Time to SHINE {Pass.It.Forward}

Ever wanted to change the world?  Ever wanted to do something that made a difference?  Ever wanted to change lives?  Ever met Ashley from the SHINE Project?  She wants to change the world, make a difference, and change people's lives.  And she does it.  And she wants others to do it, too.

Today is a HUGE day for the SHINE Project as Ashley is announcing her newest project and website. This project is simple: Pass It Forward.  By giving forward, you can give back. 

Here's the best part...there's a pass it forward card. 

Back view of Pass It Forward card

Here's how it works in Ashley's own words....

Pass It Forward was designed to get people to do little things, everyday, that makes an impact on the community around them. Pass it Forward is designed around a card.  Each card is given a unique ID number. Lets say we're at McDonalds, and I decide to pay for the person behind me in the drive through. I'd give the cashier the card, and tell them to pass it along to the next car when they give them the food that has been paid for. I then go home and log into the website that was on the card, and find my unique ID number. I log into it, and add my information... My first name, city, and a description of what I did....

Let's say the person behind me was you, you would pass it forward to someone else, and then would go home and do the same thing. From the very beginning, you will be able to track where your card goes, and how many people you affect just by doing one simple act of kindness.

Doesn't that sound cool?  And easy to do?  It's like a virtual pat on the back when you register your card and see where and how it blessed others.  Here we are, you and me, with the opportunity to dig our hands in and spread the shine!  We can make this happen.  We can bring a little shine to people.  And we can see just how far our shine will go.  To say I'm excited about this project is an understatement!

As one of the bloggers announcing this project, I will be getting my very own PassItForward card in the mail very soon.  And when I get my card, I'm gonna spread the SHINE!  Then I will come back here and share with you all what I did to PassItForward.  Awesome sauce!

I know you are now as excited as I am, so, go now, do not pass Go, do not collect $200 and find out how you can PassItForward and spread the shine, too!

Pocket Change {The Shine Project and CHANGE 4 CHANGE}

I'm over the moon for Ashley @ The Shine Project.  She's beautiful inside and out.  Ashley and her huge heart wants to motivate people, give back, pay it forward, serve others, change the world. 

Ashley created The Shine Project Scholarship Fund and is encouraging people to collect change in a jar (um, how easy!) with the CHANGE 4 CHANGE campaign.  All money raised goes to help inner-city high school students pay for college.  Her goal is to get 100 people to pledge to collect $100 by October 2011.  That's 10 grand, folks.  All for kids to go to college.  As a teacher this is near and dear to my heart.  And it is even helping students in my own backyard, Arizona.

Also, check out Ashley's adorable necklaces.  One dollar from every necklace sold goes right into The Shine Project Scholarship Fund.  Look cute and donate money.  That's what I'm talking about!

Here's my jar.  You can do one, too.  Change in a jar, it's that easy.

Read more about the amazing Ashley and The Shine Project here.


P.S. - Right after taking these lovely photos, my CHANGE 4 CHANGE jar was accidently knocked off the table and subsequently broke into a million pieces upon hitting the tile floor.  Sad face.  Not to worry though, I fished out all the monies (3yo speak for 'money') and placed them in a temporary container.  Today's assignment:  find another perfect wide mouth jar!

Girls Only Project

My friend Lara over at The Farmer's Wife Tells All is a mom of two lovelies and is expecting another from Uganda pretty much any day now.  She has a huge heart for the widowed and orphaned around the world and she recently came up with an awesome project to help young orphaned girls with something most of us ladies may take for granted.

In much of the developing world disposable sanitary products for menustration are not practical or just not available.  Some girls even use trash during their periods, or they miss school all together because they have nothing to use.  Cloth pads are a desparate need for these young women.  This is what Lara's For Girls Only Project is all about.  She is trying to get cloth pads (in addition to bras, panties, and some other essentials) into orphanges and remand centers in Uganda.  Lara is recruiting her friends, family, anyone, and everyone to make pads and/or make donations to put kits together for the young women.  The plan is to put 5 cloth pads, 3 pair of panties, and one bra in each kit.  You can read more about Lara's project here.

Well, when she put the call out for help, I fired up the ol' Singer.  Using fabric I had in my stash (fleece and jersey knit for the padding and 100% cotton for the lining) I whipped up 20 pads.  Also using fabric scraps I sewed up 4 zipper pouches (for girls to keep their cloth pads in).  At Target I found cotton panties on sale (8 pair for $8) and some bras on clearance ($3.50-3.98).  All told, I spent $36 to make 4 kits (panties: $12, bras: $16, zippers for pouches: $8).  Doing the math, that's only $9 per kit (making drawstring pouches would make it even less expensive).  Not really a whole a lot for a young girl's comfort and hygiene.  Four kits may not sound like a lot, but it will help.  Lara's friends have stepped up and many more supplies have been donated to make the kits for this incredible project.

Here's the bounty I am donating....

Read all about this project, her adoption journey, and more on Lara's blog.