Shine For Others

Want to bring a little bit of Sunshine to someone else's life? Want to get creative while doing so?

As many of you already know, I work for a non-profit in Utah called SPLORE. SPLORE is an organization that I truly adore and I believe in their mission statement of providing life-enhancing experiences to people with disabilities through outdoor recreation.

Every fall, SPLORE holds a benefit auction to raise funds to provide life-changing outdoor recreation experiences to people with disabilities and special needs. At the auction we sell artwork, crafts and other made-from-the-heart goods. One of the activities at the auction is called "Dart for Art" and it's when guests have paid extra for a ticket with a different sporting event listed on the back. The ballroom where we have our auction is lined with beautiful works of art...made by you! Throughout the evening, we will announce what sporting event is supposed to "dart" for their favorite piece of artwork that is on the walls.

Dart for Art is a fun event that raises a lot of funds for SPLORE and our participants. If you'd like to donate some art to the SPLORE Auction, please contact me at: susanjanae8@gmail.com. It's a great way to shine for others and it's also a great tax write-off!

Hugged a Volunteer Lately?

Wow.
Volunteers.
Some of the most amazing, generous, loving, passionate and fun people in the world. I'm proud to be a volunteer and even more happy to work with other volunteers.

This past weekend, my job (SPLORE), held a rafting trip for volunteers to get trained on our rafting programs and how to help people with disabilities enjoy outdoor recreation opportunities. People from all walks of life, abilities, ages and motivations came to learn how to be a volunteer. To give of themselves to help others and I could not be more impressed with the quality of folks that I met.

Erma Brombeck has an excellent quote about volunteers:
"Volunteers are the only human being on the face of the earth who reflect this nation's compassion, unselfish caring, patience and just plain loving one another."

I want to challenge you.
I challenge you to put some time aside to volunteer. Some time to help someone or something else out. In a world where we are told to constantly, "go, go, go, go, go," take a moment to step back, look what you're grateful for and share your gratitude, talents, passion, abilities, GIFTS. Gifts come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and purposes. In a world where we worry that there isn't enough money or "time" for this or that, the best gift you could give is your time. Trust me, you'll get more gifts back in return than you could ever give out and it's never a waste of time...I call it an enrichment of time.

So, get out, volunteer, make a difference in the world and your own life. There are plenty of places that could use your help, so there is no shortage on volunteer opportunities. Most of the time volunteering is free, so money isn't an issue. Time is relative; one hour of volunteering a month can make a lifetime of a difference.

Tell us how the experience went. Share your favorite volunteer memories. You might be suprised by how touched you will be.

Or, take a moment to Go Hug a Volunteer! they are a precious resource. (And we like hugs...at least I do!)

SPLORE

So, some of you that know me know that I work at an amazing organization called SPLORE. SPLORE is a non-profit that provides outdoor recreation to folks with disabilities. The Story below is from a local news station doing a story on us. This is just a tiny example of what we do. We've been around for 30 years this summer and there are several other stories that can be told, but I wanted to show an example to all of you. My job rocks and I'm soooo happy that the news finally put a positive story out to the public instead of all of the negative "stuff" we hear all the time!

The direct link to the story is: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1149049

(Watch the video!)