The world looks brighter from behind a smile.

Our school district raised quite a bit of money this year to send an entire group of WWII veterans on an honor flight.  Never heard of honor flights before?  I hadn't before this year either.  Basically, the goal of the honor flight program is to send veterans to their memorials in Washington, D.C. in order to honor the service they gave to our country and the sacrifices they made along the way.  It's good stuff. Our social studies department and librarian held a fundraiser this year for staff and students to donate to this great cause.  It was a great success!  They raised enough money to send a whole bunch of vets on their honor flight, and our librarian and one of the teachers get to go with them tomorrow.  They sent out an e-mail asking for all kinds of supplies they would need to take with them, and I happily obliged with today's donation. For more information on how to support these flights for our heroes, check this out. http://www.honorfl...

I was thankful for something quite simple on this day last year, a lukewarm shower.  After hours working hard in the hot sun, I just wanted a cool place to hang out and a shower to wash it all away.  I couldn't possibly imagine what it would be like to not have a place to go home to. I decided to donate to SOME today.  Here's what they do: SOME (So Others Might Eat) was founded by Father Horace McKenna, S.J. and an interfaith group of priests, ministers, and lay persons in 1970 to help feed the city's destitute citizens. Today, SOME is an interfaith, community-based organization that exists to help the poor and homeless of our nation's capital. We meet the immediate daily needs of the people we serve with food, clothing, and health care. We help break the cycle of homelessness by offering services, such as affordable housing, job training, addiction treatment, and counseling, to the poor, the elderly and individuals with mental illness. Each day, SOME is restorin...

I laughed out loud when I read last year's entry.  Before you go thinking I have a big ego, it was someone else's words that cracked me up, not my own.  Do you remember the Nordstrom Guide to Men's Style?  The sport coat compared to MacGeyver?  It still cracks me up. It only makes sense to donate clothes in honor of this, right?  I cleaned out the ol' closet, and everything is being donated.  By everything, I mean a LOT of stuff.  This definitely tops the $5 marker for the day :). ****** Lately, I don't have much time, and my floor has gotten out of line. It's hard to keep the cleanest space when I am moving at such a pace. Since my closet's way too small, I just can't seem to fit it all.  But today I took just a few minutes, and I'm no longer living in it. Where all those clothes were strewn before, all I see now is a nice, clean floor. :) Thank you, clean floor, you made my day.

http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/ I enjoyed a wonderful date night with my even more wonderful husband last year.  We thoroughly enjoyed seeing a play, and that gave me an idea for where to donate to today. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenter of superb artistic programming, international leader in arts and education, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As a presenter of over 400 events annually, LCPA complements the offerings of the 11 other Lincoln Center resident organizations through a variety of popular series. Live From Lincoln Center extends the reach of Lincoln Center's stages to millions of Americans across the country. As an international leader in arts and education, LCPA takes a wide range of activities beyond its halls through its educational cornerstone, Lincoln Center Institute, as well as offering arts-related symposia; family programming; accessibility; and other community initiatives. Support the arts!...

I was oh so pleasantly surprised with a little blue box from my husband on this day last year.  It's been a year, and I am still just as proud to have my apple pendant dangle from my neck.  When I was poking around for ideas about where to donate in connection with Tiffany and Co., I had a thought.  Shocking, I know.  I have always adored Breakfast at Tiffanys , and I know that Audrey Hepburn was a great humanitarian.  She spent many years of her life working for UNICEF, and her sons created a charity in her honor.  On the website for the Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund, her longtime partner is quoted as saying, “Audrey never, it seems to me, strove or hoped to leave a lasting legacy with her films. Certainly she was tickled by the fact that so many of them had become as popular as they did. What I feel she would have wanted, had she been given more time, would have been to continue her efforts on behalf of children - because she knew it is a never-en...

Puppy and his dreams made my day last year.  That little guy sure cracks me up. Here's where he chose to donate to today: http://www.k94life.org/ Founded in 1989, Canine Partners For Life (CPL) is dedicated to training service dogs, home companion dogs, and residential companion dogs to assist individuals who have a wide range of physical and cognitive disabilities. CPL works to improve the quality of life of persons with physical disabilities. Each CPL dog receives a comprehensive and customized training program to meet the specific needs of their human partner. Depending on the assigned program, the dog will receive up to two years of training before being trained to work with its person. CPL has one of the strongest follow-up programs in the industry to ensure the success of each team throughout the lifetime of the partnership. ****** Yes, I still watch American Idol.  It happens.  I just can't help myself. The hometown visits are one of my favorite par...

Last year-- 3 letters-- N... P... H!!!!  He was brilliant on Glee, wasn't he?  I still smile just thinking about it. In an effort to make NPH smile back (you know, because we're good friends and surely he reads my blog), I donated to a charity he supports today.  It's called Food on Foot, and they do fabulous things. Food on Foot operates a weekly meal program every Sunday in Hollywood. Food on Foot began in March 1996 as one man's response to the hunger he witnessed among the poor and homeless of Hollywood. What initially began as the distribution of meals from the trunk of a car has grown through the dedication of its volunteers and now serves more than 250 meals each week to homeless, disabled, elderly and low-income adults and children. http://www.foodonfoot.org/   ****** One of my students gave me a really nice note today.  She told me that she has truly enjoyed being in my class, among other things.  This was especially meaningful because i...