Good Karma Friday: Fisher Houses

The US Army has a program similar to Ronald McDonald House called Fisher House. They are comfortable, temporary homes filled with warm, caring people who help families endure the stresses associated with a loved one's serious medical condition. Family members of an active duty or retired service member who is being treated at the nearby military hospital pay only $10.00* per night to stay in a Fisher House. In some locations, outpatients may also stay in the house. The typical stay is about 10 days but guest can stay as long as necessary...even up to a year if their military loved one needs extensive treatment.

Fisher House™ Foundation and the Fisher House™ program depends on public donations to continue its important work; the Army provides no financial support. The funding for the operations and maintenance of Army Fisher Houses comes primarily from two sources: the small service charge ($10 per family-night) and your charitable contributions.

Here's your Good Karma Friday opportunities...

Donate Money!

Donated money is used to improve facilities, provide amenities for the guests, celebrate holidays, and enhance the range of services provided.

• You can make a donation to benefit all the Army Fisher Houses by sending a check to the program's main office. Click here for the address.

• You can make a donation to a specific house through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

• You can send a check directly to a specific Fisher House.
  Note: Donations made to a specific Army Fisher House are spent on that house.
  

Donate Frequent Flier Miles!

The nonprofit Fisher House Foundation administers the "Hero Miles" program for the Department of Defense. Through this program, frequent flyer members of designated airlines can donate their miles to the Fisher House Foundation who provides free airline tickets to military men and women and their families who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center as a result of their service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Donate Time!

Fisher Houses depend on volunteers like you! All volunteering is done at the local level, and not through the Fisher House Foundation in Rockville, MD. Contact the manager of a Fisher House near you either by telephone or e-mail. The manager will let you know what they need help with.

Good Karma Friday - Random Acts of Kindness Day: Sunday 29 March

Sunday, 29 March, is a "Random Acts of Kindness Day" brought to you by the Karma Experiment group on Facebook. You are cordially invited to make a conscious effort to make a difference in someone else's life...'pay it forward'...anywhere you are on the planet.

Random acts of kindness (RAK) result in significant benefits, both physical and mental, for those who perform them and those that receive them.

To take part, all you have to do is one (or more) random act of kindness at anytime during the day. You can do your RAK anonymously or tell us about it by leaving a comment here.

Together, we CAN be that change and makes an impact in everyone's lives.

Visit the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation.

Good Karma Friday: The Road Home Charity CD

I am a big fan of the Scottish band Runrig. If you haven't heard their rendition of Loch Lomond...OMG! Click on the video below from their concert at Loch Lomond in 1991. You won't be disappointed! While cruising their web site the other day I came across a note about a charity CD that they and other Scottish musicians (mostly based in Skye) put together to benefit the Highland Hospice in Inverness. Artists include: Peatbog Faeries, Donnie (Munro), Blair Douglas, Arthur Cormack, and Dochas. Runrig close the album with "And the Accordions Played." Read the article here: http://www.runrig.co.uk/news.html#Roadhome

Why not support a great service and enjoy some unique Scottish music - order yours today. I did!

Good Karma Friday: Victorian (Australia) Bushfire Appeal

The 2009 Victorian Bushfire Fund was launched by Australian Premier John Brumby in partnership with the Red Cross and the Australian government. It will assist individuals and communities affected by the recent, and still continuing, devastating bushfires in Victoria, Australia.

Over 30 Australian and international digi designers have come together to create a charity kit called "Spirit of Summer" with 100% of the proceeds going directly to either the Australian Red Cross or the Salvation Army. You donate to one or both of them, send a copy of your receipt to Carolyn at Scrap-n-Tag, and she will send you a coupon code to download the mega kit. If you donate $10 or more you also get a matching quickpage album. Of course I wanted it all, so I donated over $10! ;-) You should, too!

Click the image below to go to the Scrap-n-Tag store and read more about it.



But wait! There's more!
If you also send me a copy of your donation I will send you a coupon to download my mini kit "Firestorm" created during the devastating fires that roared through San Diego in October 2007. This mini kit isn't just for those who have experienced a house fire or forest fire, it's also for layouts of a "Fire Sale," or someone you think is "Hot Stuff," a "Five Alarm Chili" meal, or even a "Firefighter" in your family! Hey ladies, how about those crazy "hot flashes?" LOL! The kit includes: 4 hot papers, 1 flaming overlay, 1 burning mat, 5 word art titles, 10 numbers, and 1 rogue flame.

Good Karma Friday: Eco-friendly printing ideas

We all want to do our part to save resources by being conscientious about wasting paper and ink to print e-mails ("I just have to show this funny joke to the guys and gals at work!") and documents and such, but sometimes you really do need a hard copy to hold in your hands. Next time you find yourself in that situation, and it doesn't matter what font you use, try Ecofont from Sprang. It will make you feel a wee bit better about revving up the printer...and it's free!

