Ten Lessons in Giving and A Win $100 Visa Gift Card So You Can Give, Too! #Giveaway

Tracy Knutsen
Medtronic Bakken

Medtronic Bakken

Thanks to Medtronic for sponsoring today’s discussion.

Don’t forget to read through to the end to learn how you can win a VISA gift card to

give back to your own community!

 

For some, it can be overwhelming or intimidating to hear about grandiose charity events or foundation projects around the world, but the Bakken Honorees know that everyone has something they can contribute to their community, and there’s no better time than now to make it happen.

   “Greatness is determined by service.”    

—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

If you’re like most people, you want to make a difference and have a positive impact. But maybe you don’t know what to do, where to go or when to do it.  This year’s honorees have learned that the time is now and that there is no challenge too big to change their course of greatness.

Medtronic has selected 10 honorees from around the world, each of whom has overcome a life-changing medical challenge, such as heart disease, scoliosis or diabetes, and has realized the true brevity of life. These people had every excuse to give up, leave their troubles at the hospital and try to return to their lives before their crisis. But they didn’t. They realized that they have been granted a second opportunity to live each day to the fullest.

They are each receiving a $20,000 charitable grant from Medtronic to further their mission and charity work. Please go here to read their full stories and learn what inspires them. Each honoree has provided a life tip that encourages everyone to do what they can to give back.

Live on. Give on. Give back.

 

Medtronic’s Bakken Invitation celebrates and connects people, who with the help of medical technology, are contributing in communities all around the world through charitable service and volunteerism. It embraces the legacy of Medtronic co-founder and humanitarian Earl Bakken. It culminates in the celebration of ten Bakken Invitation Honorees, who are recognized for outstanding contributions.

Just as the honorees are giving their time, resources and talents, Medtronic wants everyone to do what they can—big or small—to give back.  We don’t need a life-altering moment to start giving back. There are little ways we can give back and make a difference, starting now.

5 Ways Anyone Can Give Back

In general, the things that matter most to us are family, friends, faith, health, love, career, happiness and, let’s be honest…pets! To give back in a way that’s the most impactful to both you and your community, you should offer service to what matters most to you.

1. Are you a military family or close to one? Write a letter to a military hero and encourage others to do so.  There are over 2 million active and reserve men and women in the U.S. military alone. Thousands of troops are deployed indefinitely in remote parts of the world and they love receiving good wishes and words of appreciation and encouragement, even from total strangers. In fact, letters are the most requested item by military men and women.  There are many ways to find a soldier if you don’t know any personally. Start here:  AnySoldier.com, Operation Gratitude,  and Soldiers’ Angels. We simply can’t take them for granted.

2. Help the hungry. Food is the second largest expense for families and more than 35 million Americans aren’t getting enough to eat. Over 12.5 million of those are children.  One-third of families must choose between buying food and buying medicine. Locate an organization near you that supports hungry families. Learn what they need, then help them provide it.  Donate your time. Go through your pantry. Create a food drive. As you strive to help end someone’s hunger, you will gain a new appreciation for the food on your own table.  Heads up everyone – this is a year-round problem…not just at holiday time.

Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” Think about what would happen if we all just fed one.

3. Adopt a pet and/or help out at an animal shelter.  There are nearly 6,000 animal shelters with close to 8 million dogs and cats placed in them each year. Half of them are euthanized. We get only about 15% of our pets from shelters. Why is this?  Animals are completely unconcerned about your age, your looks or your physical ability. They accept you as you are and offer unconditional love and companionship. If you’re unable to adopt a new pet, help shelters take care of their residents. Volunteer at a local shelter or learn what they have on their Wish List. Make it happen. Shelters need lots of supplies that we wouldn’t normally think of – latex gloves, paper towels, garbage bags, bleach and laundry detergent, not to mention the endless need for kitty litter.

4. Donate books.  61% of low-income families have no books in their home. 55% of children have an increased interest in reading when given books at an early age, yet there is only 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children in low-income neighborhoods.   Go through your bookshelves and pull out those books you won’t read again or have had more than a couple of years, but haven’t read yet. Deliver them to your local library, food pantry, hospital, nursing home, school or children’s organization. Organize a book drive in your neighborhood or at your church. Imagine if your couldn’t read this…and seriously, you’re not going to read those books again. Give them to someone who will.

5. Mentor a child.  3 million children are currently enrolled in a mentoring program, but over 15 million actually need mentoring. The ones we’re missing are 73% more likely to begin using alcohol, 63% more likely to skip class and 54% more likely to use drugs. Mentors help children develop self-confidence, relationship skills and positive attitudes.  Find a mentoring program near you and apply to become a mentor. There’s one associated with most school districts and at Boys and Girls Clubs.  Spend some time every week with your mentee doing things like homework, playing ball, cooking or crafts, or how about this one…talking.  It doesn’t matter what you do, just that you truly care. Encourage others to become mentors. Find ways to support and help sustain mentor programs.  Nearly 3 million youth between the ages of 12 and 15 are at risk of suicide every year and over 35% will actually attempt it.  That’s about 2,700 kids every day. What?!?!  Get out there and help.

