In 1990, a seminary intern delivered this simple prayer: “Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat.”

Out of that prayer, Souper Bowl of Caring was born.  The idea was to use the energy and publicity around the Super Bowl to drive social good.  Church youth groups and other organizations across the country collected canned goods and dollars (in soup pots!), and then donated those items to a local charity of their choice.

That first year, 22 churches in Columbia, SC collected $5700.  Since then, the Souper Bowl of Caring has received the endorsements of NFL team owners, the NFL Super Bowl, and even the White House.  So far this year, $2.1 million has already been recorded, with Houston leading the way at over $800 thousand.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl Party next Sunday, why not make it a Souper Bowl Party?  Ask your fellow football fans to bring a canned food item to donate.  Instead of exchanging bets on the game, have a soup pot available to collect those dollars and add them to your donation.  Print this certificate and include it when you drop off your items at your favorite food pantry, so they know you participated in this event.

This is a really easy way to take a fun social gathering, draw attention to a local community need and make a positive difference.  I hope the Giants win the Super Bowl, but I also hope many hunger fighting communities win the Souper Bowl.

While doing some research for this week’s Sunday Service, I came across an article that was published last year in USA Today’s Kindness forum.  There are several service organizations highlighted, so I thought I would share the article with you.  Click HERE to read the interview with Michelle Nunn, CEO of the Points of Light Institute and co-founder of the HandsOn Network, the largest volunteer network in the nation.

Opportunities to serve on Monday and everyday are plenty.  Click on the links above for ideas and resources.  Call your local community government, schools, or churches for how you can help in your neighborhood.  You can make a difference.  Imagine the possibilities!

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others. –  Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love (1963)

A safe place to learn and grow…

Ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals…

Life-enhancing programs and character development experiences…

Hope and opportunity.

For many of us, the above describes a happy home.  Children need a safe place to learn and grow.  They need ongoing relationships with caring adults.  They need experiences to enhance their quality of life and develop their personal character, the need hope and opportunity.  I would dare say not only do they need these things, but children deserve these things.

For many children, the only way they have these exeriences is through the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA).  The core beliefs listed above support the organization’s mission:

To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

This week’s Sunday Service opportunity is to help the BGCA make their mission a reality.  Volunteers, donations, and general community support is critical.  You can help.

Nearly four thousand clubs provide a safe place for over four million children, 43% of whom are between the ages of six and ten years old.  The population is diverse; Caucasian – 36%, African-American – 28%, Hispanic/Latino – 23%.  The BGCA website shares these remarkable statistics about kids in crisis: across America, three out of ten high school students will not graduate, yet 90% of BGCA members do.  From 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., juvenile crime sharply increases as 15.1 million kids are left unsupervised, but clubs are open every day after school, providing a safe and productive environment for kids.

BGCA provides help with homework, a safe place to play, leadership development, community involvement, and mentoring.  Children learn about health, fitness, the arts, life skills and programs customiuzed for specific community needs.

How can you get involved?  Click HERE to donate to a local club, to the national organization, or to support community partners. To find a club near you, click HERE and enter your zip code. Stop and visit, ask how you can volunteer.  Stay informed and share news about BGCA; follow them on Twitter, ‘like’ them on Facebook, or sign up for their newsletter.  And, of course, donations are needed and welcome.  Click HERE for a variety of ways that you can financially support the work of Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Imagine the possibilities you can open up for these children!

For example, I am a past board member of The Ohio Business Week Foundation, my Mom has Alzheimers, my Dad died of cancer, my son is a veteran and my daughter supports specific women’s organizations.  As a result, I tend to pay attention to those non-profits or to charitable organizations that serve those populations.

It is very easy, however, to be sucked in by groups that don’t use donations in the way they advertise, or don’t use dollars in the most efficient manner.  Unfortunately, many people also fall victim to fake organizations preying on the holiday spirit of giving and generosity.

Charity Navigator is the solution, offering valuable and reliable information about thousands of charities, ranking them based on numerous categories.  The post below originally ran in 2009 but the information is just as valid today.  Before you give, take just a few minutes to investigate.  You work hard for your money; make sure your gifts are put to good use.

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There are so many ways to contribute time, money and other resources toward the greater good.  For several months now, Sunday Service posts have spotlighted very worthy causes, but I’ve just barely scratched the surface.  This week, instead of a particular organization, I am sharing a very useful resource to help all of us make good decisions about how to best invest precious dollars.

The Charity Navigator bills itself as “your guide to intelligent giving.”  According to the website,

Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,300 of America’s largest charities.