Ecofont (based on Verdana) is designed to use up to 20% less ink - which is also good for your printer supply budget, too. How does it do this? The tiny 'dot' pattern is actually blank spaces where ink doesn't print.

To make you feel even better, use recycled paper in your printer as often as possible. You can find it at your local office supply store or by searching on "recycled paper" in your favorite browser. Another good source is Conservatree with information for professional and individual paper buyers, how to choose the right paper, papermaking instructions, tips on reducing waste, and much more. I also found recycled paper information in the Eco-Mall with a list of sites for printers, artists, and companies that make paper out of alternative things (even elephant poo - no kidding!).

By the way, I don't recommend using any of your own handmade paper - it's generally a bit too thick!

Good Karma Friday: Donate 44 cans or $44 to a food bank near you

In honor of the inauguration of the 44th president of the US this next Tuesday, the Family Works Food Bank in Seattle has started a special food drive. They are asking you to collect $44 or 44 cans of food to donate between now and the inauguration. If you are not in the area and would like to donate cash, they have a link on their web site. If you have local food bank, donate to them instead.

Like many other food banks, Family Works Food Bank has seen a dramatic increase in need in recent months. With so many more people in need, they also needed more donors. That's when a bolt of inspiration came from President-elect Barack Obama. Mr. Obama is calling for more community service along with his motto, "Yes we can." That's the motto of Family Work's inauguration food drive.

YES we can pull together,

YES we can work together,

YES we can build a strong community together.

Remember - donate to your local food bank often. There are people in need all year long, not just at the holidays.

Good Karma Friday - Show your Wikilove

Like many of you, I use Wikipedia almost every day and now Wikipedia needs help to keep it free of charge and free of advertising - a thing near and dear to all our hearts! The job of the Wikimedia Foundation is to provide easy access to information for people all over the world. As a non-profit, it is dependent on our help to do that. Donations directly support some of the most popular collaboratively-edited reference projects in the world, including Wikipedia, one of the world's top ten most popular websites and the largest encyclopedia ever compiled in human history.

Our donations will help in several ways: helping to cover the increasing cost of managing global traffic to one of the most popular websites on the Internet, helping to improve the software that runs Wikipedia, and recruiting new volunteers and building strategic partnerships with institutions of culture and learning.

Donate here!

Be aware that there a minimum donation of $30. The donation processing has certain fees and processing costs attached and the minimum donation covers those costs as well as allowing the donation to get where the donor wants it most: to support free and open global knowledge.

Here's a Q&A web page that talks about the foundation and how it spends the donations.

Good Karma Friday - Send a free 'Thank You' card to our troops overseas

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com, you can pick out a thank you card (all the artwork is created by kids!) and it will be printed and sent to a soldier that is currently serving overseas. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one! It's FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time to send to our troops and then please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can't ever say "thank you" enough.

Thanks for taking the time to support our military men and women!

Here's the card and pre-made message I chose.



"Thank you so much for your service, being away from your home, family and friends. I just want to let you know that I appreciate it and thank you for it. Please come back safe and soon."

Good Karma Friday - Holiday Mail for Heroes

Have you gotten an e-mail recently telling your to send a holiday card to a wounded soldier at Walter Reed Veteran's Hospital? Although this is a great idea, don't do it. Walter Reed does not accept the cards and has not done so for years. For more info, click here.

Instead, the Red Cross has a 'Holiday Mail for Heroes' program where they will distribute the cards. Here's the details...

• All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender.
• Please ensure that all cards are signed.
• Please use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process.
• Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Participants are encouraged to limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group. If you are mailing a larger quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope.
• All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print, or online mediums.

So, go ahead and get going and send a few right now! You''ll make someone very, very happy!

Good Karma Friday, a freebie, and a $5 gift certificate!

Now is the time to think about getting military holiday packages ready to mail. Show your appreciation for our men and women in the armed forces and their families this holiday season by donating handmade cards.

Cardsforheroes.org is a non-profit organization that offers safe and secure ways to donate your handmade cards. Want to participate? Please visit: http://www.cardsforheroes.org.

And here's a couple of free card sketch ideas to get you started! Click on the image for a larger view.


Send me a link to your beautiful cards and I'll post them here and give you a $5 gift certificate for my shop!

It's Good Karma Friday - Introducing HOPE

25 awesome designers have worked very hard to put this great kit together for a great cause - Cancer Awareness. Almost each and every one of us have had someone close to us suffer with cancer - now it's time to do our bit. For a minimum donation of $10 to a cancer charity of YOUR choice you can get this huge kit for FREE! You can see more details of this awesome kit at Designs by Sassy, the hosting digiscrap shop.

