With the holidays ahead, November and December calendars are filling up, with social engagements, holiday events, friends and family in town. With the hustle and bustle of decking the halls, baking holiday goodies, getting to the gym, buying gifts and booking our holiday travel plans, it can be tough to slow down enough to remember part of what really can make the holidays memorable: Giving Back. Here are some events that will increase your joy while you help others in the coming weeks:
Kids or Kid at Heart: Nov 26th – Jan 2nd. Make the Wonderland Carousel at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle a holiday tradition! The $2 suggested donation goes to support the work of the Downtown Seattle Association and Treehouse, a local non-profit organization offering kids in foster care what all children so desperately need—a safe place to dream.
Cocktails for a Cure: Nov 30th. Nearly 20 wineries join Kimpton Hotels for this special party & fundraiser at Hotel Monaco. Your $30 goes to support Lifelong AIDS Alliance and includes cocktails and small bites from some of the area’s best chefs. Details here.
Caroling for the Hungry: December 3rd. Admit it, some of you are already playing holiday music at your desk! There’s nothing like holiday music to set the tone and get us in the spirit…and there truly is nothing like Figgy Pudding! Join the crowds in downtown Seattle around Westlake Center to listen to 40+ caroling teams sing their hearts out to raise money for the Pike Market Senior Center and Downtown Food Bank. Want to donate in advance? You can donate to one of the teams online, here.
Using the power of travel to make a difference: Nov 15th – Dec 13. Four Seattle-based women have created “Passports with Purpose” – a way for travel bloggers to come together and raise money to support non-profits around the world. This year 100+ travel bloggers will blog about this project and donate fantastic prizes. Each $10 donation you make enters you to win a prize of your choice (prizes include cruises, flight vouchers, hotel stays and more). 2010 donations go directly to Land for Tillers’ Freedom (LAFTI), to build a village for the Dalit caste or India’s “untouchables.” Find Passports with Purpose on Facebook, here.
Remember, Giving Back doesn’t always call for making cash donations. Donating your time to a cause can often be just as, if not more, valuable. Connect with area organizations such as Seattle Works or BEAN to find out more about volunteer opportunities.
Got fun events that do good to share? Tweet to @keridwyn or post on Get Out & Give Back on Facebook!
There’s so many ways to live it up in Seattle while supporting important causes!
Over the next few weeks you can catch a Sounders game, enjoy a movie night, fit in a bar crawl in Ballard and more while supporting great organization Here are some fun ways to get out and give back, whether you’re an animal lover, sports fan or secretly a sci-fi fan.
Get out…and check out the view!
Thursday July 15: This has been the worst oil spill in world history. Don’t just sit around and read headline after tweet after headline about it: come spend an evening benefiting The Nature Conservancy (a leading charity helping the unprotected wildlife in the Oil Spill Zone). Experience a breathtaking view of our beautiful, oil-free Puget Sound from one of the city’s most amazing venues: The Columbia Tower Club. $35 gets you a Flavor of Seattle dining card, hors d’oeuvres and raffle tickets. Details and tickets, here.
Get out…and bar crawl in Ballard!
Sunday July 17: Your $20 (presale/$25 at the event) for the “This is How We Roll Bar Crawl” goes to support Camp Promise-West, a camp experience for kids and adults with neuromuscular diseases. The crawl will hit Ballard Loft, Zayda Buddy’s, Sunset Tavern and Bal Mar. Click here for details and advance tickets.
Get out…your inner sci-fi fan!
Sunday July 17: Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse)’s classic movie Serenity is being screened at the Museum of History and Industry. Enjoy the movie, check out the awesome costumes people wear for the contest, eat, drink and also catch a screening of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on the big screen, while benefiting Equality Now (protecting human rights of women around the world) and three other local non-profits. $17 in advance. Details and tickets, here.
Get out…your scarf!
Sunday July 25: See the Sounders take on the Colorado Rapids! Support our team with your cheers – your donation ($35 for 1 ticket, $65 for 2) goes to the BEAN scholarship fund, which supports a student from one of Seattle’s poorest performing high schools who embodies BEAN’s tenets of friendship, leadership and service. More info on their facebook page, here.
Get out…your walking shoes!
Saturday, August 14: Sign up to walk for Autism Speaks and ask your friends to support you! With 15 friends each donation just $10 each, you’ll be able to raise $150 and walk for this important cause. Autism Speaks funds biomedical research, raises awareness and helps bring hope to those who deal with the hardship of this disorder. Click here to sign up or for more info.
Let us know how YOU are getting out and giving back this month!
Get Out & Give Back is a monthly feature inspiring others to have fun while doing good.
Being lucky enough to live, work, and play in this vibrant city, most of us are constantly balancing busy work days with an active social life (and trying to fit in some sleep and downtime if we’re lucky). It’s hard to slow down when there’s so fun to be had and work to be done. So how do you find the time to give back? Easy: find ways to have fun while you do good!
Build fun events that do good into your social life. Giving back doesn’t only come in the form of volunteering many hours each week or donating huge chunks of your paycheck. For many, giving back may seem like an all-or-nothing effort. But it doesn’t have to be. You can get out, give back and have fun, all at the same time, many times not spending any more than you normally would on an evening out.