You can choose a certain category to explore, such as charities related to animals, the environment, arts, human services and more.  You can research which charities are the most fiscally responsible.  You can see which new charities are up-and-comers.  You can be alerted to charities that are in deep financial trouble.

If you set up a free account on the website, you can also:

• Create a personalized portfolio of charities to watch
• Share charity recommendations with family and friends
• Perform side-by-side comparisons of charities
• Post comments about charities
• Suggest additional charities to be watched

In today’s economy, your dollars are more precious than ever.  However, the need is also greater than ever.  Continue to give, but let the Charity Navigator help you make the best use of your funds.

No matter how much we might try to keep the emphasis on the religious meaning or the general holiday spirit of giving, little children somehow know presents are coming and get very excited about that.

Unless you are poor.

Little children shouldn’t feel that Santa’s sleigh doesn’t stop if Mommy and Daddy are out of work.  The season of lights should have some joy in it, even if  child sleeps in a homeless shelter.  Just one present can make a young child’s eyes open wide with wonder and joy.

You can make this happen.

There are numerous ways to donate toys in communities across the country.  Two of the best known are the Marine Corp’s Toys for Tots and local collections programs established by firefighters.  Here in Central Ohio, Firefighters 4 Kids accepts gifts for babies, toddlers, youngsters, pre-teens and teens.

Baby dolls, card games, books, small electronics, coloring books and crayons, board games, building block sets, cars and trucks, fashion dolls, army men, little girl pocketbooks, and art sets are just a few gift ideas that you can help fill.  Go to your local discount store and look for sturdy, well-crafted items that will endure a child’s play.   Buy what you can afford and then drop it off at your local firehouse or Toys for Tots drop-off site.

Even if you don’t have much money yourself, you can still make a difference.  Yesterday, I stopped in a local “dollar store.”  There were all kinds of items for just one dollar each: coloring books, crayons, books for toddlers, dinosaurs, dolls, stuffed animals, building blocks, and more.

Giving is not just for the wealthy.  Giving comes from the heart, and everyone has one.

This Saturday, November 26, is national “Small Business Saturday.”  Supporting local small business is important to both the national and local economies.  Shopping at your small town grocery, gift shop, card store or clothing boutique helps your entire community thrive.  Economically successful towns and villages means a stronger economy across the country.

While advertised mall sales may be enticing, the big box stores aren’t the only places to kick-off your holiday shopping.  That half price sale on a 42 inch TV if you arrive at 3:00 a.m. as one of the first ten people in the store sounds great, but what are the odds of you actually getting it?

Instead, stroll through a holiday decorated small town and find interesting, often unique, items coupled with personalized and eager customer service, right there on Main Street, USA. While shopping, be sure to stop in a local coffee shop to warm up, or enjoy a great lunch at a local diner.  Say hello to the friendly folks along the way.  Enjoy the holiday music and decorations.  Be fully present to the holiday spirit in small-town America.

If you’re a small business owner, click HERE for ways to promote your small business, including posters, coupons, and creating a Facebook page.  If you’re a consumer,  click HERE to “like” the Facebook page and show your support.

Enjoy Black Friday, if you like the madness.

Then, shop locally and support your community on Small Business Saturday.

This week’s Sunday Service opportunity is to consider doing the same work in your community, but on a different day.

Homeless, poor, elderly and other people need food every day, not just on the holiday.  Your local food pantry needs food all year long.  People to help prepare, serve or deliver food are needed on many more days than just Thanksgiving or Christmas.

This can be a great teaching opportunity for your children.  Make community service a family activity.  Share the importance of a compassionate heart through your example.  Consider the difference your children can make in the world throughout their lives!

If you frequently stop by here, you know the Sunday Service typically is centered around one single charity.  However, every community has multiple organizations seeking assistance.  You can find them easily online, in your local paper, or by asking your local schools or church.

Your help is not needed just on Thanksgiving Day.  Help before the holiday. Help after the holiday.  Just help.

What a lofty goal, one person trying to get 400,000 people to donate to anything! And, vowing not to blog until that goal is reached? What a statement this person is making!

I wondered who or what in the world this @fugeesfamily could be, to inspire such passion. So, I clicked on the link and it took me to Marjorie Clayman‘s blog, “Social Media, Marketing and Musings,” and specifically to her Oct. 23 post titled, “A Blogging Hiatus Till We Get This Done.”

Before I knew it, I clicked through links to make a $12.00 donation to the Fugee Family!

