Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week

 

Random acts of kindness week is February 14 - 20, 2021 this year. Start preparing now on how you would like to celebrate &/or acts of kindness you would like to focus on. Don't just do it for week, make it a goal to do random acts of kindness all year long. 

If you go to https://www.randomactsofkindness.org you will see a ton of different ideas like monthly calendars with various random acts of kindness you can participate in, coloring pages, etc. I love the idea of a kindness jar and being aware of acts of kindness that is all around you. 

Try to get as many people as you can to celebrate random acts of kindness week and day. 

Here are a few ways to celebrate:

Involve your neighborhood. Post on your neighborhood Facebook and NextDoor pages to see who would like to participate. Do something nice for neighbors and neighbors in need. A few years ago one of my neighbors baked cookies for neighbors whose spouses had passed away and gave the cookies away on Valentine's Day.

Reward your employees for participating in random acts of kindness week /day. Make sure you recognize the good they are doing and pay it forward. 

Promote your company during random acts of kindness week / day. Do something good for the community and continue this all year round. 

Show your kids the importance of doing random acts of kindness. Kids lead by example and are sponges, so let them know how important it is to do good for others. Hopefully they follow in your footsteps. 

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Give Back: Valentine's Cards for TX Children's Hospital and Lunch Bags for Kids Meals Houston

Every year I look forward to making Valentine's cards for Texas Children's Hospital here in Houston, TX and this year was no different.  During the holidays I took supplies with me when we got away and made them early. Plus, this year I decorated lunch bags for Kids Meals Houston. You can send a virtual valentine to patients here. 

We love giving back to the community when we can and these little things bring a smile to the kiddos faces. You can see past posts here, here, here & here . Here is a little peak in the middle of the process. 

Happy #GivingTuesday

 

Hey! Today is #GivingTuesday. For those who don't know, it is a global day of giving.  It happens on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. For the past several years I have tried to gather toys for MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital. What do you do on Giving Tuesday. Also you can check out the Eco Modern Concierge website to see various ways we give back throughout the year. 

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Ways to Give Back in Houston This Year

Since I am not sponsoring a child this year through my gym like I usually do, I asked Instagram & Facebook followers to please send organizations local to Houston that I could support this year and others wanted me to share, so here is what was recommended:

• Child Advocates - there are many was to give back to this organization. I will be sponsoring a child through them this year.
• Kids Meals - there so many ways to donate, but I love the making bags idea and will be doing that this year.  
• BEAR (Be A Resource) - there are also many ways to donate, check them out.
• MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital - I actually host a drive and donate toys to them every year. One of my favorite things to do. If you know me personally,  you know MD Anderson is near and dear to me.

What are some of your favorite ways to give back during the holiday season? 

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

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Client Non-Profit - Storage Closet Before & After

At Eco Modern Concierge we try to do one non-profit project a month whether that is organizing or some sort of concierge project. Last year we did an organization project at Heroes for Children here in Houston and fellow NAPO Houston member Mary Jo helped me on the project. We organized their store room to make it more functional to find things for events and the holidays. We did not get rid of anything and used what they already had. Do you know a non-profit that could use some organizing help? I'd love to chat with them.

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Give Back: Texas Children's Hospital Valentine's Day Cards

I have posted about this several times before, but one of my favorite giveback projects I do every year is making Valentine's Day cards for Texas Children's Hospital. I love making them and it brings me so much joy. You can send a virtual card here. What  giveback projects bring you joy? 

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2018 Holiday Intention

I talked about my holiday intention last year and did really well planning early again this year, especially on the gift giving side of things and with my calendar. Of course there will always be chaos that ensues, but for now I hope to be well prepared as possible for the busy holiday season.  This year my holiday intention was to give back more and it came in unexpected ways.

I am the philanthropy director for the National Concierge Association of Greater Houston and this year our give back project is to bring donations for MD Anderson's Children's Cancer Hospital to our December meeting. Plus, I am rallying my neighbor's like I do most years and some of them will be contributing this year as well. 

Then I was helping Heroes for Children this year and decided to sponsor a whole family instead of a child. Hope this family will have some holiday joy. 

Then of course, there will be volunteer projects sprinkled in this holiday season. 

What is your holiday intention?

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

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Happy #GivingTuesday!

