April Is National Card And Letter Writing Month: My Letter Writing Memories

Girls Love Mail cards in box

Did you know that April is National Card and Letter Writing Month? Yea, I didn’t. Well at least not until about a week ago. When I heard that, it got me thinking. I have no idea when the last time I sat down and wrote a letter to someone was. I started thinking about how I used to write to my old college room mate. I actually found some of her old letters after my family and I moved to our new house. My hubby had them in the burn bin and I found them. I grabbed them out and started reading them again. Oh my gosh did it bring back memories. I took a picture of them and shared them with her on facebook.

amy letters

Then I started thinking about how when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, the teacher asked the class who would like to write to a soldier overseas. There was a main address to send all the letters to and my letter went to a soldier named Sydney during Desert Storm. We wrote back and forth. He sent me a few cool things like water bottle labels and I think a coin or two. I lost track of him for a while then he sent me a letter in the mail in the off chance I still lived at the same address. I didn’t but it just so happens that my dad worked in the post office at the time and was able to get the letter directed to me. Mind you this is something like 20+ years after the last letters were written. I now talk to him on Facebook (isn’t facebook grand). Anyway, I believe his story was that he was cleaning his garage and came across a box that had letters that people had written to him during his service. He found some of my letters and that’s how he got in touch again.

Then I had a pen pal in Russia. Back before the USSR broke up and we didn’t have the little countries like Georgia. My pen pal’s name was Svetlana. She tried very hard to write in English we wrote back and forth often but after the USSR was no longer the USSR the letters stopped coming. I often wonder how Svetlana is doing.

So I know I rambled on a bit there but you can see, all those letters had a special meaning to me and some of the others involved. It’s like finding a forgotten treasure when you come across old letters. I know it takes me back to that time, nostalgia I guess people would call it.

So if you want to put pen to paper and celebrate National Card and Letter Writing month I have an idea for you that will be both meaningful and appreciated.

Girls Love Mail is a Northern California Non-profit. Founded in 2011 by Folsom, CA resident Gina L. Mulligan, breast cancer survivor. When undergoing treatment she received over 200 cards and letters from friends, family, and people she never met. They provided her with inspiration and strength. Now Girls Love Mail distributes more than 50,000 cards and letters.

“Girls Love Mail lets women know they’re not alone by giving them letters of encouragement when they are first diagnosed,” says Gina. “Letter writers of all ages and from across the country are joining us in this intimate act that provides so much comfort to these women. We provide help on the website about how to get started and what to say in your handwritten letter.”

If you’d like to write and send your own card or letter for a cancer patient you can send them to this address:

Girls Love Mail
193 Blue Ravine Road, Suite 120
Folsom, California 95630

I know I will. I might even make a new friend! You can even check out the Girls Love Mail site if you need ideas or inspiration to start your writing.

Join Allstate Foundation in the Purple Purse Campaign

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored campaign with The Allstate Foundation and MomSelect. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s been all over the news for the last week or so. The Ray Rice incident in which he knocked out his then fiance in an elevator. Bottom line, what he did was wrong and is domestic abuse. While this situation was highly publicized there are so many women out there that deal with this on a daily basis. Domestic violence is not just physical though it can also be financial. Allstate Foundation helps raise funds for national, state, and local domestic violence organizations. Allstate Foundations Purple Purse campaign’s goal is break the cycle of violence one family at a time.

Some facts about domestic violence in the US:

Domestic violence affects one in four women in her lifetime – that’s more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer and lung cancer combined.
Most people think only of physical abuse when they consider domestic violence. Yet, financial abuse happens in 98% of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to keep a victim trapped.
Domestic violence and financial abuse often go hand-in-hand, but nearly 8 in 10 Americans have not heard much about financial abuse as a form of domestic violence. The number one reason domestic violence survivors stay, leave or return to an abusive relationship is that they don’t have the financial resources to break free.
Financial abuse is just as effective in controlling an abused victim as a lock and key. If her credit has been ruined, she can’t get an apartment. If her abuser constantly harasses her at work, she can lose her job. And, crushing debt run up by an abuser means it could take a survivor and her children years to fully recover from abuse.

Kerry Washington, the Emmy nominated actress, is a domestic violence advocate is serving as a Purple Purse ambassador and has created a limited edition Purple Purse to help raise awareness. So why a purse? It’s created to represent the center of a woman’s financial domain and inspire women to reclaim their financial independence. I think that’s a great message and a great symbol.