The Fugee (as in refugee) Family unites children, who have survived war in countries all around the world, through the universal game of soccer. Coach Luma Mufleh has created a safe and structured environment for these children, based in sport, education, family and citizenship. There are expectations – a contract, in fact - of proper manners, attending practice, attended tutoring, attending school and appropriate dress and language. In the last five years, Coach Luma expanded the program’s offerings to include “year round soccer for 86 boys and girls ages 10-18, tutoring and after-school soccer for 50 elementary school children, a private academy serving 36 children and an academic enriching summer camp.”

What’s next for Coach Luma and the Fugee Family? That’s where your $12 gift comes in. (Of course, you can give even more, or donate items on this wish list.)

Coach Luma wants to do even more for these children. She wants to create a Fugee Village. They say it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes money to build a village. I encourage you to learn more about the Fugees and then help Coach Luma’s dream become a reality.

I gave. I hope you will to. Imagine the possibilities!

I remember when I was a kid, each year there was an effort through the schools to encourage us to “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF.” We were given small cardboard boxes to collect loose change as we collected chocolate bars and lollipops.  We were reminded of children around the world who not only might never enjoy candy treats, but might not even have a meal that day.

If you aren’t familiar with UNICEF, it started in the ’40s as a fundraiser to help children abroad who were dealing with the after-effects of World War II.  It wasn’t just about raising money, though.  It was also raising awareness of how children around the world were suffering, and a call to action to stop that suffering.  In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared Halloween to be National UNICEF Day; that designation continues today.  Read more about the organization’s history HERE.

I was happy to learn recently that this program lives on.  It’s good for children to understand that other children around the world are living under difficult conditions.  It’s good for children to know that they can take action to help.  It’s good for children to see the generosity and compassion of the adults they interact with.  Even if you can only put a quarter in the box, to the child you will simply be a giver.

How can you get your kids involved? Download a canister wrap or pick up a box at your local CROCS store so your children can collect donations while they collect candy.  Host a UNICEF fundfraiser costume party for your neighborhood.  You can even Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF online, by creating an online fundraising page.  Help your children and neighbors understand what their donations will buy and what a different their efforts can make.

And, if a child happens to comes to your house next weekend saying, “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF!,” please give generously.

Before donating to any organization, research how your dollars will be spent.  Charity Navigator is a well-respected resource for you, and assigned a four star rating to the United States Fund for UNICEF.

This moving book is about the horrific, oppressive treatment that women and girls endure in many parts of our world.  There are stories about young girls being forced into prostitution or being sold into slavery; girls and women being denied basic human rights, horror stories of genital cutting, and the unbalanced mortality rates among women.

However, there are also stories of hope.  Evidence is provided to support the investment in educating girls.  There are success stories about women whose business ventures are funded by microloans.  There are many women who fought their oppressors, saved their own lives and created a new future for their children.

The oppression and exploitation of girls doesn’t just happen in the far corners of the world.  It occurs right here in the United States, too.  A 2001 University of Pennsylvania study estimated that 325,000 children in the U.S. were actively or at risk of being sexually exploited.  Another study, done in 2006, showed that approximately 3.5% of adolescents exchanged sex or drugs for money; that’s over 421,ooo teens, according the the U.S. Census data.  The exploitation of children and women is not just an “other countries” issue.

Gracehaven

One of the organizations trying to combat this oppression is Gracehaven.  In a perfect alignment of the stars, Gracehaven happens to be one of the charities raising funds through the Columbus Marathon, which my son-in-law is running in this morning.  According to the Run For Gracehaven information page,

Gracehaven is a faith-based non-profit organization started in 2008 for the expressed purpose of providing shelter, security, and rehabilitation to girls under the age of 18 who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation in central Ohio.

Gracehaven is a long-term rehabilitation facility allowing girls to stay as needed until they reach the age of 18. We will then help them transition to the next step in their life. While at Gracehaven, the girls will be able to earn their GED, as well as receive counseling and treatment for the horrible trauma and exploitation they have been forced to endure.

Gracehaven is in the process of purchasing a house situated on 10 acres in an undisclosed location in NW Ohio. Once renovated, the house will be large enough to hold up to 10 girls at a time.

What can you do?

I highly recommend reading Half The Sky. It is a call to action; please answer the call.

Share this list of ways to fight human trafficking.

Protect your daughters while raising them to be strong and independent women.

And, if you would like to financially support the work of Gracehaven, click here for a variety of ways you can do so.