Category: charity

Delivering Smiles: Donate to Toys for Tots with Alexa

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Amazon has done it again. The online retailer has made shopping for daily items, including holiday purchases, as easy as clicking a button. Taking their #DeliveringSmiles movement to the next level, Amazon is now helping families give gifts to charity with the ease of asking Alexa. Customers can now donate to Toys for Tots with Alexa, with a simple command: “Donate to Toys for Tots.” 

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Amazon kicked off Giving Tuesday by launching a new, easy way for customers to donate a toy to a child in need. Customers can now donate a toy to Toys for Tots via Alexa by simply saying, “Alexa, donate to Toys for Tots.” This is the first time that customers can donate a product to a charity via voice shopping and better yet, Amazon will be matching customer donations throughout the end of the year – toy for toy – doubling customers’ contributions!

As a family who volunteers regularly, including giving back to our community and donating to organizations such as Toys to Tots every holiday, I love that Amazon is leveraging Alexa to help families give to those in need. We consistently use the Smile program to give back to organizations that are important to us, so the Toys for Tots and Alexa initiative makes our love for Amazon that much greater.

More Ways to Use Alexa to Be Charitable

Amazon shared more ways that you can support a cause this holiday season:

  • Alexa Donations: Customers who wish to make a monetary donation to the charity of their choice outside of Toys for Tots are still able to do so. Simply say, “Alexa, I want to make a donation” to get started.
  • Charity Lists: New this holiday season, customers can shop Charity Lists and donate an item to their favorite charity. Charity Lists is a new feature that provides non-profits an easy way to create lists while providing a convenient way for customers to donate needed items to the charity of their choice with the reassurance the curated list is managed by the charity. Customers can shop Charity Lists from hundreds of charities by visiting smile.amazon.com/charitylists.
  • AmazonSmile: AmazonSmile is a way for customers to support their favorite charity every time they shop with Amazon, at no extra cost. Customers who start their shopping at smile.amazon.com will find the same Amazon they know, the added extra is that AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible items to the charity they choose.

Be sure to check out this out on Amazon. We’ll be making our donations this weekend! Let me know if you guys donate to Toys for Tot with Alexa!

Full disclosure: this is a sponsored post. As always, opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting NKT.

Peppa Pig + The Muddy Puddles Project

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

On the heels of our recent Spring Break trip, we had DVDs on repeat in the car. Like most preschoolers, my younger guy loves Peppa Pig. So, naturally, since we couldn’t access YouTube Kids while on the road, my kids were watching a lot of Peppa Pig. Peppa Pig’s Cold Winter Day is always playing, and I think I know all the words by heart by now.

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There are 10 fun-loving episodes with winter themes. My guys love the Pig family’s crazy antics, especially Daddy Pig becomes the toboggan. ha! “Why can’t our daddy be a toboggan, mama?” Wouldn’t that be awesome, though?

The Muddy Puddles Project

As huge fans of Peppa Pig, I loved learning about The Muddy Puddles Project and Wellie Walk, which is Peppa Pig’s chosen charity. The fact that this beloved brand has their own chosen charity warms my heart.

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I first learned about The Muddy Puddles Project on one of my PBS Kids Annual Meeting trips. I remember tearing up at this young man’s legacy and his amazing family’s advocacy.

 

 

 

The Muddy Puddles Project is a fundraising platform for the Ty Louis Campbell (TLC) Foundation, a certified 501(c)(3) that funds pediatric cancer research. The project was inspired by Ty, a little boy who loved Peppa Pig and dreamed of jumping in muddy puddles when his cancer was cured. Since his passing, the Muddy Puddles Project continues to grow by leaps and bounds with families all across the U.S. joining the mission and participating in special fundraising activities.

Though we missed it, April 1st was officially proclaimed “National Jump in Muddy Puddles Day” by the nonprofit and it kicks off a whole season of special events – including Peppa-inspired Welly Walks to benefit the charity. Kids and families can help celebrate the beginning of Spring by organizing a Welly Walk to raise funds in honor of the Muddy Puddles Project.

This statistic from the Muddy Puddles Project is staggering:

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Looking for ways of spreading the love for this wonderful charity? Learn more about the Muddy Puddles Project and ways you can organize your own Welly Walk in the name of helping families affected by pediatric cancer. We hope to take our own walk in the near future…when it starts to feel more like Spring!

 

Full disclosure: we received a sample dvd for review purposes. As always, opinions on NKT are my own.

Giving Tuesday: Charitable Gift Guide

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

‘Tis the season for gift giving, but as we’re shopping for gifts for our loved ones, it’s important to remember those in need. In honor of Giving Back Tuesday, I’ve assembled a list of gifts that give back. I’ve known about most of this organizations, but had a chance to meet various representatives at my friends Kid Vuz recent holiday event.

 

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Heart for Haiti

Heart for Haiti Fair Trade Collection can be found at Macy’s. Made by Haitian artisans, all of these handmade items give back to help provide economic sustainability.

Heart of Haiti Jonas Sunflower Metal Lantern

Handmade by artisans, this lantern is made of recycled steel. Artisans receive half the wholesale price for each item sold.

 

St. Jude‘s

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital has done so much good for children’s health and medical research over the years. They have an expansive gift shop that includes patient-designed gifts, celebrity products among other great gifts that are perfect for the holidays. The great thing about these gifts is that 100% of the profit, after all related expenses, goes back to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

 

Save the Children

Save the Children provides aid to kids in the U.S. and worldwide. By giving to this organization, it would benefit children locally or those abroad who may require daily essentials, educational tools and beyond. You can sponsor a child, donate directly to Save the Children, or donate products, services or gifts that might benefit the children in need.

By purchasing gifts such as this baby, the organization is able to help children around the world.

 

Alex’s Lemonade Stand

Donations to Alex’s Lemonade Stand fund research to find better treatments and cures for children with cancer. The organization has raised more than $100 million since 2005 to fund 500 childhood cancer research projects at 102 top hospitals and institutions in the US and Canada.

The organization is featuring a Giving Tuesday special that includes one hour of research and an Alex’s Lemonade ornament for $60. Consider donating to this charitable cause to help children’s medical need.

Food for Thought Cards

These charitable gifts are simple: for every card purchased, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich will be donated to feed the hungry.

Since January 2013, Food for Thoughts Cards has happily donated the value equivalent to the cost of 23,000 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens, and other organizations that feed the hungry. This charity has reached many local organizations, including several in the Morristown vicinity.

 

Consider gifting or donating to one of these organizations this Giving Tuesday.