Do Good

Four Ways To Do Good This Halloween

October 25, 2010 at 11:22 am , by Amanda Wolfe

Halloween isn’t necessarily a holiday that you associate with volunteering and giving, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a great occasion to do a little good! Here are a few ways to help out:

• Still looking for a last-minute costume? Dress up for a cause you believe in. That way every time someone asks what you or the kids are, you can get a little plug in for your favorite charity. (If you volunteer at an animal shelter, for instance, go with a cute dog and cat theme.)
• Halloween is just a few days before election day. No matter what side of the political aisle you fall on, we can all agree that it’s super-important to vote! Help get out the vote in your area by volunteering with Trick or Vote, a non-partisan organization.
• Trying to figure out how to keep your kids (or yourself) from eating their weight in candy? Donate some of your haul to needy kids in your area who don’t get to go trick-or-treating. Call local shelters and organizations to find out how to donate. You could even dress up to deliver your treats together!
• Check Volunteer Match for a Halloween-themed volunteer opportunity in your area. We did a quick search and found lots of different spooky carnivals, food drives, auctions and other events around the country. (Just type in your zip code with the keyword “Halloween.”)

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Do Good, Look Great: Support Research At St. Jude

October 22, 2010 at 1:06 pm , by Chelsea Rae Simmons

Happy Genes Day, lovely ladies! It’s Chelsea, your resident fashion and beauty intern, letting you know today is a great day to look your best and Do Good. Lancôme has dubbed today Genes Day and, in honor of the celebration, will be giving $7 from every bottle of their much-lauded Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate sold today to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

It may be a beauty splurge at $78 for a 1oz. bottle, but if it’ll give me glowy, even skin in only seven days or even make me look a quarter as gorgeous as celeb devotees like Christina Hendrix, Julia Roberts or Veronica Webb, it’s worth it.

And did I mention that part of the sales (up to $100,000) go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital? If you get a chance, visit your local Lancôme counter or lancome-usa.com for your chance to improve your skin and the lives of children in need.

P.S. If you’re new to the Génefique line and happen to find yourself at a Lancôme counter today, ask for a deluxe seven-day sample free of charge.

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Do Good: Stop the Hate, Spread the Love

October 11, 2010 at 12:14 pm , by Amanda Wolfe

Today, on National Coming Out Day, we want to take a minute to talk about tolerance. LHJ is committed to doing good—whether that’s awarding our Do Good stamp to companies that care or highlighting stories of amazing women who are making a difference. But at its most basic level, our do good message is one of everyday action: small acts of kindness that can transform someone’s day—and change the world. We’ve been watching the news lately with dismay. From vitriolic political mud-slinging to gay teens like Tyler Clementi being bullied so much that they feel there is no other option than to take their own lives… it just feels like there’s an awful lot of hatred and anger going around these days. It’s sad, and scary.

That’s why we’re happy to see movements like Love Is Louder (which helps spread the message that love and support is more powerful than all that hate). If we all take a minute to do something nice for someone else every day, and try to have an open mind when we’re dealing with people who aren’t like us, and make sure our friends and family members know that they have our unconditional love and support, we can absolutely make the world a happier place.

Photo by Helga Weber.

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Do Good: Calling All Difference-Makers

October 4, 2010 at 9:20 am , by Amanda Wolfe

Do you make a difference in your community, or know a woman who does? Maybe she started a local charity organization. Or she finds the time in her busy life to volunteer for a cause that’s close to her heart. We’re looking for these amazing women for our Difference-Makers Contest!

Nominate your difference-making lady today and she could be featured in an upcoming issue of Ladies’ Home Journal and on Better! Don’t know a difference-maker yourself? We bet someone in your community does: Help us spread the word! Click the “Share” button above to share with your family and friends via email, Facebook, Twitter and more.

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Do Good: Vote for Cookies!

September 29, 2010 at 1:17 pm , by Rachel Shippy

In the spirit of Doing Good, here at LHJ we like to recognize those making a positive difference in the community and the world.  Here’s a great way for you to do the same! Vote for one of our favorite charities, Cookies For Kids’ Cancer, through the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, so they might be the lucky recipient of $20,o00!  The Samsung Helmet of Hope charities in the running are ALL wonderful, but Cookies is especially close to our heart. Today is the last day to vote and the winner will be announced on Friday, so get your votes in now and tell your friends.  Show some love for Cookies For Kids’ Cancer and Do Good by helping them do the same.

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Do Good: Real-Life Fairytales

September 27, 2010 at 10:31 am , by Amanda Wolfe

Maybe I just needed a little warm-fuzzy on this gloomy, rainy day here in New York. But I am loving the heartwarming Facebook Fairytales, a sort of less-cheesy Chicken Soup For the Soul of the social networking era. There are, of course, plenty of slightly-stalker activities to do on Facebook (why, exactly, do I need know so many intimate details about people I haven’t seen in 15 years?), and plenty more time-wasters (Farmville, anyone?).

But the story of the parents who were finally able to adopt a child after posting their plea on Facebook, or the young mom dying of kidney failure who is now alive and well thanks to a kidney from a friend of a friend found via the site…  well, they got me. If you have a soft spot for acts of kindness and do good stories (and c’mon, who doesn’t?), I bet they’ll get you too.

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Do Good: The Secret To Being A Rockstar Volunteer

September 13, 2010 at 9:18 am , by Amanda Wolfe

We talk about Do Good a lot here at LHJ, because we believe that if everyone does just a little good  (whether that’s volunteering or an act of kindness) the world can truly be a better place. We’ve run into so many amazing and inspiring volunteers over the course of our coverage, and I wanted to share what they all have in common. Whether it’s Ruth Crane, who turned her experience with cancer into a way to touch the lives of other cancer patients, or Shara Mondy whose own background has helped her realize how important it is to give people a fresh start on life, these ladies are volunteer superstars. But they’re also ordinary women, just like you and me. They have families, jobs, busy lives.

As someone who is only aspiring to help others like these women do, I wanted to look for the common thread. What made them get up and take action? I think it’s the decision to tackle a cause they truly cared about. Never underestimate the power of passion and a personal connection to your cause, whatever it may be. Of course it’s important to do good in many ways, large and small. Participate in your local school’s canned food drive. Help collect clothes for the needy at your church. Throw a few dollars into the tip jar. But if you’re looking to make that leap into volunteering more often, find a cause that means a lot to you and your family. Did a family member die of a certain cancer or disease? Raise money to find a cure. Do you have a skill or talent? Teach kids or seniors, and brighten up their days. Or turn your hobby (say, knitting) into something that gives back (donate knitted scarves during the holidays). You can even enlist other people to create and donate with you. Did you see first-hand the devastation after a disaster like Katrina? Get in there and help rebuild. Not sure where to start? Try a search with Volunteer Match for an opportunity near you.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the do good causes and campaigns out there these days. In the face of so much that needs to be done, sometimes we feel like we can’t change anything. But these awesome women that LHJ profiles every month prove that we can. Find your cause and go for it. When it means that much to you, it’s easy to make time in your life–and make a big difference.

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