Top 10

So, it's the end of the year, and I feel that I need to make a top 10 list. Something that everyone does. But, this won't be the 10 best blog posts I've made. This is a top 10 list of ways to help people next year.

1. Volunteer at your local food bank. If there's a Foodbank or Operation Food Search around you, go ahead and volunteer there. People can really benefit from what you do, and you never know who you're helping.
2. Donate. If you are finanically stable, donate to those who need money, or use it for a good cause.
3. Join a group. If you have a local group such as hospice or a volunteer group, go ahead and join. It's a great way to do good things regularly.
4. Recycle/don't litter. Just as I made the post about the Galapagos animals, here's the same idea. Recycle, or at least make sure your garbage is properly disposed of. This can do so much for our environment. More than we even know.
5. Be nice to everyone. Even when you're not volunteering, be nice to everyone you see, or those that come around you. It really does impact people.
6. Start your own project. If there's a certain branch of community service that really hits home to you, start your own project about that. It doesn't have to be a huge thing that lasts forever. Even just working on it for a month or so is helpful.
7. Convince friends to help out. The more the merrier. The more people you have helping you volunteer, the more work gets done. And it gets done faster too!
8. Talk to people. If you volunteer at a hospital, homeless shelter or anywhere where your work is benefiting people, try and see if you can find some way to talk to them. Visit patients, or the homeless. It's not always possible, depending on where you're volunteering, and if you can't do it, don't worry about it. But, if you can, go right ahead. It really makes people happy.
9. Find creative ideas. Think about different ways that you can help people. Aside from packaging food or volunteering at shelters, what more can you do? There's always something. You can always do something.
10. Show your gratitude. I'm currently watching a news segment about a little boy who greets soliders when they come home from the airport. I'm not saying that you have to do that, but when someone does something nice for you, show them how grateful you are. Maybe make them a card, or cookies. Just something nice to show how thankful you are.

So, I hope that you enjoy this list, and find it useful through the next year when you want to do something to help out.

Not Only People

So, it's not always people that community service (or out-of-community service) helps. One very important thing that it means is animals.

Animals are a very big part of our society, and to the ecosystem in general. But, now a lot of their populations are dwindling. A lot of this has to do with things that us humans inflict on them. Such as trashing oceans, cutting down rainforests and poaching of endangered animals. Many of this I have seen recently in the Galapagos islands.

For anyone who doesn't know, the Galapagos islands are a group of islands off the coast of South America. They have beautiful landscape, but the most amazing thing about them is the wildlife. From sea lions to beautiful birds, fish, tortoises and sharks, these islands have such a variety of wildlife that enjoy the place that they live. But, since many tourists have come to the islands, many populations of these animals have dwindled. It is a national park, and it was an idea that tourists should be completely eliminated from the island. Why is this? Because, tourism has added to the decline of population for many of these species.

When walking off the dock from our boat, I noticed some trash in the water, and wondered exactly how someone could throw trash into such beautiful water, with adorable sea lions and iguanas happily swimming around. I know I could never bring myself to do something like that. Especially when there's a trash can not far away at all. I think this is why people are looking to shut down tourism. What happens of some sea lions get curious and decide to eat it, or if the iguanas get caught in it? What happens then?

The next time you litter, or throw garbage into the ocean, or if you have some sort of chemical that you don't want, and you're right next to water, think about how that will affect the wildlife in that water. Or, if you see someone else do that, tell them about what you know. About how that will affect the creatures in the ocean. Or just the ocean itself.

Something Nice Everyday

So, helping people ot doesn't always mean donating money, or making things to give to people, or buying things in which proceeds go to a good cause. Yes, those things are always fantastic to do, especially for the people who your work benefits. However, it could also mean something a little bit more close to home.

If there's someone in your world who helps you a lot, such as the woman who takes care of my grandma every sngle day, it's nice for them to know that you appreciate what they do for you, aside from their paycheck. A simple thank you card or gift can brighten their day, and show them that there is someone who really cares for them. It doesn't even have to cost any money. A nice homemade card can really show people that you care.

Or, holding the door open for a persn that you may not even know is something good to do. At my school, there are codes on the doors, and so you have to enter them to get into each building. Since most classes involve going to different buildings, this can get quite tedious and annoying after a while, especially when you just miss the door closing. Whenever someone waits to keep a door open for me, it always brightens my day to know that there's someone who is considerate enough to do that. Waiting around in the door is not fun, especially in the cold or whatnot, so it's nice to know that someone would do that just to make your day a little bit easier.

So, think about your day, and something that you can do to brighten someone's day every single day.

St. Jude Candle

The above candle can be bought at the Pottery Barn. It might be a little hard to see because the background makes the candle similar to distinguish. But, it's gorgoeus, and it's not only good to decorate your room with, but it's also good for society.

When you buy this candle, half of the proceeds will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Not only does it make a good gift for yourself, or a family member or friend, but it also makes a great gift for a child in need. St. Jude is strong in the fight against cancer in children. This candle will make great gift ideas, and will affect more lives more than you can imagine. So, if you're in need of a good gift idea, or a nice elegant candle, stop by your local pottery barn today to pick one up.

Adopting a Family

This holiday season, there are families in need all over the world. Not everyone has what they need to have a wonderful holiday in this time of festivities. Adopting a family! This year, my first in hospice, the leader sent around an e-mail about a family that we adopted, and two little boys that we are also going to be providing things for. That's when I thought about how important and helpful that adopting a family really is.

This is one of the perfect ways to help out this holiday season. To help a family in need is something that will put a smile on your face, and their faces. Visit the link below to get started!

http://tohelpistoheal.org/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=55