The countdown has begun – no, not for the new year, but for the planet! We are creating more waste today than ever before in human history. Little contributions in your life can help maintain the planet we all call home. Start living a greener lifestyle at your New Year’s Eve celebration this week! Living a greener lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to change everything in your life. A small change can make a world of difference – literally!
At Wheels For Wishes, we take living a green lifestyle seriously. By taking your new, old or unwanted vehicles and recycling them, we not only help the planet, but also help the children of Make-A-Wish. A donation to Wheels For Wishes can help children in Sioux Falls, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and throughout the United States. The proceeds from every donated vehicle benefit Make-A-Wish and help wishes come true! Here are some tips for making your New Year’s Eve party green:
Do you have a kind aunt who, with the best of intentions, gave you pink fluffy-bunny pajamas when you were 6 instead of the Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle you had been asking for? We’ve all gotten gifts that were very nice and totally useless. That is why National Regifting Day has become so popular! National Regifting Day is an annual celebration which takes place the third Thursday in December. The third Thursday in December is also the most popular day for office holiday parties. Here at Wheels For Wishes, we would like to help you to pick out some gifts that won’t need re-gifting. Here is our list of eight eco-friendly green gifts that won’t need re-gifting and will help maintain the environment.
We’ve already started hearing holiday music on the radio, we’ve eaten to our heart’s content on Thanksgiving and even survived Black Friday – the next step before the holidays officially arrive is seeing all of our favorite holiday movies on television. Everyone has a favorite holiday movie to watch with their family – whether it’s a heart-warming story about a Grinch who saved Christmas, or the story of a boy who really wanted that Red Ryder BB Gun, there is a movie for everyone!
What better way is there to give thanks for all you have received this year than giving back to your community this holiday season? There are opportunities to volunteer all year long, but these opportunities come to a climax during the fall and winter holiday season from Nov. 20 to Jan. 5. Celebrate your holidays by giving back to the community this season!
Whether you are looking to serve food to the homeless during Thanksgiving, pass out presents at your holiday gathering or just pet cats and walk dogs this holiday season, there is something for everyone. Volunteer Match is a great resource for finding a place to volunteer. You can narrow your search for places that are looking for volunteers by searching for opportunities that match your interests and location. Choose the best nonprofit for you from the results of your search.
When you think of your favorite day in November you are probably thinking of Thanksgiving, but what about Family Volunteer Day? Volunteering can be one of the most rewarding activities for a family to do together. It allows children the opportunity to learn about empathy and gives adults the opportunity to serve others. While acknowledging all of the things you are thankful for this November, consider giving back to the community by volunteering.
National Family Volunteer Day is Saturday, Nov. 16. It is a day to thank those volunteers who dedicate their time to helping others, but it is also a day to get involved in your community. Every contribution counts. If you have been unsure about volunteering in the past, take the plunge this Family Volunteer Day and find out why so many people can’t stop giving back to their community.
Nonprofits like Make-A-Wish, your local food shelf or the Humane Society rely on the work and contributions of volunteers. They provide an important service to the community and are constantly looking for new people to help with the events they have planned. Getting involved is usually fairly easy – as easy as making a phone call and filling out a short form. Maybe you and your family can only help one day a month, maybe it will just be a one-time deal – your help will be appreciated no matter how much you give.
We celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11, but the sentiment of that day should be on the mind of all Americans throughout the year. There were more than 21.5 million veterans in the United States in 2011 – with that number steadily growing. Each day, members of the United States Armed Forces protect us both domestically and internationally, giving up simple commodities so we can live in relative peace.
Originally known as Armistice Day, commemorating the cease-fire reached during WWI between allied nations and Germany on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, Veterans Day took on a new name following WWII and was dedicated to the veterans of all wars. As a federal holiday, Veterans Day offers many in the United States a day off from their regular work week.
October is more than candy and fun costumes – it’s actually an important time to give back to your community and make a difference in the world around you! For more than 20 years, Make A Difference Day has been a day where volunteers of all ages get together to make a difference in the world. This year, that day falls on Saturday, Oct. 26. Take a break from Halloween and instead, spend a few hours giving back to your community!
Residents in the Hudson Valley area are getting ready to bundle up for their eighth annual Walk and 5k Run For Wishes at Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, 2957 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. The event is being thrown to celebrate hope, strength and joy of Make-A-Wish Wish Kids, all while raising the necessary funds to grant wishes for children with critical illnesses in the Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley region.
Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley has granted the wishes of more than 2,100 children since 1986. There are an average of 160 wishes in progress at any given time for the chapter, and each wish generally costs between $7,500 and $10,000. The goal of these types of events is to raise enough money that every child’s wish can be granted. The wishes provided by Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley can help a child, in one of the darkest moments of their life, to gain hope and strength.
The air is getting cooler and with fewer opportunities to head to the beach, it’s time to get into the spirit of autumn. It may not be warm enough to go swimming, but it’s still the perfect opportunity to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Read some of our ideas for bringing in the season of autumn!
