30 ways to make a difference
Six months before I turned 30, I lamented my getting old and then decided that turning 30 shouldn’t be a funeral. I wanted to welcome my new decade, so I decided to embark on a new journey. I attempted to perform 30 acts of community service. I called it 30 ways to make a difference.
Thoughout my journey, I invited my family and friends to give me ideas and come with me. I also asked them to give money to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation; I wanted to raise $314, and they came through and raised $330!
Just because the journey is over doesn’t mean I can’t walk down memory lane and remember what I did. So here is the list plus a few things in between I tried to do or that other people did. All the links point the posts I wrote about each experience.
2. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
First attempt at giving blood
3. Food Bank of the Southern Tier
4. Sponosored Leigh in the DC marathon for the Whitman-Walker Clinic for AIDS
6. Save Darfur
7. Food Bank of the Southern Tier
I walked a Breast Cancer walk in Ithaca but didn’t raise any money so I didn’t count it.
Some kids at Southside High School attempted to break into the Guiness Book of World Records for reading aloud for the longest time. Michelle and I watched them do it.
8. Gift package for the troops
I tried to ring the Salvation Army bell but it didn’t work out.
9. Packed presents at the Arctic League
10. Donated books for kids at the Elmira Prison
11. Sent Christmas cards to shut-ins
12. Adopt a Family for Christmas
13. Salvation Army
14. Arctic League
16. I sponsored the kids from St Matthew’s going on the C. A. R. E. mission trip.
17. Check Out Hunger
18. Another care package for soldiers in the Middle East
19. Back to the Food Bank
Then I contemplated the upcoming 30 hour famine at St Matthew’s. There, I checked off 5 items by:
20. donating money to World Vision
21. chaperoning the kids participatingin the 30 hour famine
22. singing for the residents of the Chemung County Nursing Facility
23. serving food at the Hospitality Spot
24. And for the last one, I figured that because of my help, it allowed all the kids to participate in 9 community service projects which is amazing.
25. Then I cut off 13 inches of my hair to donate to Locks of Love.
26. I donated a bag of my old clothes to the Golden Key Prison Ministry.
27. The Red Cross finally took my blood!
28. I brought toys and food bowls to the SPCA.
29. Since I sponsored the St Matthew’s kids, I figured I may as well also sponsor the Grace kids on the C. A. R. E. mission trip.
30. I purchased a “toilet” by donating money to Habitat for Humanity.
And then I turned 30. Mission accomplished!