Hey! Today is #GivingTuesday. For those who don't know, it is a global day of giving.  It happens on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. For the past several years I have tried to gather toys for MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital. This year has been the best year yet. YAY!!!

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Give Back: Valentine's Cards for TX Children's Hospital

Every year I look forward to making Valentine's cards for Texas Children's Hospital here in Houston, TX and this year was no different.  We love giving back to the community when we can and these little things bring a smile to the kiddos faces. You can see past posts here & here . Here is a little peak.

ecomodernconcierge.com

Happy #GivingTuesday!

Hey! Today is #GivingTuesday. For those who don't know, it is a global day of giving.  It happens on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. For the past several years I have tried to gather toys for MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital. This year has been the best year yet. YAY!!!

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2017 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts That Give Back

Cuddle + Kind Dolls: For each doll sold, it feeds children in need.

FEED Bag: Well it is no secret that I am obsessed with FEED bags. I love this one. It feeds 370 school meals in Kenya.

4Ocean Bracelet: This bracelet is made of 100% recyclable materials and with each purchase it helps remove one pound of trash from the ocean.

Audubon Adopt a Bird: When you adopt a bird it helps the Audubon's mission to help protect birds against climate change.

Green Goo: This travel pack will have portions of the proceeds go to various charities.

Placemats: These placemats can provide 89 sachets of oral rehydration salts.

Cheeky Plates: For every pack of plates that you buy, one meal will be given through Feed America.

Tatcha Powder: With the purchase of this item it funds one day of school for girls through the Beautiful Faces, Beautiful Futures program in partnership with Room to Read.

Belvedere: 50% of the profits from this bottle go to Global Fund to help fight AIDS.

Grounds and Hounds: 20% of proceeds support rescue missions across the country.

Kendra Scott Charm: Proceeds from the purchase of this charm go to support pediatric patients at MD Anderson. On a personal note, MD Anderson holds a special place in my heart. I bought this charm a couple of years ago.

Basket: The purchase of the basket helps support women by improving housing, putting their children through school, and helping to feed their families.

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All photos from the links provided for each item. Tatacha photo from here

Hurricane Harvey Donations

As many of you know Hurricane Harvey destroyed many parts of Texas. It is has been just a tad bit over a month since it made its way to Texas and caused so much flooding in and around the Houston area. My beloved neighborhood was no exception.

The outpouring amount of help, donations, and kindness from others has been beyond amazing. We have a neighbor who set up a little "store" where neighbors and workers can come get supplies, eat, take a break, etc. It has truly been amazing.

In order to help the neighbors and friends in our community a little more I started an Amazon wishlist of supplies that they will need in the coming months because this is an ongoing process. If you care to donate here is the link: http://a.co/gOeJ1JA any and all help is greatly appreciated! THANK YOU!!!

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How to Organize a Card Making Party & Give Back

The last several years I have made tons of Valentine's cards for Texas Children's Hospital and it is SO fun! This year I thought I would post on how to organize your own card making party.

1. Choose a charity and/ or organization you want to make cards for. 
2. Decide on a date and location.
3. Invite guests.
4. Get supplies or asks guests to bring crafting supplies. I usually buy supplies in the dollar bins at Target, from Dollar Tree and use the tons of supplies that I already have at home. 
1. You will need cards. I have gotten the Valentine's that come in the boxes and I have made my own. If I make my own, I get A2 or A4 size blank cards in various sizes, designs and Valentine's colors like reds, pinks, whites, etc.
2. Scissors
3. Glue / Glue Sticks
4. Decorating supplies like stickers, foam stickers like hearts, washi tape, watercolors, markers, etc. I don't get a lot of glitter things because Texas Children's ask to not use much glitter.
5. Plan a small menu and drinks.
6. Make cards.
7. Have fun!!
8. Send off or deliver to charity and/or organization!

I saw this in another article and thought it was a great idea, choose some questions to discuss and reflect while you are making cards.

• What are you grateful for?
• What are some of your favorite charities?
• Why do you give back?
• What makes you the most happy about giving back?
• How do you like to give back the most?

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#GivingTuesday Houston

Hey! Today is #GivingTuesday. For those who don't know, it is a global day of giving.  It happens on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. For the past several years I have tried to gather toys for MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital. This year has been the best year yet. YAY!!!

