sentimental pick. A friend and her sister started “Precious Kids” a charity focused on serving poor and orphaned children around the world. There are a “gazillion” charities. What makes this one special is that it was founded in honor of my friend’s nephew, Ethan who died when he was 4. Ethan used to pray every night for “poor children without mommies and daddies”. Through this charity, his family is making his prayers a reality for kids in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

There are so many great charities and worthwhile projects out there that it’s impossible to share all of them. I do what I can. That’s why I want to share about The Climate Quilt Campaign that began last month. It’s a project co-founded by HabitatHeroes.com and the Green Schools Alliance as an effort to connect and educate children from around the world about climate changes.

There are many ways for kids to get involved (make patches, help sew, etc.) Please watch the short clip below from the NBC-TV “Today” show segment, where the Climate Quilt was officially debuted on 9/22. Then (if you can), please visit the Climate Quilt Campaign site http://www.climatequilt.org/ to join in.

I’m all for doing good AND doing well at the same time. That’s why I wanted to let you know about a partnership between P&G and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. They have partnered to launch a program focused on early detection of breast cancer in women.

As part of the partnership, there will be a special edition of the P&G brandSAVER coupon booklet in newspapers this Sunday (September 27th). Every time one of the coupons is redeemed, a two-cent donation will be made to the NBCF. (Two cents doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but there are over 60 coupons in the booklet times the many, many households that buy Sunday newspapers.)

Honestly, I’m not someone who shops based on coupons. It takes too much time and energy for me to do that. However, I do use coupons for the things that my family normally purchases. I have looked through the booklet and I will be clipping out coupons for: COVERGIRL products (I buy their LashBlast mascara); Secret deodorant and Duracell batteries amongst other ones.

If you use P&G products, be sure to look out for their special coupon booklet this Sunday. (I’ll be writing a lot more about Breast Cancer Awareness next month…)