Contents
1 Alpha - 140 Papers - 333 Elements - 16 Quick Pages!



Here are a few sites who allow online donations, but feel free to donate to your own favorite.

Cancer Research UK
Breast Cancer Care
Macmillan Cancer Support
American Cancer Society
Canadian Cancer Society
Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
Susan G Komen Foundation
Prostate Cancer Charity UK
Prostate Cancer Foundation

When you have completed your donation, e-mail your donation receipt to the hosting store owner, Sassy, and you will be sent a coupon to pick up this fabulous kit for FREE!

Not only do you get the great kit, but you'll also have a great feeling that you're doing your bit to help find a cure. You will also have peace of mind that your money is going directly to the charity and the hosting store receives no financial gain.

A BIG thank you to all the designers who participated!
Sassy, Scrap N Tag, qtJessie, *Amanda*, The Digi Twins, Jill D Zines, Nikki Painter, Rachel Young, Brandi White, Kari Hentzelt, Catriona MacGregor, Jennilyn , Dragonslairdigi, Crafty Bloss (christineM), Danielle Corbitt, Scrapdragon, Heavenly, creativechaos, BooBoo, ScrappinMamaof5 (Becky), Red Leaf DigiScrapping, Phoenix, JeanetteBollingerDesigns, Paperboutique, Green Elephant Designs, and Sine.

But wait! There's more!
Send me a copy of your receipt and I will send you a surprise bonus gift - a special 6 page bracket book designed by me using the kit items! I'll post a preview later on.

:> namaste

It's Good Karma Friday - Get Yours Here!

Remember back in February, when I mentioned the fundraiser for Ellie Wiseman to come to the U.S. to see if the doctors here can help her? (read the original post) Well, digital scrapbook designers from all around the world have joined forces in support of their fellow designer, Kirsty, and her courageous daughter and designed a beautiful limited edition digiscrap kit called “Sweet Belle.” 100% of the proceeds of the sales of this kit will go to the Ellenor Wiseman Fund. The kit is available from both Divine Digital and Nuts4Digi.

So, earn your Karma points and hop on over there today to purchase yours (I did!). After you do, go visit Kirsty's blog for a free flower overlay to go with it. See, an instant Karma award! Isn't that cool?

When the Plain Digital Wrapper store's server is back up from the big move, you can stop by my shop and pick up my "Red, Red Rose" kit. I previously posted that 100% of the profits from February and March sales would be donated but I have extended it to include April and May! See the preview and the details (including a free sample!) here.

>: namaste

It's Good Karma Friday - Get Yours Here!

Karma literally means "deed" or "act" and is comparable to the universal law of "cause and effect" that governs all life. According to the principles of Karma, doing something positive results in a good effect and doing something negative results in a bad effect. These effects may be seen immediately or be delayed...but they will be seen eventually.

The more good you do, the more good Karma you have. So, let's go build up that good Karma today!

• HelpOthers.org has tons of kindness ideas
• The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation inspires people to practice kindness and to “pass it on” to others.
• Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness where you can get help or help others with their research.
• Volunteer Match has hundreds of ways to help out.

Here's a great quote I found today:

Travel light, live light,
spread the light, be the light.

>: namaste

It's Good Karma Friday - Get Yours Here!

Kirsty Wiseman is a well known UK scrapper, freelance paper and digi designer, and a serious photographer. Seriously! She is also one half of the photo-challenge blog: Her Space-My Space. Her 12 year old daughter, Ellie, has had serious medical issues (still undiagnosed!) since the age of 3 months.

After exhausting all the options in the UK over the past decade and more, Ellie and her parents have been invited to see doctors in the US. People around the world are pitching in to help raise £5,000 (a bit over $10,000 US) for investigation and subsequent treatment by some generous doctors in Nevada this coming Spring. See this touching video featuring sweet Belle, herself.



Ruth Denton and her husband, Dr. Scott Denton, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Nevada School of Medicine, have arranged visits with various physicians and clinics in the Las Vegas area to try and identify Ellie's ailment(s) and treat them effectively.

Ellie's story has also hit the news bigtime with a feature in the Daily Mail and on Fox News. Read more about Ellie and her family on Kirsty's blog and on the Ellie's Trust web site.

Doing my part...
All the proceeds from the sale of my new kit, Red, Red Rose, during both February and March will be donated to Ellie's Trust fund. The kit is almost done so watch for it soon. I'm just finishing up the packaging and previews now - almost as time consuming as creating the whole kit!

Doing your part...
Please visit Ellie's site and donate to this worthy cause. Then, come back here in a few days when my new kit will be available to purchase. Every penny helps and Kirsty pledges that any extra will be donated to approriate causes and/or charities.