Wheels For Wishes is a proud supporter of the green movement. We are always encouraging others to make eco-friendly choices that will help keep America clean and green. At Wheels For Wishes, we accept donated vehicles and recycle or auction them off, so vehicles are always recycled and reused. This helps to extend the lifecycle of vehicles of all makes, models, and years. However, we are also interested in keeping America clean and green in other ways as well, such as by participating in National Planting Day!
Hosted by Keep America Beautiful, the second annual National Planting Day will take place on Saturday, Sept. 7. This event celebrates the value of native species while encouraging others to keep America beautiful by planting native species of trees, flowers, and plants. Native species live or grow naturally without direct or indirect human interaction, which is very important in balancing the environment. They provide habitat for wildlife and they provide food for birds since they tend to attract pollinators and insects. Plus, natives are very low maintenance. Consider planting native shrubs, plants, or a tree on National Planting Day!
With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day behind us, it’s now time to celebrate what Mom and Dad do best — their parenting! Parents’ Day is on Sunday, July 28, so it’s just around the corner!
Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July, Parents’ Day began in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed a Congressional Resolution into law which would recognize, uplift, and support the role of parents in the rearing of children.
To thank parents for all they do, kids might enjoy putting together homemade gifts for their parents. Kids will love these homemade and eco-friendly gift ideas for parents. They are fun activities that the whole family can enjoy. Whether a child has a chance to make these on their own, or maybe a parent decides to get the gang together and make these together as a family, it’s something the whole family will find memorable.
May Day is the start of a bright new spring and a perfect time to honor friends and loved ones with a special May Day basket. People love receiving May Day baskets, but instead of giving away a basket filled with wasteful items, consider creating an eco-friendly May Day basket that will allow friends and family to get the most out of their May Day gift.
April 29 is a time to celebrate the 33rd Annual Make-A-Wish World Wish Day. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has been working endlessly to grant wishes for kids all over the nation. With the help of so many generous donors and volunteers, Make-A-Wish is able to grant the wishes of nearly 14,000 children each year! With the help of these amazing individuals, Make-A-Wish “wish children” are able to feel hope, strength, and joy once again.
Earth Day is the time of the year where nearly one billion people come together and work to make the world a little cleaner. April 22 has been known as Earth Day since 1970, and is still a very popular holiday for the environmentally-concerned or those who are interested in learning more about protecting the environment. Year after year, cities put together annual events to teach their communities how to live as green as possible. If you’re looking to get involved this year, look no further. We have everything you need to know about Earth Day 2013!
Spring is finally near, and if you live in a snowy state with cold winters, you probably can’t wait for spring to finally arrive! Along with your spring cleaning that might allow you to donate a vehicle to Wheels For Wishes, we would like to give you 20 fun ideas for things you can do to celebrate the first day of spring on March 20th, even if there is still a bit of snow and slush on the ground! It won’t be long before we’re all outside enjoying the beautiful spring weather. If it's too snowy or cold to celebrate the very first day of spring, start planning all of the fun you will have have when spring finally does arrive in your hometown!
Valentine’s Day is most popularly known as a time to shower your loved ones with flowers and candy, but it doesn’t have to be a day for only your spouse, significant other, parents, or your own children. Valentine’s Day is a day for showing love for all! Instead, devote every day to your loved ones and make Valentine’s Day a day for others. Plus, it's easy to do because there are so many ways to make Valentine's Day a special time for giving back to your community. This special holiday is all about love, and you can truly give the gift of love when you donate a car to Wheels For Wishes!
Do you have a list of New Year’s goals that you wish to accomplish over the New Year? What if you were told that you could cross a couple of those goals off your list and it barely takes any effort to make it happen? If you have “donate to charity” or “sell old car” on your list of New Year’s resolutions, we can make sure that those goals are accomplished in no time!
When you use our Wheels For Wishes Car Donation Program, you can do just that, and we make it so easy to do. If you’re ahead of the game and want to accomplish those tasks before the New Year rolls in, you can get a great tax deduction for this year’s taxes, while also crossing off your list for the New Year, before you can even say “Happy New Year!”
Beginning November 6th and going through December 31st, 2012, kids and adults from all over the country can write their letters to Santa while also making dreams come true at the same time. It really is that easy to make wishes come true, and it allows you to participate in a fun tradition that everyone loves. Writing your letter to Santa ensures that a child’s wish will be granted this Christmas and it's something you will be glad about participating in. Your own wishes can help Make-A-Wish grant wishes for kids all over the country this Christmas season.
One of the best things you can do this time of the year, besides car donation, is find as many ways as possible to help local charities. With the holidays just around the corner, Wheels For Wishes is working harder than ever to make sure wishes are granted. Our vehicle donation program is always a great way help grant wishes, but you can also let your holiday shopping benefit local kids as well.
