giving back – Living Well While Surviving Cancer

Volunteering and LOVING It

Be inspired by giving back. 🙂

If you aren’t already doing so, consider volunteering. It’s a true win-win, for those you are helping as well as for YOU. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 It is so rewarding!!

As I mentioned at the beginning of this year, I am now retired and interested in giving back. And I really want to volunteer as part of my giving back approach. But, it has been an unexpectedly difficult journey to volunteering. For different reasons, I was not able to hook up with various cancer organizations and other social services groups.

Rather than give up, I broadened my volunteering search. And it must have been my destiny all along to be a volunteer with United Cerebral Palsy of Long Island. Since last month, I have been a volunteer with the day programs at the Hauppauge, NY facility. I am working with disabled individuals who are the sweetest people. They have treated me like a long-lost friend. In addition, the staff is phenomenal and really caring.

I am involved with self-advocacy, socialization, human rights, job skills, and more. They keep thanking me. Yet, it is really I who am thankful because I get to give back in such a meaningful way. I am fulfilling my mission related my to fortunate survival from pancreatic cancer. To me, this is so inspirational and motivational.

As its Web site notes:

“UCP of Long Island is committed to advancing the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of people with disabilities. Our mission is to provide life skills training, education, advocacy, meaningful employment, and a place to call home for Long Islanders with a wide range of disabilities. UCP of Long Island proudly upholds the values of excellence, integrity, dignity, empowerment, responsibility, accountability, vision and innovation.”

“Over 65 percent of the individuals we serve today have disabilities other than cerebral palsy. These include acquired disabilities, epilepsy, sensory impairments, autism, learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury, chronic physical/medical conditions, Prader-Willi syndrome, Tourette syndrome, Down syndrome, mental health disorders, and Spina bifida.”

Giving Back Quotes

Consider the following.

Thank You Vets and Your Families!!

Remember our military. With two infographics.

Today, we present a post off our main health topic: Thank You Vets and Your Families!!

As is the case every year, we consider Memorial Day 2019 as a special day. First, Monday May 27 involves solemn reflection about the millions of U.S. veterans who have been lost in combat over the years. Unlike other light-hearted celebrations. Second, Memorial Day Weekend is the unofficial start of summer. And lots of people travel.

What’s the Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

First, we distinguish between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. As the Almanac notes:

“On both Memorial Day and Veterans Day, it’s customary to spend time remembering and honoring the countless veterans who have served the United States throughout the country’s history. However, there is a distinction between the two holidays.”

“Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle. In other words, we memorialize the veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. We spend time remembering those who lost their lives and could not come home. Thus, we reflect on their service and why we have the luxury and freedom that we enjoy today. We might consider how we can support and safeguard their grieving families and loved ones who are left behind.”
“Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL who served — in wartime or peacetime — regardless of whether they died or survived. Veterans Day is always observed officially on November 11, regardless of the day of the week on which it falls.”

Remembering Our Vets: Memorial Day 2019 as a Special Day

Below, we offer two infographics relating to Memorial Day 2019.

Giving Back to Whom?

Picking the best nonprofits!

If you want to do volunteer work or donate money, how do you determine which organizations are excellent? And which should we avoid?

One objective source for information on nonprofits is Charity Navigator:

“Founded in 2001, Charity Navigator has become the nation’s largest and most-utilized evaluator of charities. In our quest to help donors, our team of professional analysts has examined tens of thousands of nonprofit financial documents. We’ve used this knowledge to develop an unbiased, objective, numbers-based rating system to assess over 9,000 of America’s best-known and some lesser known, but worthy, charities.”

“Specifically, Charity Navigator’s rating system examines two broad areas of a charity’s performance; their Financial Health and their Accountability & Transparency. Our ratings show givers how efficiently we believe a charity will use their support today, how well it has sustained its programs and services over time and their level of commitment to good governance, best practices and openness with information.”

Here is an example of a Charity Navigator review, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Click the chart to see the full rating of Lustgarten.

Donate for Free with Amazon Smile

Do you have a favorite charity? Did you know that could donate to it for FREE through Amazon Smile? Amazon contributes 1/2 percent of purchases made at that site — with no cost to you. 1/2 percent may sound like a pittance. But consider this: As of May 2018, Amazon Smile had contributed a total of more than $89 million to charity. My particular interest is the Marc Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, which has received nearly $20,000 through Amazon Smile.

Do a Good Deed with Amazon Smile — FREE!!!!

Amazon Prime’s vast customer base, which shops at Amazon rather often, presents a huge opportunity for charitable groups. To facilitate donations, Amazon set up Amazon Smile.

THIS IS NOT A SALES PITCH. If you already shop at Amazon, there is an easy way to give to charity. Amazon Smile is an application that costs nothing to join or use when shopping. Through Amazon Smile, a 1/2% donation is made to the charity you choose when you shop. You can type in any charity you want. [Just type in the name of the charity instead of selecting one of the recommended ones.] 🙂

To learn more about Amazon Smile, click on the image.

To sign up for Amazon Smile, click here.

Note: Amazon Smile works whether or not you are a Prime member — at no cost to you.