The Allstate Foundation is distributing purple purse charms so you can turn any purse into a purple purse. The Allstate Foundation is investing more than half a million dollars in the Purple Purse Challenge. The more donations each nonprofit gets, the more it can compete for Allstate Foundation incentive funding. Go to PurplePurse.com between Sept. 2 and Oct. 3 to join the Challenge and help a nonprofit near you. When you donate at least $10 to any organization in the Purple Purse Challenge you are entered to win a daily drawing for 1 of 3 exclusive Kerry Washington designed purses. You can help ensure domestic violence survivors – likely someone you know – aren’t financially trapped in an abusive relationship by joining the Purple Purse Challenge. Open your heart and wallet to stand up for survivors and the organizations that serve them at PurplePurse.com.

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224

Curate an eBay Collection to Help March of Dimes

**This post is a sponsored post from socialmom.com**

This has to be the most fun I’ve had with helping a charity. There are so many benefits, it’s easy, and you will help donate money to March of Dimes. I did it, and it’s easy. It’s call eBay Curate for a Cause. You can go here to get started: http://eshopping.promotw.com/curateforacause/

1. Click the blue “Enter To Win” button. There’s also instruction on this page. Sign into eBay if you haven’t already

2. Decide on a theme for your collection. start with the hashtag #Imbornto It could be anything you like. The more original the better. For example, my board is “#imbornto find champagne deals on a beer budget” Don’t use mine! They’re looking for unique and original boards. Feel free to look at my board though if you want to know what it’s like.

3. Once you decided on the theme, find things on eBay. When you see something you want to add to your collection just choose the “add to collection” option in the listing. Write a brief description of the product, maybe why you chose it or what you like about it. Be sure to add at least 6 items to you collection.

That’s it! For each board you curate you help eBay donate $1 to March of Dimes. You’re also entered to win $5000!! Originality though, peeps. Hurry thought, this opportunity ends 3/31/14.

**sponsored post**

Donate to a Great Cause Get a Dollar for Dollar Reward

**This is a sponsored post from Causora. Giveaway is sponsored by Causora**

UPDATE: This site no longer exists. All links have been removed

I try to donate to charities as much as I can. With a family of 6 on a budget it’s hard for me to donate the money I would like to. I try to donate things like extra coupon stock, food for food drives, things like that. I’d really love to be able to give more monetary donations though to some charities that move me. Sometimes though I have some money and I think well Christmas is coming up, or so and so’s birthday is coming up and I’m gonna need money for that.

What if you could donate a monetary donation and get a dollar for dollar reward back in return? You can now with Causora. There are celebs involved with Causora as well like Marc Anthony and William Shatner just to name a couple. To get a better idea of how Causora works, check out this short video:

There are a number of causes on the site to donate to right now. Some of the include Children’s Cancer and Blood Foundation, Help Victim’s of the Philipines Typhoon Haiyan, Children of War Foundation, Cure Alzheimer’s Foundation and more. (When you look at the causes, be sure to click the “all” tab to make sure you see all the charities you can donate to) You can even create your own cause if you know a cause.

Initially the rewards part I had trouble with. I thought, isn’t the idea of giving to charity something to do because you want to, not because you’re being rewarded? BUT in watching the video and reading over the site, charities like the Red Cross are happy to be involved with this because they feel it’s a way to give back to their donors. Also, the rewards are for socially conscious companies like NOVICA, The Bouqs (both of which I’ve reviewed before and LOVED) Evolue Beauty and more. One of my new discoveries in looking over the site is Uncovet which has hand made and socially conscious goods so really not only are you donating to charity but you’re also supporting a company or artist that gives back or is eco-friendly as well. When you sign up for Causora you also get a $5 credit in your account to use towards your charity choice. If you donate $20, you get $20 in rewards back. Pretty good huh?

You can also find Causora on these social media channels:

Twitter: @causora

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Causora

I really like the idea of the site and I’m so excited to be able to work with Causora . They have generously sponsored a giveaway here to with 9 winners! YES 9!!

GIVEAWAY

9 Luv Saving Money reader will win

$20 to Causora to use towards the reward of your choice

US ONLY

Entry -Form

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Help KnotGenie Donate to Stop Child Abuse

**This post was written as part of the US Family Guide blogger program. I do have a chance to win Knot Genie products. No other compensation has been provided**

One of US Family Guide’s partners, Knot Genie Detangling Brush, works hard to create peace in homes across the world with their brushes. But at this time of year, they are working to create peace in homes where children only wish their pain was about hairbrushing. Knot Genie has created their Peace It On Petition. For each name added, they will make a $.25 donation to the National Children’s Alliance to help stop child abuse. They also send an opt-in $7 coupon to every person who signs. Won’t you please go to www.knotgenie.com and sign the petition, and then share this wonderful gesture with your readers? Thank you in advance for your kindness.