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2016 Gift Guide: Gifts that Give Back

GlassyBaby: I have had GlassyBaby products and have been giving them as gifts for many, many years. They are absolutely beautiful.

Noonday Collection: Items from Noonday are largely created by women in developing countries and Noonday gives back to various communities and helps empower women.

FEED Projects: I have been a long time fan of FEED products and love their mission that each purchase benefits various causes.

Toms Shoes: Besides super comfy shoes, Toms gives a pair of shoes away to someone in need for each pair of shoes you buy.

Hibiscus Linens: It is no secret that I love Hibiscus Linens. I love their give back collection that they have.

Houston Zoo: Adopt an animal at the Houston Zoo. It is great to give back in the community.

Marie Mae: Each item purchased equals one hour of training in their business school, which is provided to businesses in emerging markets.

FashionABLE: There mission is to purchase items from those in poverty and helping their businesses grow.

The Ethical Silk Company: These eye masks are cute and a portion of the proceeds benefit Jeevan Jyothi AIDS Centre in Theni.

Harry's: These razor's have become popular in the last year or so and 1% of the proceeds benefit City Year's New York chapter.

All Across Africa: These baskets are beautiful. Items are made by artisans usually in rural Africa and AAA helps educate, connects producers and external markets, and helps provide a means of income for the artisans.

One Hope Wine: Besides being good wine, each purchase supports a different organization or cause. Feel good drinking the wine ;)

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7 Ways to Have & Show More Gratitude

There are so many ways to have and show gratitude. Being grateful for the small things and really looking at things in a different way is something that I try to do. I am in no way perfect and am always improving myself, but I try really hard to be grateful, even when I am not necessarily feeling it at the time.

• Keep a Gratitude Journal. Last year and this year I started writing down things that I am grateful for. I am not perfect at always writing things down that I am grateful, but try hard because it makes me see and think of what I am really grateful for. There is so much to be grateful for. 
• Look for the Silver Linings When There are Challenges. Man, this is really hard to do. Overall, you will be a happier person if you look at the positive in things instead of the negatives. As a Houston concierge and personal assistant things can go wrong and you have to look at the silver linings and figure out different solutions to problems. 
• Volunteer. Volunteering is one of the most gratifying things because you can make such a big difference. I have volunteered for decades and absolutely love it. If I could I would volunteer all my time with various organizations. There are so many organizations in Houston that you can volunteer for. I have volunteered personally and providing my professional organizing services to many different organizations throughout Houston.
• Spend More Time Doing Things You Love. You can find so much gratitude and joy doing the things you love. Spend more time with family and let them know you love them. Spend more time on that hobby you love because it makes you happy. 
• Thank You Notes. I try to write thank you notes often. I am so appreciative when someone does something nice for my husband and I or gives us something. So go tell that person you are thankful! Even if you don't write them a handwritten letter, email or call them and tell them.
• Give Back. Not just by volunteering, but give back in other ways as well. Tell someone you appreciate them, take in your neighbors trash can, pick up that clothing item off the floor in the store, do random acts of kindness, etc. etc. There are so many ways to give back, you just have to figure out what works best for you. 
• Email Random People. I know this sounds weird at first, but this is something that I have been doing this past year. I will email people and tell them I like what they are doing. There is a person on Tumblr I have been following for years and love her photos and the snippets she says about her family, so I emailed to tell her I love her photos and the positivity she exudes. There is a made in Texas article in Texas Monthly that I love, so I emailed to tell them that I enjoyed it. The list goes on and on. Surprisingly, most of the time the people will respond. Even with people you think are out of touch and don't expect to reply, they usually will reply. 

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Give Back this Halloween

Happy Halloween Eve!

I have been a long time fan of FEED Projects and love this Halloween trick or treat bag for UNICEF. I actually bought it many years ago (2011?) for my brother. I finally bought one for myself this year. The tag says, "Made Fairly in China". I love the mission of FEED Projects. When you buy this bag you help provide 40 micronutrient servings for children in Guatemala. How cool is that?

On a side note, many years ago I started buying organic lollipops for Halloween candy and my husband got mad and said kids did not want that crap, they wanted "real" candy. So we have plenty of chocolate to give the kiddos this year.

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