Can I help.medtronic

There are lots of other things you can do to make a difference. How could you spend $100 in a creative way to make an impact? How do you creatively help others?

What inspires you to give back?

Win a $100 prepaid Visa® gift card  to help give back within your own community

by sharing how you would use the money to do something good.

The winner is free to choose how the money is spent, but it should benefit your community in some way. Do you want to buy food for a local food pantry? Planting trees or beautify a local park? Paint a mural? Gather supplies for care packages?  Pay to teach CPR to a group? Buy snacks for the local bloodmobile? Bring cookies to firefighters or law enforcement? Bottled water and warm socks to the homeless?

In the Comments section below, tell us what you’d do with $100 to make a difference. Have a couple of ideas? Go to the Nest Full of New Facebook page and leave your other ideas there.  The winner will be chosen on December 29, 2014 and will receive a $100 Visa gift card directly from Medtronic in support of the Bakken Invitation “Live On. Give On.” initiative.

 

 

 

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84 thoughts on “Ten Lessons in Giving and A Win $100 Visa Gift Card So You Can Give, Too! #Giveaway”

  1. I would use the $100 to buy copies of Unbroken for the book club I conduct at a local women’s prison. They need ten so $100 would make a good dent in it! 🙂

  3. I would use the $100 to buy books and toys for children to donate to any toy drive or donation around in my town before or after holidays. 🙂

  4. I would use the money to adopt a dog from our local shelter. I have already adopted two cats and a dog from there.

  5. We were donating to food shelves and with the extra $100, we can bring more coats to local shelters for needed people. It is freezing out there.

  7. I would donate it to WomenSpace. They helped my sister get out of an abusive relationship with her daughters and I would love to be able to say thank you with this. Thanks for the chance.

  9. I make fabric flower accessories for disadvantaged girls, homeless women and homebound seniors. Sometimes I also make cute pillows decorated or both boys or girls. They like getting something whimsical and fun. I sew fleece mittens for ages for the mitten drive. For quite a while I sewed maternity dresses and baby items (bonnets, diapers, etc.) for Haitian mothers and babies, but not doing that right now.

  11. I would use the money to purchase different items that can help for winter like gloves and hats and donate them to a local shelter in my area.

  12. I would give blankets and socks to some homeless people I know. My husband and I just got on our feet from being homeless ourselves.. so we know what it’s like not to have anything.

  13. I would love to use the money to buy “time of the month” supplies to donate to our local food pantry for distribution.We always complain about that stuff every month, but you really miss it when you can’t afford to buy it.

  15. Thanks for another great post, Tracy. We always think of things like the food pantry and medical causes – which are awesome things, don’t get me wrong – but it’s nice to think outside the box a little. Remembering the issues and needs that get less attention is so important…all year long. No need to consider me for this very generous giveaway, but a friend I work with donates blankets to our local dialysis center. I thought that was a wonderful idea to help make a difficult situation a little easier.

  19. My husband and I help out at our son’s school whenever we can. There are a lot of kids there who are in need. I would use the $100 to help buy school uniforms and supplies and even food for some of the kids at school. Heartbreaking to see a kid in need!

  20. I teach tennis to underprivileged kids and would use this towards buying additional equipment and teaching materials for the kids.

    Ann

    whittikere(at)yahoo(dot)com

  21. Clent Benson’s story was one of my favorites. I thought everyone’s story was beautiful and really love how each individual faced their obstacles with strength and courage. I love that he is living life to it’s fullest and also helping our younger generation discover their passions.
    I volunteer at a shelter close to my home and love and appreciate the relationships that I have built there. I love hosting small events for them and would use the money towards creating more care packages for families in need.
    Linjumimom(at)aol(dot)com

  23. I have known a lot of people close to me that have been diagnosed with diabetes. Krystal’s story really touched me because I do feel like diabetes is one of those “hidden” diseases. You can’t physically spot it but it’s one that can be very deadly if not treated properly. I love that Krystal has become a voice for people with the disease and is really putting her efforts into one location and doing as much as she can there.
    The people that I surround myself with constantly inspire me to give back. I’ve always been involved in community service activities and I have found my passion in working with underprivileged Hispanic children. I participated in the immersion program in my elementary school and I love the language and am thrilled to be able to help with translations and providing tutoring services etc. I would use the $100 to purchase teaching materials for the kids! – Marie (mijulin[at]cox[dot]net)

  26. I enjoyed reading IGOR CHAMILLA’s story because I do feel like education and knowledge are powerful tools. Everyone’s story was great but I really connected with Igor’s story.

    I’m studying to be a nurse so I love volunteering in my field. I’ve been working with the Red Cross and have learned so much from the people that I have interacted with. I really love helping and working with the little ones. I love surprising them with little gifts to brighten their day or by having little educational parties like trivia days. I would use the money towards the kids.

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